Restaurant Business is pleased to announce the Best New Products of 2004. An exclusive section covering the exceptional new products introduced to the commercial foodservice industry in 2004, this special section captures those breaking products and developments.
Hot off the presses, the Best New Products of 2004 is an excellent tool to utilize for keeping you abreast of some of the latest and most innovative products in the industry today that will give insight into your planning for tomorrow.
Advance Food Company Presents New Fully Cooked Beef Appetizers
Advance Food Company’s Muncheze™, the unique beef appetizers that have created a hot new foodservice trend, are now available fully cooked. These delicious products can be heated in the oven or microwave for quick and easy preparation. Try both taste-tempting varieties: Fully Cooked Cheeseburger Fries® and Fully Cooked Jalapeño Cheeseburger Fries™. For more information, please visit our web site at www.advancefoodcompany.com or contact Marketing at 1-888-723-8237.
New Allens Mixed Vegetables Produce Valuable Versatility
Allens has introduced two new varieties of mixed vegetables for foodservice. Original Mixed Vegetables provide a delightful 7- vegetable medley of carrots, potatoes, celery, sweet peas, green beans, corn and lima beans in a light, savory broth and recipe-ready for side dishes, entrées and pot pies. Chunky Mixed Vegetables are hearty cuts of 5 varieties including carrots, potatoes, celery, sweet peas, and whole onions in a light broth which are ideal for soups, stews and casseroles. Discover the premium mixed vegetables that deliver the field-fresh taste, outstanding texture, eye appeal and nutrition that customers will love. Allens Mixed Vegetables provide valuable versatility, great plate coverage, convenience and low portion costs. For more information contact Allen Canning Company at 800-234-ALLEN, Ext. 379.
Combitherm® is Smoking Now!
The Alto-Shaam Combitherm®, made exclusively in the U.S.A., has further developed combination oven/steamer technology to provide complete smoking capability. Available in three electric boiler-free models, this patented technology gives operators the unique ability to smoke any product, hot or cold, and follow it with a non-smoked item without any residual smoke flavor. Rich, smoke flavor offers menu diversification and even greater cost savings over smoked product prices from a purveyor. Alto-Shaam, Inc. W164 N9221 Water Street P.O. Box 450 Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 53052-0450 U.S.A. phone: 262-251-3800; 800-558-8744 u.s.a./canada
fax: 262-251-7067; 800-329-8744 u.s.a./canada International phone: 262-251-1907
website: www.alto-shaam.com
Bush’s Best Vegetarian Baked Beans
Bush’s Foodservice, suppliers of America’s #1 preferred brand, offers operators Vegetarian Baked Beans —particularly in-tune with today’s consumer demand for healthful, nutritious foods that also taste good. Bush makes available a free packet of “Meatless Recipes” —a collection of imaginative menu ideas for satisfying side and main dishes: from casseroles and stews, to soups and more—all made with Vegetarian Baked Beans. For your free recipes or information on all Bush’s Best products—including premium prepared beans, Southern and other fresh-pack vegetables—contact your sales rep or phone Bush direct. Bush Brothers & Company/Foodservice – Knoxville, TN 37950 800-251-0968
Flavor Reaches New Heights With Brakebush’s New Sauced Wings
Adding to a marvelously diverse wings line, Brakebush proudly announces their new Sauced Wings — available in tasty Buffalo and BBQ flavors. Made with premium quality chicken, these flavorful, fully cooked wings are ideal for appetizers, entrees, happy-hour specials, and buffet situations. They also offer heat-n-serve convenience via the microwave, oven or fryer. No matter how they are prepared, Brakebush Sauced Wings deliver on-trend flavor that’s fun to eat and easy to share. For more information, call 1-800-933-2121 or visit our website at www.brakebush.com.
Cadco Introduces LineChef™ Combination Ovens
Cadco, Ltd. announces the addition of Line Chef™: four new heavy-duty and boilerless combination ovens to its line. All models are equipped with multiple cooking applications consisting of steam cooking, roasting, baking, probe cooking, and rethermalizing. Cadco’s line of combination ovens are extremely easy to operate. Within 30 seconds you are on your way to better tasting, better looking foods, ranging from vegetables, to lobster, to pork roast, to cakes, cookies, artisan breads and so much more. Cadco’s new combination ovens are easy to clean and so economical anyone can now own a LineChef™; found to be the most versatile piece of equipment in the kitchen.
California Avocado Commission Offers Free Recipe R&D
Compact, but loaded with potential, the California Avocado Commission’s new Culinary Companion CD provides what every operator craves—innovative menu ideas. In fact, CAC’s Culinary Companion is stocked with scores of fresh avocado recipes in every menu category, along with Web- and print-ready photos. At a click, operators can access guides for specifying, handling and storing fresh California Avocados, or link to www.avocado.org/foodservice, CAC’s comprehensive Web site. Free of charge to interested operators, order your California Avocado Culinary Companion CD at www.avocado.org/foodservice, or contact the California Avocado Commission Foodservice Hotline at 800-370-3782.
Cattlemen’s 2 Carb Blend Bottle
Cutting carbs and eating healthier is the hottest trend going. And now you can cash in on the craze with CATTLEMEN’S® 2 Carb Blend™ Barbecue Sauce. It delivers all the robust flavor of CATTLEMEN’S, but with just 2 grams of carbs, 0 grams of fat and just 20 calories per 2 tablespoon serving. And because it performs as flawlessly as our original CATTLEMEN’S flavors, it’s easy to menu full-flavor, low-carb favorites. So cut the carbs without cutting f lavor, with CATTLEMEN’S® 2 Carb Blend™. Call 1-800-442-4733 for a free sample today.
Carolina Turkey Breast Medallions
As customers demand more healthy menu options, the demand for salad entrees continues to rise. Carolina Turkey’s ready-to-serve Turkey Medallions make it easier than ever to meet that demand. Fully cooked, pre-sliced Carolina Turkey Medallions deliver the great taste of fresh- roasted turkey without all the work. Less preparation time means reduced labor costs and higher profits. Using Carolina Turkey Medallions also helps to ensure consistent product quality while eliminating waste. In other words, it’s good for business. For more information or to request a sample, contact Carolina Turkey at 800-523-4559 or www.carolinaturkeys.com.
Flavor Glazed Rainbow Trout Adds Splash to Seafood Menus
Clear Springs Foods, the world leader in Rainbow Trout production, introduces Splash!™ Flavor Glazed Fillets to bring a fresh wave of flavor to the seafood menu. The exciting flavors take the delightfully popular taste and texture of Rainbow Trout to the next level, appealing to today’s customers. Splash!™ Lemon Herb Glazed Fillets deliver tender Rainbow Trout in a slightly tart, savory lemon herb butter sauce. Prepared and ready to bake or sauté, Splash!™ Flavor Glazed Fillets cut labor costs and reduce the need to stock custom ingredients. For additional information visit www.clearsprings.com or call 800-635-8211.
Conagra Foods® Introduces Lamb’s Supreme Brand Yukon Gold Products
Strike it rich with the golden color and buttery, almost nutty flavor of new Lamb’s Supreme Yukon Gold potato products from ConAgra Foods. ConAgra Foods selects the finest Yukon Gold potatoes from prime growing regions and runs them through its exclusive Private Reserve® process to maximize flavor and quality. The Lamb’s Supreme Brand Yukon Gold line includes Twister® Fries, Natural Wedge Cuts, IQF Hash Browns, Mashed Potatoes and a new 7/16” Chef Cut fry. Contact a Lamb Weston brand specialist toll free: 800/766-7783 or visit www.lambweston.com.
Digital Dining Restaurant POS
Digital Dining is a true 32-bit Windows restaurant POS solution installed in more than 30,000 foodservice operations, from fast food to nightclubs and fine dining. Digital Dining’s touchscreen POS and handheld POS both deliver seamless feature-rich capabilities including Frequent Diner, Delivery, A/R, Table Management, Gift Certificates, and much, much more. Digital Dining’s comprehensive back office offers built-in report generators for customizable reporting, fully integrated on-line credit card verification, inventory with recipe costing, labor scheduling and multi-store data management.
Offering Healthy Beverages that Consumers Love to Drink: Milk Dairy Management Inc
Recent research has determined that both adult and youth consumers prefer drinking milk out of single serve containers, compared to drinking it out of a glass. Serving the milk in a single serve container is appealing to both kids and moms for many reasons:
- Portability.
- Ability to see the printed expiration date.
- Kids say the single serve containers, like Milk Chugs, are “cool”.
- A recent year-long study (2002 School Milk Pilot Test) involving more than 100,000 elementary and secondary school kids, found that kids consumed more milk when it was offered in plastic grab-and go containers and in different flavors.
contact: 312-278-6019.
Dole Fruit Bowls 3.1 OZ
This year Dole Foodservice introduced DOLE® Fruit Bowls® 3.1 oz size. The single-serve fruit cup offers food operators, convenience stores and vending a healthful option that is a must in foodservice today. Each 3.1 oz container requires no refrigeration and contains 100 percent all-natural fruit that is easy to store, handle and display. Additionally, each container includes its own fork and is available in the following varieties:
- Pineapple, in pineapple juice.
- Tropical Fruit, in fruit juice.
- Peaches, in Strawberry Gel.
For more information, including the complete line of DOLE Fruit Bowls products, visit www.dolefoodservice.com or call 1-800-723-9868.
New Shallower Holding Cabinet
Hatco Corporation offers the new, shallower Flav-R-Savor® Holding Cabinet, model FSHC-7-1, built only 29-1/2" (749 mm) deep to easily fit under work counters. This easy-to-maneuver cabinet is versatile, accommodating up to seven full size sheet pans or hotel pans on 3" (76 mm) centers. The new enhanced heat and humidification system assures proper holding temperatures. Prepare a variety of food in advance of peak serving periods and safely hold product at optimum serving temperatures for hours, due to the thermostatically controlled heat and humidity. Contact the Hatco Corporation at (800) 558-0607 or (414) 671-6350 or visit our website at www.hatcocorp.com.
Icelandic® Southern Style Biscuit Batter™ Fish Fillets
The delicious, buttery taste of hot, southern biscuits has been a national favorite for centuries. Now, Icelandic® USA, leading frozen seafood company in the U.S. and legendary for high standards of quality, is introducing Southern Style Biscuit Batter™ fish fillets; Catfish and Ocean Perch. Made from 100% skinless, natural fillet portions, the product’s appearance is identical to handmade portions with a batter that has made-from-scratch, southern biscuit appearance. Each fillet looks freshly baked and has a pillowy, puffy just-out-of-the-oven look.
For more information call 1-800-ICELANDIC or visit our website at www.icelandic.com.
Café H® Carnita Meat Makes On—Trend Pork Deliciously Simple
The well-balanced flavor of CAFÉ H® Carnita Meat makes it easy to create distinctive burritos, sandwiches and other exciting menu applications. Slow-cooked for hours with traditional herbs and juices, CAFE H® Carnita Meat is a favorite in Mexico and one of the fastest growing pork items today. This flavorful and tender pork, which remains remarkably moist during holding, is the preferred choice of operators seeking a bolder twist to proven concepts. Hormel Foodservice is an innovator and leader in the foodservice industry. For more information, contact your Hormel Representative, call 1-800-723-8000, or visit our website at www.hormelfoodservice.com.
Try Heat-N-Serve… It’s Funnelicious! New Mixed Berry Funnel Cake From J&J Snack Foods
Tempt your taste buds with The Funnel Cake Factory® new Mixed Berry funnel cake. No mixing or measuring, pre-made Mixed Berry funnel cakes are a great labor saving addition to any foodservice menu. Appealing to all age groups, Mixed Berry funnel cake is perfect for buffet lines or catering. Just heat-n-serve and in minutes you can satisfy your hungry guests. Create your own breakfast, lunch or snack time dish by adding fruit toppings, frozen yogurt, ice cream, flavored syrup or powder sugar. Forget the fruitcake! Start a fun new holiday tradition with a Mixed Berry funnel cake dessert. For more information, call 888-jjsnack (557-6225) x750 or visit our website at www.jjsnackfoodservice.com.
Chef Sensations IQF Vegetables and Fruits are Recipe Ready
Chef Sensations recipe ready premium IQF vegetables and fruits have a wide range of menu applications. They are made using proprietary direct heat processes with no water blanching for exceptionally high solid content and very low moisture. This processing method preserves important nutritional values as well as the natural color, texture and flavor of these premium IQF grilled products. Chef Sensations are available in Grilled, Sautéed, Fire-Roasted, and Smokehouse Roasted varieties. Contact Jon-Lin, Inc., at 877-Jon-Lin1 or at www.jon-linfoods.com.
Now the Maxwell House® taste consumers love in a more convenient format!
Maxwell House®, a true American coffee classic, presents the latest innovation for brewing the full-bodied coffee consumers demand while satisfying an operation’s high-volume needs—new Maxwell House® frozen liquid coffee concentrate. Liquid coffee concentrate is fresh coffee brewed under ideal conditions and then concentrated under low temperatures to preserve flavor, aroma and freshness. Liquid coffee is ideal for locations that serve a high volume of coffee throughout the day as it easy to brew & keep fresh. For more information, contact your dedicated Maxwell House® Coffee Company sales representative or call 1-800-537-9338 or visit www.kraftfoodservice.com.
Kikkoman Introduces Four New Asian Sauces
Asian Authentics, a new line of classic sauces and condiments from Kikkoman, make it easy to prepare today’s most popular Asian specialties without having to source hard-to-find, inconsistent specialty ingredients. These premium sauces—Hoisin Sauce, Black Bean Sauce, Plum Sauce and Thai Chili Sauce—are essential “flavor building blocks” for making everything from stir-fries to rice and noodle bowls, wraps, appetizers, salads and sandwiches. They’re all ready-to-use right from the convenient—plastic bottle. For more information, contact Kikkoman International Inc. Asian Authentics, 800-944-0600 or email; www.kikkoman-usa.com.
Land O’ Lakes® Extreme Melt® Cheese Delivers Extra Performance in Foodservice Applications
As the dairy specialist, Land O’Lakes brings foodservice operators Extra Melt® Process American Cheese — the gold standard for rich, buttery cheese flavor, smooth melting characteristics and excellent hot hold qualities. Made with award-winning Cheddar and other quality dairy ingredients, Extra Melt® Cheese melts smoothly without separating or oiling off, and resists thickening and browning up to 4 hours for maximum yield and less waste. It’s the preferred choice for delicious burgers and hot sandwiches; smooth sauces, soups and queso dips; and creamy entrees, casseroles and other dishes. Available in Yellow or White 5-lb loaf. For more information, visit www.landolakesfoodservice.com.
Gourmet CARB FRIENDLY Menu Solutions from Love and Quiches Desserts!
Love and Quiches Desserts takes lower carb desserts to a new level of indulgence with a NEW No Sugar Added version of its best-selling liquid center Peek-A-Boo Chocolate Truffle™! This individual portion of pure chocolate extravagance has only 3 grams of net carbs per 4 oz. serving, and boasts an intensely chocolate, extraordinarily delicious taste. The truffle makes its own delicious chocolate sauce when heated briefly. Packed in its own dual-ovenable container; ready to thaw, heat and serve. Packed 24 per case. Kosher dairy. For more information, please call (800) 525-5251 or visit us at www.loveandquiches.com.
Anchor® Chili Mac and Tuna Mac Macaroni Wedges Put ‘Fun’ On the Menu
McCain Foods launches two new varieties of Anchor® Macaroni Wedges. New Breaded Chili Mac and Breaded Tuna Mac Wedges put fun on the menu, with innovation and unique appeal to kids of all ages. Playful, family-friendly Chili Mac and Tuna Mac Wedges offer a new twist on classic kid cuisine. Chili Mac features cheddar cheese, chili and elbow macaroni, coated in a crispy cheddar breading. Tuna Mac combines creamy cheddar cheese, flaky tuna, peas and elbow macaroni in a crispy homestyle breading. For more info call 1-800-POPPERS.
Eight Ways to Shine with Cloth Napkins
- Value— cloth has a higher perceived value by your guests.
- Price—cloth costs a fraction more, but the payoff is a larger guest check.
- Image—cloth tabletops make a great first impression.
- Environmentally friendly—paper produces waste.
- Atmosphere—cloth conveys high style, paper conveys cheap.
- Touch—cloth feels and absorbs better.
- Variety of colors—yellow for vibrant, white for classy. Atmosphere can’t be achieved with paper.
- Customization—fancy weaves and logos available with linens.
For more info call contact, Blaine Maddin at 1-800-322-8326 or visit www.millikentablelinen.com.
Honey Photo and Recipe CD Delivers Menu Creativity, Conveniently Packaged
As a menu-planning tool, the National Honey Board’s graphics and recipe CD works overtime as a valuable resource. Loaded foodservice recipes and thirty color images of menu ideas and honey beauty shots, as well as product information, descriptions of varietal honeys and a link to the Honey Locator, the CD instantly expands any operator’s menu planning capabilities. To order a free Honey Recipe and Graphics Library CD, contact the National Honey Board, 390 Longmont CO 80501-6045, (303) 776-2337, fax (303) 776-1177, or visit the Web site at www.honey.com/foodserv/.
ServSafe® Food Safety Training
The ServSafe Program is your connection to the most current and comprehensive food safety information. Developed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the ServSafe program offers training options for every level of your organization in a variety of formats to suit your needs. Protect your customers and your business by arming your entire staff with the latest food safety knowledge. For more information or to order, contact your State Restaurant Association, your distributor, or the NRAEF at 800-765-2122 (312-715-1010 in Chicagoland), ext. 701 or order online at www.nraef.org.
Presenting UpperCrust.™ Six wildly successful,uniquely crusted, natural cut fillets in a class by themselves
Ocean Cuisine’s exclusive, crusted entrées are a breakthrough in bringing white tablecloth trends to prepared seafood. Bursting with Latin, Asian, Mediterranean and American flavors, UpperCrust fillets are the perfect balance of tantalizing crunch and delectable seasonings. They are carefully crafted, fully prepared fusions of innovative and exotic ingredients enhancing three of today’s most popular species—Cod, Tilapia and Salmon. UpperCrust is an easy way to excite customers’ discriminating tastes. To learn more, give us a call at 888-820-0900 or visit OceanCuisine.com.
NTN PlayCall™ Guest Pagers
Introducing NTN PlayCall™, the innovative new guest pager from NTN Hospitality Technologies. For about the same cost as a conventional pager, PlayCall keeps your customers entertained while they wait with fun, easy- to-play games for kids and adults. Meanwhile, your investment is protected by an auto-disable feature, which shuts down the game and sounds an alarm if taken out of range. With the high quality and distinctive features you’ve come to expect from NTN, PlayCall pagers are unlike anything you or your guests have seen before, yet are fully compatible with other systems. NTN PlayCall—the perfect appetizer for wait-conscious customers.
New Chef Pierre® Layered Cream Pie Created with Popular Andes® Branded Ingredient
Chef Pierre® has teamed up with Andes® to create the new Chocolate Mint Cream Layer Pie topped with Andes® Crème de Menthe Chips. Andes® is the #1 name in after-dinner mints. The Chocolate Mint Cream Layer Pie combines mint and chocolate for a flavor popular with today’s patrons. It starts with a dark cookie crust, topped with creamy layers of chocolate and mint fillings and chocolate non-dairy whipped topping, and is finished off with Andes® Crème de Menthe chips. For more information on Chef Pierre, call 1-800-682-SARA (7272) or visit www.saraleefoodservice.com.
Home Style Never Tasted So Good!
Rich Traditions, Mrs. Smith’s line of fruit crisps use ripe, sweetened fruit covered with a topping made from cinnamon, granola and almonds. They are available in three varieties: Apple Crisp, Blueberry Crisp and Strawberry Crisp. Like other Mrs. Smith’s desserts, Rich Traditions Fruit Crisps are as convenient as they are mouth-watering. Sold in packages of four, the products are shipped and stored frozen. When ready to use, they are baked until the topping turns golden brown, 40 to 90 minutes depending on the type of oven used. For more information, please contact Schwan’s Bakery, Inc., at 1-800-241-0559.
Smucker’s® Diet Spreads
From Good to Great!
The J.M. Smucker Company introduces reformulated Smucker’s® Diet Spreads to offer a superior product to your patrons who desire a sugar-free choice. With updated packaging graphics and new flavor offerings, Smucker’s Diet Spreads deliver the best assortment to your customers. Now sweetened with sucralose, all three flavors meet the guidelines for a sugar-free offering. Your patients and guests trust you to provide them with quality options in your meal selections. Ensure that they feel the comforts of home by offering the brand they trust. Assortment includes Grape, Strawberry and Blackberry. For more information on Smucker’s Diet Spreads, contact Smucker Foodservice Sales at (330) 682-3000.
Infinity™ Fry— A Zero-Grams Trans Fat Fry
The J.R. Simplot Company, the leading french fry innovator, introduces Infinity Fries - zero-grams trans fat french fries for foodservice. Today, more consumers than ever are aware of the link between trans fat and heart disease, and they’re cutting back on foods with trans fat. Infinity Fries were developed specifically to address these concerns. Baked or fried, they look and taste just like traditional fries, outperform conventional fries, and best of all, patrons can feel good about ordering them. For more information on Infinity Fries, please contact Simplot at www.simplotfoods.com or call us at (800) 572-7783.
Let Jose Ole® Mini Burritos Make a Big Addition to Your Appetizer Menu
Jose Ole® Mini Burritos are the mini-sized appetizers that will add big excitement—and profits— to your appetizer menu. No one else makes Mexican appetizers that taste as authentic, or are as easy to prepare, as Jose Ole®. Our Mini Beef & Bean Burritos combine beef and whole pinto beans with traditional Mexican seasonings, hand-wrapped in a fresh flour tortilla. Our Mini Shredded Chicken Burritos feature a zesty filling of shredded chicken, also seasoned with real Mexican spices, hand-wrapped in a flour tortilla. For more information, call 1-800-548-6363 or visit www.specialtybrandsinc.com
Flavored Tortillas
When it comes to providing the tastiest, and most diversified line of tortillas in the food service industry, Tumaro’s Gourmet Tortillas (www.tumaros.com) has it all wrapped up! The company’s line of 8", 10" & 13" wraps—ideal year-round and in just about any culinary setting—are available in 17 flavors running the taste gamut from Sun Dried Tomato & Basil to Rosemary & Olive Oil to Chocolate. In addition,4 New Low in carb tortillas with only 4-7 total net carbs per tortilla have been added. Flavors include Multi-grain, Salsa, Garden Vegetable, and Green Onion.
Speed to Plate. Powered by Tyson
Tyson Foods, Inc. powers speed-to-plate with two new product innovations—Fully Cooked Tyson® Beef Short Ribs and Ready-to-Cook Tyson CrossFires™ Grill-Marked Chicken Breast Filets.The Beef Short Ribs save time while delivering slow-cooked flavor and tenderness. They’re available in three popular flavor profiles—Honey Hoisin, Chipotle BBQ, and Slow-Roasted—that are easily customized. CrossFires Grill-Marked Chicken Breast Filets are preseared with crisscross marks for unique visual appeal without the labor or equipment typically required. Less handling means reduced chance of cross-contamination. For innovative recipes and menuing ideas, visit http://madetoorder.tyson.com. 1-800-24-TYSON.
Speed. Quality. Versatility. All in One Amazing Oven.
When a foodservice operator needs to provide hot quality food to customers Quickly, TurboChef offers the C3 Oven. The C3 uses a patented combination of high speed forced air convection heating and microwave energy to cook up to 10 times faster than conventional methods. The C3 cooks, bakes, browns, broils and roasts with quality comparable or superior to traditional cooking. UL Certified ventless, the C3 does not require a hood, ventilation or fire suppression equipment, saving thousands in expenses. Its preprogrammed, push-button control panel makes operation simple for anyone. And its small, stackable footprint maximizes cooking space. For more information, contact 866-90-TURBO or visit www.turbochef.com.
An Unforgettable Veal Classic
Veal Chop Balsamico with Asparagus Risotto is a traditional menu item that conveys genuine elegance on any fine dining menu. The classic veal chop pairs perfectly with asparagus risotto, arborio rice, and peas. A savory balsamic glaze that makes this dish truly unforgettable enhances its flavor. For more inspiring ideas using veal, order a set of veal recipe cards from The Cattlemen’s Beef Board and The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. For your complimentary copy, call 800-368-3138 and ask for veal classic recipe cards. Or visit our websites at www.veal.org and www.vealstore.com.
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