Am I the only one who hates these food delivery services?

rainbowbow

I don't know, i moved to a country where i have to make absolutely everything from scratch breakfast, lunch, dinner along with all the dishes/food waste that goes along with that.

Sounds convenient as hell to me...

DX2JX2

rainbowbow wrote: »

I don't know, i moved to a country where i have to make absolutely everything from scratch breakfast, lunch, dinner along with all the dishes/food waste that goes along with that.

Sounds convenient as hell to me...

Where is this country with internet access but no prepared foods at all? Tundra or wilderness somewhere?

kimd2090

Try E-Meals! It is a recipe service where they send you the recipes for the week based on which grocery store you use. So, you won't buy a whole bunch of parsley for 2T, lol. I hate wasting food! You can also choose between different meal plans - low cal, low carb, keto, paleo, classics (think: meat and potatoes). I have found it to be a super time saver and the nutrition is calculated for you, so just enter in MFP! You can usually find a discount code on Groupon.

daloverlyme

I just did Hello Fresh. I am not impressed with the calorie count, or sodium levels...or the time it takes to make. I work 7 days a week and have children. I was hoping this would speed making dinner up, and help stay under calorie. I was very wrong!

bpetrosky

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I like grocery shopping, but I've tried them and see the benefits, although it's not for me. I gave free meals to my sister and a friend who is just getting into cooking and they liked it and still use it from time to time. I was sold on trying it from a couple I met during a running trip who loved them.

I can see how it would be useful if you are in a cooking rut and just want some easy ideas that don't take any effort, and I thought it did cut down on work and was pretty much exactly the time advertised (and I doubled the vegetable element by adding in my own). What prevents me from wanting to use it more (and why I cancelled after trying it) is the garbage issue, and the cost, and that I like to make up my own meals and shop. It did get me a few ideas I have incorporated into my own cooking, though -- although I can't now remember what they were, heh, because they have been incorporated.

I haven't tried them, but I think your take on them is spot on. They're good for people who want to have some new variety, try some new ingredients they are unfamiliar with, or are just getting started on cooking for themselves, but too much cost and packaging for day-to-day meals. I think you get the recipes along with the meals, so you can make the meal later without getting the ingredients from the kit.

FWIW, I think the biggest companies are trying to make all of their packaging recyclable, so if your local community has a good recycling program it doesn't have to end up in the landfill.

Either way, it's not for me personally, but if it gets more people trying new foods, cooking for themselves, and generally eating better, I'm all for it.

cwolfman13

Never tried one, so I don't know if I would hate it or not.

I do like to cook (including prep) and don't mind grocery shopping.

I have a friend who uses one of these services regularly and she likes it and hasn't ever complained about a bunch of prep. She's a busy professional who typically works 70-80 hours per week and prefers fresh food to take out and whatnot on a regular basis...she doesn't want to spend her time grocery shopping and deciding on recipes, etc...just picks what she wants and they ship it to her.

It seems expensive, but for her it's a drop in the bucket considering the money she makes.

kommodevaran

I personally can't grasp the concept - I like to decide for myself what to eat, I prefer simple meals, but I like so many different things, I love the planning puzzle to save money, avoid waste and maximize taste, my grocery trips are a bit like safaris. I have a decent grip on both calorie density and cooking; I use recipes only as inspiration and general instructional guidelines - I don't think I have ever followed a recipe to the letter (I figured out why this is - I need to understand the reason behind each step, and then I simplify and adjust to fit my motor skills and available space and equipment);

lmsaa

If you are looking for new ideas, you can find their recipes online and buy your own ingredients and modify as you choose:
https://www.blueapron.com/cookbook
My sister likes Blue Apron, but she works long hours. The portion size would never be enough for my husband.

lemurcat12

kommodevaran wrote: »

I personally can't grasp the concept - I like to decide for myself what to eat, I prefer simple meals, but I like so many different things, I love the planning puzzle to save money, avoid waste and maximize taste, my grocery trips are a bit like safaris. I have a decent grip on both calorie density and cooking; I use recipes only as inspiration and general instructional guidelines - I don't think I have ever followed a recipe to the letter (I figured out why this is - I need to understand the reason behind each step, and then I simplify and adjust to fit my motor skills and available space and equipment);

People are so different in how they approach cooking. Like you I don't really enjoy following recipes, never use them, sometimes browse cookbooks long in advance of a meal to get inspiration or in an effort to learn some new ideas (Indian or Ethiopian approaches to spice or whatever). However, planning out in advance for the week is also something I would never do, and I admit I make no particular effort to save money. One of my favorite things, and one I find educational, is getting a produce box during the season (late spring to around Thanksgiving) and trying to use it all up -- which can get difficult due to limited variety early in the season and due to the immense amount of food in the heart of the season (corn becomes my nemesis, although I love it, but then I'm in Illinois).

Winging it based on what's in my refrigerator is my favorite thing, and usually when I shop I go to the produce aisle and the frozen fruit and veg aisles and the grain and beans aisles and get inspired (and usually pick up some tofu or the like too, and dairy if I'm eating it, and maybe nuts or seeds). I rarely have a plan or list.

Not sure why the box seems more appealing to me than a recipe -- I guess because I know it will be fast and I get to try something new in kind of a mindless way (and when I used it I changed it up some, to add more veg and save some calories). Also, because the recipe usually kind of follows from the stuff in the box. Like I said, it seemed more designed for someone who doesn't yet really enjoy cooking (which I do, I find it relaxing and creative and I like grocery shopping too), and perhaps also someone for whom the grocery store is a bit less convenient than it is for me, but I do completely see the appeal. (You get to pick out the meals you want or skip it if you don't want any.)

What I don't see the appeal of -- but I understand others find useful -- is a meal plan or set of recipes, since I don't like cooking from recipes even when I KNOW I like the foods, and for me recipes are fun to peruse in a book, being sent ones designed to be broadly appealing would take that away and leave only the "I'm suppose to follow directions" thing.

MegaMooseEsq

My husband and I have been using Blue Apron and Hello Fresh since January of last year. He enjoys cooking but dislikes meal planning and doesn't have a good head for things like portions and overlapping ingredients and all that (he has ADHD, which doesn't help). I just don't like cooking. We have the money to eat out and get delivery, so that's what we did for much of five years, along with wasting a lot of food that we'd buy and plan on cooking but not get around to. For some reason, we also both put on a lot of weight during that time (hmmmmmm). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but it works for us.

UpEarly

I can make better meals - both cheaper and faster - on my own. I like some of the recipe ideas from Hello Fresh and Blue Apron, but that's about it.

I also dislike all the packaging - bottles, bags, boxes, and refrigeration packs. All that extra packaging is bad for the environment.

MarylandRose

seltzermint555 wrote: »

I haven't tried them myself but based on my observations (friends' experiences) it's a mega joke & very overpriced! I'm always wondering who uses and loves the kits because most people I know either already cook pretty adventurously, or they are like my stepsister and are just grossed out by the "exotic" ingredients (she thinks anything outside of steak, chicken, corn, is exotic)

Something I did try (not meal kits) were the graze snack boxes that were big 4-5 years ago and those were hilariously small portions IMHO! My husband and I split the box in one night and it was just laughable.

We used BA or HelloFresh most weeks during a span of a year to a year and a half while we were both working full time+ and in grad school at night. It cost less than eating out, and took a lot of work off our plates. For three nights/week, no one had to:
-Decide what to eat for dinner
-Consolidate ingredient lists into a shopping list
-Check that shopping list against what is already in the house
-Decide how to fit a trip to the grocery store in (for me that would mean going shopping at 10 pm after my class ended, getting home at midnight, and getting up at 0530 am to repeat my day)
-Actually go grocery shopping

The relief was palpable. It was absolutely worth it to us to outsource the decisions to someone else - just like it's worth it to me to outsource my 401(k) investment decisions to an outside company, or others outsource cleaning to a maid service or changing their car's oil to a dealership. I paid for food and recipes, but I also bought myself more free time (actually homework time, let's be honest) and less stress.

We are happy and adventurous cooks, and BA in particular helped us find even more adventurous recipes to add to our collection. We weren't bothered by the prep or the prep time...it often took longer than advertised but we find that to be true for most recipes anyway.
Where we live, almost all the packaging was recyclable. The only things that we couldn't recycle were the same things we can't recycle from normal grocery shopping (some plastic wrapping (ie around ground beef)). Those boxes were our favorite week-worth-of-paper-recycling containers ever.

And seconding you on the graze - tried two boxes, tiny, tiny portions and also not fully recyclable.

gentlygently

I get a weekly veg box (with some dairy and eggs/bread) and every 2 months or so I stuff my cupboards and freezer - with everything from quick and easy (pasta, jar of pesto sauce - just add some peas and a salad ), to lazy treat (frozen breaded fish and oven chips) to proper food (meat joints, minced meat, fish steaks). Minimal shopping effort, hardly any waste, lots of healthy veg and food options , and a big range of food stuff in the house to sort my energy levels and desire to cook. Works really well for us...

Cbean08

For those concerned about the amount of packaging, how is it any different than how things are sent and purchased from the grocery store? Isn't produce sent to the grocery store in cardboard boxing with wrap around it to keep it on the crate? Spices are sold in little bags or jars. Herbs come in plastic containers. Many use the provided plastic bags to put their produce in. Meat comes wrapped in plastic and on styrofoam trays or frozen in heavy duty plastic. Either way, there is packaging involved. It just depends on how much of it the grocer removes before putting the food out to display and sell.

Noreenmarie1234

I didn't like them because I like to do what I want when I cook. I've never actually followed a recipe (except for baking) lol. I ended up making up my own dish an/or using the ingredients for different dishes so it was pointless for me.

ljmorgi

It irks me that there are options/companies that cater to food preference fads like paleo, but if you have an actual medical dietary need (low-sodium, in my case) you're SOL.

Packerjohn

ljmorgi wrote: »

It irks me that there are options/companies that cater to food preference fads like paleo, but if you have an actual medical dietary need (low-sodium, in my case) you're SOL.

Or you have a business opportunity. Talk to the guys and girls on Shark Tank.

Francl27

Budget-wise, I do wonder if it would be cheaper than buying things for one recipe, like someone said, then end up trashing what's left because you're not using it again.

Also worried about the calorie count and yes, the sodium. I've been tempted to try it when I had some offers, but I don't really care about 800 calorie entrees, and my husband has to watch his sodium.

For people who mentioned Graze, it was worth it to me when they started, but they increased the price eventually and I gave up on it (and the stuff was too good and I would spend too many calories on it, lol). Also, things were always 10 to 20% heavier than what the package said (hello 300 calories flapjacks).

ashirley695

We order boxes with three kits each week. I've tried maybe 4 brands of kits. Currently I alternate between Home Chef and Marley Spoon, have a coupon waiting for BA. We did not care for HelloFresh, as their meals are complicated and very unhealthy (but tasty! And big portions) and I hated that you had to choose basically adult or kid plan with different recipes on each. Home Chef was my starter box 2 years ago, and now I can see how they often lack in variety, often smaller portions, etc and some meals feel incomplete to me.
Why do I order? I'm a full time student, mother of 3, my partner works nights so usually isn't available for weeknight dinner prep. I HATE HATE HATE cooking. I would rather scrub the toilet for the length of time an average dinner takes to cook. I go to stupid lengths to avoid cooking, it's likely a diagnosable disorder at this point. A 2 person serving meal kit will, with rare exceptions that I add another side like fruit or a roll, feed myself and the three kids together. Most meal kits are simple enough that I can help or very minimally guide my 10 year old in prepping as I work on chores, little kid's homework, my homework, etc. Big guy earns video game time for helping and I get out of cooking!
In terms of waste, this was my selling point. Since I am damn awful at cooking I am also awful at planning. 7 days minus 3 dinners helps a ton. I hate leftovers, won't eat them, so to cook with portions left over is only a waste, I cook to exact portions only after years of experimentation with leftovers. Go ahead, be shocked lol. Packaging is often recyclable from these kits, which we do. In terms of ingredients, yes it's cheaper to buy all ingredients in normal store packaging size and then use over a few meals, but since I'm rotten at cooking and planning, this doesn't happen in my house. One open pack of meat or special herb, or fancy sauce, etc typically goes bad before we reach for it a second time. Meal kits eliminate food waste for my house, but of course not in better organized homes.
My biggest gripe on meal kits is that it can be challenging to fully comprehend ingredients before ordering. I'm on an allergy elimination diet, so often I get let down by our delivery even when I prescreen the order. It still feeds kids and my portion can go in Mister's lunch box but still, disappointing sometimes.

ahamm002

fastfoodietofitcutie wrote: »

I get so many coupons for Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Home Chef, etc.. I decided to try it. I'm not a cook. I decided to order Hello Fresh for the week. I found the portion sizes to be a bit on the small side (3oz of green beans, I need more) and they were very time consuming to make. I was under the impression everything was "prepped" and you just had to throw it together but it's the complete opposite. You have to peel, chop, dice, etc.. I spent a good amount of time de-stemming parsley for one recipe. Too complicated for me but at least now I know what all the fuss is about...

I love those services. Yes, they aren't easy to make and I'm not an inexperienced cook. But they save SO MUCH TIME and energy because meal planning and grocery shopping for a family is a massive endeavor. I also think they save money too because I used to have so much waste whenever I made a recipe. There would always be like ten bottles of barbecue sauce, etc., sitting in my fridge as left overs which would usually eventually expire and be thrown out.

Just cooking for yourself is tough because cooking (and clean up afterward) takes a lot of time. So unless you enjoy it it's hard to keep it up. If you're only getting food for yourself, you might consider a service that actually makes the food for you like Territory.