Supermarket Gourmet Throwing Tricks

by Buck Reed In last month’s article, I used the term “throwing tricks.” This in no way made me popular with my colleagues in the food service industry and may have confused a few of the many fans of The Supermarket Gourmet. So, I wanted to take a moment to express my absolute respect for what they do. The techniques they are preforming are obviously something they must practice and perfect before serving it on a plate for which they are charging you money. With that in mind, I thought I might share a few tricks I have thrown in my career. One of my first tricks was learned during my time in the Navy, in the Galley of the USS Cushing. During extended time out to sea, we would unavoidably run out of fresh food. We could supplement with frozen or canned veggies. All our meat, poultry, and seafood was frozen, so no problem there. It was the dehydrated foods we had to deal with that would need our tender loving care. After ten or so days of dehydrated eggs and mashed potatoes, we would have to get creative. Before the eggs and fresh potatoes ran out, our chief would have us freeze a couple of egg shells and a couple pounds of potato peelings. Just as the crew was getting tired of our instant creations, we could slip our hidden treasure into someone’s tray. An egg shell in the eggs of the sailor with the biggest mouth was like gold in the propaganda arsenal of the naval cook, as was cooking the potato peelings into the instant mashed potatoes. For really extended cruising periods, we would have to rely on a steak and lobster tail dinner to get our shipmates over the underway depression. Lately, I have been struggling with thoughts of dehydrated foods, mostly online with a group I am a member of, dedicated to Italian food. Last week, someone posted about using dehydrated marinara sauce. Almost everybody rejected it outright, but some people defended it. They said it was a great way to save time, and others thought it was a real money saver. I couldn’t agree with either of these opinions. As far as time, a good tomato sauce really can be made in a relatively short amount of time and will taste way better than the dehydrated mess. And, if you are considering price, you can find a jarred sauce on sale on any given day, and with a little manipulation, you can turn it into a nice dish. So, can a dehydrated tomato sauce find a place in my pantry? Absolutely, but not as a standalone sauce to be poured over pasta. I can see using it to enhance a soup or stew, if it can add a unique, respectable flavor to it. Maybe it can add a good tomato flavor as a secondary component of a dish. The idea is to not turn down an idea as a first response. After all, Yankee pot roast wouldn’t be the same without instant onion soup. Some of the best chowders in New England are made with canned milk. Bouillon cubes are not my go-to for stock, but crushed up and added to fried potatoes can transform Lyonnaise potatoes into an amazing side dish. It really is about looking at these components like an ingredient and getting the most out of it. Do you use a dehydrated food product in a unique way? I would love to hear about it or any ideas you have for an article. Please write to me at [email protected].