I've wished this were a thing before! I'm glad someone's doing it! Right now, the only alternative is like ramen or smth.
You should mention that it's vegan more prominently, might sway some people even faster.
Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
171–180 of 454 posts
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
Appreciate the responses! - The microwaveable complete meals are definitely more similar to our products, but those are once again shelf-stable and lack in taste and nutrition. We will be doing a live comparison of our Chana Masala vs. the MTR Chana Masala to show how different it is in amount of product, look, smell, taste and nutrition. - The oil that they include is definitely a type of preservative, and they use…
- The oil that they include is definitely a type of preservative You seem really hung up on the preservatives thing and I was giving the benefit of the doubt, but now it is just disingenuous. If oil of all things in a competitors product as a preservative then I think the tremendous amount of salt in your product qualifies as well.
Don't mean to sound hung up on the preservatives, just stating a fact of their processes and what sets us apart. Added preservatives of any kind alter the food and taste at the benefit of having a longer shelf-life.
The sodium content from our products comes from the spices in the recipes themselves. Indian spices especially have a large amount of salt (which makes them so flavorful and spicy!), but we do not add any additional salt for preservation. We are also currently working on low-sodium options!
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except Tasty Bite tastes terrible. There's another competitor making the same thing (sealed cooked food, no water needed) Maya Kaimal that is _much_ better. It actually tastes good.
Personally, I enjoy Tasty Bite curries. It may not be the perfect authentic Indian dish you get at a good restaurant but I find at its price point there isn't any real competitor for my $$.
Most Indian restaurants in the US aren't authentic, and cater to Western tastes. So
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#174Your gluten free tags on many of the products seem to be wrong, Asefotida contains gluten, and it's an ingredient in your sambar, rasam, dal recipes, which are marked as gluten free. Incorrect health facts labeling causes distrust.
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#175For some positivity, I would love to have an option of actual, everyday Indian food available as an option to me. Indian restaurants in the US by and large suck, so I'm hoping you're successful!
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#176There will be many "unauthorized to work" highly educated Indian H4 spouses in the US delivering Indian food around your area. Please buy from them to support them.
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#177As a non-Indian who enjoys Indian food, I'd be interested in this. However, if you want to market to non-Indians I'd suggest putting the dish description outside of the "Details" dropdown and up where the more general description is. Or start with the "Details" section expanded. Or rename "Details" to something else that lets you know that is where the more detailed description of the flavors is.
Thank you for your feedback!
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#178Your gluten free tags on many of the products seem to be wrong, Asefotida contains gluten, and it's an ingredient in your sambar, rasam, dal recipes, which are marked as gluten free. Incorrect health facts labeling causes distrust.
> Incorrect health facts labeling causes distrust.
And fraud (and potentially worse, e.g., wrongful death) lawsuits.
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
Appreciate the responses! - The microwaveable complete meals are definitely more similar to our products, but those are once again shelf-stable and lack in taste and nutrition. We will be doing a live comparison of our Chana Masala vs. the MTR Chana Masala to show how different it is in amount of product, look, smell, taste and nutrition. - The oil that they include is definitely a type of preservative, and they use…
- The oil that they include is definitely a type of preservative You seem really hung up on the preservatives thing and I was giving the benefit of the doubt, but now it is just disingenuous. If oil of all things in a competitors product as a preservative then I think the tremendous amount of salt in your product qualifies as well.
I’m not sure that’s fair. I think it makes sense to distinguish between oil (or salt or any ingredient) added for the purpose of flavor, nutrition, or authenticity vs the purpose of preservation. Both affect the flavor but one makes the food better and the other only ensures it lasts longer (assuming success).
Re: Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sometimes food is prepared for flavor, based on a consensus of what tastes the best. If more people affirm that a given recipe is the most desirable, it would be completely ridiculous to impose a lesser recipe upon the menu, if it sells poorly. I can easily prepare low sodium pretzels, and try to sell them at the county fair, but what good would that do, if every passer by takes one look at my pretzels and asks, “Whe…
We know that high sodium intake is a leading cause of high blood pressure which in turn leads to heart disease. I also don't buy products with high levels of sodium and I think this is true of a growing number of people as awareness spreads of the issue. I read the OP as explaining why they won't currently buy the product, but what might change their mind in the future. Further, what's the problem with holding compan…
I am well aware of this because I have a hormone problem causing me to retain salt. So it isn't theoretical for me - I have to be extremely anal about it or else blood pressure medicine won't do me any good.
However what it boils down to in practice is that I've learned to not even ask whether you have a low-sodium menu. Because you probably don't, and even if you do, your idea of low-sodium is still way too much for what my body can take.
My solution is to only eat food prepared from scratch, or eat at specific restaurants where I can choose the exact ingredients that went into my meal. There is no point in restaurants trying to cater to people like me, because if they did I'd have no way to hear about it.
I'm serious about that. Advertising won't work because I've learned that advertising is misleading. "Reduced salt" means 25% less than a comparable product, which had several times what I could accept. Offering "healthy salads" won't sway me because I've learned the hard way that their salt content is usually just as high in practice as a burger and fries.
There are only two phrases that I respond to. "No salt added" and "Raw ingredients." If you're less restrictive than that, you're probably consuming too much salt. Even though you think that you're being good. So much so that if a normal person tries to eat what I eat, their first thought is going to be that the food tastes awful and needs more salt.
Incidentally for the record, our recommended daily allowance is 1500 mg, which is around 1/4 tsp of salt. Most adults in the USA eat more than double that. If you eat out every other day, you almost certainly are getting a lot more than most adults.