Why is rice a useful food commodity for the caterer?

Answer 1

It's greatest commodity to the caterer is cost savings: price, durable, versatile, storage, shipping cost, and portion cost control.

Rice is has the lowest water weight volume dry - pending quality can expand cooking 1:2 ratio or 1:3 ration dry to cooked. best quality 1:6 ration expansion

Unlike Dry pasta you don't loose dry product from breakage - grains are durable, long shelf life and require no box packaging so lowers the cost via shipping in bags. Long shelf life again pending quality and storage conditions 6months 3yrs average brown rice lower storage ability but some (white rices up to 8-10yrs this variety is high quality low water volume with expansion ration 1:4 or 1:6).

There are grades acceptable for food industry High, High moderate- moderate. So price varies as rice grain qualities may be blended for cost reason. Retail moderate-high pending ration in a ethnic retail costs $16 for 25lbs - while wholesale distributor is $8 out of that 25lbs is 300 (1/2 cup per portion) using a moderate 1:2 ratio so retail $0.05 while whole sale is $0.02 per serving. For this reason one can double or triple serving size as a filler to downgrade meat or fresh produce expense. Due to rices mild flavor and ability to accept flavor as favorable opportunity utilizing thinner sauces or gravies.

If rice is over cooked it can be salvaged for puddings or pending burnt status ground to make flour starch broth with strong spices - the sources come from various markets some very cheap such as India, Vietnam and pricey via higher grade quality such as Japan even local California. It's not uncommon to get lower costs at volume where 4portion servings to reduce meat & produce costs average 1/4 to 1/8 a penny per extra portion serving size. The main reason why some sort of sauce/broths expands this fillers option as disguising in flavor the consumer is getting less vegetable or meat.

Hence why it's utilized as the food of choice servicing malnourished and impoverished regions of the world. As like any grain can be fortified with added nutrients - over cooked with excess water to make broth for those too weak to fully digest solid foods as easily modified or some varieties are very low glycemic and no glutton as well.

For this reason it enables many caterers options to fill specific nutritional restriction requests as well as cost savings in food service expenses as well. The most valued is the versatility as there is quality blends so as variety: black, wild, long, short, green, and red or fermented varieties offering color, texture and even flavor. This expansion also include the variety of rice flours some blended to concoct diverse options of elasticity, lightness and even absorption revolutionizing options in baking/pastries. Or enable full range of glutton free product even rice pastas.

Hence made ahead rolls/pastries (room temp or frozen up 6mth) that can be steamed and expanded slightly and sit under moderate temperatures in broth or thin sweet sauces absorbing and same time with starch releasing abilities to thicken sauce to gravy or sweet thin syrups to thick glazes. Since water is makes up a majority of the dish it's lower calories and costs are avidly finding favor with caterers as well as the entire food service industry!

*Note prices are based off blend grades 2012 in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region, diverse varieties and blends of flours or etc based off uses tested in China, Japan, Europe and Culinary/Agricultural Research in U.S.)