With all the time you’ve spent carefully curating (and drooling over) your well-stocked shelf of recipe pins, shopping farmer’s markets, and second-guessing what’s in stock at your local specialty food store, dinner could have been ready by now. Like lots of dinners. We’re talking Pinterest-worthy gourmet meals home cooked by you. Lucky for modern mamas, dinner prep has gone tech with these web-based food delivery services which bring the recipes and pre-measured ingredients right to your door- helping you make chef-worthy, healthy dinners a snap.
Which service has the magic recipe? We tried three popular options to find out: Blue Apron, Plated and Hello Fresh.
Blue Apron
Recipes Tried: Kumquat Lime-Glazed Tilapia with Brussels Sprouts and Almond Freekeh, Chicken Potstickers with Baby Tatsoi, Center Cut Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Grits
Website: Clean and straightforward, you can just sign up for the recipes if you want and grab your own store-bought ingredients if that’s your preference.
Delivery Method:Arrived in a Fedex Box with items clearly (and cutely) labeled. Meats were vacuum packed so they stayed fresher longer.
Labeling: Expiration dates on all meat and fish. (stay fresh for 2 weeks)
Ingredient quality: Label clearly states that the meats are from Pat Lafrieda, veggies were fresh when delivered but would probably expire before the meats.
Preparation Ease: Beautiful photos with step-by-step instructions that our 10 year old was able to follow while she helped out. Ingredient measurements and times seemed accurate and had us feeling like a chef on a cooking show!
Prep time: They say 35 minutes average (including prep and cook time) for each recipe, but for us it was more like 40 minutes.
Final product taste and presentation: We were leery of the flavor combos in these recipes before making them, but were pleasantly surprised by the taste (our picky kids even raved). The quality was on par with a good restaurant and the portions were larger than we expected (the 2 person portion per meal could easily feed 3).
Cost: $9.99 per meal, per person, or $59.99 for three meals which feed two people each. Membership system, join as a member and pay a $59.94 weekly fee for 3 meals that feed 2pp or select a plan for 4 or 6pp. You can skip weeks with notice via email and set preferences for types of preferred menus. They will select your weekly meals and you can view them ahead of time on their website. OFFER: $10 OFF your first order when you use the link www.blueapron.com/bergenmama.
Plated
Recipe Tried: Thyme Rosemary Chicken with Braised Winter Vegetables in a Vegetable Curry
Website: Clean, easy to use, can sort meals by “land”, “sea” and “veggie”. Descriptions included tags like “gluten free” and “low calorie” which was helpful, plus each meal is labeled with total calorie count, difficulty level and prep time.
Delivery Method/Timing: In our area we could choose from delivery either Tues or Friday, but options get sold out so early orderers are rewarded. Came in Fedex Box with items clearly labeled and packed. Meats were vacuum packed so they stayed fresher longer.
Labeling: No expiration dates but website states that food stays fresh for 4-5 days.
Ingredient quality: No detail as to fat content of meats or where they were from, however, website states that they try to use local and seasonal produce whenever possible. A few of the veggies looked old and we had to replace the carrot and onion with our own. Recipe also included canned goods that were not organic or BPA Free.
Preparation Ease: Visually appealing step-by-step instructions. On occasion, we were confused which ingredients they were referring to. Ingredient measurements were helpful but cooking times seemed imperfect and led to a few overcooked/undercooked vegetables.
Prep time: 45 minutes average (including prep and cook time) for each recipe
Final product taste and presentation: All dishes included a number of varying spices and ingredients, which added depth of flavor (some spices too sophisticated for some young kids’ palate). Good presentation with balance of carbs, protein, color and garnish. Overall good meals and hefty sized portions enough for more than 2 people.
Cost: $15 per plate (minimum 2 “plates” per order), but $12 if you pay a monthly membership fee of $10/month.
Hello Fresh
Recipes Tried: Beef with Asparagus, Shrimp Scampi and Turkey Chili
Website: Clean, easy to use, can sort meals by “classic” and “veggie”. Descriptions include nutritional breakdowns and calories, plus difficulty level and prep time.
Delivery: For our specific zip code, the earliest delivery date was two weeks later, so make sure you plan ahead of time. Came in Fedex Box with items neatly labeled and packed. Meats were vacuum packed so they stayed fresher longer.
Labeling: Expiration dates not clearly marked
Ingredient quality: No detail as to fat content of meats or where they were from, however, ingredients looked fresh and website states they use the highest quality ingredients, while ensuring sustainability for both suppliers and the environment. Veggies looked ripe and fresh as well. Just a note that our recipe included canned goods that were not organic or BPA Free.
Preparation Ease: Easy colorful recipe cards with step by step instructions. Pre-measurements seemed accurate and prevented waste.
Prep time: 30 minutes including prep and cook time
Final product taste and presentation: Both dishes looked appetizing and fresh. Beef with Asparagus was a liter version of what you may get at a Chinese restaurant plus the kids really liked it. Shrimp Scampi was a delicious restaurant quality meal. The Chili was tasty, but we would have preferred fresh or organic diced tomatoes. Some of the meats were a little dry/chewy- not sure if that was the quality (or percent fat) or the chef! Overall enjoyed all meals and felt it was definitely worth the money.
Cost: $10.75 per meal per person for the classic, $9.08 for the veggie. Membership system, join as a member and choose Classic $69 or Veggie “Box” $59 per box which includes 3 meals for 2pp each week or select a higher plan for 4pp. You can skip weeks with notice via email and they will select meals for you and you can view them ahead of time on their website. OFFER: $25 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER WITH THE CODE HELLOBERGEN
Blue Apron's Kumquat Lime-Glazed Tilapia with Brussels Sprouts and Almond Freekeh
Blue Apron's Center Cut Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Grits
Blue Apron's Chicken Potstickers with Baby Tatsoi
Plated's Thyme Rosemary Chicken with Braised Winter Vegetables in a Vegetable Curry Sauce
Hello Fresh's Shrimp Scampi
Hello Fresh's Beef with Asparagus
