How Do You Feel About Meal Kits? Would You Consider Ordering Them?

OneEyedDiva

OneEyedDiva

SF VIP
Location
New Jersey
I see meal kits that are just "pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes". This makes no sense for me since my goal would be not to have to do the prep, which I hate and the cooking, which I also hate. I go to the store and buy my own stuff for a lot less for the occasions when I do cook. Then there's the kind where the meals are packaged and ready to heat up. I was interested in one company's offerings, but the weekly meals were for two, which would wind up being too much food and again a bit expensive. This article explores whether or not meal kits are worth it.
Are Meal Kits Worth It?
 

Last edited:
I researched and tried one about 3 years ago. It required too much prep and cooking in my opinion. Also, it was much more expensive than just purchasing the ingredients at the grocery store.

I haven't completely written them off because as I age I am going to need some way to get groceries in the middle of nowhere if I become unable to drive.
 
If I liked to cook, and if the meal kits were affordable, then I'd be interested. Part of my reluctance to cook my meals from scratch is because of all the excess food and wastage of trying to cook one portion. If a recipe needed a little bit of carrot/celery/onion/bell-pepper, a spoonful of black beans, etc., in practice that resulted in leftover ingredients sitting in the refrigerator until they went bad. So the meal kit idea sounds better from that aspect.

I love frozen dinners because they give me meals with one little sliced up mushroom, one artichoke heart, a scatter of beans, a single torn up leaf of greens, etc.
 

I always chalked these up to another way to exploit the not-so-bright who cannot manage money. Probably something else to take a picture of and share on social media because their lives are so empty and meaningless.

It seems a part of society really has morphed into Eloi.

The Eloi are humanlike creatures who are small, unintelligent, uncurious, weak, and also, importantly, benevolent and happy. They are the evolutionary descendants of the British elite, who exploited the British poor for so long that the poor evolved into a race of humanoids called the Morlocks. While the centuries of exploitation of the Morlocks complicates the picture of the Eloi as essentially good, they are a species characterized by kindness, and the Time Traveler becomes affectionate towards them on his travels. The Eloi face no adversity in their lives except that they are likely being raised for food by the Morlocks, who come to the surface of the earth at night and eat vulnerable Eloi.​

This might be the original source of what has been shortened down to "eat the rich."
 
I am a small TV dinner person, but I love Amour lunch makers and I would say I eat 2 or 3 of these a day. They are like Oscar Meyer lunchables only cheaper and better. 200 or less calories in each one. I have to eat 6 times a day, so these are very satisfying, and not weight gaining.

5 crackers, 5 meats, 5 cheese, and a small candy bar.
 
I used Home Chef for 3-4yrs. Before further comments, I'll cut to the chase and say they're expensive for what you get.

I guess the costs of the Home Chef meals can be partially attributed to packaging and shipping costs. Plus all the effort that goes into the gathering of ingredients. Home Chef includes every single thing needed to complete the meals. From little bottles of oil to seasonings and condiments. No trips to the grocer and no meal planning required. It's a great convenience but expensive. And at the time, Home Chef was one of the more reasonably priced meal kit services.

All Home Chef meals have to be prepped but total time from start to meal cooked and finished usually was 30-45minutes. I remember mostly just using a cast iron skillet and baking sheet for most meals. I did have to buy a garlic press and Microplane zester/grater.

The meal preps and all, gave me cooking experience. I learned about the use of various seasoning combinations. And cooking joy that only comes from personally prepared chef planned meals.

So for just me, it worked out for a time as I learned some things about cooking and was able to enjoy meals and ingredients I might otherwise have not found locally. No meal kit would be very reasonable to consider for a family. Would be WAY too expensive.

The only problem I had with the service itself, was during the hottest parts of the year here in the deep south, sometimes the meals would arrive totally thawed and veggies wilted. But Home Chef customer service was always easily willing to compensate even when the delivery fault lay with FedEx delays and lack of air conditioned vehicles in the brutal heat of summer. Home Chef did everything they could to ensure a happy customer, even when FedEx sometimes dropped the ball.

These days, I mostly rely on Birdseye frozen skillet meals at $5 a meal. While I save a great deal on meals over the use of meal kit services, my meals sure are not as "exotic" or culturally varied.
 
Last edited:
I've been tempted to try a meal subscription kit. I figure it would save me time tracking down ingredients at the store as well as time coming up with good, healthy meal ideas. But they've always been too expensive for me.

I actually do like to cook now, so I switch off between preparing healthy meals and quicker, easier options, such as salad and eggs. But if I could afford one, I'd definitely try it.
 
Naturally said:
I used Home Chef for 3-4yrs. Before further comments, I'll cut to the chase and say they're expensive for what you get.

I guess the costs of the Home Chef meals can be partially attributed to packaging and shipping costs. Plus all the effort that goes into the gathering of ingredients. Home Chef includes every single thing needed to complete the meals. From little bottles of oil to seasonings and condiments. No trips to the grocer and no meal planning required. It's a great convenience but expensive. And at the time, Home Chef was one of the more reasonably priced meal kit services.

All Home Chef meals have to be prepped but total time from start to meal cooked and finished usually was 30-45minutes. I remember mostly just using a cast iron skillet and baking sheet for most meals. I did have to buy a garlic press and Microplane zester/grater.

The meal preps and all, gave me cooking experience. I learned about the use of various seasoning combinations. And cooking joy that only comes from personally prepared chef planned meals.

So for just me, it worked out for a time as I learned some things about cooking and was able to enjoy meals and ingredients I might otherwise have not found locally. No meal kit would be very reasonable to consider for a family. Would be WAY too expensive.

The only problem I had with the service itself, was during the hottest parts of the year here in the deep south, sometimes the meals would arrive totally thawed and veggies wilted. But Home Chef customer service was always easily willing to compensate even when the delivery fault lay with FedEx delays and lack of air conditioned vehicles in the brutal heat of summer. Home Chef did everything they could to ensure a happy customer, even when FedEx sometimes dropped the ball.

These days, I mostly rely on Birdseye frozen skillet meals at $5 a meal. While I save a great deal on meals over the use of meal kit services, my meals sure are not as "exotic" or culturally varied.
Click to expand...
Wow a company concerned with customer service! Maybe all isn't lost?
 
What I'd love is something I could take that would absolutely kill any appetite for food or water and then a permanent PICC line (or whatever it's called) that would automatically ingest the nourishment into my body; all my life, I've had trouble swallowing and now my stomach and intestinal tract have just about shut down too. So phooey on cooking and food period.
 
A few of the hundreds of chef planned delicious meals I personally prepared when I subscribed to Home Chef meal kit service. I'd cook two meals at a time. One for immediate consumption and one tossed into the frig for later ...

GvbIJZQ.jpeg

gByNj6b.jpeg

hHrVA7g.jpeg

0evgAwU.jpeg

CoIeSqW.jpeg

076xfG9.jpeg

qDqyJQL.jpeg

YxdqygL.jpeg

6Lo4CRV.jpeg

Y3HYceL.jpeg
 
I was a little crazy in those days ... and nights as it were ... to pay so much for home cooked meals but dang they were good and since they were chef planned, were MUCH better meals than I could have come up with.

I don't have kitchen curtains and used to put those panels in the windows at night for privacy. Named the kitchen Joe's Cafe. Names Jim by the way ;) ... Cheers

pCJTTdk.jpeg
 
I see the meal kits as more entertainment than food.

I think they might be a great way to try different foods, seasonings, and techniques, without making the investment in ingredients that you might never use again.

I’m still trying to warm to the idea of having groceries delivered and of coming up with a simple meal plan that requires little more than a microwave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top