I always thought I knew what real peanut butter tasted like…until I had Krema’s Peanut Butter (brand also known as Crazy Richards.)

The only PB’s I have ever had growing up included JIF (and Peter Pan) when I moved to the US. Yes, those trans-fat infused, hydrogenated oil laden, and lots of sugar-added peanutbutters.

I admit, it was a little hard at first to accustom myself to peanut butter that didn’t taste sweet!! It also took some time to get over the oils floating on the top, but I’m past that stage now…and all I have to say is…YUM!!!

The “Did you knows”…

  • Founded in 1898, the Krema Peanut Butter Company is one of the oldest peanut butter companies in the US today. (Over100 years old!)
  • Krema was featured on Food Network shows such as “Unwrapped” and Food Finds”
  • Ingredient list: peanuts.
  • There is absolutely no salt, sugar or hydrogenated vegetable oils added! Hence, zero trans- fats in the all-natural Krema nut butters!
  • Krema “double grinds” their smooth peanut butters so that it is silky smooth.
  • Krema uses only high quality peanuts (most manufacturers use the worst quality peanuts to make into PB! Read “The China Study” to find out more about that)
  • Gluten-free & Kosher
  • “Crazy Richards” (the Krema name in the East and West Coast) have been a “top pick” of best foods on Men’s Health for the last 3 years.

Check out the Krema website right here!

The Hot and Spicy

I made hot and spicy eggplant boats using steamed eggplant strips. They are an EXCELLENT snack as the peanut butter becomes the star of the “dish”, offering a little bit of crunch and heat to the mild pillowy flavors of the eggplant.

Tastiness: 8/10. This flavor is not for the faint of heart. It is definitely spicy, but in the best way possible. If you’re afraid of the spiciness, use the peanut butter in recipes with other sauces to tone down the heat. The peanuts are ground so that there are a lot of tiny peanut specks infused throughout the thick, creamy peanut butter “foundation.” The spices used to flavor the peanut butter are perfectly balanced – powerful but does not overwhelm the natural aromas of the peanut butter. I’m not sure I would buy this again although it tastes great because I simply don’t have a repertoire of recipes that require spicy peanut butter.

Uses: Krema has provided a recipe for a Thai cold noodle salad (I can only imagine yumminess from this recipe), dip for pretzels, veggies, and more!

The Chunky

Feel free to eat directly out of jar.

Tastiness: 8.5/10. I have always loved chunky peanut butter more than creamy PB because of the crunch, but for some reason, the creamy flavor sang to me more than the chunky. Below the top layer of oil (yes I know you are meant to mix it in), there are a TON of small chunks of peanuts (see picture). This should be renamed the “super super chunky PB” – almost too chunky for me and not enough of the smooth stuff to gel the chunks together. Flavor-wise, the nuttiness hit me as soon as I chomped into the peanuts, once I was in…it was sweet, nutty, a little smoky all at once! Finally…a last complaint….a little too much oil on top make stirring it in evenly a little difficult!

Uses: Since it’s unsweetened AND unsalted, you have the option to really use it in any recipe you want! A peanut sauce, peanut soup, banana peanut butter sandwich would be perfect with all that crunch!!

The Creamy

Drizzled on greek yogurt for some extra stick-t0-the-roof of your mouth indulgency. (Yup, I made that word up)

Tastiness: 10/10. I have found my favorite creamy peanut butter in the world!!! I finally know how you guys drizzle peanut butter over your oats! The creamy peanut butter is the smoothest, stickiest PB I have ever tasted. The peanut butter is not packed rock solid like many other brands I’ve tried, so mixing the oil in is much easier than I expected. There is a ton of peanut flavor released from their grinding process and you taste the richness of the nuts even when I ate it with super-thick greek yogurt! This is for the real peanut butter lover.

Uses: You all know this better than me! Topped on oats, pretzels, wedged into bananas, baked into muffins, drizzled on greek yogurt!!

Cost per jar: $4.66 for creamy and chunky, $5.83 for hot and spicy (online)

My Cost: Complimentary from manufacturer

Where to find them : Click here to find out!

***

Peanut Butter Giveaway!!!

2 Winners will win…

2 JARS each of smooth & Creamy Peanut Butter!

To do (each counts as 1 entry and let me know if you’ve completed each of them! #1 is a must please!):

  • Visit the Krema website and comment below with 2 things: 1) Which state you’re from and where you could buy your Krema (*hint* It’s in the FAQ section)!!! 2) What is the BEST tasting peanut buttery food you’ve had?
  • Follow me on Twitter @ LuckyTasteBuds
  • Twitter My giveaway with a link back to this post!
  • Link back to this giveaway on your next post! (+2 entries)
  • Add me to your Blogroll or Google reader if you haven’t already

Deadline: Midnight Central time on the Last day of November (The best month of the year!)

Contest open to continental US residents only, but you don’t need a blog to enter!

Not a nut butter eater? Check out my SodaStream at-home soda-maker   giveaway here!!!

Product Reviews

, , , , ,

November 20, 2009

75 Comments