Canstar Blue’s marinades & recipe bases review has seen 10 brands, including Maggi, KanTong, MasterFoods, Ayam, Coles and Woolworths compared on taste, consistency, variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Maggi was rated best in Canstar Blue’s 2021 marinades & recipe bases ratings, achieving five-star reviews in all categories. These include taste, consistency, range variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction.
Condiments like tomato sauce and soy sauce may have stolen the spotlight when it comes to amplifying a meal. But it doesn’t take a BBQ master or seasoned home cook to appreciate the difference a good marinade can make to a simple cut of meat, or how a recipe base can improve a pasta dish (even more so than cheese!).
Many Aussies we surveyed can certainly relate, with one in three (30%) regularly picking up a jar during their grocery shop. More than half of our survey respondents (55%) have also tried multiple marinades or recipe bases, while a quarter (27%) stick to the same brand. For others, it’s about finding whichever is the cheapest (23%) or the healthiest option (18%).
To find out what goes best, Canstar Blue surveyed more than 880 Australian consumers for their feedback on the marinades or recipe bases they bought from a supermarket or grocer in the last three months. Respondents rated brands on taste, consistency, range variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction. Those that received at least 30 responses are featured in our ratings.
In our first-ever marinades and recipe bases review, Maggi ate up the competition after being rated best in every research category ─ including overall satisfaction!
Here are the best brands of marinades and recipe bases, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s 2021 review:
Maggi topped our marinades and recipe bases ratings, having received the only five-star review for overall satisfaction. Most other brands achieved four stars, while Chicken Tonight ‘pecked’ up three stars for overall satisfaction.
Marion’s Kitchen and MasterFoods also took a slice out of the five-star pie, earning full marks for range variety. KanTong did the same for packaging design.
Maggi has been an iconic food brand for years and is even often passed down as another staple ‘ingredient’ to go with the rest of the other handwritten family recipes. In addition to marinades and recipe bases, the brand also produces a variety of gravies, Asian sauces, noodles and similar bases for different stir fry dishes. Some products to expect include:
Maggi’s recipe bases usually checkout for $1.75 for a 47g pack or $3 for something from the brand’s Stir Fry Creations range.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and consumed a marinade or recipe base (including dry rub marinades, marinade pastes, simmer sauces and dry recipe bases) from a supermarket or grocer in the last three months – in this case, 885 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
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