It’s a brand that may have influenced your childhood: Mousline puree.
It is making a comeback and is seeking to establish itself in school canteens and restaurants.
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The 1 p.m.
“I make Mousline puree, I'm sure everyone has some. I make a little volcano, with juice in it.” The words don't always come back to you, but the melody of this ad from 1976 brings back memories. “My god yes, I remember that, very well indeed, and I used to do it,” confirms a passerby. In 61 years, the recipe has not changed. Water, milk, salt and dehydrated potato flakes.
For two years, we have found new flavors in modernized packaging at affordable prices on the nutmeg and forestry puree shelves. The factory is still in the heart of Picardy, but three quarters of these potatoes now grow less than 30 km from the site. A new proximity appreciated by farmers. “For two years, we have really felt it, while we felt an abandonment of the brand and of puree in general.”
Culinary tests
Inside, 100,000 tonnes of potatoes are processed each year, peeled, cut, dried, and crushed by steam rollers. “What we are going to try to do with these rollers is to evaporate the water, ultimately, to then arrive at the dehydrated products that we know in the bags”shows Sébastien Dupont, team leader at Mousline, in the report at the top of this article. Until you obtain a plate of a few millimeters, very dry and very friable.
But these vintage industrial dryers consume a lot. Eight of them will soon be replaced by a larger machine, an investment of 18 million euros. “The goal is also to have better efficiency, better processing of the potato, we will have less waste, and then a very strong saving in energy and water”predicts Philippe Fardel, president of Mousline. Up to 50% water saved, less maintenance and more productivity, since this machine will run continuously over several weeks.
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At the same time, the company is increasing its culinary tests, tastes inspired by recipe books with fewer additives. “Everyone is looking for balanced meals that are easy to prepare. So, we removed the potato granules, we removed the glucose syrup, we removed a texturizer,” specifies Aude Vandeputte, research and development manager.
After the children of the 60s, the famous puree is seeking to establish itself in school canteens and restaurants. At home, preparing your own mash by buying your own potatoes requires a little more effort and time, but remains more economical.
