Spice Pack Problem

Spice Pack
After 2 months of trials and errors I finally switched from a fully-prepared sauce to making my own. This was not an easy task. I want to keep it similar to the fully-prepared but make it with quality tomato products and no extra preservatives and other junk.
I made the switch about two weeks ago, and it has been great. I enjoy making it from scratch rather then opening a bag.

On Tuesday, my food order from Roma came and there were no spice packs that I ordered. I called my rep and he said they were temporarily discontinued because it is being redeveloped. He knew what I had been going through to make the switch. He had been at my restaurant twice with Escalon and Stanislaus reps to do so.

So, they sent me something else, and just the smell of it was bad. It is all I had so I made a batch last night and will try it today. I know by the smell it will not be as good.

Now I want to make my own spice pack similar to the first one I got, but I have no idea what is all in it. The label says: Salt, Garlic, Spices, & Sugar. It is called Perfect Pizza Seasoning.

What should I do now? Do any of you know what is in this?

Who makes it? Is there an 800 number on the package/box it comes in? You could call them and find out, using a front story, what spices they include in their blend. Some customers have violent reactions to spices of various kinds, and you would need to be able to make informed choices about these things . . . right?

Worth a shot. You’re not asking for the recipe, just the primary constituents.

A couple months ago you posted about switching from fully prepared as to maintain consistancy amid supplier inconsistancies. Now that you experienced this, you will hopefully not allow for it to happen again.

As far as fixing this immediatly, I will throw out a starting point, but it will take much trial and error to get it right to your customers liking. Start with equal parts sugar, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You will probably find that you want to increase your sugar while lowering your pepper and garlic powder. As far as how much of each to start with, look at your old spice packs and divide the weight by these 5 ingredients.

If you really want to push your luck and continue to rely on another company, call Chuck Wiley at McClancy Seasonings. They probably manufactured the Roma spice pak you used to use. I would imagine he could send you something very very similar.

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice,…

Figuring out your own spices is no big deal. Go for it. You might try going with chopped fresh garlic. You can buy it in 16oz tubs (6 to a case). Put it in a pan and run it through your oven to carmelize it a little and then add to sauce.

As to making your own spice blend, there is a special sort of satisfaction and personal power that comes with developing and presenting one’s own recipes. It is an intimacy with the product, menu and customers that the “frozen pizza” guys will never know. It puts a little piece of your soul into the food you sell. If you approach it with that mentality, then your commitment to quality and excellence should end up being unwavering.

The same company you get chopped garlic from should carry a “roasted garlic” product already caramelized . . . maybe a few cents difference. We use it with great success in other applications that are not our sauce. We use granulated roasted garlic in the sauce. I find the granulated distributes more evenly and is more consistent in measurement.

We use the ame product in our white sauce pies. Thisw way we only stock one garlic product.