It's a Wrap

Sometimes you don't find interesting food products, they just find you. After a recent conversation with a coworker about the Crystal Farms Cheese Wraps she found at the store, I was intrigued. Why hadn’t someone thought of this type of product sooner? The wraps could be a viable bread-free option for those of us who like to snack but still want to stay healthy. I mean, who doesn't like cheese?!

I was given a package to experiment with by that same coworker. Here are my thoughts...

First, the package itself has good-sized wraps, but it was awkward to store leftovers once opened. Packaging does boast being resealable but don't assume it will as mine immediately didn't reseal properly. Either plan to use all the wraps all at once or keep a Ziplock bag on-hand. I'm sure I could have found a Tupperware container or Saran-wrapped them, but I don't think it would have kept the delicate wraps moist enough for a day or two in the fridge. With only 6 wraps included in the package, there is little room for error.

I was impressed, however, that Crystal Farms had thought to separate the individual cheese wraps with parchment. It made things much easier for me while prepping my snack to pull one out of the packaging without damaging the remaining ones below. Additionally, the parchment created a makeshift "mat”, so the wrap was directly touching my counter as I filled them. The wraps are about 1oz each and are both Atkins and Keto diet-friendly. They come in a limited variety of flavors including mozzarella, cheddar blend, and marble jack.

When discussing the product with my coworker my initial thoughts were these would make excellent Philly steak and cheese wraps. Boy, was I ever wrong on this one. Mistakes were made!! I cooked up a mixture of shaved steak, mozzarella cheese, milk, spices, fresh chopped garlic, bell pepper, and diced Portabella mushrooms. The mixture was incredibly yummy; however, the wrap was incredibly flimsy under the weight of only 2 tablespoons of fill. I believed my error at first was that the mix hadn’t cooled enough before loading on the wrap and had melted through. 

My second attempt with the Pilly steak filling the following morning with cooled mixture didn’t fare much better. The mix was just too heavy and wet to be supported by the wraps. I ended up eating my lunch like a horse at a trough while sitting in my car. Not my best "look" at work, for sure. 

My third trial idea was to use tuna salad. Prepped the night before work, the result at lunchtime was a slightly squishy wrap that stuck to my fingers. I wouldn’t recommend rolling the wraps the night before, though I can see prepping the tuna salad and storing it in a container overnight for quicker morning prep. My wraps each fit about 3 TBSP of tuna salad comfortably and did not split as anticipated. I did cut the wraps in half once rolled to better handle them.

Now knowing the current limitations of the Crystal Farms cheese wraps, I can see doing variations using anything lighter. Next time I'll try lettuce and tomato, ham salad, or any deli meat. I would like to see these improved by the company over time - thickened a smidge the better support more filling options and to act more like a traditional tortilla wrap. I'd rate the Crystal Farms Cheese Wraps three stars on versatility, and 4 on taste with the trails so far.