CrateChef is a bi-monthly subscription box curated by top-name chefs and sends artisan foods, recipes, and kitchen supplies.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: CrateChef
The Cost: $45 a box (plus $6 shipping per box) or $44 a box when you choose a 3-month subscription. You may also purchase a one-time gift box for $49 a box (plus $6 shipping).
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first order!
CODE: ADDICTION10
The Products: artisan foods, recipes, and kitchen tools, curated by a different chef each month
Ships to: U.S.
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Each CrateChef box comes with a letter from the chef & curator. This month is curated by Jay Ducote, who come in as a runner-up on Season 11 of Food Network Star and has been featured on a number of other shows over the years– in addition to running his own podcast and opening a restaurant this year. This guy knows how to stay busy!
The letter from Jay tells a bit about his story and shares some of his Louisiana favorites, plus walks you through the items included this month.
Jay D's Louisiana Molasses Mustard - Value $8
As soon as I opened this box, my husband gasped and grabbed this. What can I say, the guy loves mustard!
What a great find! This is a thin, saucy style of mustard that is very different from anything else currently in my fridge, in a good way. It's sweetened with molasses and has just a hint of heat from cayenne and jalapeno. Between dipping pretzels in this and using it sandwiches, I'm sure this full-size bottle won't last long in our house.
Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce - Value $8
This is another branded product from the featured chef this month. Compared to BBQ that I've had in recent memory, this sauce stood out to me right away for being very tomato-y. It also had a good balance of sweet and spice.
Camellia Brand Red Beans, 1 LB - Value $4.71 (Buy 3 bags on Amazon for $14.19)
While dried beans are certainly an affordable staple that you can pick up in any grocery store, Camellia is a pretty famous Southern brand that I haven't seen locally very often. It's always fun to cook with regional brands like this, and of course, this is right on the money as far as this month's theme: Louisiana red beans are a delicious southern dish that everyone should try at least once.
We did have a few of these try to bust out of the bag in shipping, but most of the bag was intact.
Jay D's Spicy & Sweet Barbecue Rub - Value $3.50? (Buy 12 oz for $10)
This dry rub has familiar ingredients (brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic, etc) but wow, it was good. Maybe it was the molasses or the big pieces of dehydrated garlic and onion, but as soon as I tasted a pinch of this spice, I was craving more. One of the included recipes this month suggests using it on popcorn, which sounds so good to me right now!
Mimi's Pralines, two 2 oz treats - Value $3?
We also got a fun treat this month, in the form of this pecan candy!
I couldn't seem to find anywhere online to buy these, and the brand's website is down at the moment, so the value is a total guess– I'm estimating about $1.50/each based on similar products available locally to me.
These things were good, but they were sickly sweet. Definitely a fun Southern treat to try!
Wooden Louisiana Roux Spoon - Value $12? (based on a similar product)
I have a similar tool in my kitchen already, but today I learned: These flat-edged spoons are designed to scrape out the browning flour/butter roux mixture from the bottom of your pan when making classic dishes like gumbo.
This one is actually quite a bit nicer than the one I already have because it has a nice thin angled edge that makes it easier to actually scrape the pan with. It's a simple tool, but one that will definitely come in handy.
Trimmed Denim Apron - Value $28? (based on a similar product)
Finally, we have this durable denim apron!
I could not find this exact style online, and there were no tags, but generally speaking denim aprons seem to run the gamut from $20 to $120 depending on how fancy they are.
I love this thing! It's definitely more my style than a floral apron: it's minimal and rugged, and functional thanks to the pockets and durable webbing straps. Plus, the dark denim will probably hide lots of stains and look beautifully worn in over time. (This would also make a cool gift if it's not something you personally love.)
Between the grill and the kitchen, I'll be using this for years to come for sure.
CrateChef always includes recipes from the featured chef, featuring the ingredients from the box. This month was actually a great mix of 5 recipes: 1 cocktail, 1 snack, 2 sides, and 1 main. I love the variety and being able to see a lot of different ways to potentially use the items we got this month!
I ended up making two dishes this month using the ingredients from this box. I was originally going to make the red beans, but I found a pork shoulder in the freezer that needed to be used up so I decided to go for BBQ pulled pork! I cooked this in my InstantPot and used about half the sauce during cooking, and added the rest at the end.
My husband loves pulled pork but I usually don't do it barbecue style; we both really enjoyed it done this way. I topped this with a bit of chipotle mayo and some raw corn salsa seasoned with lime juice, cilantro, and shallots. We had leftovers the next day with the Jay D mustard and that was possibly even better; the mustard is the perfect complement to barbecue.
I also used the included recipe for Smokey, Roasted Vegetables. The recipe suggested carrots and brussels sprouts, but I decided to sub in a delicata squash that I had on hand. Even my finicky toddler ate a bunch of these, so I am declaring them a success! I usually roast my veggies with just olive oil, salt, and pepper, so this was a delicious way to mix it up a bit.
Verdict: I always look forward to CrateChef. This subscription has a good balance of useful kitchen items, recipes, and pantry ingredients. They don't explicitly say they focus on southern food, but all of the boxes I've gotten have been from southern states, which is just fine by me! This month, we got about $67 in retail value for this box that costs $51 (including shipping). That's a good overall value for boxes in this category (pantry items + tools + recipes), which are often closer to the price of the box. We'll use 100% of everything included this month, and the dinner we made this month was stellar– I will definitely be making those carrots again.
What did you think of the August/September CrateChef?
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