Saucefly Food Subscription Box Review + Coupon– February 2017

Saucefly is a monthly subscription box that includes “restaurant quality sauces, snacks, dressings, cocktail mixers, sweets and other savory surprises.” Saucefly boxes are packed with ice, and all included items have a shelf life of at least 7 days.

About a week before boxes ship, Saucefly members are emailed a shopping list that lets them know what additional items will be needed in order to make the month’s suggested recipes.

Saucefly is owned by Chef Sara Willis, a Eugene, Oregon-based chef who has been cooking professionally for the last 25 years. She uses locally-sourced, in season, and organic products in her cooking, and posts how-to videos on the Saucefly blog that demonstrate how to use Saucefly’s sauces.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: Saucefly

The Cost: $100 a month (Eugene, OR residents receive a shipping credit of $15 per box. Shipping is free to states west of the Colorado Rockies. Shipping to the east coast is $25.)

ACTIVE DEAL: Save $20 off your first box!
CODE: MSA20

The Products: Organic, chef-prepared sauces, dips, marinades, cocktail mixers, dressings, and more.

Ships to: U.S.

Check out all of our Saucefly reviews more gourmet food boxes in the Food Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

This box came with an info sheet that provided some information about the month’s sauces and a few recipes. (More detailed information is available on the Saucefly site.)

Moxie Mixers Classic Margarita Mix

This month’s Saucefly box was packed full of goodies, and I decided to start by sampling the month’s featured cocktail mixer, Classic Margarita Mix. This concentrated mix can be used in margaritas that are blended or served on the rocks. I opted for frozen margaritas and I took a tip from the info sheet and added some frozen mango into mine. Yum! The mango added a fun, tropical vibe to the drink, and even though I added a good sized glug of tequila and a handful of frozen mango chunks, the bright, limey mix was definitely the star.

Baja Coco-nut Granola

The next item in this month’s box is Baja Coco-nut Granola. It’s 100% organic and made with gluten free oats, honey, butter, walnuts, pecans, local wild berry honey, and coconut. (I received two bags, but I received an second bag by mistake.) My husband and I have been eating this granola almost every morning since it arrived, and we’re both hooked! I’ve been eating it with milk (like cereal), and my husband has been eating it with Greek yogurt, fresh berries, and honey. It’s really delicious— crunchy, buttery, and just the right amount of sweet.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

All of the Saucefly boxes I’ve received so far have contained salad dressing, and I love having homemade salad dressing in my fridge to jazz up simple salads. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of blue cheese dressings, so my husband has been enjoying this one without me. The bottle is almost empty, so I’m pretty sure he’s a fan.

Smoky Romesco

Saucefly’s Romesco is made with almonds, garlic, olive oil, red peppers, and sherry vinegar, and the info card suggests a number of different ways to use it. The concentrated sauce can be spread on sandwiches, used as a starter for pasta sauce, served with grilled shrimp and polenta, or spooned over grilled veggies. I decided to serve it with broiled zucchini.

The sauce is rich, nutty, and full of flavor, and I love that it helped turn a fairly boring side of veggies into something really special. I still have quite a bit of the jar left, and I’m looking forward to trying it on sandwiches next.

Sweet & Sour Cantonese

I don’t often cook Chinese food at home, so I’m really excited to experiment with this Cantonese sweet & sour sauce. Saucefly included recipe tips for preparing beer-battered tempura chicken or pork, but the sauce can also be used with sautéed meat for a healthier option. The sauce is made from tomato paste, sugar, white vinegar, pineapple juice, plums, lychee, ginger, garlic, and tamari. Even though I haven’t had a chance to cook with this sauce yet, I snuck a taste and I really like the sweet, tangy flavor.

Arugula Chimichurri

This box also contained a jar of Arugula Chimichurri. I’m a big fan of serving chimichurri over sliced steak, so that’s how I decided to use this. I’ve never seen chimichurri made with arugula, though, and I like how the peppery green adds a bitter edge to this sauce.

Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Next up is this Bourbon BBQ Sauce! Saucefly suggested using it to make slow cooked pork, but my butcher was out of the recommended cut, pork shoulder, so I decided to make pulled chicken instead. After slow cooking some chicken thighs, I shredded them and stirred through a bit of the bbq sauce. I heaped the meat onto toasted brioche buns, topped the sandwiches with some additional sauce, and served them with pickles and coleslaw.

This sauce is so good! It’s made with tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, chile ancho, garlic, Worcestershire, and bourbon, and the flavor is sweet and a little vinegary. I liked it so much that I found myself pouring more and more onto my sandwich in an effort to eat as much of it as possible.

Chanterelle Veloute

I’ve had veloute quite a few times before, but I didn’t realize how versatile it is until now. Most of the times I’ve had it, it’s been at a fine restaurant and served to me in a small cup— like a small portion of soup. Reading over the info sheet, though, it’s clear that this sauce can be used in a number of different ways: as a base for beef stroganoff, for poaching fish, as a sauce for pasta, or even reduced and served over fish or chicken. I decided to combine a couple of the suggested pairings and make a roasted vegetable penne pasta with cod.

I reduced the sauce slightly before using it, and the consistency was perfect. The sauce was creamy, rich, and tasty, and the flavor of the chanterelles came through nicely.

Ragu

I have a lot of weaknesses when it comes to food, but homemade lasagna might be at the very top of the list. I was so thrilled to see that it’s one of this month’s featured recipes!

I followed most of the provided instructions, but I did make a couple of small changes: instead of using cottage cheese, I opted for ricotta, I used homemade lasagna sheets instead of dried no bake noodles, and I substituted fresh mozzarella for grated.

This is probably the best lasagna I’ve ever made at home, and that’s largely due to the sauce. It’s bright, fresh, and just plain delicious!

Spiced Cookies with Chocolate Chunks

Spiced Chocolate Chunk cookies? Why didn’t I think of that! I love spiced cookies (like speculoos and snickerdoodles) and I love chocolate chip cookies, so I’m shocked that I never thought to combine them before.

These cookies smelled incredible when they were baking, and I loved the mix of spices with the big chunks of chocolate. (I’m not sure exactly what the mix of spices is, but I’m pretty sure I could taste cinnamon and ginger.)

Crunchy around the outside and gooey in the middle, these cookies are definitely a winner.

Verdict: I love that Saucefly sends chef-created, organic foods right to my door. The boxes always push me to try new things in the kitchen, and the quality and taste of everything is always outstanding. The cost per item breaks down to about $10, which I think is definitely fair for organic, chef-made products. I’m kind of obsessed with this box, and I find myself looking forward to it every month. It might not be ideal for beginners, but I highly recommend it for confident, adventurous home cooks looking to spice up their cooking!

What do you think of Saucefly?