Meal kits have become the love child of “I want to eat something that didn’t come from a drive-through” and “I wouldn’t know a good recipe if it kissed me on the mouth.” Meal kits are perfect for health-conscious folks who’ve realized that ordering Thai food five nights a week isn’t a nutrition plan and for culinary beginners who think “sautéing” is a French dance move.
Here’s the plot twist: meal kits actually cost about the same as regular groceries these days. Yes, you read that right. Thanks to grocery price inflation, your weekly meal kit subscription might actually be cheaper — and certainly less hassle — than wandering the aisles of your local supermarket.
But here’s where things get interesting (and where most people mess up): Signing up for a meal kit is like buying a gym membership — the real magic happens when you actually know how to use it. I’ve taste-tested, chopped, diced and occasionally burned my way through every major meal kit service known to humanity and I’ve cracked the code on getting maximum deliciousness for your dollar.
Whether you’re already Team Blue Apron, riding the HelloFresh train, keeping it simple with Factor or getting fancy with Daily Harvest, chances are you’re leaving money (and flavor) on the table. The good news? A few insider tricks can transform you from meal kit amateur to subscription ninja, squeezing every last drop of value from your weekly deliveries.
Ready to become the meal kit master your kitchen deserves? Let’s dive in.
1. Missing out on a meal kit deal or offer
First and foremost, you’ll want to take advantage of new customer sign-up offers. Most meal kit services allow you to try their goods for deep discounts, up to 70% off and often for several weeks’ worth of meals. I’ve rounded up the best meal delivery deals right now to help you pick.
Meal kit costs vary greatly depending on the number of meals and servings you order per week and the delta between them can be enormous. Blue Apron, for instance, breaks down to just $8 a serving if you order the most amount of meals — four recipes with four servings each — but jumps to more than $12 per serving if you only get the least — two recipes with two servings per week.
“Meal kit meal planning,” you heard it here first. What recipes are good for cooking in large batches and eating later on? Pretty much anything other than seafood and salad recipes, both of which aren’t great to freeze after preparing.
Seafood recipes are always best to cook first because they’ll also spoil first. The same goes for other recipes with ingredients that may turn when left uneaten or uncooked, including vegetables, leafy greens, cheese and fresh dairy.
Potatoes and other dense vegetables are typically good between four or five days to a full week. Steak and chicken are also pretty hearty and can last several days in the fridge without having their quality compromised.
Most meal kit companies will hit certain recipes with a “fan favorite” label. More often than not, I’ve enjoyed those dishes and appreciate the recommendation. Services such as HelloFresh and Home Chef use loads of aggregated user reviews and subscriber feedback, so you can trust there is some validity to those markers. Hey, they want you to enjoy the meals just as much as you do.
If you’re not in the right headspace, make the kids cook.
Source: CNET.
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