Question Of The Day #13

Hi gang, I'll be handling the Thursday edition of QOTD.

Since @Michael Natkin inadvertently* swiped my original QOTD idea yesterday, I think I'll piggyback on that thought: What culinary trends do you think are just about ready to take off and dominate the scene?

We are still experiencing several overlapping trends at the moment: Gastropubs, Spanish cuisine, farm-to-table, etc. But what do you think is poised to take off in the next couple of years and be The Next Big Thing that everyone's talking about?

*I say 'inadvertently'...... unless Michael is more powerful than I previously imagined...... :-O

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FrankM_3301

This is a lot tougher than Michael's question......

Maybe more distant than the next couple of years....insects as proteins?

Improved institutional meals (schools/hospitals)?

Marijuana as a culinary ingredient?

Was at a bar in upstate NY this past summer - Bring your own food (BYOF)?

Increase in online shopping for high quality ingredients?

Johan_Edstrom_5586

This one is quite a bit harder.... I'm thinking more healthy options as well as more "Asian" inspired.

So non-fermented sugarless kimchi in mason jars?

lfmichaud

I went to State Bird Provisions a couple of weeks ago and I thought that serving at the table Dim Sum style could get trendy. There is something fun at looking a choosing food on a whim.

Tim_Sutherland_52834

In the next 3-5 years I see consolidation of current trends and the techniques/food been pushed to lower levels. Bargain chain supermarkets all selling more organic food than specialty markets. Equipment once used in high end restaurants will/is been used at casual restaurants/homes and the equipment is cheaper.

Fine dining will become more casual at lower price points. There will be a large gap (price and standard of service) between destination restaurants (TFL, Next, etc) and the white table cloth fine dining establishment in your city.

Large cities (NYC, Chicago, SF, etc) will lose independent restaurants from the city center. Rents are too high, and the cost of living for staff is too high. Restaurants will move to suburban locals and become more "neighbourhood" in focus (repeat customers during the week).

Casual catering will become more mainstream, particularly in the sprawling burbs. People have nice homes and entertaining space, but not necessary the cooking skills. For the similar cost of renting a private room, you can have the food (and staff) come to you.

Different cuts of red meat will become more common as markets/restaurants try to differentiate themselves, and the increased demand from soon to be majority, minority groups. Tom Thumb (Safeway) in Dallas sell the coulotte cut (top sirlion cap/picanha), grass fed Australian beef at a price cheaper than NY Strip and tenderloin. As it is a single muscle the steaks do not have the issues strip steak can.

michaelnatkin

Dude, you didn't know I can read your mind?

Thanks for stepping up to be a QOTD asker/moderator! It is awesome to see community members pitching in this way. If anyone else wants to join the moderation crue, email me at michael@chefsteps.com .

I'll write back later with my trend prediction

William_Redmond_102249

Pharmacological rather than molecular cuisine could be interesting. For example, one of the reason why various ingredients enhance a dish come from the specific receptors they activate. You can think of the transient receptor channels family for example (cinnamon, garlic, chili, cloves, mint, (too many to list)) which act mainly as "sensors" of potential hazardous substance in the environment. The reason why they enhance a dish but you wouldn't bite into them for pleasure comes from their link with pain (cinnamon and tear gas activate the same receptor, for example). Activating different receptors give specific responses, and the combination of some substances can alter the outcome as well. When someone describes a tongue numbing Chinese pork, all I try to figure out is what physiological response are elicited, and from what pathway. There's a lot to look at, from that perspective. Disclaimer: I' a pharmacologist.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Mödley Crüe \m/

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Wish I could remember the source, but about five or six months ago I read somewhere that the number one source of protein for humans all across the world is..... insects.

When it comes to culinary habits and practices, we (the Western world, and specifically the U.S.) are very much the oddballs. People in this country turn their noses up at food that sustains literally billions of other people all over the planet every single day. And that is a relatively recent phenomenon, like, post-WWII with the Baby Boom generation growing up on TV dinners and fast food and whatnot.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

@Tim Sutherland sort of alludes to what I think is going to the Next Big Thing in restaurant dining, and that is the democratization of high end cuisine. When I think of the best new restaurants that I've been to in the last two years, they all share a casual atmosphere. Hinoki & The Bird, smoke.oil.salt., A.O.C., Tipple & Brine, etc. And yet, if the Michelin guide ever returns to L.A., I think each of them would be worthy of recognition. Shoot, the Guide even instituted the 'Bib Gourmand' award for restaurants with excellent kitchens that are turning out food at reasonable price points.

I know that my personal preference for meals out is restaurants of this type; I certainly enjoy the full 9-yard fine dining experience every now and then, but elevated cuisine can still be approachable.

tshewman

Frank sort of stole my answer (or I'm stealing his), I would say the next big food trend will be insects (in the USA) I would say big "thing" will be sous vide (finally). I think Annova has brought it to such a price point that is almost at the level of microwaves. Now combine those two and imagine Bug's Life meets Nemo........6 legs vacuum sealed and cooked to the right temperature......but where do you insert the digital probe? :-)

Matthew_Snyder_68770

I should also add that a trend that I do not see taking off in a big way is foraging. I'm sure there are plenty of places where it can be done in a practical way, but I just don't see it becoming a mainstay of gastronomy.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I was going to suggest this same thing, I think smaller restaurants that rely on a more local/consistent following could really take off. Larger number of covers, smaller, menu, changing often, cooking and serving directly. I really love the idea.

merridith

One menu/very limited dish better restaurants. (I say "better" because there have always been limited dish fast food, take-out, street food kinds of places. But these are much nicer and generally include nice cocktails, beer, etc.) I saw this recently in England. For instance, Burger & Lobster is a small chain (5 units) now about to open up in NYC. They only serve Burgers and Lobsters. There are a few simple desserts but few enough items on the menu that it does not require a written description, All meals, including fries and a small salad, were priced at 20 pounds (about $32). BTW It was the best lobster I have ever tasted - cooked to perfection. They also offered larger lobsters at higher prices with the weights being posted on a black board.

Brendan_Lee_56950

An unfortunate trend I think we may see soon is a divide between people who want to just consume nutrients (i.e. soylent) and those who enjoy eating.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

I have a friend who is a hardcore Crossfitter. Paleo this, paleo that. Meh.

Brendan_Lee_56950

One of my students was telling me all about this "amazing" juice program she just bought into (sounds like a pyramid scheme) which is all organic and will clear up acne and excema and who knows what else. It's apparently a pill capsule you can either take like a pill or break open and stir into other products. So I said to her, it sounds like it's just a concentrated vitamin pill and she says "yeah but it's organic" and is apparently in for like $60+ a month for these damned things.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Back in the early 20th century, there was a famous case of a traveling salesman who promised to get people's house plants into shape. He sold a tonic that would be mixed with water and dosed twice daily, and he promised that within two weeks houses would be practically overrun with green. Turns out, the tonic was more or less a placebo. The trick was getting people to actually water their plants.