Home Delivery Meals, Yay or Nay?

By Danielle Moore

As a dietetic student and intern I get asked certain questions all the time, but the one I struggle with most is: “You must love to cook, right?”  The very short answer to that question is: “Absolutely not!”.  The long answer is: “Dear God, please, I will do anything to not have to cook tonight, including the risk of starvation.”.  When this question is asked of anyone within the dietetics community, it is readily assumed that the answer will be an emphatic: "Why yes, I love to cook.", so when my reply doesn’t fit their expectations, I’m met with a confused tilt of the head.  

Ladies and gentlemen, just because I am a "food professional" and have an in-depth knowledge of food and its inherent health benefits and consequences, does not mean that I want to cook a meal, whether it be for you, me or anyone!  This is my daily struggle, how do I find the time, energy and interest in cooking for myself?  I know that I need to eat healthy and to not fall into the fast food trap, even though I looooove the convenience and taste of it. When I got into this profession, I promised myself I wouldn't become one of those hypocrites that professed one thing to others, while following my own different path. What to Do? What to Do? So, after much internal angst, I decided to explore some of the home delivery meal service options, such as; Blue Apron, Home Chef, HelloFresh, Plated, Sun Basket, and Gobble, to see if that will help with my daily struggle.

            Most home delivery services offer free or heavily discounted trial sessions to potential new, recurring customers.  Though I was initially tempted to try each one over a period of time due to my meager finances, I narrowed it down to three because of time constraints. During the course of my explorations, I discovered that there are some advantages and disadvantages to these home delivery meal service options. I have listed the Pros and Cons for the services, as I see them and given my verdict and the end; however, it is up to each individual to determine if these services are something that they may desire.

PROS:

·         Perfectly Portioned Portions:  When you order, you have the option of ordering portions for 2 to 6 people.

·         Easy Recyclable Packaging:  Pretty self-explanatory, no hydrocarbons here. 

·         Nutrition Labels for Each Recipe:  Each recipe comes with a recipe card and a nutrition label, which makes it easy and convenient for those individuals looking to monitor their diets.            

·         Vegetarian Options:  As a true omnivore I enjoy my meat dishes as well as my vegetarian dishes so I was pleasantly surprised with the amount and variety of vegetarian and vegan options available.

·         Vegetables:  A great variety of vegetables and ways to prepare them. 

·         Recipes:  These services provide many new recipes that people can add to their own personal cookbook. 

·         Variety:  These systems make it easy to try different foods and recipes that you may not otherwise have had the time, inclination or have thought to try.

CONS:

·         Directions:  At times the directions may be a little vague for unseasoned cooks.  Having taught enough cooking lessons; as well as having worked with inexperienced cooks, some instructions may not be so obvious to those less experienced.  As an example, “Drizzle a small amount”, was a common instruction, and I can see where a small amount to one person, could be a whole lot to someone else.  This simple term could have the adverse effect of altering the final nutrition labels that accompanies the recipe.

·         Limited Recipe Options:  Recipe options for any given week may be limited and if a person doesn’t have the experience or imagination to alter the given recipe, they may well be stuck with what was sent. 

·         Excessive Salt:  Many of the recipes call for added salt due to the comment: “salt and pepper to taste”.  I omitted the salt from most of the recipes and felt they were better off without the excess sodium.  Additionally, adding salt to an existing recipe could again skew the nutritional labels.

·         Delivery:  The kits are delivered and left outside ones’ house or apartment; depending on the weather, this could mean that the kits are left out in the elements for hours before being taken inside and put in the fridge. Additionally, the threat of theft is always a possibility.

·         Lack of Single Serving Options: There were not many options for just one person, most of the home delivery systems were for 2 or more people.

·         Waste:   There is a tendency to create an excessive amount of waste through poor packaging of the food.

The Verdict

The home delivery meal systems are a fantastic way for a busy person to make a home cooked meal in a reasonable amount of time.  With much of the prep work done, these recipes are basically ready, you just need to put all the ingredients together.  It takes the guess work out of cooking and saves you the ever-dreaded trip to the grocery store.  Living alone, I got the two-person meal kits and was able to take the second serving as lunch the next day, saving me much needed time in the morning. That is not to say that the systems are without fault.  Once the reduced priced trials are over, these systems can get pricey, with prices ranging from $65 to well over $100 a week.  You are definitely paying for the convenience. Overall, for the working adult who has little time for menu planning, grocery shopping, and daily cooking these home delivery systems are great, and with a little searching, finding one that fits your budget isn’t too hard.