My Adventures with Meal Kits.

by Marilyn Machlowitz

Retirement is when many women put down their spatulas. Instead, I picked mine up.

A grad school friend swears I asked: What is this? when I opened a gift containing an apron at my bridal shower. Although, as newlyweds, we took a class in microwave cooking, I was
famously not a cook. When we became parents, we relied on nannies who would cook, or Manhattan’s speedy food delivery options

More recently, I wanted to (learn to) cook. Meal kit plans seemed a possible solution. These have proliferated and most provide meals to feed two–with and without subscription plans.
(My college roommate, who cooks for one, eats one serving for dinner and the other the following day.) The kits offer different protein and flavor profiles for a wide range of eaters – including vegetarians. The kits provide exactly as much is needed for a recipe (no buying and wasting a jar of a spice when a teaspoon is all that is needed). All you are expected to have on hand are olive oil, salt and pepper. Some kits include produce (perhaps, a lemon or an onion) requiring slicing or dicing. Others kits require no cutting, only heating.

Here’s how it went:

1.  Fresh Direct

Availability: Delivers to all of New York City and many surrounding counties in New York and New Jersey. (Confirm by zip code).
Delivery: Within a selected two-hour window.
Our choice: Salmon Cakes with Lentils and Brussels Sprouts
Price: $20.49 (for 2 servings).*
Time: 12 minutes (apart from preheating time).
Verdict: Tasty and easy enough, despite directions.
Portion size: Salmon patties veered towards skimpy; both sides were very generous for two.
Packaging: A shoebox-size cardboard box inside a reusable Fresh Direct grocery tote bag; the packaging of the items within the box might concern the environmentally-conscious. Directions: Annoyingly, one had to access a QR code to find them, but they were step- by-step and available online, too.
Equipment: I learned, via an online search, that my frying pan can be used in the oven, too, up to a specified temperature.
Waste: I didn’t use the provided tartar sauce or 3 cloves of garlic.
Takeaway: I learned a dish I can repeat without the kit. I will buy already shaved brussels sprouts to stir fry in a hot oiled pan with a Trader Joe frozen garlic cube. I’ll finish it with
a squeeze of lemon and a light sprinkle of salt. In fact, I did this a few nights later.

2. Hello Fresh

Availability: delivers to continental US (except extremely remote or rural), some locations in Alaska and Hawaii, most of Australia, most of Canada, some countries in
Europe (Please confirm by zip or postal code)
Delivery: within a 12-hour window on a designated day.
Our choice: Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Paillard (with salad).
Price: $22.98 (for 2).*                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Time: Two of us spent 31 minutes each, so 62 minutes.
Verdict: Tasty and attractive presentation.
Portion size: Perfect.
Packaging: A heavy box (filled with insulation and freezer packs) measuring approximately 10 inches by 14 inches by 14 inches; brown paper bags were used inside for the produce. This huge box surprised me. It contained two additional meal kits I hadn’t ordered or wanted. While I apparently had paid extra for them, I obviously didn’t expect from what I read online. The subscription requirement, and enrollment codes, obviously weren’t clear enough to me.
Directions: Includes a large card with easy-to-follow instructions and helpful photographs.
Equipment: Assumes a novice cook might own a zester, basting brush, and mallet (I didn’t) but suggests substitutions.
Waste: I didn’t use all the provided garlic powder.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Takeaway: Stated an amount time to cook the chicken without specifying temperature at which chicken is fully cooked. I did learn a salad dressing recipe: olive oil, a squeeze of
lemon, lemon zest, garlic powder, salt, pepper. I also learned how to create shawarma spice mix and will buy chicken and use that.

3. Blue Apron

Availability: All US states except Alaska and Hawaii (Do confirm by zip code).
Delivery: All day or within a specified two-hour window.
Our choice: Sheet Pan Za’atar Chicken Pitas with Roasted Delicata Squash.
Price: $22.78 (for 2).*
Time: Fifty-nine minutes.
Verdict: Delicious.
Portion size: Perfect.
Packaging: The order arrived in a large paper bag and, inside, the foods were grouped in plastic bags.
Directions: A very informative color card with photos.
Equipment: Nothing special was required: sheet pans, cutting boards.
Waste: We didn’t use the provided olives or mayonnaise.
Takeaway: The instructions were excellent at creating a sensible sequence of steps. The directions also provided options if using an air fryer. Once again, I found a side dish I can emulate on my own: Halve a delicata squash, removed the seeds, slice it in 1/4 inch crescents, drizzle olive oil, add salt and pepper and roast at 450 degrees for 18-20
minutes.

*Prices quoted do not include often-substantial delivery/shipping fees.

Net net: I found the meal kits fun to use and will order some again, but not from Hello Fresh or any service requiring a subscription. The actual time it takes to prepare each dish exceeds the provided estimates. The biggest time and labor saver was not having to prepare a shopping list and go to one or more stores and search for the the ingredients!

Marilyn Machlowitz writes, works, volunteers, and now cooks in New York City when not traveling.