2012 Foodservice Menu Trends
Once again, the NRA has surveyed nearly 1800 professional chefs (members of the American Culinary Federation) to rank the hottest foodservice menu trends, providing inspiration to foodservice operators everywhere. Ideas like local sourcing and sustainability continue to grow. Also in the public limelight are healthful kids’ meals and sound nutrition.
Whether you’re looking to expand into new culinary concepts or leverage what chefs rate as “perennial favorites,” one thing is clear: Safe eggs have a pivotal place in the foodservice ingredient list.
Eggs on your menu?
Safest Choice Eggs Huevos Rancheros
Consider breakfast. Three of the top five trends for breakfast use undercooked eggs. There are ethnic-inspired favorites like chorizo scrambled eggs and traditional ethnic breakfast entrees like huevos rancheros. Then there’s French toast—and stuffed French toast.
“Undercooked” eggs means you have three choices:
1) Crack ordinary shell eggs and risk your reputation with Salmonella,
2) Use liquid egg products and sacrifice culinary quality, or
3) Opt for pasteurized shell eggs so you—and your customers—can have it all—great quality and safe eggs.
Egg recipes: back to basics
Two out of three chefs ranked “simplicity/back to basics” as a hot trend. Maybe it’s a non-trend, just a great description of the ever-popular comfort food concept that always sells. Do omelets, scrambled eggs, and homemade ice cream come to mind?
Four out of five chefs rated egg dishes as top foodservice menu items in the breakfast category—either as a “hot trend” or a “perennial favorite”.
In the dessert category, artisan and homemade ice cream ranks this year as the number-one hottest menu trend. Do you use raw eggs in your signature ice cream recipe?
Use Safest Choice pasteurized eggs in homemade ice cream
Eggs: on your beverage menu
Pushing the culinary envelope this year also means culinary cocktails (trend number three). Have you discovered the perky coffee colada recipe yet?
And in the non-alcoholic category, we see the smoothie trend riding the wave. Smoothies are a “hot trend” among some, and a “perennial favorite” among even more culinary and menu experts. Now try blending fruit and safe eggs with the number-four top ingredient, Greek yogurt, and you have a low-fat, high-protein beverage that is both exotic and healthy… see the recipe for orange-mango smoothie.
Safe eggs: culinary performance
Wondering about culinary quality in safe (pasteurized) eggs? The American Culinary Federation awarded Safest Choice pasteurized eggs the ACF Seal of Approval for culinary performance. Good enough for the ACF, your customers, and yes—great for your foodservice menu.
On the sustainability front, customers may like to know that the eggs you use in your foodservice menus are hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and available cage-free (Certified Humane eggs).
How are you using pasteurized shell eggs on your foodservice menus this year?
