Cooking from scratch has become something of a lost art. Are we putting homemade food on the back burner?
With the variety of ready-made food at grocery stores, it's too easy to just "pick something up." Whether that means stopping by the supermarket sushi bar or rotating a rotisserie chicken into the meal line-up, you can basically grab dinner on-demand and never have to turn on the oven.
But there's some middle ground.
Those who are starved for time, but hungry for something fresh, are turning to meal kit delivery services. The food comes to your doorstep in a refrigerated box. The Smart Shopper Team picked a handful of these services to test out and some of the companies even sent us special coupon codes for abc15.com readers to try out their services at a discounted price. These are subscription services, so in order to not be charged the full price, you have to cancel your subscription within the timeframe required by each company.
HelloFresh is a Smart Shopper pick. It is offering the best introductory offer to try it out. The recipes are simple and the instructions are easy to follow. Each meal is packaged separately. Some of the the packaging is reusable, so you get some plastic containers to keep. Plus, the company is generous with free vouchers, our box had three to be given to friends or family to try out the service for free. There weren't many options, however, for vegetarians to choose from.
Three recipes to feed two people
- Normal cost: $59.94
- Best price we could find: $19.94 with coupon code E4NPA8U8 (unknown expiration)
- Special Smart Shopper price: $24.94 with coupon code KNXTV35 (expires Jan. 2018)
Gobble is for the busy family. The recipes are quick, the website claims it takes an average of 10 minutes from kit to table. The box we received had a "thank you treat", which was two raw cookie dough balls.
Three recipes to feed two people
- Normal cost $71.70
- Special Smart Shopper introductory price: $21.70 by following this link for $50 off.
Green Chef touts its use of organic ingredients. It has paleo, gluten-free and vegan options. There was less prep work required compared to some of the other services. The meals take about 30 minutes, but look and taste like you are eating at a gourmet restaurant.
Three recipes to feed two people
- Normal cost: $71.94
- Best introductory price we could find: $26.98 on the website which is four meals for free. (May changed based on location.)
Blue Apron is one of the more familiar meal kit companies. It also comes with easy-to-follow instructions. The portions are large, so it's typical to get three meals out of the two meal recipe. The ingredients don't come as organized as some of the other services, but nonetheless the food is impressive.
Three recipes to feed two people
- Normal cost $59.94
- Special Smart Shopper introductory price: $29.94 by following this link for $30 off. (Expires July 1, 2017)
Sun Basket is another Smart Shopper favorite. It isn't the most cost-effective, but it offers a variety of choices. It also offers organic ingredients and caters to the health-conscious crowd with paleo, gluten-free and other options.
Three recipes to feed two people
- Normal cost $74.93
- Best introductory price we could find: $38.94 by following this link for $30 off.
Terra's Kitchen sends its meals in a climate-controlled vessel and arranges for a delivery person to pick it up the next day. The meals are organized into different trays and there's less waste than some of the other services. The food takes around 30 minutes to prepare. The portion sizes weren't as large as some of the other services, so don't count on leftovers.
Three recipes to feed two people
- Normal cost: $81.94
- Best introductory price we could find: $40.97 with coupon code TKOFF50 for 50 percent off.
