The delicious Original Pad Thai, Thai Peanut, Tangy Sweet and Sour, and Garlic and Roasted Pepper rice noodles and sauce varieties come fully-equipped with separately packaged dried rice noodles and vegetables, sauce and peanut topping.

Directions are simple: remove the noodles, vegetables and sauce from the packaging, fill the takeout box with hot water to the water line (about one cup of water) and pop into a microwave for about four minutes. Stir and let sit for a few minutes, sprinkle with the peanut topping and eat with the plastic fork that is included with the kit. In Thailand, food is generally eaten with a fork and spoon, with chopsticks used rarely. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to push food onto the spoon, held in the right hand.

All of Thai Kitchen's ingredients are sourced from and developed in Thailand, and contain no MSG, artificial flavours or preservatives. Available at major grocery stores across Canada, MSRP is $3.99.

Rice is the major export crop of Thailand and a staple in the Thai diet with the country being world-famous for its jasmine rice, a fragrant and naturally nutty rice grown in the fertile central plains of Thailand, and used in these new Thai Kitchen offerings. Rice noodles are made by blending rice flour and water into a light liquid paste, which is then extruded into thin paper-like sheets in the desired size, steam-cooked and dried.

"When preparing Thai Kitchen products for market, we strive for a balance of colour, texture and flavour, with the use of herbs for flavour as well; as to achieve the balance between Yin & Yang, the cosmic equilibrium of the harmony of all things," says Eins Mutuc, Thai Kitchen Product Manager, McCormick Canada. "Although Yin & Yang are known as a Chinese philosophy, with Thailand's close proximity and large Chinese population, these principles have been adopted into Thai cooking."

Finished cooked dishes are evaluated both on the delicious results and how they affect the body. 'Cold' or Yin foods soothe and cleanse the body. Chili peppers and ginger, galangal and lemongrass are known as 'hot' sensuous Yang foods as they increase the pulse rate and trigger perspiration. It is thought that when the Yin & Yang forces are not in equilibrium, illness occurs. Contrast and balance are what make a Thai meal: hot and spicy, sweet and sour, pungent and fragrant.

Founded in 1989, Thai Kitchen was acquired by McCormick in 2006. For more than a decade, Thai Kitchen has been a market leader in providing authentic, natural, and easy-to-prepare Thai food products to discerning consumers. A key to Thai Kitchen's success is a commitment to producing the highest quality products that meet evolving consumer needs. Thai Kitchen uses only premium natural and authentic ingredients, which are freshly harvested and carefully selected for quality and flavour. More information can be found at www.thaikitchen.com.

London-based McCormick Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of McCormick and

Company, Inc., the global leader in the manufacture, marketing and distribution of spices, seasonings and flavours to the entire food industry. Founded in 1889 in Baltimore, Maryland, McCormick and Company employs more than 8,000 people. McCormick Canada includes such brands as Club House, McCormick, Thai Kitchen, and the most recently acquired Billy Bee Honey Products Ltd. For more information, go to www.mccormick.com. Call 1-800-265-2600 for other information.