Definition: ready-to-eat

On the menu of this small "traditional" restaurant, we find salmon with beurre blanc sauce. In the kitchen, it's a different story: two small bags hang from rods with clips and are immersed in boiling water. In one, there is a 150-gram portion of fish with the bones removed, and in the other, a portion of sauce. When the timer rings, all that remains is to open them, mix them together and serve.

This process of heating, according to the appetising professional jargon, bears only a distant resemblance to the great recipes of French gastronomy. However, it has just earned its certificate of respectability. Since the start of the 2005 academic year, the use and handling of industrial food products has been included in the CAP cookery exam. The same applies to the use of semi-prepared products (pre-peeled vegetables, sauce bases and other vacuum-packed foods) and the cooking of frozen products.

On the other hand, around twenty traditional culinary techniques are now excluded from the exam. Admittedly, cleaning mussels, cutting and trimming artichoke hearts, and thickening a sauce with roux are not such common practices. But opening oysters, trussing poultry, preparing a leg of lamb, and steaming meat and fish, which are more common techniques, have also been removed from the exam. And the CAP, which precedes the BEP, the vocational baccalaureate and culinary school diplomas, is sometimes the first step in a career as a master chef.

Curiously, this reform, described by some of the press as "attempted murder", has caused more of a stir in the foreign press than in France. In Belgium, headlines read "Murder in French cuisine". With French culinary art under threat, some leading chefs have expressed their concern and accused the catering and agri-food industries of having a hand in the matter. An association of chefs, "Cuisineriez gourmandes", has committed to preparing 100% of the dishes served by its members on site.

Major players heavily involved:

One of the fathers of the reform, Inspector General Christian Petitcolas, spills the beans. According to him, a large part of the profession, hotel chains and collective catering, and in particular the powerful group of chains such as Accord, Disney, etc., were calling for a new CAP (Certificate of Professional Competence) recognising the ability to use industrial products without endangering the customer. Microwaves, for example, cannot be used indiscriminately. Certain germs can survive in them, whereas cooking in an oven offers a guarantee. Moreover, as kitchen professionals point out, it is no longer necessary to spend hours at Rungis or with suppliers to fill refrigerators with fresh produce. Everything comes by van, from DFG Industries' "microwaveable" frozen fruit coulis to TWF France's marinated and charcoal-grilled chicken skewers and STL's dehydrated vegetables. Some companies even specialise in delivering complete ranges of these high-tech products. One example is the Davigel group, which claims to have 70,000 customers, ranging from canteens to traditional restaurants, schools and hospitals. Its latest vehicles have three compartments: frozen products at -20°, vacuum-packed at 3° or fresh. Another company, Brake France, offers a quality contract for its refrigerated and frozen products, says a small restaurant owner. And to top it all off, he comments: "The driver parks quite far from my establishment and calls before delivering to make sure he doesn't run into any customers!

Standardisation, speed and discretion are becoming the new cornerstones of modern French cuisine.

Here is an example, cited by a disgusted restaurateur, of a "home-style" dish that can be made without any expertise: rack of lamb with basil and wild mushrooms. Place the vacuum-packed racks of lamb (Aldis) in boiling water. Pour chopped frozen onions (sold in bags at Metro) into a frying pan on the hob. Add half a litre of water, whisk in 25 grams of dehydrated lamb juice (Chef), thicken with brown roux (Chef), add pepper, salt and a pinch of frozen basil (Piccard). Reheat the pan of frozen mushrooms (Davigel). Serve everything piping hot. Don't forget to tell the customer about the recipe, which was passed down from your grandmother!

Healthy and quick ideas for on the go and at the office, known in English-speaking countries as "casual food". Fast food and health requirements are not incompatible! To meet these requirements, there is now "casual food", a healthy and relaxed diet that does not require a lot of preparation time. Its essential ingredients are dairy products, fruit, vegetables, salads and whole grain foods.

The mobility required by our activities and the distances we have to travel explain the boom in eating out. At lunchtime, a growing number of "nomadic" workers eat on site, making the composition of meals an increasingly urgent issue. The new "ready-to-eat" menus from the Swiss Milk Producers Federation (PSL) offer answers to this question and many others.

Mobility knows no bounds: we make phone calls, listen to music and eat more and more often while on the move. Nomadism in our professional and private lives, short lunch breaks and the increasing number of single-person households have contributed to the widespread popularity of fast food. However, those who eat exclusively in this way tend to eat too much, too much fat, too much salt and an unbalanced diet. Casual food is a way of avoiding the dietary excesses associated with mobility.

Casual food versus fast food:

Make your snacks healthy by choosing fresh, local ingredients that have retained all their flavour and nutritional value. Here are a few tips to help you do this without wasting time. Short breaks, big impact:

Whether you're a sandwich lover, a fast food fan or a canteen regular, a well-planned lunch will keep you going all afternoon. And if you treat yourself to a breath of fresh air and a few relaxation exercises outside or in front of your computer, you'll see your creativity and concentration increase tenfold. The handy "ready-to-eat" cards published by the FPSL are a treasure trove of recipes and great ideas for healthy, quick meals.