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Are Meal Kit Deliveries Worth It? Charty's Review Revealed!
- CJM
- Oct 12, 2024
- 6 min read
As a Boston girly who works later into the night, I have used meal delivery services to make dinner quicker and more convenient. Throughout the past few years, I have tried an array of them and figured I’d share my opinions on each one. Between Hello Fresh, Green Chef, Factor, etc. there are so many options, and each is great for different needs. I figured I would give everyone my two cents with which I've tried and the pros and cons in my humblest opinion.
Variety of Meals (2.5/5 stars)
Cost Effectiveness (4/5 stars)
Freshness (4/5 stars)
Quick/Easy (4/5 stars)
Hello Fresh was the first delivery service I ever used, and I was a customer for almost three years. I loved the convenience, freshness, and time it saved me when I got home from work. I found that each meal I got was able to be made in under 35 minutes and relatively easily- especially for someone who doesn’t cook a lot. You can choose 2/4/6 servings per week depending on your household. The meals arrive weekly on whatever day you choose in a box with ice packs where it can live for up to 9 hours. They have an app to choose meals, plan your service, and contact them for help. There’s a variety of different menu options, like salmon, cheeseburgers, salads with protein, soups and veggie tacos, just to name my favorites! I loved the array of options as well as the ability to customize.
We all know I don't do math, but generally the cost is about $9.99 a meal and varies with how many meals you receive a week. Monthly, I’d say the cost is around $110 to $140 per plan. If you compare it to what you're spending at the grocery store, it decreases what you're spending. I used to spend $200 at the store versus only about $65 now on top of this meal service.
There were only a few times I had issues with spoiled or missing ingredients and the customer service was so fast and helpful. They would immediately refund or offer a discount on my next box. HF made life so much easier, and it helped me learn a lot about cooking itself- even with the proportioned ingredients and step-by-step instructions. After using it for a while, my personal health goals changed. I found that Hello Fresh’s meals had a lot of sodium and excessive calories on in some generally healthy dishes. They don’t have a ton of healthier options tailored to weight loss, vegetarian options, vegan, etc. This made me feel like I couldn’t control my nutrients with their pre-prepped meals, so I took a break. However, I absolutely recommend it to anyone living alone, wanting to gain cooking experience, or make life a little easier after work or school. I would’ve loved it in college.
Variety of Meal Options: 4/5 stars
Cost Effectiveness: 2/5 stars
Freshness: 3.5/5 stars
Quick/Easy (5/5 stars)
Flash forwards a few years, and my schedule and routine has changed again, so I wanted a new option. I heard great things about Factor’s prepared dinners and that all you have to do is pop them in the oven. I got a 50% off discount code and started my journey. (REDDIT50 to save !!!) Something that also made me want to try Factor was the endless options for meals. You can choose between keto-friendly, calorie friendly, low sodium, vegetarian, etc. Factor allows you to really choose meals that are tailored to your lifestyle or fitness goals. You can choose anywhere between 2 -12 meals a week and they come in box with ice packs, like Hello Fresh. The boxes are well packaged and designed to be kept cold up to 9 hours. Again, there is an app to manage your account and pick meals.
For my first box I chose a chicken and mashed potato side dish, a chicken taco bowl, and a shrimp pasta meal. The food comes in containers that can be heated in the microwave or oven, and only need to cook for about 7 minutes. It’s easy, reliable, and saves so much time. I’ll start by saying that the meals taste fresh and are good quality. They are portioned out appropriately and taste nourishing as well. My second and third box had meals like barbeque chicken and green beans, a pasta and meat sauce dish, and a rice bowl. There are also add-ons to meals including smoothies, snacks, desserts, etc.
I liked Factor for the month I tried it. I got 3 meals a week and it was an awesome option. It’s perfect for anyone focusing on portion control or trying to save time. But after a week or so of doing it, I actually missed cooking. I felt lazy just throwing meals into an oven and eating them. On nights I got home earlier and didn’t have much going on, it felt like I maybe saved too much time. On a more personal note, sometimes if the meals tasted a little off or not like how I’d make it, I would quickly get the ick. This happened more than I care to admit just because I wasn’t physically cooking the food myself. If this sounds like you, I would avoid Factor. I also missed having leftovers to take to work or eat the next day.
Factor can be expensive for some folks if you’re comparing to other services. Factor’s delivery depends on the number of meals you order per week, like other services. Prices per meal range from $10.49 to $13.49, so the monthly cost can vary from $188.82 to $323.76, plus the cost of $10.99 per delivery. All these costs added up can become expensive over time. But, if you’re someone who wants a quick, easy, tasty option then Factor is definitely for you.
Variety of Meal Options (4.5/5 stars)
Cost Effectiveness (3/5 stars)
Freshness (3.5/5 stars)
Quick/Easy (3/5 stars)
I recently started Green Chef because of missing the act of cooking. I heard great things about it from one of my friends, and she suggested I try it. Upon my first glance, Green Chef had healthier and more fitness goal driven meal options. These options range from gluten free, calorie smart, keto-friendly, etc. They have vegetarian options, weight loss options, and just more of an array of meal choices. I started by picking 3 meals a week as an option, with specifically low-sodium and low-carb meals (my sweet ass can't get firm from carbs!) The delivery service is similar to others with the box of well-packaged meals and ice packs keeping them fresh for hours on end. It arrives on a day of the week of your choosing and stays fresh for up to a week in the fridge.
For my first box, I received a chicken and rice dish, shrimp tacos, and a sun-dried tomato chicken dish. The meals are often easy to make and can be ready in under 35 minutes. My next box had a gyro chicken salad, bulgur and chicken bowl, and another salad. The ingredients were fresh and came with easy-to-follow instructions. I feel that the nutritional content of Green Chef’s meals vs Hello Fresh’s is more tailored to what I’m looking for (ie: less calories, less sodium, etc.)
I’ve only had one issue so far with spoiled ingredients in my Green Chef box, but otherwise they’ve all been fresh. And the customer service was very helpful and immediately refunded me and discounted my box. I’m enjoying not having to worry about what I’m making for dinner, the protein I get from meals, and the feeling of a plan in place. You know I love a good plan and routine! There are leftovers for lunch the next day, and I’m able to save money overall on groceries from their service. They also have a user-friendly app for choosing meals and managing your subscription.
Again, the cost varies by how many meals you receive a week. It’s about $12.99 a meal, plus delivery costs. So, a bit pricier than Hello Fresh, but in my opinion, there are many more options. I think Green Chef is one of the best prepped meal services you can get. There are many others, and of course many are very similar. I think for me, trying a few different ones out and seeing what works for my goals and lifestyle was the best way to narrow it down. Figure out what works for you!
Happy Eating,
Charty
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