You may love experimenting in the kitchen, but taking a break from complex meals is always welcome, right? So have you ever tasted ready-to-cook dishes that are gaining momentum in the country for various reasons, such as being relatively cheaper, extremely convenient, and available in a variety of options? In fact, according to research firm Technavio, the market share of semi-finished products in India is expected to increase by $451.57 million from 2021 to 2026.
- For people who prefer simple cooking methods, have a hard time finding the time to spend in the kitchen, or simply don’t have the necessary culinary skills, these ready-to-cook options are the perfect way to not compromise on taste or depend on restaurant food. . In addition, the pandemic has further contributed to the shift in demand for these products. business wire. “Ready-to-cook food has become one of the few industries where demand has skyrocketed amid the coronavirus pandemic. with countries on quarantine and for most people working from home, ready-to-cook foods have disappeared from shelves over the past few months,” the company said.
- The same goes for Pratik Sharma, a 25-year-old working professional from Delhi who first discovered these eating options while away from family during the COVID-19 quarantine. “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to cook and I’m tired of the insipid dishes that I managed to cook for myself every day. It was then while browsing through an online grocery store app that I discovered these instant mixes and bought a couple of packets. rajma and cheol try. It took quite a bit of time to cook them, and they turned out to be surprisingly tasty,” he said. indianexpress. commanding that he’s been a “fan” ever since.
Explaining how various brands have capitalized on this growing demand, Amit Mange, co-founder and COO of Ceres Foods, said they launched their ready-to-cook foods during the pandemic. “We have noticed that Indochinese cuisine resonates with the taste preferences of customers who end up consuming it at least twice a week, if not more often. On the other hand, we have seen demand for specialized Indian curries such as laal maas, nalli nihari, rogan josh, etc., which are difficult to do at home. We quickly found an opportunity and decided to create a line of ready-to-cook products for the home kitchen,” he said.
Instant mixes can be used to make a variety of dishes (Source: Pixabay)
He was quick to add that customer response has been phenomenal both during and after the pandemic. Adding that they source authentic local ingredients from the region to bring out taste said the products minimize “skill addiction”.
The brand’s portfolio of 7 options is uniquely focused on curating famous nonvegetarian dishes from all over India. “These dishes require a high level of craftsmanship and special ingredients. With our products, you can prepare specialty dishes such as laal maas, mustard fish, and Champaran within 30 minutes,” said Mange.
Adhering to safety and hygiene standards, he stressed that these dishes require only 3-4 steps to prepare. Something similar can be said about Maai Masale, an authentic Maharashtrian brand of ready-to-cook curry paste that offers five vegetarian and three non-vegetarian options to launch in 2021.
Bhakti Kote, the founder of Maai Masale, explained: “We started right during the pandemic. We had planned to launch this path before but didn’t get the right opportunity. But the pandemic has given us enough time to explore the idea and work on our product, as well as understand the real gap in the market that needs to be filled.”
She emphasized that these ready-to-cook products are “easy to use” and allow you to prepare any curry in just “three steps”. “We looked at convenience, people’s demand, and constant work-at-home culture. Women also work, especially in metropolitan areas. So we realized that these ready-to-drink formulas are a must, especially for women, students, and seniors who can’t cook on their own. These mixtures give a very homey taste – this was our main goal, ”said Kote.
However, the Technavio report also highlights that rising health concerns will be a major concern for the convenience food market in the coming years, with health experts often criticizing these foods for being unhealthy and a major cause of diseases such as diabetes. obesity and heart problems, among other things.
To find out more, we reached out to nutrition and nutrition experts for their opinion on this matter. “If we talk about the health counter, then this, of course, is not the best option. Cause these mixes are mostly loaded with high preservatives to increase the shelf life of the product, and also contain artificial colors and flavors to make the taste better and more original. There can be a no better alternative to freshly cooked food, since there is a temperature and cooking time control, in ready-to-eat mixtures, on the contrary, it is quite difficult to determine whether the time indicated on the back of the package matches. Ideal for healthy cooking. In addition, reheating partially cooked food can also lead to the loss of various essential nutrients,” said Indrani Ghosh, chief nutritionist at Manipal Hospital in Salt Lake City, Kolkata.
She also explained that the added amount of preservative, if consumed frequently, can be very detrimental to health in the long run. “The risk of diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diarrhea, and cancer are increasing,” Ghosh said, adding that in tropical countries such as India, where infectious diseases are quite common, it is difficult to store these products. . food mixes as these meals need to be stored at a lower temperature to keep them fresh for a longer time, which results in additional costs.
Ready-to-cook foods are linked to obesity (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
In addition to preservatives, these ready-to-cook food mixes also contain harmful chemicals, such as artificial colors and flavors, “which are associated with similar diseases,” said Neha Patania, chief nutritionist at Paras Hospital, Gurugram.
“Therefore, food that is not stored at the optimum temperature is prone to bacterial growth and can lead to food poisoning, bloating, and stomach problems,” she said.
So, should you completely avoid them? Experts advised to follow certain measures and use these mixtures “rarely”.
- Read the label and contents
- Must be FSSAI certified
- Check packing dates
- Nutritional value per 100g or so is required.
- Do not buy if you are not sure of its quality and safety
- Check the required cooking time and method
- Place on the top shelf
- Keep safe hold temperature
Ghosh said that “the age group that can consume these foods without any problem is mostly young people.” fully prepared food.