Cool Hunting Video Presents: U-Mini Burger: Re-imagining fast food with quality ingredients and outstanding flavor in our video on LA’s king of burgers

Cool Hunting Video Presents: U-Mini Burger


The second of our videos to premiere at this year’s 99u will definitely get you in the mood for lunch. We spoke to the founder of the famous …

Continue Reading…

Umami Flavors Fly High

British Airways menus powered with the fifth taste serve food high in flavor and lower in salt and sugar
BA_CH_Header_advertorial.jpg

With the goal of making bland airline meals a thing of the past, the culinary team at British Airways Height Cuisine turned to Chef Heston Blumenthal to help them tackle the challenge of serving great-tasting food at 35,000 feet. In his show “Heston’s Mission Impossible” Blumentahl explored why so many foods loose flavor at altitude. He then set about developing techniques to solve the problem. Blumenthal suggests that the key to creating flavorful airline menus can be found in the ability to harness the powers of umami-rich ingredients.

The word umami may seem to have popped up recently, but according to Tim Hanni of the Napa Seasoning Company, this particular taste “was dubbed umami, a vernacular word for ‘good’ in Japanese, by Dr. Ikeda in the early 20th century, who formally presented research in 1908 that umami was a separate, primary taste.” Hanni, also known as the Swami of Umami explains, “The umami taste sensation is triggered by natural glutamate that is found in a vast array of foods: meats, poultry, seafood, dairy/cheeses, vegetables and fruits. Umami is amplified significantly when compounds called nucleotides, associated with fermentation and ripening, are added to the mix.” After much research and exploration of the power of umami, Hanni created his own product, Vignon, an all-natural, all-purpose seasoning made with sea salt and over 20 ‘micro ingredients’ that makes everything taste more flavorful and rich.

BA_Article_umami.jpg

Umami flavors now power British Airways’ Height Cuisine menus. Mushrooms, shellfish, truffles, tomatoes and other umami-rich foods can be found in the Gate Gourmet kitchen. These techniques add power to the overall flavor profile of the food without needing to increase the amounts of salt and sugar. They are carefully prepared and sent up in the air to help make the experience of flying more enjoyable and delicious.

Sitting in Club World or World Traveler Plus class, looking down at a colorful plate of Caledonia blue shrimp with grilled artichoke, tomato petals and sherry truffle vinaigrette, or a Provencale vegetable lasagna with basil ricotta and creamy yellow tomato sauce, passengers now have a much better chance to taste the intended flavor of the food that has been carefully prepared and served with pride by the British Airways’ cabin crew.


Taste #5 Umami Far Eastern Vegetarian Paste

Chef Nobu spices up the “fifth taste” with a new blend for flavor specialist Laura Santtini
umami-nobu1.jpg

Giving her “little tube of magic” new meat-free appeal, London-based restaurateur and flavor specialist Laura Santtini recently teamed up with renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa to create Taste #5 Umami Far Eastern Vegetarian. This savory, garlic-based puree is a follow-up to her popular Taste #5 Umami Paste—a blend that includes anchovies and favors the piquancy of black olives, tomatoes and porcini mushrooms. The Far Eastern Vegetarian packs the same umami punch, but in a mixture that leans more heavily on miso, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce and green tea with hints of sugary mirin, tangy ginger and citrusy yuzu. Whether using the paste to spice up a stir-fry or as a stand-in for soy sauce on sushi, a small dollop of the Nobu-developed blend will undoubtedly turn any dish into a greater culinary delight.

Santtini also cleverly turned the original Mediterranean-inspired Taste #5 Umami Paste into a powder, aptly called Umami Dust. The dry version is perfect on popcorn, as a rub on beef or fish, or in any situation where you would typically add salt.

umami-dust1.jpg

Taste #5 Umami Far Eastern Vegetarian Paste and Umami Dust will both sell from Williams-Sonoma this Spring 2012.