Gluten Free Sauce: Spicy Nothings Classic Curry Simmer Sauce - Product Review #76

Gluten Free Sauce: Spicy Nothings Classic Curry Simmer Sauce

PRODUCT NAME:                   Classic Curry Simmer Sauce

BRAND:                                  Spicy Nothings

COST:                                    $6.50

SIZE:                                       12oz

COST PER OZ:                        $0.54/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

ORGANIC:                               NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

VEGAN:                                  YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:        California

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
Imagine coming home from a long day at work, exhausted and hungry. One of those frozen things just isn’t enough and you want something home cooked for dinner, but just don’t want to spend hours making it. The people over at Spicy Nothings have created just the thing for you. Imagine a home cooked curry dinner in about 30 minutes. It’s possible with Spicy Nothings’ line of curry sauces. They come in 5 varieties including: Lentil Curry, Coconut Curry, Spicy & Tangy Curry, Spinach and Cream Curry, and of course Classic Curry. These sauces are all gluten free, all natural, vegan and delicious.

Who knew cooking a delicious curry dish could be so easy. All you need to do is sauté up some meat and/or vegetables, add in the Spicy Nothings Curry Sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve your creation with some rice or bread and you’re set…a delicious meal in under 30 minutes.

Inspired by India and made in USA is one of Spicy Nothings’ mottos and they’ve done their homework too. They have all the spice and flavor you would expect from an Indian curry, but without all the heat. The Classic Curry sauce is labeled medium. Coming from a family where curry makes an appearance on the dinner table at least a few times a week, I thought this sauce was great. A tip when using this sauce, you will not need to season your meat or vegetables when you use this sauce. It has tons of flavor on its own and is actually just a tad salty on its own. When mixed with rice, you get a very nice balance of flavor. Another thing I liked about this sauce was that it wasn’t grainy like many other curry sauces. It has a nice smooth yet chunky texture which is perfect.

Overall, we thought this sauce was great. We had it with chicken and we had it with eggplant and it worked well both times. Cooking in under 30 minutes was a plus in our busy work day. It doesn’t take much of this sauce to add some flavor into your meal so split it into 2 cooking sessions. Just remember to refrigerate. At $6.50 per 12oz bottle, it’s quite expensive, but if you figure in the time you will save, it makes it makes a little more sense.

Taste: This sauce packs a great authentic curry flavor with just the right amount of heat. It tastes the best when it is served over rice.

Labeling: The labeling on this sauce is very simple and easy to read. It is all natural, gluten free and vegan.

Packaging: The packaging is your usual glass bottle. It’s the perfect size to reuse for some curry powder after you finish off delicious sauce in it.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING: 
Texture:         5
Taste:             4
Value:            2
OVERALL:      3.7

Reviewed 022211 by Calvin C.

Gluten Free Sauces: Shiloh's All Natural Bearnaise - Product Review #58

Gluten Free Sauce: Shiloh's All Natural Bearnaise

PRODUCT NAME:                          Béarnaise Sauce

BRAND:                                         Shiloh’s All Natural

COST:                                           $7.40

SIZE:                                             11fl oz

COST PER OZ:                              $0.67/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:            YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             GFCO

ORGANIC:                                     NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

VEGAN:                                         NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:              UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:              California

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
The other day, we got some arctic char (a mix between a trout and a salmon) to cook up for lunch. As the resident chef here at the studio, I was looking for something to flavor it with. I had thought about flavoring it with some gluten free teriyaki sauce, but then I remembered that I had gotten some Béarnaise sauce from the nice people at Shiloh’s All Natural sauces at the Fancy Food Show. Béarnaise sauce is a French sauce that kind of looks like tartar sauce, but is flavored with lemon juice, tarragon, and shallots.

It all started when Shiloh’s Steakhouse, owned by Fabrice and Geoffrey Ghanem, opened up in Los Angeles, California. With a successful restaurant up and running, demand for their sauces and marinades grew. That’s when they decided to team up with their executive chef Katsuji Tanabe to create sauces they can bottle up to sell. They’ve gone to great length to ensure that these sauces are of the highest quality. You might be pleased to see that the entire line of sauces is certified parve as well as certified gluten free by GFCO.

Arctic Char with Shiloh's Gluten Free Bearnaise Sauce

Let me say that I was blown away by this sauce; it was the perfect complement to the fish. I pan fried the fish and at the last minute spread the sauce over it so that the sauce would melt into the fish. It added a nice buttery taste to the fish with just the right amount of herbs. At 190 calories and 21g of fat per 2 tablespoons of sauce it is more on the indulgent side of things, but you don’t really need to add too much of this sauce to infuse the fish with flavor. I think I only used about half a table spoon on each of the fillets of fish. On the plus side, the sodium is relatively low for such a flavorful sauce at 125mg per 2 tablespoon servings. My suggestion is to hold off on adding salt when using this sauce because you probably won’t even need it.

Overall, we loved this sauce and can’t wait to try it on some chicken and steak. At $0.67/oz, it’s not a bad value either for such a delicious sauce. The fact that it is has a parve certification and is certified gluten free is just the cherry on top. If you are interested in purchasing some Shiloh’s delicious sauces, right around now they should be available at your local Whole Foods or you can always find them on their website at: www.shilohsauces.com.

Taste: Delicious sauce that is the perfect flavor addition to your favorite fish, but seeing how much we enjoyed it, I’m sure it’ll go great on chicken or steak as well.

Labeling: This sauce is certified gluten free and parve and it’s nice to see those certification seals on this bottle. The nutrition facts are a little difficult to read. Due to the size of the bottle, it is in paragraph form rather than the traditional nutrition facts table.

Packaging: A very attractive glass jar that you can probably find another use for.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:            5
Taste:                5
Value:               3
OVERALL:         4.3

Reviewed 012711 by Calvin C.

Gluten Free Sauces: Premier Japan Teriyaki Sauce - Product Review #56

Gluten Free Sauce: Premier Japan Teriyaki Sauce

PRODUCT NAME:                         Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce

BRAND:                                        Premier Japan

COST:                                           $4.69

SIZE:                                             8.5oz

COST PER OZ:                              $0.55/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:            NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

ORGANIC:                                     YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             QAI

VEGAN:                                         YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:               UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:               USA

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
When I asked Rody, who is the gluten intolerant one in our studio, what he missed most since finding out he was gluten intolerant, he mentioned teriyaki sauce. Most teriyaki sauces are made with regular soy sauce, which as you probably know, has gluten in it. While I was at the 2011 Fancy Food Show at the San Francisco Moscone Center last week, I was happy to see that someone had made gluten free teriyaki sauce. That someone is Premier Japan has made a gluten free version of soy sauce using gluten free tamari soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. The brand might sound familiar because it is the same company that makes the wheat-free hoisin sauce I reviewed last week.

Teriyaki sauce is used a lot in Asian cooking, especially Japanese. It is used in stir fry, it is used to glaze when barbequing, and it is also used over barbecued meat and fish. Teriyaki sauce is traditionally sweet. Premier Japan’s version of the sauce is pretty good. It is sweet like your traditional teriyaki sauce, but there is a kick of tanginess and spiciness as well. I think the tanginess comes from the use of apple cider vinegar and the spiciness comes from the black pepper used in the sauce. It’s not your traditional sweet teriyaki sauce, but it is definitely a good one.

Like I said with the hoisin sauce from this brand, you are going to want to watch the amount you use. This sauce actually has more sodium than the hoisin sauce we reviewed last week. Each tablespoon of this sauce has 15 calories and 250mg of sodium. That’s 10% of your recommended daily sodium intake. Just think about…if you were to have 10 table spoons of this sauce, you’d have hit your sodium limit for the day.
We used this sauce to flavor our vegetable stir fry and it added just the right amount of flavor. A tip though, the sauce is pretty concentrated with flavor so add a little water when you cook with it. This will help you keep your portions under control. Overall, we think this sauce tastes pretty good despite the fact that it isn’t your traditional teriyaki sauce. If you’re looking for something that will add a little sweetness and kick, this is the sauce for you.

Taste: Good tangy taste with a hint of spiciness from the black pepper. It isn’t your traditional sweet teriyaki sauce, but with the addition of the tanginess and spiciness, it is still a great sauce.

Labeling: Identical labeling to the hoisin sauce we reviewed last week. This sauce is also wheat-free, gluten free, vegan, and organic.

Packaging: Regular twist top bottle filled with 8.5 fl. Oz of sauce.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:         4
Taste:             4
Value:            3
OVERALL:      3.7

Reviewed 012511 by Calvin C.

Gluten Free Sauces: San J Organic Gluten Free Tamari Soy Sauce - Product Review #1

Gluten Free Soy Sauce

You probably wouldn’t have guessed it, but most soy sauces actually have gluten in them.  We do a lot of Asian style cooking here in our studio and when we started cooking gluten free, we missed our salty friend.  When we discovered this Gluten Free Soy Sauce, we were thrilled to say the least.

At first, we were afraid that gluten free soy sauce might taste different, but in fact we actually like it better.  Pour a little you will see right away that this soy sauce, although it looks very dark, actually has a very light consistency.  We were originally using Pearl River brand soy sauce, which was very dark and thick.  It overpowered the food, making a lot of it salty.  This soy sauce has a much nicer flavor it is light and slightly sweet.  This soy sauce gets a 5 in our books.

• Brand: San J
• Name: Organic Gluten Free Tamari Soy Sauce
• Price: $7.15
• Rating: 5

Reviewed by CC