I'm a sucker for coupons. The irrational part of my brain screams, "It's a bargain! Get it! Use the coupon!" This is the same part of my brain that convinces me that having cookies for breakfast is a smart dietary choice. The more sensible part of my brain has been beaten into submission over the years and doesn't even bother to put up a fight anymore.
So when I got a coupon for a Hello Fresh meal kit, of course I ordered one, even though I knew it was probably a bit foolish. But, in my defense, I was curious what all the fuss is about. I also did a quick calculation and figured out that the cost of the meals (with the coupon, not at full price) was about what I'd spend on groceries, so it wasn't going to break the bank.
I picked three meals (two servings each) - Korean-style chicken thighs, chicken over tabbouleh, and chicken cheddar fajitas. Because I don't have an oven, I was limited to meals that could be cooked on the stove-top.
A few days later, my box arrived. Everything was well insulated with chill packs, but even so, in the heat we've been having, I'm not sure how long everything would have remained fresh if I hadn't picked it up right away.
The packing materials are recyclable, but we don't have recycling facilities at our marina, so I ended up having to chuck everything out. I felt bad about that.
It was kind of fun opening the box up. There was a paper bag for each meal, along with a recipe card. There were also a couple of Lindor truffles on top. They had melted in the heat. Still scrumptious though. {The boaters among you may notice something that doesn't quite belong in the picture - a joker valve. Ah, life on a boat. Fixing the toilet before dinner.}
Inside the bag, were lots of tiny packages and bottles. I love tiny things. Just look at those tiny fish-shaped containers of soy sauce! {This is when the sensible part of my brain started muttering about all of the packaging.}
I rummaged through each bag and pulled out the stuff that didn't need to be refrigerated. I imagine if you had a normal fridge, then you could just tuck each individual bag inside, keeping the meal ingredients neatly separated. My top-loading marine fridge doesn't have room for this sort of thing, so I just chucked everything into a communal bag and jammed it into an empty corner.
As for the meals themselves, they were fine. The recipes are straightforward and easy to make. But because I make variations of the three meals I had chosen all the time, it wasn't too exciting.
I can see the appeal of meal kits. When I was working crazy long hours, the thought of figuring out what to cook, going to the store, and then pulling it all together was overwhelming at times. Going out to eat, getting carry-out, or just having cookies for dinner was often the default. Something like this might be a solution for busy folks.
It might also be a good way to experiment with new-to-you ingredients. While none of the ones in my meal kit were new to me, I can see how it might be a good introduction for things like sriracha sauce or dukkah spice mix for some people.
Would I buy another meal kit again? Nope. The regular price without a coupon is way too expensive for what you get. Plus there's the whole issue of not being able to recycle the packaging materials where I am. But as far as experiments go, this was an interesting and tasty one.
What do you think about meal kits? Have you ever experimented with them?
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