Full disclosure: This product was provided to me free of charge. However, this is not a paid review and the opinions expressed within are strictly my own.
This post is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
Have you heard about the gluten-free crab cakes on the market? On December 7, Handy International announced “the world’s first and only Certified Gluten-Free Crab Cake.” These crab cakes are certified gluten free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). As Handy states on its site, that means that “Handy Gluten-Free Crab Cakes meet standards more than twice as stringent as the USFDA’s.” Actually as most of us who are gluten free know, the FDA’s standards in regard to gluten free are only proposed at this time, but it’s true that GFCO standards are less than 10 parts per million (ppm) gluten, whereas, proposed FDA standards are less than 20 ppm gluten. As I’ve shared before, I don’t have any gluten reactions to products that are certified by the GFCO, but do to products that meet the “less than 20 ppm gluten” standard. Therefore, even the super sensitive among us should be okay with these Gluten-Free Crab Cakes because of their GFCO certification.
From Handy’s Gluten-Free Crab Cake website:
Handy’s Gluten-Free Crab Cakes are setting the standard in Gluten-Free living without sacrificing taste or satisfaction. Enjoy 6 of our Restaurant Quality 3oz. Handmade Gluten-Free Crab Cakes delivered right to your door. Share this culinary wonder with friends or indulge alone.
Handmade with no preservatives, 0 trans fats, and made with all natural ingredients! Each 3oz. cake will satisfy with sweet fresh crab meat.
There are 3 million Americans with Celiac, 5 million Americans who are gluten intolerant, and thanks to Handy, only 1 Certified Gluten-Free Crab Cake! Don’t miss this chance to indulge in this health conscious delicacy.Shipping to your door via FedEx 2nd Day Air is always included in our pricing! We currently can only ship Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for delivery Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday within the continental United States. For all other requests please contact us at [email protected].
What I like about these crab cakes …
~ They are good. There are big chunks of crab meat, the amount of bread crumbs included is relatively small (mostly just enough to hold the crab meat together and give some tasty texture), and the flavoring combination of seasonings and mustard is quite nice. Okay, these crab cakes are not quite as good as my homemade ones (made from the recipe on the back of the Old Bay Seasoning tin with local fresh crab), but they are still good. Handy’s representative told me that these crab cakes were chosen over “gluten-full” crab cakes time and time again. It’s important to note that the crab cakes are also attractive. Simple baking per directions yields lovely golden brown crab cakes. (I did flip mine towards the end of the baking time.) And, for a change of pace, it was quite enjoyable to pull a package out of the freezer and have hot tasty crab cakes to eat in 22 minutes. It was easy to add a salad or a baked potato and a veggie and have a great meal. Of course, for some folks—like Son—only the crab cakes will be needed for a meal. Twice over the holidays he ate two of these as his dinner and loved them!
~ Crab is the primary ingredient. Most of the other ingredients are “real food” and I’m okay with them.
~ UPDATE: The latest formulation of these crab cakes does not contain dairy; that’s a bonus, although the product I tried did. Here’s an excerpt from this page of Handy’s website where they respond to a reader’s query about dairy free. Handy states below that the new crab cakes that are both gluten-free AND diary-free are being “rolled out.”
Comments
Posted by Handy International on December 16, 2010
Currently, the Gluten-free Crab Cake does contain milk (as seen on the Nutrition Facts label). We have already altered the recipe, however, to avoid this ingredient in future shipments and the packaging will change accordingly. All product being sold in club stores such as Costco is already of the non-dairy variety, but we’re currently moving the final inventory of product that contains dairy.
Thanks for the great question/comment! You’ll see a posting here as soon as we’re into the non-dairy shipment. If you’re wondering how to tell at the grocery store it’s a simple as reading the ingredient label. If you don’t see evaporated milk, then it’s the newer shipment that is completely dairy free.
~ The size of these crab cakes is just right.
~ I think these crab cakes would be an excellent option for restaurants and other food services (like caterers) that want to offer another seafood option for the gluten-free consumer. I would love to be able to order a gluten-free crab cake while eating out. Of course, restaurant personnel would still need to be trained adequately to ensure no cross contamination occurred once the crab cake was removed from the packaging for heating and serving. But having these bonafide, certified crab cakes would go a long way in mitigating the usual risks.
What I don’t like about these crab cakes …
~ They contain soy. I realize it’s a common ingredient in packaged foods and I do eat it occasionally in that form, preferably in small amounts. In this case, the crab cakes are made with mayonnaise, which contains soybean oil. When I make crab cakes at home, I also use a small amount of mayonnaise and usually, that too contains some soybean oil.
~ The cost of these crab cakes is pretty steep for the “average” consumer, and I consider myself one. The package of six 3-ounce crab cakes shown above costs $69.99. That does include FedEx 2nd day air shipping as mentioned above, but that price is still steep. UPDATE: Handy now offers some lower cost shipping options so that ordering off their website can be less costly. Handy also states that its crab cakes are also sold at Costco, Whole Foods, and a few other spots, but they also offer the crab cakes directly to consumers via their new consumer targeted website: www.glutenfreecrabcake.com. In the words of Carol Haltaman, the head of Handy’s research and development team, “The gluten-free community has strong ties to the web and we wanted to give them direct access to the product until a retailer close to them carries the product.”
~ But my biggest issue with these crab cakes is that they are produced in Thailand. I find that a bit puzzling and more than a bit concerning. Handy International—the company that has given its name to these products—is located in Salisbury, MD, which is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Eastern Shore is considered by many to be one of the “seafood central” spots on the East Coast, with the emphasis being on the Maryland Blue Crab. The Maryland Blue Crab is what I use to make crab cakes and what one would think would be contained in all crab cakes. Handy is only shown as the distributor of this product … as you can see on the label above. I’d be much happier if these crab cakes were also produced in the U.S.
The fact is that I pass up seafood from Asia and other countries regularly as much of what I know about seafood that comes from foreign waters is not good. There have been numerous articles by public watch groups and health reporters questioning the safety of imported seafood and even documenting unsafe seafood; e.g., the presence of toxins. There has also been acknowledgement by senior FDA personnel that the FDA does not currently have the staff to properly inspect all the seafood coming into the U.S. That’s a huge issue because by some estimates, 80% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. I’m not going to quote or reference any further information because I would be pointing you to data unrelated to Handy Crab Cakes and that would be patently unfair. I don’t know if those concerns come into play at all with the products that Handy International distributes. I do invite Handy representatives to respond and address that concern.
While I don’t typically purchase imported seafood at the grocery store or local seafood markets, I do frequently eat seafood out and I rarely inquire on the source of the seafood. Sometimes that information is shared on a food establishment’s menu (e.g., “Wild Alaskan Salmon’), but do I even know if it’s accurate information? I’m not trying to cloud the issue here, but I do want to point out that I have not been “operating” in accordance with my concerns regarding foreign seafood all of the time. To be honest, I never thought of my inconsistencies on the subject before doing the brief research for this post. I’ll be much more aware and “investigative” with my future seafood purchases—even the ones that don’t come with a label and clear info in black and white.
Conclusion …
Conclusion …These crab cakes are delicious enough that I’d eat them again and even buy them upon occasion (more than likely, those would be special occasions), but I’d be more inclined to do so if they were produced in the U.S. using “local” crab meat. While I don’t buy packaged foods often and our usual method of eating crab meat is “picking” steamed crabs, eating Crab Norfolk, or eating Susie’s Crab Casserole, the gfe family would be happy to see these crab cakes make an appearance occasionally. (Okay, Son would like a freezer full of these crab cakes, but that will have to wait until he’s completely on his own.)
See the complete roundup of 25 Days of Christmas posts here. All 25 posts will be up by the end of the day to celebrate my 2-year “blogiversary” … I think they will be worth the wait! In the mean time, don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Stephanie O’Dea’s new cookbook, More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, on my Out and About page here.
Update: Here’s a response from Kevin Voisin of Handy International on my review and readers’ comments:
“We are thrilled to see people eating and enjoying the new gluten-free crab cakes. At Handy we strive to set a new standard in quality, taste, and in doing the right thing in seafood – and have been for over 100 years. Thank you all for your comments and insights on making our gluten-free crab cakes better. We appreciate your input and I’d like to respond to your comments.
Cakes Containing Dairy
We have completely eliminated dairy from our gluten-free crab cakes. As of now no product shipped on the site contains dairy. We are very grateful that you have made us more keenly aware of the issue of dairy sensitivity amongst the gluten-free community.
Crab Cake Pricing
There is no doubt that the least expensive way and best way to enjoy our crab cakes is to buy them locally from a grocery store near you. Far from competition, we see local retailers as essential partners in supplying the gluten-free community with the great food products they want and need. You can find a list of retailers who carry the product near you by visiting http://www.glutenfreecrabcake.com/pages/buy-locally .
The shipping involved in getting the product direct to a consumer’s door certainly adds to the pricing, but we thought it was important to give the entire gluten-free community access to this product right away – even those located far from our retail outlets. We included shipping in the price of every package so there were no hidden costs to you.
Ingredients from Thailand
These cakes are made in Thailand where fresh blue crab meat is available year round which gives us the best flavor and also sufficient supply. Fresh blue crab meat is not available in the U.S. year round and the supply is limited.
We subject ourselves to independent testing by Silliker, a top inspection firm used by Whole foods and Costco. Handy’s plants have received Silliker’s gold certificate – an achievement only the top 10% of inspected companies achieve. Handy is also a founding member of the National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council, a groundbreaking group focused on creating a more sustainable seafood offering, and works diligently to provide the most consistent high quality products the crab community has to offer.”
Rachael says
Thanks for the review. I love crab cakes, but $70 is definitely too steep for our budget! 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Rachael–Sure … glad to share such info! I agree on the price. Heck, one’s grocery budget would be pretty blown with six of these crab cakes. It reiterates the point that real, unprocessed food is much less expensive … even seafood. I can buy a pound of great crab meat for about $15 and make about 4 crab cakes with little additional cost by adding the other ingredients needed. 😉
Happy New Year and thanks for taking the time to comment at gfe!
Shirley
Mary says
Just wanted to point out that while dairy is not listed in the allergens on the package, evaporated milk does appear in the ingredient list. So I do not think they are dairy-free. The milk appears in the ingredients for the bread crumbs.
Shirley says
Hi Mary–Thank you so much for pointing that out! First, I didn’t convey the information clearly … the product I reviewed was not dairy free, but Handy has since reformulated its crab cakes to be dairy free and they are being gradually “rolled out,” so to speak . I updated the post to show that. It seems that stores have the new gf/df crab cakes, while they are still shipping out the ones that are only gf until they are all gone. It is interesting that dairy was not shown as an allergen to begin with on the package though. Anyway, thank you again! Please take a look at my post and let me know if it doesn’t read clearly. I owe you for being my quality assurance today!
Hugs and Happy New Year! 😉
Shirley
Heidi @adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com says
I was just going to mention the same thing as Mary, I saw ‘Evaporated Milk’ on the label but it’s not listed at the bottom in the ‘Contains’ section.
This is a GREAT example of how tricky ingredient labels can be!
They sure look good though. 😀
Happy New Year and Happy Blogiversary my sweet friend!!
xo,
Heidi
Shirley says
Hey Miss Positive While You’re Telling Me I Goofed!
Thanks very much to you and Mary! I had info that I accidentally left out of my post. I’ve updated it and hope that it will be clear now. Bottom line: Handy has reformulated its crab cakes to be gf/df, but some gf only ones remain and are being shipped out. Hopefully, my post clearly indicates that now. Please let me know if it doesn’t!
Both you and Mary raised an interesting point about why it didn’t show Milk at the end of the ingredient listing though. The FDA only requires one of those—either in the listing or at the end; it’s the manufacturer’s choice—but since they already provided both, they should have had Milk along with the Crab, Soy, and Eggs. Anyway, when all the ones available are gf/df, that will be a good thing.
Thanks so much for the New Year and Blogiversary wishes, Heidi! Hope 2011 is beyond fabulous for you … I think it will be! 🙂 More posts to write … smoooooches,
Shirley
Debi says
They look delicious, but I’m with you. The price is a bit steep. My husband and I could have a fresh sushi dinner for that cost. 😀 BUT, your post has inspired me to make some crab cakes next week! 😀
No soy in homemade crab cakes!
Heidi – great catch on the label!
Shirley says
Hi Debi–I think folks for whom money is not a big deal and who don’t have concerns about the other info I shared will probably stock up on these. But, like you, my first though was hey, we could have a really great meal out for that price. I rarely make crab cakes because we really do enjoy our crab pretty basic. Crab Norfolk is a favorite, but occasional indulgence during the winter months. 🙂 I hope you enjoy your crab cakes next week, and nope, no soy needed at all. I really hate how soy is in everything, and we know it’s all cheap GMO soy, too. Ugh.
Yes, I am grateful to Mary and Heidi for pointing on the label info. I actually have info to show that their new crab cakes are gf/df, but the ones I received were not. I’ve updated the post to show that now. Just a big boo boo on my part. 🙁 But, it is odd about the Milk not showing with the other allergens at the end on the original packaging for the gf only version.
Thanks, Debi! More posts to come … Happy New Year! xo,
Shirley
Debi says
I like my crab either steamed plain (yes, I’m one of the weirdos that doesn’t dip it in butter) or in a really good crab cake or sushi roll. 😀 I will definitely enjoy my homemade ones, along with some clam chowder. I found a recipe the other day that a friend gave me a while back that is gluten-free. Fully of yummy goodness. My tummy is getting warm just thinking about it. lol
I thought that was odd, too that it showed evaporated milk in the ingredient list but didn’t show it on the allergens. Big boo boo. I know some people will skip reading the ingredients and look for the allergens. Yet another reason to make sure we read labels!
Happy New Years! *hugs*
Shirley says
Hey Debi–Mr. GFE must have melted butter with his steamed crabs, but I’m happier without. 😉 My tummy is getting warm hearing you “share the seafood love,” too! 🙂
Yes, we must read labels all the way. I actually had a session at one of our support group meetings on that because I realized that I had started looking at the end for the “Contains:” statement instead of reading every ingredient. Even when the company gets it right, of the gluten offenders, only Wheat would have to be shown at the end. We need to read all the ingredients to look for barley, rye, and oats. Companies are not required to show anything other than wheat, but most do. And, like I said, they don’t have to share a Contains: statement either. They can simply show the eight major allergens in their initial listing. Anyway, all great points that you shared … thanks!
Happy 2011! We’re in it now … here’s to a great year! xo,
Shirley
SunnyB @andloveittoo.com says
These do look wonderful and might be a viable option for my family (shellfish is the one thing I won’t make from scratch in my home–I have a son who is severely allergic and I am highly aware of the cross-contamination risk generated by the prep stage)…unfortunately, even without the hidden milk (another no-no in my home), the $70 is just a bit more than I would be willing to pay for even 6 of the greatest crab cakes ever tasted.
Boy oh boy do you have my mouth watering for some Maryland Blue Crab though. 😉 I miss being able to get it straight from the Chesapeake.
Happy New Year , Shirley!
xoxo,
Sunny
Jen says
$70 for crab cakes???? That’s outrageous. I wonder how much they cost when you find them at Whole Foods? I would never buy these online, especially when crab cakes are so easy to make at home with local, fresh ingredients. But thanks for the review!!
Shirley says
Hey Jen–Great to see you again! 🙂 Yep, I agree with you. Sandra commented that she found a package of two on sale at Bloom for $8, which is more reasonable, but still making crab cakes is awfully easy. It always seemed like a bit of a pricey indulgence at anywhere from $12 to $15 a pound, but now that seems like a bargain given the $70 price!
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Shirley
Alta says
These sound great. A little on the pricey side, but a good treat!
Shirley says
Hi Alta–I’ll be interested to see what you think if you try them. Maybe you’ll get an email from Handy to review them yourself. 🙂
Hugs,
Shirley
gaile says
$70.00!?!? Bwahahahahahahaha that is hilarious! There is no occasion that would justify that expense for me, especially when yep, we can make them at home for about 15 bucks worth of fresh crab meat. Sometimes I wonder how desperate these manufacturers really think we are.
Shirley says
Hey gaile–I hear you, sister. When you do the math, it’s hard to imagine buying these. I certainly can’t remember the last time I went to the grocery store and plunked down $70 for one food package. Even when I’m cooking for four or six, I’m not typically spending $70 on the entree … actually, it’s far, far less and it’s still great. I always roll my eyes when I see frugal dinners at $10 or $15 a person on tv or blogs … say what?
BTW, Linda (The Gluten-Free Homemaker) has a discussion post up right now about the inflated costs of gf packaged foods.
Thanks for your input!
Shirley
Tia says
Guess I’m like everyone else. It sounded nice and convenient until the price. I know crab is expensive, but I would also rather just eat my crab plain. I like crab. Before I was gf, the Big Man and I would go out for seafood, and I thought it was a waste of good crab to make crab cakes. But, that’s just me.
I wanted to wish you a very happy blogiversary! Congratulations! You are a big help to a lot of people, so keep up the great work. Love you, Shirley!
xoxo,
Tia
Shirley says
Hi Tia–Yep, my mouth dropped open when I got to the price on Handy’s blog. No mention on cost when we were corresponding via email. And, I agree, quite often crab cakes a waste of good crab meat. Like I said, just plain, delightful crab meat still makes me happiest. 🙂
You are a total dear to also mention my blogiversary here … and with such lovely, lovely words—thank you!
Sending the love back to you, Glugle Gluten Free Girl! 😉 xo,
Shirley
Linda says
I’m so disappointed about the milk! I just got home from out of town. My crab cakes arrived while I was gone and my son put them in the freezer. When I corresponded with Handy the other week I looked at the nutrition label but missed the milk. I think because I saw “Contains: crab, soy, and egg” and assumed milk would be listed there if it contained any. I was wrong. Evaporated milk is listed in the ingredients. Now I won’t be able to eat them, and I was so looking forward to them. Sigh.
Very interesting about being made in Thailand. Being that the company is in Salisbury I assumed they were made there. I’ll be giving them my feedback on that. Thanks for the review and for saving me from a milk reaction.
Shirley says
Hey Linda–I’m so sorry to give you that disappointing news, but glad you didn’t go ahead and eat them without looking at the ingredients. I think I’d ask for another box to be sent, so that you can eat them and do a review.
I’m not excited at all about these crab cakes being made in Thailand. Defies logic to me. That and the price, and I’m unlikely to have these in my freezer. I’d probably buy them for Son if I saw them on sale, but not worried about them so much for me/us.
Shirley
Kevin Voisin says
Sorry about the dairy snafu Linda.
We have listened to consumer concerns and eliminated dairy from our recipe completely.
Please contact me at [email protected] so we can arrange to replace what you got with the non-dairy cake which is all we produce anymore.
At Handy, we’re not perfect, but we’re willing to make things right when we make a mistake and we strive to set a new standard in quality and taste.
Kim says
Wow, those are pricey!! It is nice to know that they are out there as an option, but like you said in a response to another reader, you can make them yourself for much less.
Thanks for the great review, as always!
Happy New Year!
Shirley says
Hey Kim–When you do the math, it’s a bit mind boggling for an “at home” product without white tablecloths and flowers on the table, huh? I bet you’ll get some to review … I’ll be interested to see what you think, price aside.
Thanks for the kind words! I’m not big on doing too many reviews as most don’t fit the gfe approach, but this product sounded like something folks needed to know about … the good and the bad.
Happy 2011 to you, too!
Shirley
MarylandCeliac says
I found them at Bloom for very cheap on sale (regular price around $8), and was so excited, but I didn’t like them. I baked them in the oven. They had a weird texture and I even found some shells in them.
Kevin Voisin says
I’m sorry you had this experience with the crab cakes you bought at Bloom.
We are really proud of all of the work and quality control standards we have in place, but aren’t afraid to admit that occasionally mistakes happen – but we stand by our product and make it right.
Please contact me at [email protected] so we can make this right for you.
MarylandCeliac says
I forgot to mention that the box I got at Bloom only contained 2 crab cakes, hence the cheap price.
Linda says
Thanks for posting this–good to know what’s out there. I really missed crab and seafood cakes when I was diagnosed, so make my own which are really easy to make and less expensive that way. Ingredients in prepared foods concern me–hard to know what you’re really getting sometimes.
Shirley says
Hi Linda–Nice to see you again! 🙂 I agree … even if I don’t purchase a product, I do like to know what’s available. In my case, I usually share the info with my support group, too. I have to agree about the ingredients. I try not to worry too much about the very basic ingredients, but I was concerned to hear that even most potatoes are GMO now. It’s hard to know what’s what in processed products and sometimes even whole foods now.
Shirley
kathie touton says
Hi Shirley,
I am fortunate, a local health food store sells these. I bought some yesterday form myself and my Celiac DS. I love them AND they are more affordable when you can buy just 1 box at a time.
Great review!
Shirley says
Hi kathie–Thanks so much for sharing your review of these crab cakes! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed them and found them to be an afforable entree for you and your DS. I think buying two at a time for the occasional indulgence would definitely be more affordable. BTW, I just found out about another brand of gluten-free crab cakes and hope to do a review on them as well. 🙂
Shirley
Kevin Voisin says
We are thrilled to see people eating and enjoying the new gluten-free crab cakes. At Handy we strive to set a new standard in quality, taste, and in doing the right thing in seafood – and have been for over 100 years. Thank you all for your comments and insights on making our gluten-free crab cakes better. We appreciate your input and I’d like to respond to your comments.
Cakes Containing Dairy
We have completely eliminated dairy from our gluten-free crab cakes. As of now no product shipped on the site contains dairy. We are very grateful that you have made us more keenly aware of the issue of dairy sensitivity amongst the gluten-free community.
Crab Cake Pricing
There is no doubt that the least expensive way and best way to enjoy our crab cakes is to buy them locally from a grocery store near you. Far from competition, we see local retailers as essential partners in supplying the gluten-free community with the great food products they want and need. You can find a list of retailers who carry the product near you by visiting http://www.glutenfreecrabcake.com/pages/buy-locally .
The shipping involved in getting the product direct to a consumer’s door certainly adds to the pricing, but we thought it was important to give the entire gluten-free community access to this product right away – even those located far from our retail outlets. We included shipping in the price of every package so there were no hidden costs to you.
Ingredients from Thailand
These cakes are made in Thailand where fresh blue crab meat is available year round which gives us the best flavor and also sufficient supply. Fresh blue crab meat is not available in the U.S. year round and the supply is limited.
We subject ourselves to independent testing by Silliker, a top inspection firm used by Whole foods and Costco. Handy’s plants have received Silliker’s gold certificate – an achievement only the top 10% of inspected companies achieve. Handy is also a founding member of the National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council, a groundbreaking group focused on creating a more sustainable seafood offering, and works diligently to provide the most consistent high quality products the crab community has to offer.
Shirley says
Hi Kevin–I really appreciate you following up on concerns expressed in my review itself and comments that readers have contributed. First, it’s great to hear that the complete transition to your new crab cakes—now gluten-free AND dairy-free—has occurred! Secondly, thanks for including Handy’s viewpoint on pricing. From comments, we can see that some folks have already found Handy gluten-free crab cakes in their local stores, and I’ll add your link to my post so that those who want to try them will know where to look for them. Finally, I appreciate the information on why the crab cakes are produced in Thailand and that Handy has received a gold certificate as a result of its Silliker inspection process. I will certainly be reading more on the latter to have a better understanding. So again, thanks for all your comments. I will certainly make a few updates to my post to provide readers the best information so they can make informed decisions as consumers.
Best,
Shirley
Lynn says
They have these crabcakes at our local CostCo (in California) for only $13.99 for the package of six. They are delicious and I am very excited to see a gluten-free crab cake so readily available!
Shirley says
Hi Lynn–First, welcome to gfe! 🙂 Now, in regard to your comment … WOW, that is a huge price difference! I don’t think many of us would mind paying $13.99 for six crab cakes. I’m glad you enjoyed them. I hope Handy’s spokesperson, Kevin Voisin, will address how and why the cost difference would be so huge. Thanks so much for your comment!
Shirley
Lynn says
I purchased several packages of gluten free crab cakes at CostCo (Los Angeles area) but just yesterday they said they are no longer even listed in their computer as being for sale. Please bring them back or at least tell me where else to purchase them! They were delicious!
Shirley says
Hi Lynn–I hope Kevin is still following this thread and will comment on the availability of the gf crab cakes in your area. It’s always so discouraging when one finds a gf specialty product one really likes and then it disappears. I’ve had this happen often with the very few gf specialty products I’ve used in the past. Fingers crossed that Kevin and the Hand folks will have a good answer for you!
Shirley
Kevin Voisin says
I have been told they will be back in CostCo in your area by the end of February in time for Lent 2011.
Thanks for trying and enjoying our product.
Kevin Voisin
laurel says
A 6 count package of the crabcakes are on sale at a Market Basket Store fpr $4.99. Nicely written informative article covering all bases. Still wish they were made with Maryland crabmeat.
Shirley says
Hi Laurel–It looks like you might be new here–welcome to gfe! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the info on the great deal on Handy gluten-free crabcakes. I’m not familiar with Market Basket Store, but I’m sure others will find the info helpful.
Thanks again!
Shirley
Patti says
Oh WOW I think $69.99 for six crab cakes is a little much, in fact I think that’s taking advantage of people that have Celiac disease. I love crab cakes and I truly miss them but I simply couldn’t pay this.
Shirley says
Hi Patti–First, I know you are new to gfe–welcome! 🙂 Yes, most of us reading and commenting here think that’s a pretty outrageous price. Interestingly enough though, if you read the comments, you’ll see that many readers found this same product at a much lower price in their local grocery store, Costco, etc., so you still might run across them at a reasonable price. 😉 And, honestly, if you don’t crab cakes are very easy to make. The recipe on the back of the Old Bay seasoning can is terrific. Just use gf bread crumbs when they are called for. 🙂
Shirley
Patti says
We live in a small town in Texas, no Costco around here and no crab….unless I settle for the imitation crab ewwww. In fact there is little available here that’s gluten free, we have to travel 90 miles one way to stock on my gluten free items 2 or 3 times a year but there is still a lot of things I see people talk about online that I can’t find.
In case anyone is interested I found a fantastic flour that is way better than all the others I’ve tried. I had given up on eating bread because all it was horrible to me. I wanted my soft, light good bread or nothing at all. A lady on Facebook told me about this flour and I’m so thankful she did. The
‘Miracolo Pane Classic Peasant Bread Mix’ taste like fresh baked bread and smells heavenly when it’s baking. You don’t store it in the fridge or freezer, just keep it on the counter. 🙂 They also make an all purpose that can be used for everything else. They are working on getting it in Whole Foods. I have been ordering it but when it’s available in Whole Foods I’ll stock up on it and store it in the freezer when we go to town.
http://www.maninis.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65
Steve says
Hi, i just stumble on this article and didn’t read all the comments, just a first few, but i have been using this GF Crab cakes for a long time and i never did notice the price of 70$… Handy GF crab cakes are around 16$ for 6 pieces. So it must be mistake in article. Even on their webpage it is 15.75 $ and that it more than fair price, also they taste super great, i would recommend them to everyone.
Shirley Braden says
Hi Steve–I am the one who wrote this article and that was not a mistake. That was the actual price when they I reviewed them in 2011. I did just check their website and while you’re correct that the cost is now $15.75 for six 3-ounce crab cakes, you also have to look at the shipping costs which are substantial. They are: Ground $29.49, 2 Day $32.73, Priority Overnight $39.71, and First Overnight $85.35. So even at the lowest cost, if you have them shipped to you, they would be $45.24. At the 2-Day shipping cost, which was what I was sharing–and was the only option, and all-inclusive cost at the time of my review–the cost would be $64.23. Yes, that’s less than $70, but not by much. Still, its great that they have more options now and they are terrific crab cakes. I’m guessing that you are able to purchase yours at your grocery store, so shipping costs don’t come into play. That would definitely be the best option!
Shirley