Frozen Appetizers Get Respect

Hosts would have balked at the idea of serving frozen appetizers at a holiday party a few years ago. However, today it is not only accepted but appreciated. That's because in today's busy households, many people do not have the time to make party foods from scratch. So as home entertaining increases and people want the entertaining to be easy, they finding companies willing to rise to the demand.



Appetizer sales have more than doubled in the last five years, soaring to $770 million per year, according to a survey by Information Resources Inc. Frozen food industry reports indicate a 38 percent spike in nationwide appetizer sales in recent months and project appetizer sales to exceed $1 billion in the next couple of years. The demand for gourmet appetizers for seasonal entertaining is so great that companies are starting to create new appetizers for the holidays to offer more variety.



Gourmet food companies are offering a whole new generation of gourmet frozen appetizers that look and taste like homemade. Frozen appetizers means the host can spend more time mingling with guests instead of slaving in the kitchen. Most gourmet frozen appetizers can be heated in the microwave in 4 minutes or in a conventional oven in about 15 minutes.