ButcherBox's head chef, Ashley Lonsdale, has her finger on the pulse of several industry-driven trends that will make their way into kitchens in the year ahead.

Exploring unique cuts

Food waste will continue to be something consumers become more educated about in 2024 and beyond. One of the easiest ways to combat food waste will be to utilize as many, if not all, parts of an animal. "Offal, like liver, kidney and bone marrow, is a natural place to start," said Lonsdale. While most of these practices will come from food brands, retailers and restaurants, the offering of unique and less popular parts of the animal will drive curiosity and eventually home adoption.

Pork's big moment

As animal welfare regulations have gained traction in states like California and Massachusetts in an effort to protect the welfare of breeding pigs, more consumers will begin to understand and seek out humanely raised pork products. Lonsdale believes this is the ultimate moment for pork. On top of that, the flavor of humanely raised pork and versatility of the protein will drive further exploration of it, leading consumers to find cuts of pork that are most approachable to them.

Increased seafood comfortability

"Cooking fish and other seafood at home can be extremely simple and offers incredible variety for your repertoire once you're comfortable," said Lonsdale. She expects the increased traceability in high-quality seafood to bring higher confidence to the market, which will in turn encourage consumers to explore their options.

No dish is complete without its accoutrements, and Lonsdale believes the new year will show history repeating itself through new executions.

Responsible seed breeding and heirlooms

Lonsdale sees a spotlight shining on a new, hot vegetable: garleek. This cross between garlic and leeks, created through responsible seed breeding, will become more mainstream as consumers are keen to support these types of change-making initiatives. Preserving heirlooms, such as radicchio, is also top of Lonsdale's mind. "Celebrating the beautiful colors and varietals of radicchio's peppery and pungent flavor makes it a fun alternative to lettuce," she said.

Ancient grains

Lonsdale is tabling quinoa and farro, for now, and giving sorghum, spelt and amaranth their moment. "While each can easily be prepared as a classic steamed pilaf or a new add-in for a favorite salad, ancient grains are not only nutritious, but also multipurpose, serving as ideal cover crops for farmers to increases their soil's fertility and prevent erosion," said Lonsdale.

Masa harina

Lonsdale also expects to see more household use of masa harina, an age-old ingredient in Latin American cooking.

ButcherBox knows consumers want to eat well-balanced, nutritious meals, even when time is not on their side. When it comes to techniques and prep time, Lonsdale believes basic and fast will be the key trends in 2024.

Back to basting and other basics

Lonsdale expects a return to more classic techniques, like basting steak with thyme or garlic-infused butter and rolling roulades. "They're classics for a reason, they're delicious. And while they've been considered 'old-fashioned' for many years, I think we'll be seeing a resurgence for them in home cooking," she said.

Fast-food at home

Ready-to-eat or heat-and-serve options will reach new, high-quality heights as we head into 2024. More frozen options are becoming available, and Lonsdale believes that to be exciting for folks who don't have a ton of time but still want to eat well. She suggests checking ingredient statements for familiar yet clean ingredients to get the most out of a meal. Thanks to social media, recreating fast-food items at home will continue on in the year ahead.

Lonsdale is excited to see these trends trickle down in realistic, attainable ways for consumers to create more restaurant-quality moments at home. She said, "home chefs, no matter how experienced, have an enormous opportunity to learn about and make an impact on sustainability in 2024, one recipe at a time."

Source: ButcherBox OpCo LLC