Product Review: Crunchmaster Crackers
A month or so ago, we were asked to review Crunchmaster brand crackers for the blog, and sent a box of samples. I’ve been neglecting writing this post, but since I received the samples for free, I am obligated to post this blog.
#1- They are gluten-free, which is fantastic. They are NOT corn-free, which made it hard for me to sample, but I did anyway after watching Twig chow down on them for a few days.
#2- They come in several flavors. We tried the Roasted Vegetable, White Cheddar, and Sea Salt. The Sea Salt has the least questionable ingredients, and shortest ingredient list. Among the questionable ingredients are: Natural Flavoring, Spices, and Yeast Extract. Sometimes those can be MSG in disguise. None of the ingredients (including the corn) say they are GMO-free or organic. I did not communicate directly with the company to ask these questions, however.
#3- They taste good. There is an underlying taste of sesame in each that can get tiring, since most gluten-free crackers tend to use sesame for whatever reason, but the powdery “spices” on the Roasted Vegetable and White Cheddar disguise the flavor of the the actual cracker well. To be quite honest, I preferred them with dip or a piece of tasty cheese, so that I experiencing more of the crunch than taste of the cracker. The Roasted Vegetable should be labeled as spicy, however. It was definitely zingy and not one I would offer to unsuspecting kids. I was only able to tolerate that level of heat with a creamy dip, and I generally enjoy a spicy flavor.
My sister and nephew, who do not have any dietary restrictions LOVED them and took bags of them home after Thanksgiving. They regularly munch mainstream cheesy-powdered tortilla chips and fish-shaped blasted-with-flavor crackers, so they have more mainstream things to compare the crackers to than our family. They obviously stacked up well against those items.
#4- I have to add that I am truly impressed that a company is serious about offering gluten-free products. BIG kudos for that!!! And to try to make them like other mainstream products out there (cheesy powdered ones, in particular) is going to go a long way toward sales for people whose kids are missing those products. The texture is better than most gluten-free offerings, and as someone who tries to bake her own crackers, I know firsthand how difficult blending grains and flours to get something even “edible” can be. I’m extra-critical because my family is “gluten-free plus,” and I think, unfortunately, this is going to crop up more and more. As we continue to use corn as our main food source, more people are going to be avoiding it due to allergies and sensitivity.
#5- Will we buy them? Maybe. I might buy the Sea Salt ones if we were in need of a cracker or at a mainstream grocery who offered nothing corn-free, sprouted, or organic as an alternative. They definitely aren’t what I would choose first for a healthful snack. As a plus for me, they are manufactured locally and, as far as I can tell, not (yet) owned by Nestle. They are easy to find, however, and I first saw them in a Walmart in NC over the summer. If you don’t have any other food sensitivities than gluten, they are a great snack to try.
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my cousin were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a book from our local library but I think I learned better from this post. I’m very glad to see such great info being shared freely out there…