sofi Day 2 Ends

As Day 2 of the sofi Awards judging comes to a close, the panel tasted its way through 126 Cooking Sauces and Flavor Enhancers then moved on to 69 Condiments. That’s a lot of sauces, mustards and chutneys even for professionals so, happily, the day ended with Baked Good, Baking Ingredients or Cereal—60 different cakes, cookies and other treats.  In total, the judges went through 522 products today in 10 categories.

The foodspring team managed once again to sneak into the tasting rooms, and we noticed a few more interesting trends (and enticing products) that grabbed our attention. Among them:

• Chocolate tea: Products ran the gamut from lightly cocoa-scented teas to chocolate-infused tea drinks. All in all, a sweet addition to these herbal and spiced drinks.
• Single-purpose oils: Some oils are touting themselves as the best for certain uses, such as wok oils for stir-frying, “dip-and-toss” oils for bread-dipping and pasta-dressing, and flavored popcorn oils for—you guessed it—popcorn-popping.
• Unexpected Lentil: From cereals to chips to crackers, lentils are being used in new ways.
• Apple flavor: Yesterday we saw apple as a new flavor favorite in jams and crackers (See Day 1 Flavor Trends and Combinations) and the same is true in cooking sauces and condiments. Products included a harvest apple barbecue sauce, tart apple cooking sauce, an apple pepper jack wing sauce, maple apple compote and harvest apple berry chutney.
• Oils beyond the olive: From flax and green tea to white truffle and black walnut, some brands are bottling the versatile cooking condiment from foods you didn’t even know had oil.

  
The last day of judging tomorrow will be a packed one. Among categories still to go are Meat, Pate & Seafood; Pasta Sauce; Confection; Appetizer, Antipasto, Salsa or Dip; and Frozen Savory. And that’s on top of 106 Snack Foods and 103 Chocolates. (We’ll definitely be nearby for that last one.)

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