Snake River Farms Sampler Pack – Product Review

The people from Snake River Farms sent me a sample of their American Kobe Steak Flight for review. After cooking their product Sous Vide style using my new Anova Precision Cooker here is my review and process to cook the steaks:

• Packaging Appearance: The product arrived in a heavy wall insulated cooler with dry ice.  This is great when shipping frozen product because they stay rock solid even if there is a problem with your delivery.  The steaks were individually vacuumed sealed in SNF branded plastic, and THOSE were inside a sleek black gift box with additional packaging material.  Even after thawing the product in the fridge for two days, there were no leakers and the plastic held up perfect.  They also supply a beautiful catalog with other items they sell, all of which looks very appetizing, a SRF hat, and some Espresso Brava salt.
• Product Appearance: The steaks themselves looks beautiful in their sealed package.  Each has a nice dark, almost burgundy color, meaning very little oxygen got into the package during processing.  I received ribeye, sirloin, and filet portions which all looked fantastic, but each had exceptional marbling. I even went as far as weighting each steak to insure they were at least the stated amount, and they were all on point. The ONLY thing I can negatively comment about is some of the similar items were cut in different thicknesses, but we all know each primal cut is unique, and can’t really take off any points for that.
• Cooking Process: I thawed the steaks in my fridge for two days, then I removed each from their package, and seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, and just a touch of granulated garlic.  I let them dry-brine in my fridge loosely covered in plastic wrap for about 5 hours.  I then re-vacuum sealed these steaks two to a bag.  I decided to sous vide the steaks, so I set up my Anova Precision Cooker to 134°F to give a nice medium/medium rare interior.  The steaks went into the bag, and into the water bath for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.  The steaks were removed, patted dry, and I added just a little extra salt to each.  In a cast iron pan, I heated up a shallow pool of avocado oil until smoking, which is around 520°F.  I seared each steak for about 45 seconds on each side, and then they were ready to try.
• Eating Experience: I pride myself on giving real reviews of products.  I am not paid or endorsed by any companies that send me product during the time of my review, but I can tell you honesty that these were the best steaks I have ever eaten.  I also had some family members try, and they will agree.  Each steak, regardless of cut, had perfectly rendered marbled fat throughout the steak, and a beautiful buttery texture.  Each was extra juicy, and the dry-brine enhanced the natural beef notes without overpowering it. The sous vide process gave me an even medium/medium-rare finish thorough the entire center of the meat, which is a bonus of sous vide cooking.  They developed a perfect sear from the cast iron and avocado oil, without any burnt or off notes.  I cannot think of anything bad to possibly say about my eating experience.
• Value: Even with the holiday special, the price is a little higher than some other competitors on the market, but due to the quality of the meat, this is still a good value.  This is a special gift box so it will never be as affordable as if you bough a good volume of individual steaks, or a primal cut and trimmed it yourself, but you are getting some of the highest graded meat in the U.S.  You also get the bonus of the product being handled and shipped in the best way possible, and even get a sweet SRF hat included in the box.
• Overall: This gift pack is a little on the pricy side, but as I said before, everything else about these products are just about perfect.  The only other comment I could complain about would be a little uneven thickness between the steaks in the package, but knowing meat, that is just going to happen.  The flavor, appearance, texture, and overall experience was outstanding, so I give the American Kobe Steak Flight a 4.75 out of 5.

NERDSTEAK is more than happy to review any food, beverage, restaurant, CPG or equipment items you have to offer.  Feel free to contact Mike directly at chefman316@aol.com to arrange for shipping of samples, or to schedule a review. You can also follow Chef Mike on:

LinkedIn – Twitter – Facebook – Pinterest – Instagram

 

NERDSTEAK is looking to review YOUR product!

The people at NERDSTEAK want to review YOUR product!

If you have a food related item that you would like an unbiased review of, please contact us!

• Contact us and give a little detail about your product. We will provide a shipping address and timing of the review.
• We will only provide an unbiased review of your item along with unedited photos.
• We will contact you AFTER our results have been posted to provide you with any links, photos, or information you may need.
• We will not return any unused or unopened items.
• We will not review an item if it has been opened, broken, or tampered with in any way prior to our review.
• We will complete a review with in-depth detail ranging from packaging appearance & functionality, product appearance, eating or use experience, value based on pricing, and overall review with a 1 thru 5 score.
• You are allowed to use the review for any promotional opportunities.  If you need any specific focus on the evaluation, please let us know ahead of time.
• We like everything from food, gadgets, equipment, clothing, ingredients…basically anything that can relate to food.
• Examples of our reviews can be found in our previous posts.

Axe-Men BBQ Is Looking for Supporters and Sponsors This Season…

The Axe-Men BBQ team out of West Dundee, Illinois is looking for supporters and sponsors for this years BBQ season. We are a new team that competed in our first KCBS event in October of 2014, and still ended up with a 9th place call for ribs, and 10th place call for chicken, even with minimal equipment.  Our team is planning to compete in at least 6 events next season, and our goal is to participate in high profile events like the American Royal Barbeque Competition in Kansas City, as well as the Jack Daniel’s Championship in Lynchburg. Many of the regional events we participate in will be in the Midwest. We are fully invested in competing on the KCBS circuit and making Axe-Men BBQ a grand-champion team.  We also would eventually like to sell our sauces, rubs, and marinades to the general public.

As you might be aware, these BBQ competitions take a lot of time, effort, and money to complete. We are interested in everything from grills, smokers, trailers, campers, and meat…down to cleaning supplies, tables, chairs, coolers, wood, charcoal, beverages, knives, utensils, promotion materials, entry fees, and cash donations. In return, we want to go above and beyond to help promote any sponsors who help us along the way. We would add your company/personal name and/or logo to banners, clothing, or any other allowable items.  We can hand out sell sheets, contact info, or samples of anything you wish to visitors of the events. We would add you to our email list so you can keep track of our competitions, as well as visit us at any time to sample some of our award winning BBQ. Also, we would be more than happy to have a representative from your company on site to discuss your products with the public or other teams. If you have any other requests on what you would like from us in return for sponsorship, we are more than happy to discuss. The team also has a large network on social media including personal pages, blogs, and professional contacts.

Please let us know if you have any questions or need any additional information. Below are a few links to see how exciting some of the events and opportunities we will be participating in.

Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS)

American Royal World Series of Barbecue

Jack Daniel’s World Championship

Red, White, & BBQ in Westmont, IL

Wabash RibberFest in Mt. Carmel, IL

Thank you very much for your time, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Axe-Men BBQ

Steve Quirk

Mike Haracz

OatWorks® Oat Powered Natural Smoothies – Product Review

OatWorks® Smoothies

The people at OatWorks® (http://oatworks.com) were nice enough to send me some samples of their new oat powered fruit smoothies to review! I received the samples a few days ago, and this is what I thought:

• Packaging Apparence – The beverages come in nice, sturdy bottles with a matte finish plastic label. I felt that the logo and color scheme appropriately represents this health conscience product.  There was enough clear area on the bottle to adequately see the product on the inside, and the top was easy to open. All of the information was easy to read, and promotes having the addition of oat fiber (two bowls worth), along with being vegan friendly, gluten free, dairy free, non-GMO, and kosher.  They do not add any ‘boosts’ like the other brands, and rely on only the natural juices for the nutritional value. The ONLY comment I can make about the bottle is that it has a slight raised texture on the base which I though was a wrinkle in the label, but it was the actual shape of the bottle underneath…not a big deal to me.
• Product Appearance – All of the varieties I sampled had the expected and appropriate color (Strawberry Banana, Peach Mango, Pomegranate Blueberry), but were just a tad duller than some competitive products, as well as the images on their website. They looked a lot smoother in texture than some other RTD smoothies out there which is a plus for me.  The smoothies were not overfilled and did not look like anything on the inside settled to the bottom…meaning I didn’t really have to shake it before drinking. This is most likely due to the addition of guar and xanthan gum. I also noticed there were no visible oat pieces or specs in the drink, which again is a plus for me.
• Drinking Experience – I was pleasantly surprised when sampling each of the varieties.  I did not pick up any earthy oat flavor, just a smooth, and sweet profile like the label suggests. They are pretty much spot on with the amount of sweet vs. tart, with my favorite being the strawberry banana.  I personally like a little more strawberry flavor in my smoothies, and it delivered just that.  I did not pick up any gritty or graininess in any of the varieties, and the consistency was just thick enough to leave a refreshing, bright aftertaste…in a good way.  I also felt that the 12oz portion was the perfect size for a beverage like this.
• Value – After doing a little research, the cost per each bottle is right between the two major brands you would find in the refrigerated section at your local supermarket, however, you have the added benefit of a longer shelf life with these since they do not need to be refridgerated. Now the per/oz cost is a little on the high side, but as previously stated, I think this 12oz size it much better for a single serving, making it a great 160 – 170 calories per bottle.  Some of the other brands have a much higher calorie count than that, but just remember this is a fruit smoothie, so you will see sugar kind of high on the nutrition panel…this is to be expected though.
• Overall – This was a fantastic product that I look forward to having more of in the future. I felt it was the perfect size, the consistency was very smooth without having any grittiness, and the flavor was spot on.  The price is on the high side, but in-line with the competition, however you can store it longer since it does not need to be refrigerated. I give OatWorks® Oat Powered Natural Smoothies a 4.5 out of 5!

NERDSTEAK is more than happy to review any food, beverage, restaurant, CPG or equipment items you have to offer.  Feel free to contact Mike directly at chefman316@aol.com to arrange for shipping of samples, or to schedule a review.

NERDSTEAK product review – Oloves™ olives

The people at Oloves™ (http://www.oloves.com) were nice enough to send me some samples to conduct a consumer review.  I received the samples last week and here is what I thought:

• Packaging Apparence – These olives come in a cool silver pouch with a tear away top.  It was very easy to open and all of the samples held up very well in the shipping box without the need for much extra packaging. This was obviously produced outside the US with the UK ingredient and nutritional statement on the packaging, but still easy to follow.  They have a very nice product shot on the front with a, ’50 calorie snack’ tag on the front.  It has a very simple yet upscale feel, along with enough support to be a great traveling snack.
• Product Appearance – The olives themselves held up pretty well being in a soft pouch with little excess oil or brine, but you will notice that they don’t have the integrity of olives in a glass jar, which is to be expected.  I will note that the Mediterranean flavor variety was a much darker green than the Hot Chilli Mama and the Lemony Lover varieties.  Nothing on the package noted a different olive variety.  I liked that the olives were not swimming in oil or brine making it a better quick snack option.  The Mediterranean and the Lemon varieties had the appropriate amount of garnish for what I expected, however the chile version looked like it was lacking in chile flakes.
• Eating Experience – Starting with the Mediterranean, I felt it had a great flavor with notes of garlic and basil, however the texture of the olives were overly soft.  They had just the right amount of tangy brine flavor and did not over saturate my mouth with oil like other olive brands.  Still, the olives being extra soft made this my least favorite of the three varieties and If they were the same texture as the other two, it could have easily been my favorite. Next was the lemon variety which had a much better olive texture.  There were some interesting lemon pieces in the package which tasty more like candied lemon than fresh squeezed lemon juice, but was still a nice little treat you would not normally find.  For me, I could have used just a touch more garlic flavor as well as a more natural lemon flavor in the olives. Last was the chile variety.  My first tasty was perfect, great olive texture, just the right amount of heat and a touch of lemon, however my next piece was over the top hot.  I noticed that the chile flakes were not evenly distributed over the olives, which makes me believe they added the chile flakes after the olives were brined.  This allows for ‘hot-spots,’ not an even amount of heat throughout the product.  Also, on their ingredient statement, it showed lemon pieces are supposed to be mixed in with this variety as well, but I did not find any in my particular package. All around experience was very favorable, but felt there could be some small tweaks to make it even better.  I will note that I did not find any pits or stems which you can sometimes find in other brands of olives.
• Value – From what I researched, the cost of these seem to be in line with other pre-portioned olives out there.  You will get a better value buying olives in bulk, however with these, you get the convenience of an easy open and transportable snack. They also promote being all-natural, gluten/dairy/nut free, vegan and kosher.
• Overall – I had a very favorable experience with Oloves™ olives.  I enjoyed the easy-open and fancy looking packaging, the lack of oil/brine to pick though, along with some good flavors.  I felt that if the Mediterranean variety used the same olives as the other two, if the lemon variety moved away from the candy lemon flavor, and the chilli variety had a more even heat, this would have been quite the product!  I give Oloves™ olives a 3.5 out of 5.

NERDSTEAK is more than happy to review any food, beverage, restaurant, CPG or equipment items you have to offer.  Feel free to contact Mike directly at chefman316@aol.com to arrange for shipping of samples, or to schedule a review.

NERDSTEAK Product Review – SexyPop Popcorn

The people at SexyPop (http://sexypop.us) were kind enough to send NERDSTEAK some of their product to review! I received a case of samples yesterday, and here is what I though:

• Packaging appearance – I will say that the packaging looks pretty nice. They have a large swirl logo right in the middle with their brand name on top, and variety on bottom but I have two concerns with what I received.  First, my samples were VERY pillowy.  Obviously this helps insure minimal broken pieces of popcorn in the bag, but they were so pumped with air, it was a little difficult to do the ‘pinch and open’ on the top, which could have happened due to the product being air shipped which can change the pressure inside the packaging. This is a minor detail, but worth noting. The second concern is that their brand name is aligned so high on the the top of the packaging, and the variety is so low, that on a standard grocery shelf, it might be difficult to read what it is. There are a lot of different tag lines on the packaging, along with a goofy ‘poppin’ rap like lyrical treat on the back.
• Product appearance – The popcorn itself looked very nice, with most of the contents being whole popped pieces, with little to no unpopped kernels. None of the varieties looked overcaked with seasonings, and the white cheddar variety had more cheddar flavor vs. what I assumed it would have based on appearance (that’s a good thing).  The popcorn had a nice white color and didn’t appear shiny or oily.
• Eating Experience – I would say all the varieties had a favorable flavor and texture, with my favorite being the Bangin’ Cheddar.  I would have like just a touch more black pepper flavor from that specific variety but still tasted great.  I noticed a lot less of the ‘seasoning on my fingers’ problem you might find with other popcorn brands.  I personally like salt, however the Lightly Salted was right on point with having just enough.
  
• Value – After doing a quick search with comparable products online, the current price for SexyPop is a little on the high side, but you are getting slightly less calories per serving.  I would assume that once SexyPop can stock shelves and move more volume, they will be able to lower the price to be more competitive in the better-for-you popcorn market.
• Overall – I give SexyPop an overall score of 3.5 out of 5.  The product itself is very tasty, but the price point is a little too high to be competitive with the other brands.  I do like the fact that as opposed to promoting their product as ‘healthy’ since it is a lower calorie snack as well as GMO-free, Kosher, cholesterol-free, and trans-free, they are going with the ‘trendy’ marketing campaign similar to what the pistachio people are doing.  If you have a chance to try SexyPop, I recommend it!

NERDSTEAK is more than happy to review any and all products you have to offer! Please contact us directly to arrange shipping of samples.