Put The Sizzle Back Into Midweek Meals

July 29, 2004

Put The Sizzle Back Into Midweek Meals

If you enjoy cooking but rarely have the time or energy to prepare midweek meals from scratch, you can now create great-tasting, authentic meals in just 15 minutes with the launch of the nation’s first two-part sauce.

Continental Sizzle & Stir combines the ease and speed of ready-meals with the taste and enjoyment of home cooking. Unlike prepared sauces which are simply poured out of a jar and heated through, Sizzle & Stir consists of two separate jars joined by an eye-catching outer wrap, comprising a top layer of aromatic cooking paste, and a bottom layer of simmer sauce.

All you have to do is spoon the paste – a blend of oils, herbs and spices – into a wok or frying pan and sizzle meat strips or other ingredients for five to 10 minutes so they are coated with the colour and flavour of the spices. Once the meat is cooked, stir in the rich sauce from the larger jar and simmer for five minutes.

Continental marketing director Karen Graham says the two-step cooking method produces a sensory cooking experience and depth of flavour that cannot be achieved using conventional one-step sauces.

“The difference with Sizzle & Stir is that the paste coats the meat with flavour before the simmer sauce is poured in – and it’s a difference you can taste,” Graham said.

With recent research showing that one-in-four meals are cooked in 15 minutes or less, Sizzle & Stir is ideal for busy people who want a quick and easy meal solution, yet who still want to feel some involvement in the cooking process.

The “consumer involvement” or Cook It Yourself (CIY) meal trend is well established overseas and will gather pace in New Zealand with the launch of Sizzle & Stir.

“Sizzle & Stir is a cross between the convenience of a ready meal and the creation of a dish from scratch,” says Graham.

“Consumers’ lives have become increasingly busy, yet people still want to feel they are making an effort in the kitchen.”

Sizzle & Stir comes in five varieties: Tikka Masala, Golden Korma, Rich Red Pepper & Tomato, Creamy Mushroom & Garlic and Rogan Josh, and is available in leading supermarkets nationally from September for $4.89.

ENDS

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