Thoughts on cricket protein and/or cricket flour?

Geocitiesuser

Apparently people are trying to bring this to market as a more ecologically friendly food source. I saw someone post a cricket protein bar the other day. I think I remember seeing one in GNC but I was scared to buy it.

Has anyone tried either of these? How was flavor and texture?

To be clear I'm not asking if the idea of eating crickets is gross or not, I just want to know if it actually TASTES gross or not? My understanding is that most insects have a bit of a nutty flavor?

Old_Cat_Lady

I could not find them on the GNC site. Another site had them for $3 a piece not including shipping. With those costs, I don't think the product will catch on.

SundropEclipse

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to try a cupcake made with cricket flour. Tasted great and the only time I noticed a difference was in the aftertaste. The flavour was a bit woody/fibery, like the skin on a nut or a shell fragment on a piece of coconut. I would definitely purchase it for baking if it was available in my area. As a protein (such as in stirfries) I couldn't say.

wintermadness1

Supposedly we'll all be eating bugs soon, according to those who claim the meat industry is unsustainable. It'll have a hard time catching on in the western world though. Plenty of the rest of the world already eats bugs as a normal part of their diet, so they'll be fine...unless western demand for insect protein drives up the prices and makes it unaffordable to those for whom it was a staple for centuries, like what happened with quinoa and whatever other "ancient grains" were a hipster foodie trend-of-the-week.

livingleanlivingclean

My local health food shop sells little pots of flavoured crickets as snacks - I'm curious to try, but they are ridiculously expensive and the macros aren't that great...

Alatariel75

I've had fried crickets in Thailand. They're crunchy and kind of nutty. Pretty inoffensive.

Jelaan

Hmm ... well our chinese water dragon thinks they are delicious, and he is really picky. Seriously though, at the CNE here in Toronto last year, in the food building they had a booth that was serving insects as a topping for burgers and hot dogs. We went to check it out to try some, but the line up was over 40 people long. There is no way that my family would knowingly eat something made with cricket flour, but I would certainly try it. Another lactose free protein powder alternative would be good.

Geocitiesuser

SundropEclipse wrote: »

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to try a cupcake made with cricket flour. Tasted great and the only time I noticed a difference was in the aftertaste. The flavour was a bit woody/fibery, like the skin on a nut or a shell fragment on a piece of coconut. I would definitely purchase it for baking if it was available in my area. As a protein (such as in stirfries) I couldn't say.

You can buy it on amazon prime, but like others said, the macros don't look great and it's super pricey (1.50 an ounce on average), so I'm equally hesitant.

Is there any real advantage over eating whey which is cheaper with better macros?

Old_Cat_Lady

Why is only .57 cents a serving (on sale at costco) with 25 grams of protein and only 110 calories.
I can't see crickets beating this.
Chicken protein powder (if they could make it) would be cheaper than cricket powder. Lets rule this a fad.

lemurcat12

Some people don't want to eat whey, I suppose. Crickets arguably have some environmental pluses, I dunno.

I'd try it (want to, actually), but haven't been intrigued enough to actually order it yet (I use protein powder pretty rarely as it is and have no problems with whey).

snickerscharlie

wintermadness1 wrote: »

Supposedly we'll all be eating bugs soon, according to those who claim the meat industry is unsustainable. It'll have a hard time catching on in the western world though. Plenty of the rest of the world already eats bugs as a normal part of their diet, so they'll be fine...unless western demand for insect protein drives up the prices and makes it unaffordable to those for whom it was a staple for centuries, like what happened with quinoa and whatever other "ancient grains" were a hipster foodie trend-of-the-week.

Agreed.

And just because they also eat dogs and cats in other countries doesn't mean I'm about to, either.

theGreatPondero

I'm struggling through a pound of Lithic cricket protein. It smells like my iguana cage from the 90s. I cook it with oat meal and smother it in hot sauce, garlic powder and pickle juice. At 30 bucks a pound (IIRC) this is the last time I will buy it. But it's nothing but crickets, no thickeners or "natural flavors" added. So that beats all other types of protein powders I've looked at. And bugs are insanely sustainable food production, I think.

jgnatca

A pipe dream at the moment, but I've been looking at raising quail. That seems pretty sustainable, and a little more urban friendly than chickens.

Sp1tfire

I'm down.

canadianlbs

have to admit my only thought about it is ewwwwwwww.

taziarj

I recall seeing this product on an episode of Shark Tank!

SteveinChicago

I've tried it both in a protein bar and baked into tortilla chips. Both were good and nothing tasted remotely strange about either of them. Don't know what if any flavor the powder has on its own but the bar tasted like any other one and the chip like a Dorito.

rainbow198

I saw someone talk about this on a talkshow called Cityline last week.

I'm pretty adventurous so I'd give a sample a try.

I would want to see how it blends into my foods and protein smoothies first before committing to purchasing pounds of it.

mlinci

I've seen it promoted as the food of the future, but, no way. Not for me, unless I was seriously starving, and I might actually sooner gnaw my arm off than eat insects.

I happily eat prawns and shrimp, so it's not necessarily a rational decision on my part, just a strong visceral aversion. I watched a BBC documentary about eating insects a while ago, and I was on the verge of vomiting the entire time. I'm actually slightly physically sick just thinking about it.

amelialoveshersnacks

I reckon the next time you see a cricket bar OP, buy it and try it.

concordancia

I have had cricket quesadillas, but never more processed versions. Makes me wonder how they go about it, ie does farming manage to make cricket protein unsustainable?