Chef Don predicts 2024 will be a year dedicated to developing and fine tuning trendy flavors we’ve seen up and coming the last couple of years. Expect to see a refinement of flavors that will lead to more complexity and depth of flavor that will bring customers coming back for more.
Here are Chef Don’s top 3 trends to finesse in 2024.
1. Spicy is here to stay, but in a new way.
- The days of burning your taste buds off are on their way out, but more complex spicy flavors are on the rise. Less ubiquitous peppers like Calabrians, piquillos, and cherry peppers are ready for their day in the sun. Global spice blends can add a pop of heat with a depth of flavor customers are craving.
- Mole is an ingredient that hits all three of this year’s trends. Mole boasts a bit of spice, but it’s 28 ingredients impart a depth of flavor that only weeks’ worth of work preparing, marinating, and roasting, and frying ingredients can produce.
2. New spin on an old classic
Familiar flavors with just a twist of something new are appealing to consumers right now. Give consumers comfort food and the opportunity to try something new at the same time.
- Do customers love your fries? Load them up with global toppings, like a mix of Hispanic flavors including corn, jalapenos, cotija, and mole. Use curry and paneer for an Indian iteration. This nods to the rise of poutine on American menus as well.
- Poblanos can elevate a dish with a unique pepper with a lower level of spice. Try a roasted poblano to layer trends.
- Sauces like harissa are getting a makeover. Instead of red harissa, green harissa is catching attention. Tomatillo sauces, green sriracha, and green sambal are all up and coming flavors that offer a new twist on a familiar flavor.
- This trend is truly a chef’s playground. The plate knows no limits when it comes to old classics with a fresh face.
3. Roasting vegetables
- Roasting imparts a flavor no other cooking method can. A little char brings out a little sweet and roasting can impart a faint hint of smoke. This delectable complexity of flavor is matched in appeal by the tender crisp texture a properly roasted veggie boasts.