CrateChef is a bi-monthly food subscription box curated by a different chef or food-related celebrity every two months. Each box includes artisanal foods, recipes, and kitchen supplies, as well as a cookbook or recipe cards from the featured chef to help you put your items to use. I always learn something new from these boxes and enjoy trying the different techniques and flavors that they introduce me to.
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.)
About CrateChef
The Subscription Box: CrateChef
The Cost: $49 per box + $8 shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first order!
CODE: ADDICTION10
The Products: Artisanal foods, recipes, and kitchen tools curated by a different chef each month.
Ships to: US
The Waylynn Lucas Box
I honestly hadn't heard of this month's featured curator, Waylynn Lucas, before receiving this box. And I'll admit: when I first unpacked the box, I wasn't sure how all of the items I got would go together. (Hot sauce and... sprinkles? What?)
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As it turns out, Waylynn is all about eggs! No one else in my household shares my obsession, but I'll happily put an egg on some greens and call it a salad and I've been known to add eggs to soup and leftovers to help make them more exciting. (I have seriously contemplated getting backyard chickens to feed my "dippy eggs" habit.)
Unfortunately, Waylynn Lucas's new book, Sunny-Side Up: More Than 100 Breakfast & Brunch Recipes from the Essential Egg to the Perfect Pastry, is not included in this month's box. (Heartbreak!) But CrateChef did include some recipe cards for Greek Yogurt Raspberry Loaf, a vegetarian frittata, the ever-classic Egg In a Hole, and Thai Iced Tea Pops. Quite a range! I like that the recipes are mostly approachable this month, with some more unique recipes thrown in, too.
Let's dig into what else is in store for me this month.
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Steel Ball Stainless Whisk - Estimated Value $22.41 (Similar product found here.)
I love how space-age this whisk looks, and I'm happy to report that it works well, too. I find this style to be easier to clean than the traditional whisks with their overlapping arches, but the extra weight on the end of the tool took a little getting used to. It's very sturdy!
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Frank's Red Hot, 5 fl. oz. - Retail Value $1.18
While I looooove hot sauce, especially on eggs, Frank's is pretty familiar. We always have some in the fridge. It's not new and exciting, and it's definitely not artisanal... But on the flip side, my family and I will definitely use every last drop. The info card notes that Waylynn loves Frank's because of the "perfect blend of flavor and heat."
I definitely see how this ties back to the theme, and of course, some hot sauce on eggs is delicious and always welcome!
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Wilton White Sparkling Sugar, 8 oz. - Retail Value $4.49
CrateChef boxes do sometimes include a mix of both baking products and savory cooking products and recipes. Since Waylynn's book is all about brunch (not just eggs!), these sprinkles weren't totally out of the blue. I don't really bake except for the holidays, and these sprinkles reminded me immediately of both snowfall and traditional butter cookies crusted in sugar. I'm sure we will find many creative ways to use these up in the next few months!
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Divina Roasted Red Peppers, 16.2 oz. - Estimated retail value $7.50
Note: I found these on Thrive Market for $5.99, but as Thrive is a paid membership site, their prices are typically lower than outright retail.
I looove roasted red peppers! These are included for the frittata recipe in the box. This is a very generous jar, bigger than the ones I usually find on grocery store shelves, which only ever seem to have one pepper inside.
Again, while this isn't a very exciting ingredient, it's something that my family will actually eat. I definitely see that frittata in my future!
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Stainless Steel Popsicle Mold + Accessories - Retail Value $19.99
This was the big ticket item this month! Anyone with small kids knows how great DIY popsicle molds are. We've been using a small plastic one from IKEA for a few years now, and I've been curious to upgrade to a stainless steel version, since they're much easier to clean and don't hold smells. I love that CrateChef and Waylynn also chose a set that includes popsicle sticks (since this mold doesn't have reusable bases) and bags (so you can prep popsicles and store them outside of the mold, which is honestly brilliant).
I have yet to figure out what this blue plastic piece is for. I'm thinking maybe it has something to do with closing the bags?
While I was really into the idea of the Thai Iced Tea Popsicles from the recipe cards, I have a 4 year old at home who 1) loves popsicles and 2) is already a ball of energy without caffeine in the mix. We tested these molds out by making a simple smoothie-pop with frozen banana, mango, raspberries, and almond milk.
We usually only make popsicles from juice, so this was a fun "recipe" for my son and I to do together! And yes, I totally let him eat a popsicle for breakfast after they froze overnight. Making smoothies to freeze into popsicles juuuust might be a good tactic to avoid the hangry mid-morning tantrums that can happen if he skips breakfast.
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Star Anise Pods, 0.5 oz. - Estimated Value $3.00 (Buy 1 oz for $5.95 from Penzey's)
These pods were included for the Thai Iced Tea Popsicles recipe. Whole star anise is soooo pretty and special! My preschooler was fascinated by the shapes and loved how the pods smelled. I'm thinking that I'll be able to work these into some of our holiday baking projects as well.
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CrateChef Gummy Eggs
This last item was a cute addition that tied back to the egg theme. I'm not a huge fan of gummy candy, but I couldn't resist how cute these were... They lasted just a few days on my desk at work.
Verdict
The curation of this CrateChef box felt a little scattered at first, and I'll admit the Frank's hot sauce had me worried. In the end, I was really happy with the quality of the kitchen gadgets, and I know all of the pantry items will be gone before long. I tend to enjoy the boxes that come with cookbooks more, but I felt like this CrateChef still delivered a useful curation of kitchen goodies. It also introduced me to a new chef who I definitely have enjoyed learning more about! I've been in a cooking rut lately, so even a fun popsicle project was a good excuse for some quality family time and trying something new.
To Wrap Up:
If I sign up today, will I get this box? Yes, if you choose! When you join CrateChef, you can select which box you receive first. This box is currently available along with some other past favorites. (Check out our past reviews to see what's inside those boxes, too!)
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first order!
CODE: ADDICTION10
Value Breakdown: Retail values for food boxes tend to be really close to the price of the boxes. This box landed in the neighborhood of $56, which breaks down to $9.33 per item. CrateChef bi-monthly subscriptions cost $57 per box ($59 + $8 US shipping), so overall the value is about what I expect from a box in this category. (You can get CrateChef for as low as $45/box + shipping with a 6 box subscription.)
Check out all of our CrateChef reviews lots of food-related boxes in the Food Subscription Box Directory!
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