When we asked the chef about seasoning, the first thing he said was that it was necessary. It creates deep flavours and combines different ingredients to create a balanced, tasty meal. Spices can be sweet, savory, acidic, or bitter. Without it, the dish would be soft. This is probably the easiest way to make a delicious meal.
When To Add Seasoning;
During cooking, spices can be added at the beginning to prepare the flavours, or the taste can be precisely adjusted at the end of a recipe. If you are working with meat or fish, you can season directly on the fillet before cooking. If you are making a sauce, you can add it at the end.
A Variety Of Seasoning
Salt and pepper are probably the most common but the spice extends to herbs, spices, lemon juice, vinegar, and sugar. Salt is probably the most popular and can be used to extract water, or to enhance the natural flavour, making it richer or more delicate depending on the dish. Salt is sometimes added to chicken, lamb, and beef to soften the meat and improve its taste.
Other seasonings such as pepper and basil add some flavour to the food and a well-prepared dish can combine different spices that complement each other.
Salted spices: salt, spicy salt.
Acidic herbs: vinegar (sodium acetate), lemon juice, orange juice.
Hot Spices: Pepper, crushed or coarsely chopped black pepper, paprika, curry, red pepper, and mixed pepper spices.
Saccharin herbs: sugar, honey.
Infused oils are also used in cooking, especially in pasta and salads.
The seasoning depends on the taste and preference. Here are our favourite spice collections.
Beef: bay leaf, red pepper, dill, paprika, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme.
Lamb: Basil, cardamom, mint, oregano, paprika, rosemary, turmeric.
Chicken: Bay leaf, nutmeg, parsley, pepper, sage, tarragon, and theme.
Fish: Basil, bay leaf, red pepper, chives, dill, fennel, oregano, paprika, parsley, tarragon, thyme
What do you look for when shopping for spices for your kitchen or even your restaurant? Great taste? Good aroma? the right colour? And maybe the right texture? Most of us look for these factors when buying spices. But have you ever focused on spice packaging? Did you know that packaging spices are actually more important than you think?
Spice packaging is probably one of the most overlooked factors before purchasing. Good spice packaging helps preserve spices for a long time, retaining their original tastes, flavours, and colours. If you have ever bought spices and noticed that they have lost their original flavour and taste when you bought them and you wonder what the reason is – a bad spice packaging may be the cause.
Poor spice packaging doesn’t make you stupid again. Here are some things that a good Spice packaging has to offer. Read on and never let bad packaging ruin the original flavour, taste and appeal of your spices again.
Top things in good spice packaging
To choose the appropriate packaging material/package type for spices, it is important to know the factors that affect the quality of spices.
- Moisture content: Spices, especially spices in powder form, are hygroscopic and absorb moisture from the environment, resulting in powdery mildew and caking / lumping. Moisture removal also damages the free nature of the spice powder.
- Aroma/flavour reduction: Spices contain volatile oils, which give the product a characteristic aroma/flavour. Decreased volatile oil content or oxidation of certain aromatic compounds results in loss of fragrance and flavour.
- Colour Disorders: Some spices such as green cardamom, red pepper, turmeric, and saffron contain natural oils. Light can affect the oil, causing the colour to fade or deteriorate.
- Insect Infestation: Spices are at risk of being spoiled by insect infestation, which can be accelerated by high humidity, heat, and oxygen.
- Microbial contamination: In case of high humidity of 65% and above, microbial contamination, and moisture are absorbed. Beyond a certain level of moisture content, microbial growth begins to deteriorate.
Packaging Materials for Seasoning
Lamination: Lamination is a technique of forming material into several layers so that the composite material acquires better strength, durability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties by the use of different materials.
- Foil Laminate: Technical name: aluminum foil
Description: Glossy or dull, opaque, printable.
The material is a high barrier and is used to extend the shelf life of a product.
Can be used for seasoning food, coffee, tea, pet food, confectionery, powder, dairy products, horticultural products, mining, medical, dairy products, and mining, general.
- BOPP: Technical name: Biaxially Orientated Poly Propylene
Description: Smooth, slightly shiny, clean but can be printed. This material is commonly used in different markets.
The material is less barrier.
Can be used independently or can be used in 2 ply and 3 ply laminate ie BOPP / LLDPE or BOPP / MET PET / LLDPE
Commonly used for side guest bags and header cell bags.
Used for packaging pasta, confectionery, muesli, powder, spices, nuts, and common foods. BOPP laminated pouches are used which are later put in a corrugated box as a packaging package
BOPA film is a two-way nylon film, suitable for packaging applications for hot press packaging and high-speed printing.
Nylon: Technical name: NYLON
Description: Smooth, glossy, clear, flexible, printable (reverse or surface)
Used in 3-layer lamination ie NYLON / FOIL / LLDPE
When PVDC coated material is more barrier.
Commonly used for stand-up pouches, side guest bags, three side seal pouches, fine seal bags, side seal pouches, and vacuum pouches – must be laminated.
Used for packaging cooked meat, coffee, dairy products, nuts, and seasoning foods.
Packaging is available in nylon pouches or rolls that can be made completely transparent, fully coloured, or coloured with a clean pin. The material of these nylon stockings should be such that it does not dent the product from inside and it is better to laminate their material with opp or Bopp with PS.
Polyester and BOPP-based material are generally more popular for spice packaging as each of these two films has some beneficial properties. The polyester used for lamination is usually 10 or 12µ thick.
Multi-wallpaper sacks, textile bags, and HDPE bags are used to pack a large number of powdered spices. Ground spices are also packed in aluminum pouches which are then put in paper board cartons.
The spices are distributed to the consumers in whole, ground, and paste form as well as in bulk packs. Most of the traditional materials used earlier were paper, tin plate containers, and jute bags. Plastic materials were replaced for the packaging of these products. Due to which plastic is preferred. Their features such as lightweight, easy availability, compatibility, hygiene, Machine Ability, Print Ability, Heat Sell Ability, and Selective Barrier Properties.
Spices and condiments add flavor to your customers’ favorite dishes, but for them to work their magic, they must be fresh. This means that proper packaging is important – stale herbs are equivalent to stagnant sales.
