Here at the Meal Kit Review, we love meal kits! However, not everyone is as swayed as we are.
In This article, we wanted to dive into the pros and cons of meal kit delivery services and what the general public thinks of them. Hopefully, this list will offer insight if you’re on the fence and decide what’s best for you and/or your family.
Here are the pros and cons of meal kit delivery!
What Are Meal Kits?
You might have heard this term before, but for those unfamiliar, a meal kit service a food service business model where a company sends customers pre-portioned and sometimes partially-prepped ingredients to cook chef-designed meals.
These services offer diverse recipes selection that changes every week, and it’s all made to make your life easier.
It’s a perfect service for those who are time famished, wish for more variety in their foods, or just don’t want to spend long hours in the kitchen.
Pros for Meal Kit Delivery Service
We gathered a list of the biggest selling points of using meal delivery kits, and here it is:
They Have it All
Everything you need to cook the meals comes in the kit, safe and cooled with cooling packs, directly to your doorstep. From spices and seasonings to the veggies and fresh proteins – all pre-measured, cleaned, labeled, and sometimes even prepped. It doesn’t get more straightforward and more convenient than that!
Learn to Cook
Maybe you’ve had it on your New Years Resolutions for a while, but perhaps now is the time. There’s not a better way to ease into cooking than using meal kit delivery services. These services make sure to simplify the recipes for all cooking skill sets and make you feel confident in your own kitchen. It’s an easy way to take a stab at cooking or to try out new cooking techniques.
Portion Control
If you’re trying to gain or maintain weight, using meal kits is a fantastic way to have portion control in your meals. With meal delivery services, you get all the ingredients to cook your chosen recipes pre-portioned and ready to go!
Less Food Waste
Since all ingredients are portion-controlled, you will be more eco-friendly by not needing to throw groceries you bought from the grocery shop and forgot to use, adding more food waste to the planet.
You Can Explore New Diets
Meal delivery services are a great way to test out new recipes or new diets. For companies with mixed options, you can switch it up and find a suitable solution for your needs. It’s a great way to start healthy eating habits.
Endless Dietary Options
You don’t have to worry about finding options to suit your diet. Usually, meal kit companies have different meal options for different audiences. Some might be for paleo, vegetarian, vegan, Gluten-free friendly, low-calorie, etc.
You can easily find amazing recipes that registered dietitians approve, offer balanced nutrition, and are suitable for your diet. You have lots of options to choose from that will keep you on track to eating healthier. You don’t always have to eat the same thing.
Meal kits can help you with meal planning and filtering ingredients according to your dietary needs, so you can know you’re still getting all the needed nutrients and proteins. You also won’t have to worry about forgetting that onion, spinach leaves, or cream cheese at the grocery store.
Fewer Grocery Runs
Going to the grocery store is a hassle, a pain, and often crowded! Especially when you run a busy schedule. By using a meal delivery service, you are sure to save time on grocery store trips. All you need to create a perfect meal will be delivered to your door.
No More Heavy Prep
If you hate prep – meal services are your perfect solution. No more chopping, dicing, slicing, and all in between. Some meal kits require prep, but many don’t, so if that’s important to you – we highly recommend you look into it.
Cons of Meal Delivery Services
While we LOVE those services, some critiques and issues are revolving around them. Here’s what we found to be the most common issues:
It Can Get Costly
Usually, the cost of meal kit services is the most significant reason people opt-out or do not try them altogether.
Meal kits can run from about $9 to $15 per person and can add up quickly, depending on your family size and the rest of your food budget, cost comparison, and eating out (or take out) budget.
Know that if you want to save money, or that budget is a big issue for you, there are still few meal delivery options for you to try – and our best recommendation is Dinnerly, with meals that start at less than $5 per serving!
Potential to Spoil
The foods you get every week in the box aren’t able to last longer than 5-6 days, and especially without proper cooling. If your job is wildly unpredictable, or if you live alone and don’t need the extra food, meal kits might not be your best option for eating at home.
Smaller Portions
This can be a pro and a con. The meal size is one-size-fits-all. It may be enough for some people, but portions may look too small for others who like to eat big portions for dinner.
Added Time?
Sure, you get to skip list-making and grocery shopping. But choosing a meal plan every week and possibly STILL going to the store and buying food items might be more time-consuming than desired and less convenient than expected. It might also put a strain on the time frame with the meal prep and cooking time.
It is important to note that most services acknowledge this issue and make sure to offer few weekly meal options that are super fast to cook or even oven-ready! Check out Sunbasketquicky meals or Home Chef’s Fresh & Ready meal plan.
Cooking is Still Involved
You still have to cook most of these recipe options. Some companies, like SunBasket and Home Chef, offer oven-ready heat-up options.
If you don’t like to cook, it might be better to consider takeout or premade meal services. It’s roughly the same or comparable cost, but you just click, order, and wait for delivery.
Not Always Environmentally Friendly
Meal delivery kits can sometimes feel like they have excess packaging. Most of these companies are trying to be efficient about food quality and cost, to the point that eco-friendly packaging is simply out of the budget.
Though these meal delivery services get a bad reputation for excessive packaging, recent researchers from the University of Michigan – that is not funded – founded that meal kit delivery services have a much lower overall carbon footprint than the local grocery store equivalent!
Best Meal Kit Delivery Service to Try
There are LOTS of options out there, which makes the cons list less of an issue. Each meal kit delivery service offers a unique concept to be appealing to different types of customers.
When you have so many options, it can be easy to get lost. That is where we at the meal kit review can help! Here is our list of top services:
Here are Our Top Favorites Meal Delivery kits:
- SunBasket – Best to help you eat healthier, with organic ingredients and many diet options.
- Blue Apron – Best for restaurant-quality meals.
- Dinnerly – Best affordable meal delivery service.
- Home Chef – Best for easy cooking.
- Martha & Marley Spoon – Best for Martha Stewart dinner recipes.
- HelloFresh – Best for classic dinners with a twist – family and kids-friendly.
These are only a few, but you can find more options on our website or by doing a little research on your own.
Our Thoughts?
After considering all aspects, we still Love Meal kits!
Perfect if you aren’t an experienced chef that still likes to enjoy home-cooked meals. You don’t have to be skilled in the kitchen, and most meals are really very easy and fun to cook. Meal kits can help a lot with meal planning, time-saving, and diverting your weeknight menu.
There are dozens of meal kit delivery options and most offer a discount for their trial to give it a spin and see what you like. It makes it easier to choose.
