Overcome the 4 Common Problems When Serving Dips

For food safety, half-eaten meals and sauces are immediately thrown away to prevent food poisoning and cross-contamination. Dips are among the common items that go to waste, so some restaurants are hesitant to serve them unless requested.

Here are 4 common problems faced when serving dips and how to solve them
 

• Problem #1: Dips stale fast
  Freshly-made dips have a short shelf life. They can be kept for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator but after that, the bacteria in the creams and liquids will start to break down into its elements, making the mixture smell and taste bad.
  
  Solution: Store dips properly and use them all before the “use by” date. You can also buy commercially-prepared packs instead, as they have a longer shelf life.
  
  
• Problem #2: Added cost
  Most restaurants only serve dips on the side. What this means is, unless you’re charging diners for your dips, you’ll have to shell out extra money to provide them.
  
  Solution: If you’re serving special dips that are part of a dish, add the additional costs incurred to the charging price of the dish and make the dining experience more enjoyable for both your diner and you. Most diners won’t bother to order any dips if there’s an extra charge.
  
  
• Problem #3: Portions are too big
  Making a big batch of a dip is not advisable unless you’re serving a big crowd. You’ll only waste ingredients, electricity and time if there are leftovers. Once you’ve opened a big tub of mix, you must use everything as soon as possible or else the entire batch will spoil.
  
  Solution: Measure your ingredients and use Lady’s Choice Portion Packs to help minimise and eliminate food waste.
  
  
• Problem #4: Things can get messy
  Sometimes diners overestimate how much of the dip they need, so they end up pouring out more than what’s required. What’s worse is, some diners don’t even end up touching them. As a result, a perfectly good and uncontaminated mix ends up untouched on the plate or soils a table napkin, which is a nightmare to clean up.
  
  Solution: Control the serving size of your dips by using smaller containers or portioned servings.
   

Awareness is the first step to decreasing food waste. By recognising the steps you can take to eliminate food waste, you save big on time, money and resources.