In the Dizzy Pig Test Kitchen — Spice Blend Development

Part of being an industry leader in unique and balanced flavor profiles is the development of new spice blends.

Chris has been in the test kitchen for the past few weeks working hard to nail down some new recipes.

But what really happens in the birth and growth of a new blend?

Challenge – Coming Up with New Blends

The challenge of coming up with new blends is complex. Here at Dizzy Pig, we work with dozens of different spices, herbs, chiles, peppercorns and other ingredients. Each spice carries its own flavor profile, but also has an effect on the balance of each of the other ingredients in the mix. In other words,

Every ingredient affects the overall flavor profile, and each new addition shifts that balance.

Sounds complicated, and actually it is!

But the next challenge is a difficult one.

Challenge – Passing Chris’s Taste Test

It is one thing to mix spices together until it tastes good on your tongue. But what happens when you cook and brown the seasoning on food?

To qualify for sporting the Dizzy Pig logo, the blends must taste good both raw and cooked and everywhere in between.

Browning not only creates new flavors due to the Mallard reaction, but certain spices will lose a little of their flavor where others spices seem to amplify in flavor after browning. The heat from the chiles and peppercorns is subdued and the overall flavor generally rounds and mellows.

As you can imagine, once the desired flavor profile of the blend is conceived in Chris’s mind, there is a ton of work involved. Once the blend is good raw, the cooking begins.

• Different foods.
• Different methods of browning.
• Lots of tasting, adjusting and tweaking.
• Sometimes after cooking, the blend has lost the excitement it had when it was raw, and it’s back to the drawing board.
• Other times it’s just a matter of working a bit with the balance.

Challenge – Passing Dizzy Team’s Taste Test

Once Chris is happy with that balance, both raw and cooked, it’s time for the crew at Dizzy Pig Central to take some home and cook with it. Our team puts theses blends through the wringer and reports back their thoughts.

• Spot on?
• Needs a little more kick?
• Needs a little more flavor up front?
• Not quite to character?

It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

After our team is satisfied, it’s still not time to go to market. Samples will be sent to our growing list of test cooks.

Challenge – Passing DizzyHeads’ Taste Test

These longtime DizzyHeads are serious foodies, and they put the new seasonings through some tests of their own. They also create new recipes with these blends, and start spreading the word about the new product through their blogs, social media channels and good old word-of-mouth to their friends and fellow foodies. We get many helpful comments, and, potentially with some minor tweaks, the new Dizzy Pig product is ready for release!