Why candied vegetables are a must have for your hotel, restaurant or catering business

Professional chefs are always on the look out for ways to innovate in the kitchen and one way in which this is made possible is by using candied vegetables for restaurants, hotels and catering establishments, in both sweet and savoury dishes. Lazaya offers a wide range of candied vegetables, from carrots, onions or olives to ginger and aubergine, all of which add surprising flavour to dishes made by the best chefs and master bakers across the globe.

Any of our candied vegetables can be used within a meal, as a garnish or as the main ingredient (especially candied carrots, candied olives or candied aubergine); they also work well as a side dish for meat, fish, rice or as an ingredient within cakes, pastries, bon bons, ice creams or cocktails.

Candied vegetables for restaurants

Each candied vegetable is so versatile it provides several alternatives to chefs wanting to create unique dishes that will delight hotel guests at breakfast, or be enjoyed during a buffet meal at a restaurant or perhaps even offered by a catering company among the exclusive products solely for clients. In order to reach this goal, professionals grab the opportunity to choose high quality products and blend them in imaginative mixes.

For example, using candied aubergine as a garnish for a meat or fish dish, rather than carrots or string beans, never fails to delight those with good taste who enjoy the sponginess of this vegetable and its intense taste. This also happens when used in sauces, pasta or rice dishes.

Candied aubergine is often used as an ingredient in versatile meals such as pizzas, hamburgers or quiches. They provide an original touch which satisfies all clients who visit the restaurants where this ingredient is added to these dishes.

As for candied carrots, they have more uses than as a simple garnish or part of a mixed vegetable dish, they can be used innovatively as an aperitif with onion or candied olives. Furthermore, candied carrots can be found in different shapes and forms – thin strips, baby carrots or diced.

The fact that our catalogue offers carrots in different shapes and sizes allows professionals to choose the type of carrot that best fits their dishes, such as carrot cake, which is one of the most popular cakes on offer at hotel breakfast buffets. Our variety of options allow master bakers to use carrots in a unique and different way than that which their clients are used to.

Candied onion is probably the most versatile of Lazaya’s candied vegetables because it is used in numerous sweet and savoury dishes. It is almost an essential ingredient for meat or fish stews. Candied onion is also found in stir fry vegetables, garnishes, salads and other popular dishes such as tortilla, pizza and hamburgers.

And, although this is not widely known, candied onion is also found in many products used for making baked goods, due to its incredible ability to bring out the flavour of other ingredients. This is why it is found in cakes, pastries, and jams.

It is a similar story with candied ginger which is used in baking for making cakes and sweets or in mixed cocktails where its flavour and aroma is unmistakable.

The best candied vegetables for professional use

There are many reasons why professional chefs choose to use candied vegetables in their meals. Candied vegetables bring out the flavour of other foodstuffs or innovate meals by adding new textures, flavours or aromas. However, perhaps one of the main reasons behind their popularity is the fact that they do not need to be cooked or handled in the kitchen.

Chefs and master bakers always seek fuss-free and quick solutions when it comes to working in the kitchen and candied vegetables can be added directly to the plate without needing any touches whatsoever, thus making life easier and helping lighten the workload, as well as adding new flavours and textures.

This is why we at Lazaya believe it is so important to offer a wide range of formats and packaging options for each product. That way it is easy to suit those requirements, sometimes rather strict, from busy professionals who sometimes prefer to take our products from a glass jar, or a box, or a plastic container or other times a tin, depending on the workplace and the meal that they are preparing.

There is one more important advantage that candied vegetables offer to consumers and that is that they can be stored at room temperature without problems, giving them a long shelf life and meaning that they are readily available for chefs to use at any moment for savoury meals or desserts.

Candied vegetables have become, as seen above, an essential element found in hotels, restaurants and catering companies working in these sorts of venues. If you have any questions or queries about our range of products or would like to receive personal attention to discuss the format or type of product you seek for your company, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you come up with special dishes and innovative desserts for your customers.