It’s taken well over a decade for meal delivery services to latch on and become mainstream in American culture. However, it appears that we’ve finally reached a point where they’re considered both practical and cost-effective. Now the question is, which one do you choose?
The Benefits of a Meal Delivery Service
Let’s begin by emphasizing some of the key benefits of using these services:
· Convenient. If you’re a busy person with a busy work schedule and a very limited amount of free time, a meal delivery service gives you access to healthy meals when you need them without having to shop, drive to a restaurant, or surf the web for the perfect take-out option.
· Saves time. Cooking a meal from scratch takes time. You have to find a recipe, buy the ingredients, and prepare everything. With a meal delivery service, everything you need comes in a box. The recipe is broken down into a few simple steps. Ingredients are perfectly measured and portioned. You just put it together.
· Healthy. If you have trouble finding healthy eating options, a meal delivery service is perfect. It gives you access to nutritious meals that also happen to be very tasty.
· Enjoyable. When all of your ingredients are pre-proportioned and the recipe instructions are clear, you’re actually free to enjoy the process of cooking. Turn on some music, pour a glass of wine, and have fun!
How to Choose the Right Meal Delivery Service
Home Chef, HelloFresh, Sun Basket, Plated, EveryPlate, Green Chef – the list goes on and on. With so many different variables in play, how can you possibly choose the right one? It’s a valid question, but the answer is pretty simple.
1. Meal Selection
The most important element of any meal delivery service is meal selection. If you don’t like the meals – or if they don’t work for your diet – then nothing else matters.
According to Top10.com, “Most meal kit delivery services allow you to pick your meals from a selected group of recipes that changes each week. Make sure that the variety of meals is to your liking, and in particular if you have any dietary issues – such as a gluten sensitivity or if you’re a vegetarian – you’ll want to make sure that the company can provide enough options for it to be worth your time – and money.”
2. Reviews
Every company will have a glowing website that touts all of the wonderful reasons you should try their meal delivery service. Make sure you cut through the marketing jargon and advertisements by reading real reviews from actual customers. This will paint a more accurate picture of what you can expect.
3. Preparation
Most people use a meal delivery service as a way to make cooking easier, faster, and more convenient. Thus, in order to be satisfied with your meal delivery service, it needs to fit these criteria.
Evaluate a meal delivery service based on how easy it is to prepare the meals. Some services require 45 minutes of preparation, while others come fully-prepared and only need to be placed in the oven for a few minutes. Some boxes come with everything you need – including salt, pepper, spices, dressings, etc. – while others anticipate that you’ll have basic ingredients already on hand. If these details are important to you, make sure you take them into account.
4. Price
While most people start with price, we’ve purposefully saved this for last. Price matters but wait to compare cost until you’ve evaluated everything else. Otherwise, you may end up with a cheap service that’s unreliable, low-quality, and less tasty than the competition.
Take Advantage of Trial Offers
Fortunately, you don’t have to lock yourself into some long contract with a meal delivery service. Almost all of the major providers offer cheap introductory offers that allow you to try out a week or two of meals at a discounted price before signing up for a month-to-month service (which you can opt out of at any time).
Spend a few months trying the different services to see which ones you like the best. This is the best way to find what works for you and your family.
For even more information on how to choose the best delivery food service check out upmenu.com
Nicola Holder 