Meal delivery

CharmedPam

I'm talking about sites such as "Hello Fresh", "Blue Apron", and "Plated".

Has anyone done these? Do they do them now?  What do you use?  We had $40 off Hello Fresh, so for $20, we gave it a go.  Food came in on Tuesday, and we're doing our first meal tonight.  I actually thought the portions were small for 2 people.  Just judging by the meat portion.  I realize that I probably don't eat what a real portion should be anyway, but these looks SMALL. 

We're doing this out of convenience, and Im hoping with portions like this weight loss.  Just would love some insight on others who use them.  Should I try blue apron or plated?  BA is about $10 dollars cheaper. 

sarahufl

I did Blue Apron for a few months. The food was pretty good, although it is by no means a time saver. Sure, the stuff is portioned out, but I felt like I spent AGES chopping, dicing and zesting. I went through basically all my dishes/utensils every time I cooked one of them. And the prep time took at least an hour.

I also had a meal where some of the ingredients were missing, so I contacted customer service to get a replacement and they said they don't do that- just offered me a free meal later. That annoyed me because I then had to go out and buy the stuff - including an entire box of bread crumbs when I only needed a tablespoon or something. Overall, we liked the meals- I saved some of the recipes and still cook them but it just seemed kind of $$ for what it was to do on a regular basis.

ShesSoCold

I'm going to read this thread because I do not understand this trend. I don't get paying that much for "convenience" when the only thing they're doing is picking out a recipe and doing a little grocery shopping for you.

I don't get it.

CharmedPam

That's crazy! If they couldn't send you the ingredients, they could at least refund you some of the money.  It IS a lot to me.  What did you think of the portions?  I'm glad to hear the food is good!

FI doesn't cook all that often, twice since we've been together.  But he offered to cook these meals while I'm at work so they'll be ready for when I come home at lunch (he works weird crazy hours and is home during some days) which is a bonus for me.  Him.  Cooking.  for moi? 

ShesSoCold

CharmedPam said:

That's crazy! If they couldn't send you the ingredients, they could at least refund you some of the money.  It IS a lot to me.  What did you think of the portions?  I'm glad to hear the food is good!

FI doesn't cook all that often, twice since we've been together.  But he offered to cook these meals while I'm at work so they'll be ready for when I come home at lunch (he works weird crazy hours and is home during some days) which is a bonus for me.  Him.  Cooking.  for moi? 

This makes sense to me. Thank you.

(not that you needed my approval; I just didn't get it)

sparklepants41

sarahufl said:

I did Blue Apron for a few months. The food was pretty good, although it is by no means a time saver. Sure, the stuff is portioned out, but I felt like I spent AGES chopping, dicing and zesting. I went through basically all my dishes/utensils every time I cooked one of them. And the prep time took at least an hour.

I also had a meal where some of the ingredients were missing, so I contacted customer service to get a replacement and they said they don't do that- just offered me a free meal later. That annoyed me because I then had to go out and buy the stuff - including an entire box of bread crumbs when I only needed a tablespoon or something. Overall, we liked the meals- I saved some of the recipes and still cook them but it just seemed kind of $$ for what it was to do on a regular basis.

I also tried Blue Apron for a few months, and to the bolded, I felt exactly the same way.

I also think for the amount you pay for BA, you should be able to pick any combination of the recipes for that week - some of the combinations of three meals are not available. And this is an issue for someone like myself with allergies/dietary restrictions.

I also encountered a few instances where some of the produce was not as fresh as it should have been - squishy, bruised, and sometimes on the verge of rotten.

Now I just look up their recipes online, print out the ones that look good, and go to my local grocery store for the ingredients.

CharmedPam

sparklepants41 said:

I also think for the amount you pay for BA, you should be able to pick any combination of the recipes for that week - some of the combinations of three meals are not available. And this is an issue for someone like myself with allergies/dietary restrictions.

Hellofresh allows you to pick 3 out of 5, although one meal was a black bean salad.  That is NOT a meal to me. That's a side.   We'll see how this goes  

edit: words

sarahufl

ShesSoCold said:

I'm going to read this thread because I do not understand this trend. I don't get paying that much for "convenience" when the only thing they're doing is picking out a recipe and doing a little grocery shopping for you.

I don't get it.

Well, one thing I liked is if you needed a teaspoon or something of an ingredient that you aren't likely to use again, you don't have to buy a whole jar. It also gets delivered to your door, for what that is worth. When I first signed up, I got 3 free meals- so that was nice. But yeah, I prefer to just shop for myself and cook.

julieanne912

sarahufl said:

ShesSoCold said:

I'm going to read this thread because I do not understand this trend. I don't get paying that much for "convenience" when the only thing they're doing is picking out a recipe and doing a little grocery shopping for you.

I don't get it.

Well, one thing I liked is if you needed a teaspoon or something of an ingredient that you aren't likely to use again, you don't have to buy a whole jar. It also gets delivered to your door, for what that is worth. When I first signed up, I got 3 free meals- so that was nice. But yeah, I prefer to just shop for myself and cook.

I could also see it being useful in a big city (like downtown Chicago or NYC) where it's kind of a pain to get the grocery store, especially if you work long hours, and storage in an apartment kitchen is limited.  Or, if you are of limited mobility either temporarily or permanently, it might be nice to have the entire set of ingredients show up at your doorstep.

STARMOON44

sarahufl said:

ShesSoCold said:

I'm going to read this thread because I do not understand this trend. I don't get paying that much for "convenience" when the only thing they're doing is picking out a recipe and doing a little grocery shopping for you.

I don't get it.

Well, one thing I liked is if you needed a teaspoon or something of an ingredient that you aren't likely to use again, you don't have to buy a whole jar. It also gets delivered to your door, for what that is worth. When I first signed up, I got 3 free meals- so that was nice. But yeah, I prefer to just shop for myself and cook.



For me the convenience of not having to go grocery shopping is huge, since I walk to the store. And getting to make three new things without actually selecting recipes and figuring out a shopping list is also nice. I use it as a special treat for weeks when I know I won't have had time to go to the grocery store or I feel like I've gotten in a cooking rut and want to mix it up with a few new things- maybe once every 6 weeks or so?

sarahufl

I used it when I was living in Manhattan. Not having to walk to the grocery store (esp in the winter) is a huge plus.

charcoalandblush

ShesSoCold said:

I'm going to read this thread because I do not understand this trend. I don't get paying that much for "convenience" when the only thing they're doing is picking out a recipe and doing a little grocery shopping for you.

I don't get it.

For me it isn't just about the convenience of doing the grocery shopping - it's also not wasting the ingredients/money. Yes, I'm probably paying $1 for that tablespoon of bread crumbs when I could buy the whole box for $2.50, but chances are I'm not going to use the other 90% of the box before it expires because I never cook with bread crumbs. In the end, the $20 per meal is still cheaper than if I went out and bought all of the ingredients myself.

Also grocery stores here for some reason are SO hit or miss on some ingredients. I tried to make a recipe once that called for chopped hazelnuts. I cannot FOR THE LIFE OF ME find any place that sells hazelnuts, except in a bag/can of mixed nuts. I tried Whole Foods, Cub, Rainbow, and a local co-op. Nada. If there are unusual ingredients in a recipe, it can be a huge pain for me.

DH and I also get stuck in food ruts sometimes. We'll make the same thing for dinner 4 nights a week for a month, just because we have the stuff for it already. This forces us to try new things and is so much less boring than lasagna for two weeks or tacos and quesadillas for 8 days straight. 

lyndausvi

ShesSoCold said:

I'm going to read this thread because I do not understand this trend. I don't get paying that much for "convenience" when the only thing they're doing is picking out a recipe and doing a little grocery shopping for you.

I don't get it.

add me too the list.   

 I also do not find grocery shopping a chore.  Even when I lived in the city and had to walk pulling my bag lady cart.        I do not mind getting into ruts. I pretty good at cross utilization on items.  I'm cheap when it comes to buying groceries.  

I live in the middle of no where, I'm not sure its even an option for me.   I imagine DH wouldn't be on board anyway.

emmaaa

lyndausvi said:

ShesSoCold said:

I'm going to read this thread because I do not understand this trend. I don't get paying that much for "convenience" when the only thing they're doing is picking out a recipe and doing a little grocery shopping for you.

I don't get it.

add me too the list.   

 I also do not find grocery shopping a chore.  Even when I lived in the city and had to walk pulling my bag lady cart.        I do not mind getting into ruts. I pretty good at cross utilization on items.  I'm cheap when it comes to buying groceries.  

I live in the middle of no where, I'm not sure its even an option for me.   I imagine DH wouldn't be on board anyway.

I don't know if it would be an option for me either because of where I live. DH would definitely think it is a waste of money. 

I have to say, grocery shopping when you live in the middle of nowhere sucks too. I drive an hour to work, I sure as hell don't want to stop and grocery shop on my way home (and then the grocery store is 30  minutes away from the house), and then come home and cook. I have to make a special trip, usually on the weekend, to stock up for a couple of weeks.

Even then, the convenience wouldn't outweigh the cost for me. I know someone who does this regularly though and they love it!

ThxSugar

We have been doing Blue Apron for about 2 months now. We started doing it for several reasons. We spent a lot of money eating out. We were in a rut and had fallen out of the habit of cooking. We have varying daily schedules so it is hard to plan meals together. FI wont eat leftovers.

We are still doing it because we like it. Each meal takes about 30-45mins to prep and cook. We are actually saving money vs. going out/ordering in. We cook together sometimes. We are trying new things. We are learning new things (like how easy it is to make salad dressing). We think the portions are pretty spot on, satisfied not stuffed.

It is super convenient for travelers though. We were out of town last week. We didn't have to worry about eating things in the fridge that would bad while we were gone or coming back to an empty fridge this week. It is easy to skip weeks if you are busy or don't like the options. I like it because I don't come from a family that cooks. My mom worked and was in school for most of my life. My step dad was the main cook and made like 3 things. My dad can grill steak and won't burn a frozen pizza.

TNDancer

This is so fun to read. We are getting our first shipment from Hello fresh next week. There is a groupon out right now for both these services, so I figure we could try it at such a reduced price.

CharmedPam

Thanks, TNDancer, maybe I should look into BA from there to compare!  

So, update:  I went home for lunch, and he was almost done cooking our fajitas.  I sat down to a really yummy lunch and he did an amazing job on it.  I had no idea he could cook like this! If this is what it takes for him to make a meal or three, then I'm all for it!  We spend so much money going out, so this is rather nice.

redwoodoriginal

So we did both Blue Apron and Plated for a week each, bc of a coupon. I think they're WAY too expensive for 3 meals. Also, we got green beans that had MOLD ALL OVER THEM and they only thing BA offered was $20 off a new meal, except we already cancelled the subscription bc i'm not paying $60+ for 3 meals. I liked the new recipe idea and like others, that they gave me 2 tablespoons worth of sesame oil or fish sauce bc i will never buy an entire bottle of that for one meal, but it wasn't worth it to me. Also, whomever said that it took SO MUCH LONGER to cook- i 100% agree. it was like an hr long bc i go so slow chopping everything up and cooking a new recipe takes me longer for whatever reason....

What I want is a delivery service that cooks me freshly home-made food and delivers it at like 6pm so I don't have to cook it - that's what takes me time, not the grocery shopping (although sometimes that is a pain). I know - its called take out from a restaurant but I mean like home-cooked meals that aren't as expensive as eating out is. 

Or, you know, being able to hire a personal chef. one day, i tell myself.... one day..

CharmedPam

There's a place near my old place that kinda sorta did what you speak of.  I don't think they had delivery but their slogan was "home cooked meals to go".  But even using the words "home cooked" what does that really mean?   You'll never know what's in the dish, much like a restaurant.  

[Deleted User]

FI and I did a trial of Blue Apron. I'll give you my personal brief review, but some things to keep in mind are that we have approx 1 sq foot of counter space, and we don't have a dishwasher.

The Good

• Interesting pescetarian options. FI and I have been struggling to come up with meals that aren't completely boring and bland since we've stopped eating "meat." These meal options help us mix things up and make us try stuff we usually wouldn't.
• Only get as much as you need. Like PPs have said, I'm NEVER buying an entire bottle of fish sauce for 1tsp. Getting everything portioned out is great, but TBH that is probably the only area where you save money.

The Bad

• It's expensive. We got it for free on the trial, but for us the price is a bit too high.
• It's not really that healthy...the calories are a bit higher than what we would usually eat. I think that's fine if we had one of the meals once a week, but not three times.
• It totally takes longer to cook than the time they tell you. PPs mentioned it, I'm here to say that is SO SO true.
• I use almost every utensil, bowl, plate, pan, and pot I have for each meal. And I don't have a dishwasher
• Preparation requires lots of space. If we had a "normal" sized kitchen, this would not be such a big issue, but I was legit putting stuff out on our coffee table when trying to prepare everything.
• Getting it delivered was a huge PITA. We don't live in a building with a front desk or doorman, so figuring out where it should be delivered was tough. We didn't want it sitting outside in the heat, nor did we want someone to steal it. FI usually gets small packages delivered to his office, but the BA box is kinda big and can be heavy, and he didn't want to take it on the subway. We ended up having it delivered on a day when I would be home, and I was waiting all afternoon for someone to buzz and let me know, but the delivery person just left it outside anyway...which was annoying to say the least.

themosthappy91

I'm a HUGE fan of Plated! Here's the thing: they are only worth it if you use coupons and discount codes, but they basically have those all the time. When you factor those in, we definitely save money doing that versus buying all those ingredients in a grocery store- like someone said, yes if we bought that stuff in a store we'd get bigger packages of things that we could theoretically use again, but realistically we're not going to do that.

Okay so all the stuff I love about it:

1. Lots of creative meals, especially creative and filling vegetarian options (we both eat meat but would like to try to eat less of it)

2. Access to ingredients that are not stocked in our grocery stores

3. Plated has some "Chef's Table" dishes that are an upcharge but fancier meals, and these are legitimately some of the best dishes I've ever eaten, much less cooked myself. I've had some fantastic duck dishes especially.

I will concede that they are not really time saving recipes though. Most still take a decent amount of prep work. I think of them more as like, rediscover actually enjoying cooking when you have everything delivered to your door and measured out for you, rather than quick and easy dinners.

There are several recipes I've gotten from Plated that are now part of our monthly rotations!

redwoodoriginal

See, you can just go to Blue Apron's website and download ALL their recipes for free without even needing a subscription. So if i really wanted to, I could do that. But that does not solve the problem of buying a gallon of fish oil when i need 2 teaspoons...

ETA: or the problem of it taking forever to make!

julieanne912

Just an fyi to everyone about fish sauce (since it seems to be a popular ingredient), it will last for pretty much ever since it's fermented.  My bottle I use is about halfway down and I've had it for 3 years and it's still just fine.  

AlPacina

I don't think I've ever written on a board in Chit Chat before! Hi, I'm AlPacina and I hang out on the NEY board.

Anyway...... I love Blue Apron so much and just wanted to give my input:

- BF and I always buy the same groceries, which often results in the same meals. I got super bored, and BF eats so much that we spend a ton on groceries anyway. Blue Apron gives such a variety (I've never had the same type of protein twice in a week), and the portion sizes have always been sufficient. I think the only time we ate more after our dinner was when we weren't fans of the side dish.

- I suck(ed) at cooking. My expertise is extremely limited. But, since doing Blue Apron for the last few weeks I've learned A TON. I had never even made my own hamburger patties, let alone mix them with diced onions and curry powder. All of this is going into the vault for those other 4 dinners during the week that aren't planned for me.

- BF and I are indecisive as fuck. "What do you want for dinner?" "I dunno, what do you want?" "I don't care." "Me either." "Blah blah."

Now it's "Do you want meal 1, 2, or 3?" "Either 1 or 2." "Okay, I'll make 1." DONE.

- We were lucky if we had even one vegetable with our meals previously. With Blue Apron you're guaranteed at least two. Not saying that each is a full serving, but it's definitely more variety than we were exposed to before. My favorite dishes are the ones that use 4 or 5.

- My house always ends up smelling SO GOOD. And the cuts of meat I've received have all been perfect.

All that being said, to me it's worth the money, since being so indecisive about what to cook normally results in us going out for a meal anyway. I use plenty of dishes, it's true, but at least you tend to re-use one pan multiple times and I combine the smaller items in one container if they're being added to the mix together. And as far as the length of time is concerned, I rarely cook anything that takes less time anyway, so it wasn't a big deal for me. So maybe Blue Apron is good for people who want to learn to cook better and add some variety to their weekly meals at home. That's me, and I'm totally hooked now!

charcoalandblush

redwoodoriginal said:

So we did both Blue Apron and Plated for a week each, bc of a coupon. I think they're WAY too expensive for 3 meals. Also, we got green beans that had MOLD ALL OVER THEM and they only thing BA offered was $20 off a new meal, except we already cancelled the subscription bc i'm not paying $60+ for 3 meals. I liked the new recipe idea and like others, that they gave me 2 tablespoons worth of sesame oil or fish sauce bc i will never buy an entire bottle of that for one meal, but it wasn't worth it to me. Also, whomever said that it took SO MUCH LONGER to cook- i 100% agree. it was like an hr long bc i go so slow chopping everything up and cooking a new recipe takes me longer for whatever reason....

What I want is a delivery service that cooks me freshly home-made food and delivers it at like 6pm so I don't have to cook it - that's what takes me time, not the grocery shopping (although sometimes that is a pain). I know - its called take out from a restaurant but I mean like home-cooked meals that aren't as expensive as eating out is. 

Or, you know, being able to hire a personal chef. one day, i tell myself.... one day..

This is totally a thing where I live. There are two services that I know of, they drop off anywhere between one and five meals depending on your subscription that are like 90% cooked. Most of them are "throw this in the oven for an hour" or "sautee for 20 mins in olive oil" and then they're done. Same amount of effort as a grilled cheese or a frozen pizza, but actual real food.

lovesclimbing

I have heard of these services, but never tried them. I likely never will.

For one, none of them ship to Alaska (no surprise there. Side note, both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh say they ship nationwide. Sorry, but if you don't ship to AK and HI, no, you don't ship nationwide).

Second, H and I just got a moose, so we won't need to buy any meat for the next year (except the occaisonal chicken.)

Third, I don't overly enjoy shopping, but there are worse things in this world.

Fourth, sure, once in awhile something gets wasted when I don't use it up in time, but it's not that often.

Fifth, I doubt the portions would be big enough for H. He has a physical job and eats a ton.

Finally, I subscribe to Taste of Home so if I want to get out of a rut or use something specific I browse my back issues or look up recipes online. Found a lot of delicious new recipes that way.

julieanne912

lovesclimbing said:

I have heard of these services, but never tried them. I likely never will. For one, none of them ship to Alaska (no surprise there. Side note, both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh say they ship nationwide. Sorry, but if you don't ship to AK and HI, no, you don't ship nationwide). Second, H and I just got a moose, so we won't need to buy any meat for the next year (except the occaisonal chicken.) Third, I don't overly enjoy shopping, but there are worse things in this world. Fourth, sure, once in awhile something gets wasted when I don't use it up in time, but it's not that often. Fifth, I doubt the portions would be big enough for H. He has a physical job and eats a ton. Finally, I subscribe to Taste of Home so if I want to get out of a rut or use something specific I browse my back issues or look up recipes online. Found a lot of delicious new recipes that way.

Sidetrack... what do you do with your moose?  I currently have a small moose roast and some ground moose in my freezer, given to us by a family member in Wyoming.  I'm not sure what to do with it.

labro

I tried Blue Apron and Home Chef for a week because I got free meals by signing up through friends who had a subscription. I'd never do it with any consistency though since $60 goes a lot further for us at the grocery store and H and I are pretty good about planning out ahead of time what we're going to cook in any given week.

Things I liked about Blue Apron -

The recipes were all really tasty - except the Tandoori Chicken, it just wasn't flavorful enough for us, but I liked trying them all out because none of them were something I'd typically make.

I liked that everything came pre-portioned out.

I loved having them delivered to my front door!!!

Things I disliked about Blue Apron -

It's only 2 serving per meal, so no leftovers. H and I usually bring dinner leftovers as our lunch to work to save money, so that kind of sucked.

Limited choices - what PP's have already said about if you choose one thing then you can't select another thing. I'm not a picky eater but some of things sounded really good and I wanted free choice.

Things I liked about Home Chef -

Again, it was all recipes I wouldn't typically make.

The Home Chef recipes seemed very very focused on avoiding carbs and other "less healthy" options in your meal.

You can choose whatever you want off that week's menu.

You have the option of ordering enough food for leftovers.

Front door delivery!!

Things I disliked -

Again it's all about the price for me. H and I typically spend WAY less on groceries. And we find ways to re-use ingredients. Stuff rarely goes to waste in our household and when it does it's really NBD in my opinion. I do make an effort to avoid recipes that are going to be a one time deal and require tons and tons of items I wouldn't re-use, but that's pretty uncommon.

I think there are definitely benefits to these services - especially if you regularly order in, or go out to eat all the time. Or if you aren't in the habit of meal planning, or live in a city with super high taxes and tiny kitchens so you don't have room for storage. But for us, meh. I cancelled both subscriptions after the free week was over.

lovesclimbing

julieanne912 said:

lovesclimbing said:

I have heard of these services, but never tried them. I likely never will.

For one, none of them ship to Alaska (no surprise there. Side note, both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh say they ship nationwide. Sorry, but if you don't ship to AK and HI, no, you don't ship nationwide).

Second, H and I just got a moose, so we won't need to buy any meat for the next year (except the occaisonal chicken.)

Third, I don't overly enjoy shopping, but there are worse things in this world.

Fourth, sure, once in awhile something gets wasted when I don't use it up in time, but it's not that often.

Fifth, I doubt the portions would be big enough for H. He has a physical job and eats a ton.

Finally, I subscribe to Taste of Home so if I want to get out of a rut or use something specific I browse my back issues or look up recipes online. Found a lot of delicious new recipes that way.

Sidetrack... what do you do with your moose?  I currently have a small moose roast and some ground moose in my freezer, given to us by a family member in Wyoming.  I'm not sure what to do with it.

----preemptive box----

I basically use it exactly as I would use beef. If a recipe calls for ground beef, I just substitute the same amount of moose burger. I and many of my family members have used it in every recipe involving burger we make. There's no recipe or meal that you have to avoid because it's moose rather than beef.

Moose, in the opinion of most people I know, is one of the better game animals to eat. I don't really notice a difference in recipe flavor when using it. I would prepare a moose roast the exact same way I'd prepare a beef roast or any other kind of roast.

ETA: one thing I love about wild meat is less fat. With moose, I'm not scooping half a cup of grease out of the pan like after cooking ground beef, even if I bought the 93/7 percentage. I've never had to make an adjustment to a recipe because of less fat.

charcoalandblush

If anyone is thinking about trying one of these, there's a great deal on Groupon right now for Home Chef. If you use promo code BONUS15 it's $55 for two weeks (three meals for two people), which works out to something like $4.50 a serving.

sarahufl

charcoalandblush said:

If anyone is thinking about trying one of these, there's a great deal on Groupon right now for Home Chef. If you use promo code BONUS15 it's $55 for two weeks (three meals for two people), which works out to something like $4.50 a serving.

There is one for Hello Fresh, too.