Say hello to gourmet meals with a practical price tag 

By: Kalindi Mishra

A box containing various food products. Credit: foodbusinessnews.net

With the offerings of brands like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, flavorful and nutritious cooking is literally “one click away”. Keep on and cook on!

It may be time to subscribe to a meal-kit subscription if you are looking to avoid the long wait times during grocery delivery. Most New York City residents are still adjusting to this frequent dysfunction that is now the norm associated with grocery shopping. 

Gone are the days when each day(including weekends) had multiple delivery slots! 

But let’s look at the many pros of meal-kit subscriptions: each box contains step-by-step cooking instructions for recipes(you have the option of selecting from a wide array of cuisines). 

Kits arrive at your doorstep with every required ingredient in the appropriate quantity. However, recipe availability and delivery times may differ from what used to be offered in normal times, but there is more predictability compared to grocery store ordeals. Two of the most popular meal prep subscription kits are Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. 

Blue Apron was founded in 2012, and partners with farmers to provide responsibly sourced non-GMO ingredients. Meals range from the multiplex Mediterranean to simple one-pan quick entrees.

What distinguishes Blue Apron from its competitors? They offer specific dietary choices such as Weight Watchers-approved, diabetes-friendly, vegan and vegetarian options. Additionally, a wine service as well as a market where culinary accessories like knives, spices, and Blue Apron cookbooks can be purchased. 

For their introductory offer, Blue Apron offers the first five boxes (3 recipes for 2 people) for $39.95.The normal price for this specific offer is $ 59.94 per week/or $ 9.99 per serving with free shipping.

Blue Apron has been praised as the  “best all-around meal kit” by Forbes. 

Overall, a great choice for someone looking for a wide assortment of options made with responsibly sourced produce items!

On the other hand, Hello Fresh was established in 2011 and is among the most reputed meal kit providers in the US.

Every recipe is specially chef-created and tested 45 times to guarantee “deliciousness and simplicity”.

As for the quality of ingredients, it is repeatedly stated on the website that the vast majority is directly sourced from farms. 

Distinct labels categorize meals as “calorie smart”, “ quick”, “kid-approved”, and “easy” to align with individual diet and cooking expertise. 

Furthermore, the more exclusive “Gourmet Plus” label for premium recipes adds an extravagant flair to dinners. 

Hello Fresh’s Introductory offer for new customers deducts $90 off the first four boxes plus free shipping on the first shipment. 

Otherwise, the normal price is $ 33.94 per week/ or $ 8.99 per serving plus $7.99 shipping.

Besides affordability, meal prep subscriptions also offer perfect portion sizes for each plate, equating to less food waste. Maintaining perfect portion sizes in each serving can be challenging when cooking at home. 

Often, eyeballing quantities seems much more appealing than retrieving a measuring cup! 

Luckily, meal kits come with pre-measured and evenly portioned ingredients for each meal. Once a dish has been made, consumers can enjoy the finished product knowing all of its nutritional information, particularly the calorie count. 

Another advantage is less food waste! Recipes are accompanied by precise quantities of each necessary constituent. 

As we know, healthy cooking is never an easy task, especially in the middle of a pandemic with numerous tasks and responsibilities to be fulfilled daily. Though many have the ambition to prepare dishes from scratch, the convenience of reaching into the freezer is far more soothing during hunger pangs. 

With a meal-kit delivery service comes the opportunity to indulge in a wide array of carefully curated meals that are low-calorie, low-carb, low-sodium, and if the preference is expressed, can be further adjusted into a Paleo or gluten-free preparation. 

Rest assured knowing that high-caliber chefs and nutritionists are working persistently to deliver an exceptional culinary experience.