[I’m a Food Network junky, looking for my next 30 minute meal or the ultimate pot roast. When is comes to flavor and ingredients, these superstars use a palette of flavors that span the continent, from the most basic to the not so surprising- the most exotic.

One thing is certain. The term “flavoring as an ingredient” is used consistently and growing among consumers looking for restaurant quality tastes, right in their own homes. The last episode for one of my favorite chef’s- on the Food Network was Michael Chiarello. This Chef is right on point when it comes to recipes that deliver flavoring.

He was making a ham and bean soup, almost like pasta fagiloi, except with the ham. Point is, he added 12 cloves of garlic to the oil and looked up at the camera smiling and said-“this is using garlic flavoring as an ingredient. I should say so! These are just a couple of examples of this hot trend and culinary expression both in food and beverage. When it comes to foods, I see most of the top chef’s in the country using cups of cilantro and claiming its flavoring as an ingredient, including the likes of parsley by the handful and the chef expressing it as a “flavoring as an ingredient” day in and day out.

When you look at beverages the best example comes from flavoring additives and flavoring concentrates. Flavor additives have been around forever. The FDA classifies a flavor additive as something that I not consumed directly, but is added to another product to deliver flavoring, in the case of flavoring additives.

Flavoring concentrates are a newer to the market. as varied as the flavoring companies that provide the flavoring concentrate. The following components either stand alone or combine to make what goes in a Yum Drops® flavor concentrates:
1. Flavored Oils
2. Flavored Extracts
3. Natural flavorings of citrus, berry or fruits
4. Essence of natural flavorings

Food Additives in simple terms are foods not normally consumed directly. That’s the simplest description of food additives. A flavoring additive by definition is similar to a food additive but in this particular case, the flavor additive is added to another food product, in this case used as a flavoring. Food additives and flavoring additives are exempt from The Food Safety Act, once it has become part of the other food product.

When is comes to trying and using flavoring concentrates and flavor additives, it’s very important to look at the nutrient label. We look at nutrient labels for many different reasons. But, whatever our reasons, everyone needs to know how to use this information more effectively and wisely.

You have to look at the flavoring descriptor. Have you ever noticed the ingredient “natural flavor” listed on a beverage or food label? Make sure you know what comes with natural flavoring when it comes to calories, salt and carbs. Take candy for example. This is an example of a product that delivers the entire flavor including all of the sugar. What you really want is on the opposite end of the spectrum. What you should look for is all of the flavor and 0 calories, 0 carbs and 0 fats.
Flavor is the key to the cooking kingdom. If you don’t like how a food tastes, you aren’t going to make it again. Same holds true when you are buying flavoring concentrate to flavor a food recipe or beverage. On the other hand, if you love the taste, you will always come back for more.

Today more than ever consumers are looking for natural flavoring concentrates that let you use flavoring as an ingredient in food preparations, desserts, dairy products, water even your favorite vodkas. Try a natural fruit flavoring concentrate to spruce up desserts like whip cream, or try raspberry to blend your perfect raspberry flavored shake. Another popular example of flavoring as ingredient is flavored water. When you think about it, flavored water should be nothing more than flavoring and not loaded with high corn sucrose syrups or artificial sweeteners. What you ideally want is flavored water that is natural flavored with 0 calories.

In closing, when your taste buds jump with joy (taste is also derived mainly from smell) like it does when you use flavoring as an ingredient, it rules what you drink or eat. Think of flavoring as an ingredient to boost the taste of your favorite recipe, food or beverage. Yum Drops Flavoring concentrates have 0 calories and are great as a flavoring ingredient in all types of beverages, hot or cold, dairy products and desserts as well.

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