Eat My Dust, your guide to the world of powdered food and drinks

IMAGE COURTESY OF EVERYDAY HEALTH

As chefs and restaurateurs, we are no strangers to condiments that come in the form of powder. In a world that is constantly becoming more health-conscious, where do powdered food and drinks stand and what does that mean for restauranteurs?

One of the many upsides of using powdered food in the restaurant business is the amount of money you get to save in the process. Compared to raw ingredients, the lack of moisture content allows for it to have a longer shelf life. Bulk buying perishables is inevitable for all restaurants and when the product goes bad, it gets tossed. Broccoli lasts about four days in the refrigerator while powdered broccoli can last upwards of six months. It also reduces food wastage in general. Some of the food powders even retain the same high nutritional value as well as the taste of the original product.

Another advantage that powdered food has over fresh produce is it is low in bulk weight. What this means for restaurants is that they get to save on logistics and shipping as raw ingredients contain water, seeds and stems, most of which will be discarded anyway. Dehydrated ingredients that are ready-for-use take up much less space and weigh less, allowing more to be transported at a time. This impacts the cost greatly, especially if importing products from overseas. Some fresh produce requires refrigeration during transit and when stored in store. Powdered food requires neither of these. The high production rate of these products also reduces the issue of shortstocking from the supplier as it is more readily available. With most of the labour of dissecting and cleaning the produce taken out of the equation, the powder makes it much easier to prepare at a faster rate, saving on labour hours.

Not only is it beneficial to restaurant owners but the Malaysian economy as well. Flanders Investment & Trade reported that in 2020, 10 percent of Malaysia’s manufacturing output came from the food processing sector and recorded an export value of almost RM19 billion and forecasted a 3 percent annual growth for years to come.

There are so many upsides, why even bother buying raw ingredients anymore? After all, it’s just the same product that’s been dehydrated and pulverised, right? That’s until you discover vegetarian chicken stock powders and realise that peanut butter in the powdered form somehow has 98 percent less fat than the healthiest of peanut butters out there.

While some powdered food genuinely come from the exact same source the raw ingredients come from with no additives, there are many variations that are not as healthy as the real deal.

Carmelo Ferlito, ex-owner of the now defunct Italian restaurant, Gusto Guisto, like many other restaurants, opted for the powdered route for coffee, fruit juice, cheese and many other ingredients.

“Coffee and juice were served from dispensers. They would deliver the powdered product in huge plastic bags and we would then pour the powder into the machines. When making a drink, it would simply drop some of the powder into the cup and fill with water. The coffee was alright because it was pretty common to use already grounded coffee to make espressos. The fruit juices and soups however, not so much.”

Ex-manager of Gusto Guisto, Edgar Harding noted that, “It was much cheaper to buy and also very easy to prepare, it definitely saved us a lot of time and money. The downside of it however was that the quality was not as good as using fresh fruits. You could tell that there was a lot of added sugar in the drink and it didn’t taste as natural as you would expect. Even the soup that we served came in powdered form. Taking a quick glance at the label will tell you just how much sodium is in one serving and something about the bits of chicken being labelled as real just didn’t sit well with me. With the rest of our ingredients being quality, fresh produce, the powdered stuff really stood out like a sore thumb."

With the convenience and costing of powdered food, it seems like a no-brainer for restaurants to choose it over raw produce. When food is dehydrated, the volume of the calories per gram increases tremendously due to the lack of water. With how light powdered food is, it is very easy to go overboard and find that the end product is high in sugar or sodium. This silent but deadly mistake can lead to dishes and beverages causing weight gain as well as a plethora of health issues.

With most produce being able to retain their original nutrients after dehydration, certain vitamins and minerals are affected such as vitamins A and C which face the potential of being significantly reduced or destroyed altogether. Vitamin B is also susceptible to being reduced, varying on the dehydration method. Contamination can also occur with lead and other heavy metals occasionally being found in powdered foods.

Another underlying issue is the health impact not chewing food brings around. With powdered food that is not used as an additive to a recipe and used as a standalone instant food, there is the issue of the lack of chewing of solid foods. It has been discovered that the lack of this action can lead to an increase in blood glucose levels as well as hypertension and impact the digestive system.

Take meal replacement shakes for example. The nutritional information listed on the packaging states that it does include all the necessary nutrients and minerals that one needs to meet in a typical meal. However, it is common knowledge that it should not completely replace your usual diet made up of whole foods because it is simply impossible to acquire a variety of nutrients from a single food source, which is why it is treated as a supplement.

Now that we’ve gone over all the benefits and drawbacks of powdered food, let’s talk about what that means to restaurateurs and chefs

Chef Lim Tzer Chuan, Head Chef at Botanica + Co, states that, “Powdered foods are an essential in my kitchen but there is a very fine line between what I consider to be good and bad. Given the style of food I cook, I aim to be as authentic as possible. Certain food powders that aide in adding flavour to the dish seem alright to me but if I am cutting corners and not getting my hands on fresh ingredients that are readily available to me, I can’t accept that.”

The basic guideline for restaurants is to first look at your customer base and your menu. Most restaurants can pull off using powdered food as additives and to enhance flavour profiles of their dishes. As for instant powdered food, such as mashed potato and soup, it is advised that only fast-food joints and other restaurants of that nature serve those dishes as the customers expect more when dining at premium casual restaurants and beyond. Think of utilising it as a supplement instead of a direct substitute for individual ingredients or whole meals for that matter.

Then comes the ethical debate of powdered beverages. Aside from adding powdered products for extra nutrients such as protein powders or green superfood blends, it should be generally avoided. It is also important that if the restaurant does serve an instant powdered beverage, like an orange juice, it is key that the customer is aware of it and the product isn’t advertised as freshly squeezed or natural.

In economic terms, powdered food can also give you an advantage. However, it is important to do research beforehand for the nutritional benefits and limitations of each article of food compared to their raw counterpart to see if it does work as a substitute. While the financial upside seems tempting, it is without a doubt that whole foods are always superior from both a flavour and nutritional standpoint. Fast-food joints aside, making healthier decisions when eating out have become a priority in the lives of many folks and can make for a good selling point.

All in all, it is important to have the customer in mind when considering using the plethora of magic dusts in a menu. That paired with a good conscience is good enough. Powder can be a chef’s best friend, if the cards are played just right. So, place your bets, roll the dice and remember that dusty old trick you have up your sleeve.