What’s Hot in Food and Cooking – February 2023
As we start a new solar year there are many food trends we are happy to have behind us such as the ‘everything and anything being made with a sunny side up or poached egg trend’ and the viral TikTok ‘healthy’ cola trends. But what is on the horizon for food and cooking connoisseurs?
It looks like the trends are pointing toward more use of locally grown and harvested seasonal produce. This is great for local farmers, as well as for the consumer, since according to many nutrition specialists this produce has the potential to have higher nutritional values than imported produce. There is also a push toward what some media sources are calling culturally driven food trends. Gen Z is a driving force behind many trends and they tend to follow their hearts by seeking foods from around the world and creating a more global palette.
We live in a social media driven generation and like it or not, the food trend forecasts are falling in line. Posts on Pinterest and TikTok continue to be influenced by people who share their personal culinary ventures. This influence also includes information from websites and blogs of both professional chefs and self-appointed food gurus. Some things to look for in the coming months are:
Nostalgic Recipes
Recipes from the 1960s and earlier that are revived and revamped to fit today’s dietary choices. Think along the lines of Hoover stew and Ambrosia salad to name just a couple.
Mocktails
These are a reflection of a serious trend away from consuming alcohol in favor of drinking alcohol-free beverages. Being sober minded has become more than a blip in our collective social consciousness and has gained enough popularity that non-alcoholic beverages are a category of beverages unto their own.
Epic Entertaining
Think major life events mostly by the over 50 crowd – anniversaries, birthdays, retirement parties will all be over the top with everything from fancy butlered hors d’oeuvres to mega backyard BBQ events.
Presentation
It is going to be all about the sexiness of the plate! If the food looks tantalizing, is plated in an artistic manner, AND tastes good you are on the right track.
Simplification
Think six ingredients or less recipes, designed to use those locally grown produce items mentioned above. No potchky, but instead easy peasy one pan or one pot meals.
Indoor, Porch and Kitchen Gardens
When looking for fresh produce you can’t get fresher than produce you grow and harvest from your own space. Whether from a stacked indoor gardening system or a porch or kitchen garden this is the way to have the freshest grown ingredients. Go online and you can’t help but see the vast array of indoor gardening systems for every budget and the plethora of raised gardening beds available for your porch and patio, to large raised bed systems for your backyard.
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