Meal kits: what's the point?
Replies
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I see the appeal of the meal-kit delivery services. New, tested recipes right to my door. But that's the only appeal, in my opinion. Food prep (i.e., slicing, dicing, chopping, etc.) is still required. Yes, you end up with a pretty, restaurant-worthy dish. However, you spent at least 30 minutes in the kitchen doing food prep. No thanks. If I want a restaurant-worthy dish, I'll go to a restaurant for a similar price, and not have to do the work.
I already work a 10 hr day + 1-2 hrs commuting time (round trip). It's not appealing to me to work in the kitchen another 30 minutes. Can't I just season some chicken and throw it in the oven and then steam some broccoli? I don't need hollandaise, or my veggies perfectly julienned by hand.
Also, if food delivery is delivering my dinners, who's supplying my breakfasts and lunches? I'd STILL have to go to the grocery store, so no time savings on that end either. My mother tried to 'gift' me with a month of Blue Apron. I told her don't... it's not a gift!5 -
pebble4321 wrote: »Hmmm, maybe I'm a child who is lazy, helpless and can't cook.
Or possibly, I'm an adult who likes having a box of high quality fresh veggies and meat/fish delivered to my door from time to time. With the service I use (once a month or so), I still need to do the prep and add some spices, sauces and staples - I get a pantry list the week before.
My reason - for those of you who are prepared to not be patronising for a millisecond - is that I like trying new recipes, I'm on my own for four weeks out of five (husband works away) and when I'm on my own I get bored with meal planning and like to having someone else do it now and again.
I am quite capable of finding recipes, making a shopping list and cooking - for one or more people. But sometimes I don't choose to do that. Just as sometimes I choose to eat out, sometimes I buy something convenient (like a cooked chook or a bag of salad), sometimes I have a cheese and Vegemite sandwich for dinner. I don't see why getting a box of nice produce on my doorstep is something so strange.
Yes, it's more expensive than doing my own shopping and cooking, but I don't eat out much when I'm on my own, so I'd say it all balances out. And even if it doesn't - well, that's my choice and my priorities!
Edited to add: if anyone in Western Australia wants to support a great local business, have a look at Dinner Twist.
So very well said!!! Exactly this!8 -
LOL OP.... I'm guessing you've never tried a service like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh? Just making some assumptions? Here are a few of this weeks menu choices for Blue Apron:. Keep in mind all the ingredients, including fresh vegetables, proteins someone doesn't cook with regularly, fresh herbs and somewhat obscure or exotic things like Thai basil, fregola, tomatillos, gai lan, are delivered to your door in the right quantities with clear directions on how to prep and prepare them.
Now it is pricey, and for the trial period I did it for I didn't find enough meals that would appeal to my small children on a regular basis, and the recipes themselves were a bit involved for what I really wanted help with which is quick weeknight meals. But, I remember thinking that it would have been great to have this option when I was newly married, getting more comfortable and then adventurous with my cooking, enjoying cooking and then eating together with my husband over a glass of wine, etc...
But yeah, it looks pretty much identical to a bag of salad and a can of tuna....
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Wow! So much mean-ness! I don't use them- to pricey- but if I got them as a gift I would! How about- you can try new foods, you get foods that aren't available where you live, and it's fun to get something in the mail that isn't a bill.8
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »Wow lol the judgement.
It's called choice and different priorities for people.
Exactly. I also love when the judgement comes from people who clearly have incorrect assumptions about how something works.10 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Wow lol the judgement.
It's called choice and different priorities for people.
Exactly. I also love when the judgement comes from people who clearly have incorrect assumptions about how something works.
I totally agree. I truly fail to understand how a meal deilivery kit is equivalent to some sort of personal life deficiency.
For us, they make the perfect 'date night' activity when we can't get a sitter and go out to eat. A bottle of wine and some fancy non kid friendly food and we're good to go.16 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Wow lol the judgement.
It's called choice and different priorities for people.
Exactly. I also love when the judgement comes from people who clearly have incorrect assumptions about how something works.
I totally agree. I truly fail to understand how a meal deilivery kit is equivalent to some sort of personal life deficiency.
For us, they make the perfect 'date night' activity when we can't get a sitter and go out to eat. A bottle of wine and some fancy non kid friendly food and we're good to go.
Great idea! Yeah they would have been perfect for me and hubby pre-kids. If they weren't still so involved to prepare I might try it again. They should start a more family friendly one - or maybe they already have it - with slightly more approachable meals for kids. These definitely seemed more aimed at semi adventurous foodies who wanted to cook more at home.2 -
Exciting to see all the assumptions that pop up. I used to live off readymeals because I was insecure of my own cooking skills, I had heard that singles don't cook, so I believed that as a single person I was doomed to eat an unbalanced and boring diet. What I "knew" about nutrition was that healthy=tasteless. I would have been a potential customer for these kinds of services, if I had more money. I don't think people who use them are lazy. I think they have been duped. I think making money from people who are insecure is wrong. I have shaken a lot of my own assumptions, and now I eat restaurant type meals three times a day, healthy and varied, and I don't have a hundred different spices and I don't spend all my time in the kitchen or dragging tons of produce home just to throw out half of it. I like meal planning and grocery shopping and cooking because it's fun, and it's fun because I get to decide for myself what I'm going to make. I don't get how letting someone else choose meals for you, but still have to cook it, can be something anyone would want to pay for.0
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kommodevaran wrote: »Exciting to see all the assumptions that pop up. I used to live off readymeals because I was insecure of my own cooking skills, I had heard that singles don't cook, so I believed that as a single person I was doomed to eat an unbalanced and boring diet. What I "knew" about nutrition was that healthy=tasteless. I would have been a potential customer for these kinds of services, if I had more money. I don't think people who use them are lazy. I think they have been duped. I think making money from people who are insecure is wrong. I have shaken a lot of my own assumptions, and now I eat restaurant type meals three times a day, healthy and varied, and I don't have a hundred different spices and I don't spend all my time in the kitchen or dragging tons of produce home just to throw out half of it. I like meal planning and grocery shopping and cooking because it's fun, and it's fun because I get to decide for myself what I'm going to make. I don't get how letting someone else choose meals for you, but still have to cook it, can be something anyone would want to pay for.
Wrong. Different strokes and all that. I knew what I was buying and why but that's just me.5 -
Yup, I'm not being duped by my service. I know exactly what I'm getting, and I'm prepared to pay the price that is charged for it. That's my choice. Why is that hard to understand?10
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My daughter, who is an excellent cook, likes to try the kits occasionally to shake it up a bit. As some have mentioned here, she gets to try something totally out of her norm without having to buy the spices and other ingredients separately.2
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Okay, I just disagree, and I don't like these concepts.1
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Maybe good for:
Busy parents/families
People on vacation who might have food sensitivities, don't want to worry about eating out, but also don't want to spend time shopping.
People who just want to learn how to cook without getting too overwhelmed.
Try something new.
Convenience - plain and simple.
People with disabilities that make it difficult to grocery shop.
People living in areas where access to healthy food is limited.
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Wow, the judgement is strong here. People will look for all sorts of ways to feel smarter, better, more hardworking than others!
I've used one or the other of these services off and on. I live alone, and it's really easy to get into a rut cooking for yourself. In addition to convenience, it was FUN. I would pick out foods I've never eaten before or would otherwise have no idea how to cook, a box full of yumminess would show up at my door, and I would eat like a queen for the next week. It was cheaper than going to a restaurant, but a bit more expensive than how I would usually eat, so when the budget got tight the meal service one or two weeks a month had to go. But I'll get it back once the wiggle room is back in my budget.
Sorry not sorry for being a lazy dummy I guess.18 -
Grad student here, with a partner who works 11 hour days. We just started using Chef's Plate 2-3 days a week.
Ordering in is faster and easier than groceries and cooking. Groceries and cooking are much healthier and cheaper than eating takeout. By the fact that we both gained 30 lbs in the last year? You can see the decision we ended up making most nights! Packaged meal services provide a nice balance: less time, more convenience, reasonably healthy, and somewhere in the middle in terms of cost.
I totally get the people who want to meal plan and shop and cook - I really do. My partner likes to, and so often makes large meals on the weekends that we can freeze and have on hand for the other nights of the week. But ... when you're a recovered (or recovering) disordered eater, and food still kind of triggers you? You want as little to do with it as possible. At least, that's been my experience. I can actually enjoy my food, because I haven't had to deal with the active psychological 'work' of being confronted by meal plans, grocery lists, buying food, unpacking food, etc. This isn't everyone's experience, certainly, but it has helped me TREMENDOUSLY.
We're both in very mentally taxing fields in our house - any service we can use to take some of the mental load off in our daily lives? We use it. Amazon's automatic re-ordering feature is a blessing.
We also don't drive - grocery trips are limited to what we can fit in our backpacks, or a small handcart, and get on public transit. If you can do that trip with chilled fresh meat and/or fresh produce and have everything come back in pristine condition? It's a complete miracle.
Everyone's got a different experience. I love them. Other people are free to hate them - just kindly don't hate me for my preferences? Thanks!4 -
I can't believe someone else would worry about something so trivial that doesn't affect them in anyway. Even further to come up with totally inaccurate ideas as to why using a service or something like this is childish. For the record, I've never used one of these services. It has never even crossed my mind to use one, so I'm not sure why it would cross anyone else's mind to go even further and judge others for doing so.
Why is this posted in food & nutrition & not in the "overly judgemental" or "none of my damn business" section of the forums?5 -
I put it down to different strokes. For the people that buy the kits there is a value for them that makes it worth it. That's great! If it makes their life easier or more exciting or knowledgeable with new techniques to try I say right on. We all deserve things in our life that lighten the load.
For me personally, cooking is my happy place. I LOVE creating new recipes and I have a spice drawer AND a spice cupboard lol. So these services aren't really my thing.
On the other hand, my husband just got a raise and the first thing I did was start stongarming him into getting our housekeeper back. Having someone else come in to clean once every 2 weeks makes a HUGE impact on my mental and emotional wellbeing. Some people consider it the height of self-indulgence. But I'm a very busy woman, and if someone else is dealing with the mess then I can focus my energy more on other jobs that need to get done. To me a housekeeper is like any other freelancer I hire for my career.3 -
I know a couple who uses those, and they use it for several reasons...
1) They're busy and work long hours and commute and then come home to take care of kids, etc...the food comes completely prepped so all the have to do is cook it up and the meals are pretty quick.
2) They weren't very much into cooking before and ate out most of the time for convenience...now they're cooking more and eating out less and eating fresher and less processed food.
3) It's teaching them how to cook...step by step instructions and it's helping with the basics.
4) Portions are set and reasonable...they're losing weight simply by eating these and eating out less because they're eating more reasonable portions of food.
5) They're getting to try new things and a wide variety of meals that they would have never done before...certainly more interesting than a bag of salad and some tuna.
They also don't have to spend their precious little free time out shopping...they'd rather go do something fun with the kids. They're also petty successful, so money really isn't an issue and they're willing to pay for convenience...not having to shop...not having to prep...not having to put gas in the car to go shopping, etc...7 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Exciting to see all the assumptions that pop up. I used to live off readymeals because I was insecure of my own cooking skills, I had heard that singles don't cook, so I believed that as a single person I was doomed to eat an unbalanced and boring diet. What I "knew" about nutrition was that healthy=tasteless. I would have been a potential customer for these kinds of services, if I had more money. I don't think people who use them are lazy. I think they have been duped. I think making money from people who are insecure is wrong. I have shaken a lot of my own assumptions, and now I eat restaurant type meals three times a day, healthy and varied, and I don't have a hundred different spices and I don't spend all my time in the kitchen or dragging tons of produce home just to throw out half of it. I like meal planning and grocery shopping and cooking because it's fun, and it's fun because I get to decide for myself what I'm going to make. I don't get how letting someone else choose meals for you, but still have to cook it, can be something anyone would want to pay for.
These are quite different than frozen ready meals. These meals are fresh and prepped and come with the seasonings you need, etc...you cook them...you don't just pop them in the microwave.0 -
I get the point...it's just, for me around that price point I'd rather just get some take-out and then I don't have to do anything except take it away.
Time is a factor in my house in regards to meals...I'd really like to start meal-prepping and grill 2-3 meals on Sunday but I'm not quite there yet time management-wise.
When you both work, and when you have active kids...there simply isn't an extra hour to cook a meal. If you haven't thought it out in advance then you're just probably going to be eating garbage...1
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