Anyone every try a Meal service?

[Caseheidi]

Anyone ever try one of these meal services like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron or Home Chef? I am curious about your experience with them. Was it worth the cost? Was the food good? Did it really help you save time and money?

I have recently started working again, and find that I am tired when I get home. We decided to try it twice a week for the next few weeks and see what we think. It sounded like a great deal, until we noticed it is $10 / serving for 4 people, so after delivery costs about $45 for dinner. I tend to spend way less. We are trying it because there is a good promotion right now, and we are getting it for less then half the usual cost.

So, who has tried one / more of these services, and what did you think? Do you still use them? Are they worth the cost? Which services did you use, and which do you prefer if you have used more then one?

TIA
Heidi

 

[dcassetta]

We have tried HelloFresh and Blue Apron. Did both when there was a significant discount to try it out and did not use either for more than two weeks. The foods were fine and the meals were fine, but because of the way that they are packaged there’s just so much waste. All of the ingredients come in their own little singleserve plastic pouch. Both companies say you can recycle almost everything in the box but that’s not actually true. And, we didn’t find them particularly cost-effective.

however, my sister-in-law has used Dinnerly for a while and does like it.

 

[Darcy03231]

A co-worker uses Hello Fresh and likes it. She's single and says it works great for her.

 

[ak517]

I've used a bunch of them, usually during a promo period to get reduced price groceries (I live in a HCOL, so ~$50 incl. delivery for 6 servings of a well-balanced meal is a fair price to me). I usually continue to skip once it goes up to full price, and use it to have groceries delivered the day after I return from traveling.

One of the best ways I've used it is by saving the recipes I liked and just purchasing similar ingredients at the store to re-make them. I used to have much more time and was much more creative in the kitchen, but have since lost that, so having a bunch of new and exciting recipes to choose from (and that I didn't have to search the internet to find) have been very helpful.

 

[TippyThomas]

I've used Everyplate a few times and have enjoyed it.

 

[ronandannette]

Yes!! I’ve used several, rotating them around for the introductory deals. The very BEST thing about them is the relief from having to meal plan and each one that we’ve tried has been excellent in that it comes with every last speck of what’s needed and no-brainer instructions. Price wise? Well, the introductory deals are very good and with the price of groceries today, even at full price it’s still decent economy when you factor in convenience. Half the price (or less) than eating out or even fast food.

Alas, the downfall for us is that we have a family of three and order sizes are in multiple servings of two, so it’s either too much or not quite enough. I also don’t love the automatic subscription because if you don’t suspend or cancel on time, they just send you random meals and bill your card. Not the end of the world if you’re up for an adventure though. We’re currently off service but I’d certainly not rule out going back on at some point. Thumbs-up for meal services from us!

 

[_19disnA]

Never tried them but your experience about pricing is what I hear friends of mine saying who have tried these. Most of these companies try to signup lots of subscribers with introductory/disounted plans and then most customers tend to cancel when the discount ends. Shipping perishable foods is costly since you need insulated packaging to keep it cold and use expedited shipping that is very pricey. Even if they don't charge you directly for shipping/packaging, it still has to be buried in their costs somewhere.

The business model for these types of companies is shaky at best since it requires a LOT of labor to do the packaging, needs to be done regionally due to high shipping costs and they tend to have a lot of waste due to the way all of the various ingredients need to be packaged for individual servings. I think this is one of those things that will be in vogue for a couple of years and then fall apart from a business perspective. Signing up more customers won't make their business more efficient and will drive up their costs. All of these companies are basically competing for the same customers which is part of why they keep offering introductory rates.

Most larger grocery stores now have a section of premade meals where you simply place them in the oven to cook and seems like a much more economical option. I think that is more comparable to these food services. The other advantage at the grocery store is you pick only the items you like where all of the package programs likely include some foods your family doesn't care for. Eating out isn't comparable to me since it includes the cost of someone else cooking your food and the costs associated with running the actual restaurant.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Yes, we are big fans of Hello Fresh. Delicious meals cooked from fresh ingredients with step by step instructions and a HUGE selection to choose from each week. A few weeks ago we got an email from them to thank us for being good customers as they had just shipped us our 150th box! If anyone wants to try it I have a few free box codes for new customers to give away- anyone who wants one just PM me with an email address.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I haven't but my BIL uses Hello Fresh once in a while. He's a foody and likes to cook but he said sometimes he just wants somethng quick and easy. He said it's good. My BIL has never been one to cut costs when it comes to food.

 

[RivShore]

Anyone ever try one of these meal services like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron or Home Chef? I am curious about your experience with them. Was it worth the cost? Was the food good? Did it really help you save time and money?

I have recently started working again, and find that I am tired when I get home. We decided to try it twice a week for the next few weeks and see what we think. It sounded like a great deal, until we noticed it is $10 / serving for 4 people, so after delivery costs about $45 for dinner. I tend to spend way less. We are trying it because there is a good promotion right now, and we are getting it for less then half the usual cost.

So, who has tried one / more of these services, and what did you think? Do you still use them? Are they worth the cost? Which services did you use, and which do you prefer if you have used more then one?

TIA
Heidi

If you are after quick and easy, give Factor a try. They have some decent promotions on your first 6-8 boxes then it goes to the average $11 a meal plus shipping. What makes them different is there is zero prep, they come all put together in single meals that can be microwaved - quick, easy and very tasty. How they make microwaved pork tender and delicious is some kind of magic!

 

[RivShore]

Here's reviews of a bunch of services:

https://nypost.com/article/the-best-meal-delivery-kits/

 

[unrequited23]

We've used Hello Fresh and Blue Apron--mainly when I was sick of meal planning for the family/making the same thing every week. I would usually do one or two weeks or each then cancel once I was out of my rut. If you wait a year or so they offer the same good deals to reactivate your subscription. We are a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 kids, 8&10) and found the 2 meals per recipe worked for us if I added one extra portion of protein. I find the recipes take at least ten minutes longer to prepare than the time listed. I also wished I had a zester vs using the smallest size on my box grater.

Personally, I find that making a double batch of something & freezing or a set meal plan of quick to make food like Taco Tuesday works better for us.

 

[jimmymc]

My parents use Hello Fresh and love it, but they also get my brother's employee discount. The food is good and mostly high quality, but I wouldn't say it's worth the cost.

If you do go for it, the seafood is really good but the steaks are not worth the upgrade.

 

[soccerdad72]

We've done Hello Fresh, Blue Apron and Sunbasket.

Hello Fresh, IMO, was too simple of meals. Most of their choices were things I could make on my own on a regular basis.

Blue Apron has a good variety and choices. Their meals are fairly normal but have some creativity that I wouldn't always do myself. My boys like that one the most.

Sunbasket has a lot more variety of healthy options, with a number of Keto or Paleo meal choices and some unique ingredients and spices that I wouldn't normally use. My wife and I like this one the best and will order these when my older son is at college and my younger son is eating out more often at home, so it's just the two of us.

As others have said, none of them are necessarily cost efficient. We started doing them in the pandemic as a replacement for take out meals. The cost is pretty similar to that, IMO.

And while they all have some prepackaged or quick meals, many of the meals still require anywhere from 30-45 minutes for prep and cooking.

 

[lovesmurfs]

We went through about 14 of them when you could get the first week at half price (about 4-5 years ago) -- now they spread the discount out amongst the first three or so. This was when our youngest left for college and it's just DH and me.

We tried Blue Apron first and didn't like it -- then went to Home Chef, Hello Fresh, Freshly, Marley Spoon, Dinnerly, etc. etc. We landed at Sun Basket, which has a lot of organic stuff and was pretty happy with them. They pushed the price beyond what we could justify for three meals a week.

We've since gone back to Blue Apron, and they've made a lot of improvements since we first tried them and have been pretty happy. All of the services are pretty flexible, and as long as you stay on top of your orders (I seldom choose all three of the meals the service initially selects for us), it works well.

Sun Basket and Blue Apron are good at providing a discount if they screw up the basket (we've had a couple of issues). For us (50-60 somethings with some disposable income), it's good because it gives us variety without having to purchase a huge amount of ingredients/spices/etc. And no leftovers.

 

[StarCruzer]

It depends on what you want it for. I get HelloFresh because if it were up to my husband, we would eat the same meal every day of the week as long as it takes 30 minutes or less

I honestly see it as a bit of a luxury. I don't love trying to plan meals for the week, so it's nice to just take something out to defrost and not worry about if we have all of the ingredients. Some of the recipes we keep and remake with our own supplies. HelloFresh has a lot of vegetarian options too, which has helped us expand our recipe book.

I'm not sure if they still do it, but they did have a discount for teachers, first responders, nurses, and military (we did the military discount and got 15% off of one year's worth of boxes).

But I don't think overall you'll save money using it or anything.

My husband did Factor meals and liked those a lot, because he hates cooking and trying to figure out balanced meals. He liked most of them but ended up not continuing after his initial promo boxes ended due to cost.

 

[Kae]

I switch between Hello Fresh & Home chef. I like them both Home chef has quicker meals-oven meals. The Martha Stewart one was incredible & took a little more time but I am not by a major city & shipper they use is horrible. Blue Apron was ok.

I love the recipe cards and we have recreated a lot of them. Learned some flavor tricks like using ground pork in tacos and poblano Peppers for stuffed peppers. For me it gets me thru busy times and aslo kinda jump starts my cooking when not getting the boxes

 

[Babs Johnson]

I’ve never tried them.

I suppose they’re good for convenience and for trying new recipes. And I guess the pre-portioned packs saves one from buying a $6 jar of a spice for just a half teaspoon.

Everyone needs to decide for themselves if they’re worth the cost.

What I don’t believe are testimonials claiming they are saving money by subscribing to one of these plans. If that’s true, these people are totally incompetent at grocery shopping and meal preparation.

 

[Karin1984]

I have Hello Fresh for 6 months or so now. 5 meals for 2 people, I live alone. So it is 10 meals for during the week.

It saves me time thinking about what to eat and to help resist temptation buying easy food that isn't necessarily the healthiest choice. That is where I need the most help.

Pros:
- I eat more vegetables
- I eat more varied (foods but also cuisines)
- It tastes better than how I cooked before. My meals were fine and edible, but I could not say 'I am a good cook, let's invite people over!'
- I learn some cooking skills and understand flavours better and how to make combinations.
- It is easy to try things new.
- getting fresh herbs for 1 person is a great bonus
- prepackaged for just me
- it comes with extra's I wouldnt normally add, could be a sprinkle of lemon at the end, chopped peanuts over Indonesian dishes. It tastes fine without, but these finishes give it a little bit extra.
- it does save me some time as I always pick some meals I can bring to work for lunch. I make one meal, and split in 2 portions, for lunch and dinner.
- sometimes I get more than is needed for the recipe. A recipe needs 150 grammes of rice, but in the bag is 180 grammes. 30 grammes for free. I have a container where I put all the leftover rice and eat it during the weekend.
- it reduces snacking for me as well. As the portions are a bit bigger and/or more balanced, I can go from lunch to dinner without snacking, and also not after dinner.
- Easy to count calories, if you want.
- Reuse the recipes you like.
- flexibility when I need to pause, or reschedule my delivery date / time.

And with the current prices in the supermarket, in money it is not that much more expensive. Especially meats and cheeses are so expensive at the moment. And I do not mind paying for convenience, it is worth it to me.

Cons
At the moment that the delivery boys put the box on my doorstep and then leave. Which makes it harder to give them the empty box from last week.
And sometimes it is annoying when you are waiting at home and they are late.

 

[Christine]

I have tried a few and they are good but I had 4 people eating when I did and and 2 of them were BIG eaters. It just wasn't enough food. It seems to work very well for one or two people who are normal eaters.

The ingredients were mostly fine but I did have a few veggies that were looking a little ragged (exception not the norm), plus the delivery date for my area was on a Thursday. I really needed it to come on a Monday so I could use up the meals all that week during my workweek. The Thursday had me cooking them over the weekened which was not what I wanted.