As climate forecasts grow increasingly dire, more of us are looking to find sustainable alternatives to single-use products. Lifestyle staples like stainless steel water bottles, canvas grocery bags, and metal straws are becoming commonplace. But some companies are going above and beyond in finding creative ways to reduce waste even further…and keep things fun. Enter: incrEDIBLE Eats, a line of fully edible cutlery (yes, you read that right) that’s sturdy enough to use for hot and cold dishes, and delicious enough to eat at the end of your meal. It brings a whole new meaning to the term single-use.
“A few years ago, when I was getting ice cream with my children, I tossed my trash in the bin and saw hundreds of little plastic spoons,” says co-founder Dinesh Tadepalli. “That was my big lightbulb moment.” From there, he partnered with Kruvil Patel, and the two tested over 80 iterations of recipes before finding one with the perfect durability and taste to make their product efficient and (literally) good enough to eat.
There are sweet and savory options—from Chocolate and Vanilla to Black Pepper and Oregano Chili—that can take you from lunchtime soup to post-dinner ice cream and everywhere in between. And don’t be afraid to dip them into a hot meal. “We found the perfect balance between making it durable enough to eat with, but soft enough to chew after some time,” Tadepalli says. The spoons last long enough to enjoy your meal for 30 minutes without falling apart.
incrEDIBLE has also pledged to offset 200 percent of all of the company’s emissions through several global projects. “One of these many projects is Plastic Bank, which has 32 collection branches across Haiti and has extracted over 3.5 million kilograms of ocean-bound plastic—that’s about 126 million plastic bottles!” he says. “In the future, we plan to include energy and water in our offsetting, too.” We’ll raise a spoon to that.
Pairings
VANILLA SPOON + CHOCOLATE CHÈVRE CHEESECAKE
These slightly sweet spoons are the perfect match for a tangy slice of chocolate cheesecake made with chèvre. The flavor profile of the spoon is mild enough for the cake to maintain its main character role, but sweet enough to make those last bites of your dessert taste just right.
CHOCOLATE SPOON + RUSH CREEK RESERVE
Okay, hear us out: these chocolate spoons don’t have to only be used for dessert. The chilly months of the year are coming, which means Rush Creek Reserve is in season, and you’ll want to pop a wheel in the oven the first chance you get. Once it’s achieved that warm, ooey-gooey consistency, scoop it right into your mouth with a chocolate spoon for an evening of utmost sweet-and-savory indulgence.
BLACK PEPPER SPOON + PARMIGIANO RISOTTO
This pairing is a no-brainer. The black pepper spoons have a subtle peppery flavor that complements a creamy, parm-filled risotto dish to perfection. It’s also delicious with almost every dairy-filled soup you keep on your wintertime rotation (think broccoli cheddar and creamy cauliflower).
OREGANO CHILI SPOON + TEX-MEX QUESO DIP
Hosting for the holidays? Putout some spicy Tex-Mex-style queso dip made with all the cheesy fixins with a pile of these flavorful Oregano Chili spoons on the side. It functions as a fun spin on a tortilla chip that gives dippers more bang for their buck.
Monica Petrucci
Monica is Culture's former Social Media Editor. Coming from a formaggio-obsessed Italian family, she was very excited to combine her passions for cheese and writing at Culture. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and pairing wine and cheese in her spare time.
