Currently, there are over 20 home-meal delivery services.
These services run the range from meals that contain all the ingredients but you still need to do some prepping to meals that just need to be heated up.
I came across a few good overviews of the various options:
Good Housekeeping has a story about what it considers the 20 best meal delivery services. Ranging from guided cooking kits to fully prepared, individually portioned meals, the list includes meals that cater to a variety of clients, such as singles, families, vegans, carnivores, as well as others.
CNET also had a couple of useful stories. One that looked at the Best Prepared Meal Delivery Service and included meals that ranged from keto to comfort food and everything in between and just required the user to heat up the meal. The other looked at the Best Meal Kit Delivery Service where all the ingredients for dinner are premeasured and include easy to follow recipes for preparing meals for a variety of dietary preferences.
I had never tried one of these services until tonight. My nephew called us the other night and said that he had an extra meal from HelloFresh, and asked if we wanted it. We said sure, and tonight was the night we prepped and cooked that meal. Actually my wife prepared the meal, and I did things like get the salt and pepper out of the cabinet, measure out a cup of water, etc. You know, things a six-year-old can do.
The meal was Tilapia with Scallion Sriracha Pesto with Ginger Jasmine Rice with Green Beans, and is the photo shown above, and I am happy to report that it tasted as good as that picture looks.
There was actually enough food to serve my wife and me dinner for two nights, so I am already looking forward to tomorrow night’s dinner. All we have to do is heat up the leftovers.
The cost seems reasonable (especially when it was free like tonight’s meal π ), but it certainly seems less expensive than going to a restaurant for a similar meal. While it may be a bit more expensive if you were to do all of your own shopping for the ingredients, shopping takes time and could lead to unnecessary purchases.
So I would gladly try more of these services to see which one best meets our needs. Many of these services offer great deals for new customers, with multiple extra meals included at no cost.
And who knows, this may give me an opportunity to get a bit more useful around the kitchen…
*image from HelloFresh
It does look delicious. I have never tried one of those services. Meal planning is tedious at the best of times so I can understand the attraction. I also love a two-meal meal. The second day is so easy. Thatβs a win win.
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it does make life much simpler, and I agree with the two-meal meal…
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A friend of mine did this in December one year as she worked late, and loved it. For me it’s too expensive to even try. Your meal looks amazing.
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it’s certainly more expensive than buying all the food yourself, but that is offset a bit by the convenience factor…
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Looks very good! I bake Tilapia fairly frequently. A meal that you don’t have to cook is always a winner!
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there was s till a decent amount of prep involved, but it was nice having all the ingredients there for you, in the right amounts…
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I have considered this but with food stamps I am doing okay, without.
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It looks really great. Your nephew is really thoughtful for gifting two nights worth of free food! I haven’t heard of other brands but I know Hellofresh. I’ve seen enough ads on YouTube about it.
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it was very kind of my nephew to share one of the meals with us. And HelloFresh does advertise quite a bit!
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These food services could be great. The prices seem reasonable. I think my biggest concern would be not knowing if I will like the taste of a particular meal. I’m not a great cook, but I know what I prepare will taste like.
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I guess it’s the same risk you take if you go out to a restaurant; you’re not sure if you are going to like the meal you order.
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I also have never tried one of these services, but I think there’s a market for it. Some people are too busy to cook or don’t enjoy it and look for healthier choices.
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given how many of these food services there are, there definitely seems to be a market for it. I wonder if a big part of that growth was beuase of the pandemic, and if we’ll see a cutback in the number of such services as well as how much they are used…
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We haven’t tried anything like this either. I can see why having the set amount of certain ingredients delivered is appealing, as there’s less waste and you don’t end up with things in your cupboard that you’ll never use again. Your meal looks yummy and you made us laugh with the description of your culinary assisting skills, Jim.
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the convenience factor is quite appealing, and it tasted quite good. It felt good knowing that I was part of the prepping process π
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it looks great, and i can see the appeal for a variety of reasons. so lucky you were standing by to help, you are now officially a sous chef!
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the convenience factor was quite appealing. and I have to admit I enjoyed the meal a bit more, knowing I had played such vital role in its preparation π
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Understandable. I have a lot of friends who use these food kits and they love them!
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now I know why!
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You prepared meal looks delicious! I can see the appeal for services like these. I am concerned about the expense in comparison to shopping locally, but it many circumstances it may well be a cost savings. Good to see you in the kitchen instead of checking your stats for the 29th time today!
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It was quite good. And I guess one has to balance the extra cost with the convenience of such a meal service. And no worries, I was able to check my stats while the rice was cooking… π
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“Tilapia with Scallion Sriracha Pesto with Ginger Jasmine Rice with Green Beans.” I feel suspicious of any meal with such a long, fancy name. Why not just call it, “Fish, with rice and green beans”? But maybe when my wife and I get too old to cook, this would be a good way to go. In the meantime, my meal service consists of my wife saying, “Tonight we’re having (such and such), and we’ll be eating leftovers for the next three days.” Then I say, “Okay,” and then promptly forget what we’re having for dinner. So every meal is a surprise for me.
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I agree, the name was a bit of overkill. But I guess that’s how they justify their high prices.
I usually forget what I had for dinner an hour after I’ve eaten it…
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Same here.
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π
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That does look wonderful, Jim. My husband loves cooking, but if he ever changes his mind, I may be checking these out.
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How nice to have someone that loves to cook; I have little interest in it, but it was fun preparing this meal since it was just about foolproof π
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I like foolproof!
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same here. especially when it comes to things I know nothing about!
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We had some of these meals at my daughter’s and they were all delicious! It’s certainly something one can get used to!
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yes, indeed!
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I’ve never tried any of these… the only downer I hear about some of these is the amount of packaging used.. probably because everything is separately portioned… I wonder if there were a way these companies could work on a lesser footprint… but yea that meal looks soooo good! This is something I could get my husband to do! Seems like a fun date night! π
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The prices look reasonable. I checked out one service and it delivers to our area. We still go shopping so we’re good right now and don’t need the services, but it’s good to know the availability. Great post, Jim.
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thanks, Miriam. they are certainly great from a convenience standpoint…
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I used this during Covid to both support local business + have some convenience of meals (which I had to adjust to since I wasn’t on campus anymore able to eat at dining halls). Makes me want to get into meal prep as well
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it was quite convenient…
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Thx for the review. I’ve been considering trying these services.
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we were quite happy with it…
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I’m sure you were a very helpful six-year-old. π I’m happy to hear it tastes good. Why not, then?
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why not, indeed…
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I have thought about this, Jim. Thank you for the review.
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it was quite convenient…
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I have never tried these and not sure they are available here but my daughter in the UK does when she is busy at work and as she cooks for herself only she doesn’t have to buy anything she maybe not use again and finds them quite economical and she doesn’t like cooking too much so to have everything portioned out suits her π
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your daughter sounds like the perfect candidate for such a meal service…
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She is..she hates cooking with a passion π
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I don’t think I hate it, but I just don’t like it… π
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Sounds delish! Great fill in for in between the air fryer nights. π
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exactly! π
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Would you consider this option as comparable to the one between ordering (anything) online/for delivery vs. going out to a brick and mortars place (like a library or store)?
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I think there are pros and cons of each one. it certainly is convenient having the food delivered right to your door. but there was still some prep involved, whereas when you go to a restaurant there is nothing for you to do…
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