Latest news with #sauces
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Warren Buffett comes out on top from Kraft Heinz flop
Sometimes an investment looks so terrible even Warren Buffett can't fix it. Kraft Heinz, the maker of sauces and convenience foods, is Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Guardian
28-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Beetroot ketchup to avocado oil mayo: how sauces have gone gourmet
The choice used to be 'red or brown?' but fridge shelves and barbecue trestle tables are heaving under the weight of condiments this summer thanks to gourmet makeovers aimed at 'adventurous' taste buds. There is a 'real buzz around condiments right now', says Jeff Webster, the managing director of Hunter & Gather, which sells sriracha hot sauce and chipotle and lime '100% avocado oil' mayonnaise. He says people are looking for something that brings 'big flavour' to their plate. Today the horizons of ketchup lovers are no longer limited to tomatoes. There are beetroot, tamarind and even beer flavour ketchups after Brewdog's recent launch of a variety inspired by its Hazy Jane IPA. If it's mayo you love the choice is equally mind-boggling, as traditional Hellmann's competes with everything from wasabi and yuzu flavours to smoked jalapeno and gochujang – Korean fermented red chilli paste. And that's before you even contemplate the options for barbecue or chilli sauce. With Britons spending close to £1bn a year on sauces and condiments, companies are shaking things up to win sales as shoppers either trade down from household names into cheaper supermarket own-label sauces, or up – treating themselves to a dollop of something posh and artisanal on their plate. Indeed almost half (49%) of consumers polled by the online grocer Ocado said they were 'more adventurous with sauces than they used to be'. Among 25- to 34-year-olds this figure rose to 72%. 'Legacy sauces like brown sauce and traditional ketchup are losing relevance with younger consumers,' Rumble Romagnoli, the founder of the hot sauce startup Chilli No 5, recently told the industry magazine the Grocer: 'These categories are crying out for a refresh.' Hot sauces exploded in popularity during lockdown when people had time on their hands and started experimenting more in the kitchen. Since then the flavour wagon has moved on to 'swicy' – sweet and spicy – flavours, such as hot honey and even 'swalcy' – a combination of sweet, salty and spicy. 'We're seeing so many new products because food has become one of the quickest ways to connect with culture,' says Guy White, the chief executive of the consultancy Catalyx. 'Social media, travel, and global communities mean once-local flavours go global almost overnight. 'Flavours don't stand still. What was once considered niche, for example piri piri or sriracha, is now an everyday staple for many families.' The next wave of sauces will be rooted in regional pride, he predicts, reeling off a list that includes gochujang's fermented depth, chimichurri's herbal kick, West African spice mixes, miso-based umami and chipotle layered with honey. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion All these new products are eating up space in the fridge, according to Ocado. Three-quarters (74%) of people keep up to seven condiments in there while 16% are hoarding 10. Dave Fendley, the sauce enthusiast behind – the 'premier site for the red or brown sauce debate' – is all for a bigger choice in the condiment aisles as 'anything to attract fresh interest is a good thing'. However, he suggests that some of these flavours are bought for 'curiosity's sake and don't always get as many repeat uses as their more established traditional peers'. 'What they have in artisanal styling and unusual ingredients is sometimes negated by their versatility,' he says. 'That is an area the more established varieties have got cornered.'
South China Morning Post
22-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
From Instagram to over 600 stores: Chilli Chan's spicy success across Europe
Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we've written. Like many others who stayed home during the Covid-19 pandemic, Eyan Chan picked up a new hobby: making sauces that reminded her of home. 'I was missing home-cooked food: Shanghai food, Hong Kong food, Taiwanese food ... That's when I started making my sauces,' said Chan, who is 34 and lives in Amsterdam, a city in the Netherlands. 'I was making my mum's recipes. She used to make so many chilli oils and XO sauces; I was making all that at home.' She documented her sauce-making journey on Instagram, quickly attracting attention from people interested in purchasing her creations. 'People would line up in front of my house with their face mask on, knocking on the door, asking, 'Can I buy a jar?' And that's how the business started. It was really casual,' she recalled. After the lockdowns, the person who ran the Chinese supermarket where she bought her ingredients approached her. 'The owner came up to me [asking] 'What are you doing? Why are you always coming back every week to buy so much chilli?' I started telling him my story, and he said, 'Can I start selling it here?' That's the first store I got into.' Over the next year, other small supermarkets and delis began carrying her products. Chan decided to turn her hobby into a full-fledged business, naming it Chilli Chan's. Nearly four years later, her crispy chilli oil and dried knife-cut noodles are available in more than 600 stores across Europe. Cantonese podcast helps immigrant kids from Hong Kong tune in to their roots Calculated risk Chan was born in Hong Kong and moved to Australia when she was five. Each year, her family rotated between celebrating Lunar New Year in Hong Kong, where her father is from, and Taiwan, where her mother is from. After attending university in Sydney, she briefly lived in the US before moving to Shanghai, which deepened her love for Chinese cuisine. She met her husband in Shanghai, and the couple moved to his native Germany for three years before relocating to the Netherlands just before the pandemic began. She worked in project leadership and marketing roles at and Adidas before quitting the corporate world to run Chilli Chan's full-time in 2024. 'I was really scaling it slowly ... I think I got into a chain with 30 stores before I quit my job,' she said. 'It was a calculated risk.' Chan appreciates the time she spent in corporate jobs before starting her business. 'It really taught me how to do this business – marketing, sales, social media ... Without these skills, I wouldn't be where I am,' Chan said. February marked a significant milestone for Chan when she struck a deal with Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, to launch Chilli Chan's in its stores. Chilli Chan's journey showcases passion, cultural education, and entrepreneurial resilience. Photo: Handout Not all smooth sailing Despite her recent success, Chan described a common challenge: the lengthy process of educating consumers. In places like the Netherlands, 'everyone thinks Asian is just one thing,' she said, adding that you might hear someone say, 'I'm going to go eat Asian food.' 'I'm like: there's so many different types. What type are you talking about?' she said. 'I wouldn't say I'm going to eat European food.' Chan educates people about her culture through dumpling-making workshops. 'I actually went to Taiwan to learn how to make soup dumplings. Then, I practised with friends at home,' she explained. While she was nervous about holding her first workshop, not only did all 10 spots sell out quickly, but there was also a waiting list. Now, she holds weekly workshops for up to 20 people. Chan reminded budding entrepreneurs about the importance of focus. 'You have to be a really strong character to be able to stay put,' she said. 'There's a lot of times that I'm like, oh my God, why am I doing this? Should I quit? Should I go back to corporate? But you [need] this fire in you to keep going.' Eyan Chan is the founder of Chilli Chan's. Photo: Handout To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
You're storing your sauces wrong! Experts reveal the correct spot for every single condiment - and finally settle the debate on where ketchup belongs
Whether it's a Full English Breakfast or a healthy salad, most meals are vastly improved by the addition of some kind of sauce. But where is the best place to store your favourite condiments, dressings, and relishes? Many foodies opt for the fridge, amid the belief that this will keep their favourite sauces fresher for longer. Others are convinced that sauces contain enough preservatives that it's safe to keep them in the cupboard. Thankfully, help is at hand, as Which? has revealed the correct spot for every single sauce in your kitchen - including ketchup. 'We consulted food experts, including a registered dietitian, for the definitive guide to what goes where and why,' it explained. While this might sound trivial, getting it wrong could put your health at risk. So, have you been storing your sauces in the right place? Condiments and sauces you should keep in the fridge 1. Mayonnaise While mayonnaise does contain vinegar, there's not enough in there to safely store the condiment outside the fridge, according to Which?'s consultant dietitian, Dr Sarah Schenker. 'Pasteurisation provides an extra layer of safety, but it should still be refrigerated,' she advised. 2. Pesto Pesto should 'definitely be refrigerated', according to Which?. Because it contains nuts, pesto can develop mould that produces toxic compounds called mycotoxins. Worryingly, this includes aflatoxin - a dangerous bacteria that can cause serious liver damage. Dr Schenker advised: 'Mould can be hard to see on pesto, especially if it's green, so don't take any chances either way, and stick to the label advice.' 3. Salad cream Salad cream contains several preservatives, including potassium sorbate and spirit vinegar. But don't let these ingredients fool you into storing it in the cupboard. Because it contains egg, Which? says that salad cream should be refrigerated. 'Condiments like salad cream are often left lingering outside during summer parties and barbecues,' Dr Schenker said. 'It's best to decant some into a bowl to use, to prevent the entire bottle lying around in warm conditions.' 4. Maple syrup One of the most surprising sauces that Which? advises keeping it the fridge is maple syrup. Maple syrup has a sugar content of just less than 60 per cent - the threshold at which sugar acts as a preservative to keep microbial degradation at bay. So, if you keep it in the cupboard, you may soon see mould starting to form. 'People may think that because it's a syrup, it can be treated like others syrups such as golden syrup,' Dr Schenker said. 'But they're from different plants and have different properties, so require different treatment.' 5. Tartare sauce Like salad cream, tartare sauce contains egg, so is best kept in the fridge. Dr Schenker advised: 'Remember to check opened jars of so-called "occasion" sauces, such as tartare sauce or cranberry sauce, before you eat them, because it may be some time since you last had the need to use them.' 6. Redcurrant jelly Redcurrant jelly is the final condiment that Dr Schenker advises keeping in the fridge. 'There can be a separation of water on the surface that creates a layer with low sugar content, which is an ideal breeding ground for mould,' she said. Condiments and sauces you should keep in the cupboard 1. Ketchup In news that will come as a surprise to many home cooks, ketchup does not need to be stored in the fridge. That's because it contains vinegar as well as naturally acidic tomatoes, which help to preserve the sauce at room temperature. Dr Schenker said: 'Sometimes people keep ketchup in the fridge, simply because they prefer a chilled taste, but otherwise it doesn't need to be refrigerated.' 2. Brown sauce Like ketchup, brown sauce contains preservatives including malt and spirit vinegar, so is fine to keep in the cupboard. 'It's vinegar-based, so keeping it in the fridge isn't necessary,' Dr Schenker said. 3. Honey While maple syrup must be refrigerated, honey is safe to keep in the cupboard thanks to its high sugar content and preservative hydrogen peroxide. Dr Schenker said: 'Honey is found in hives at an ambient temperature – much like keeping it in a cupboard – so refrigeration isn't necessary.' 4. Mint sauce Mint sauce contains high leels of spirit vinegar, which acts as a preservative. Technically this means it's safe to keep in the cupboard - although Dr Schenker advises keeping it in the fridge if you don't regularly use it. 'The trouble with "occasion" sauces is that they can sit around for a long time between uses,' she explained. 'That's why it's best to refrigerate them and throw them out if you can't recall when you opened them.' 5. Pickle Pickles also contain preservatives, so are fine to keep in the kitchen cupboard. Dr Schenker said: 'Pickles and chutneys originally came about as a way of preserving fresh fruit and vegetables so, by their very nature, they're OK outside the fridge.' However, pickles can become contaminated with stray crumbs - so make sure you only use clean knives when using them. 6. Olive oil One sauce that you definitely want to keep in the cupboard is olive oil - as storing it in the fridge will cause it to solidify. 'This is just a pure ingredient, so there is nothing that can contaminate it, such as bacteria,' said Dr Schenker. 'Therefore it's fine at an ambient temperature.' 7. Soy sauce The label on your soy sauce probably advises you to keep it in the fridge after opening. However, Dr Schenker maintains that this isn't necessary. 'There's no need to refrigerate soy sauce, because anything with such a high salt content is highly preserved,' she said. 8. Mango chutney How to make the perfect gravy Pour juices from roasting pan into jug to let fat separate from liquid Don't forget the juices from your vegetables Add corn or arrowroot starch slowly to avoid lumps Add salt sparingly – this will be concentrated by heating Pour in a glug of red wine and a squirt of ketchup for an umami hit If all else fails, resort to instant gravy Like pickles, chutneys are safe to store in the cupboard, thanks to their high sugar content and preservatives. Dr Schenker said: 'Much like pickle, mango chutney has also gone through a process of being preserved, so it doesn't need to be in the fridge.' 9. Malt vinegar Not only can malt vinegar be stored in the cupboard, but it also has an indefinite shelf life. 'The high acidity of vinegar means that any contaminant such as bacteria or mould getting into the bottle wouldn't stand a chance of living,' the expert explained. 10. Hot pepper sauce Many brands - including Nando's - will advise keeping hot pepper sauce in the fridge, but Dr Schenker says that the cupboard is fine, thanks to the inclusion of vinegar. She said: 'Some chilli sauces also contain high amounts of sugar, which give extra preservative protection.' 11. Worcestershire sauce Because it contains fish, some people think that Worcestershire sauce needs to be kept in the fridge. However, this sauce is fermented, meaning it won't go off - and is fine to keep in the cupboard. 'Fermented foods can last for ages because, technically, they've already "gone off",' Dr Schenker said. 'However, like wine, they will eventually oxidise, especially as you get towards the end of the bottle and more air gets in.' 12. Mustard (English, Dijon and Wholegrain) English, Dijon and Wholegrain mustards are all safe to keep in the cupboard, although some people prefer the look of mustards kept in the fridge. Dr Schenker said: 'Storing mustard in the fridge is more about preserving the colour, which may change in a warmer environment.' 13. Piccalilli Piccalilli is loaded with vinegar as well as potassium sorbate, meaning it's fine to keep in the cupboard. However, if you like your piccalilli to remain bright and crunchy, you should opt for the fridge. Dr Schenker added: 'Keeping it in the fridge might also help to keep the vegetables in it crispy, but that's down to preference.'
