Until recently, I didn\u2019t understand the point of meal kits. The services I\u2019d tried leaned on the same tired recipes of sloppy joes, bland chicken breast, and boring pasta. After trying HelloFresh<\/a>, I can finally say I get it.<\/p>\n Of all the meal kits<\/a> I\u2019ve tried, HelloFresh stands out for one reason: Its menu reads more like a restaurant\u2019s than a meal kit service\u2019s. You\u2019ll find dishes like za\u2019atar-crusted Halloumi cheese, moo shu pork bowls, and Peruvian chili-soy steak stir-fry, with over 100 rotating options and more customization than any other service I\u2019ve tried.<\/p>\n Whether you rarely set foot in the kitchen or cook elaborate meals on weekends, HelloFresh takes the stress out of the most tedious parts of cooking. Figuring out what to make, tracking down the right ingredients, and avoiding the inevitable half-used bunch of cilantro rotting in your crisper drawer are all someone else\u2019s problem now.<\/p>\n I spent a week cooking with HelloFresh for my husband and me. Here\u2019s what won me over, and what didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \n Ordering meals from HelloFresh was easy. You\u2019ll start by selecting your serving size (up to six people), how many meals you want per week, and a dietary plan: Meat and Veggies, Veggies, Family-Friendly, Fit and Wholesome, Under 20 Minutes, or Pescatarian. I opted for the two-person serving size and the three-meal-per-week plan for my husband and me. Prices start at $57 for two meals for two people per week.<\/p>\n From there, you\u2019ll choose your meals from HelloFresh\u2019s extensive menu<\/a>. There are over 100 delicious-sounding rotating options, from coconut shrimp and cabbage curry to bavette steak with creamy truffle polenta, all filtered by your dietary preferences. Nutrition- and prep-related callouts like Fiber Smart, Easy Prep and Clean, and Vegan are marked under each meal to speed up your selection process, and you can browse up to five weeks of menus in advance since options rotate weekly. Each listing also includes ingredient amounts, cook time, nutritional info, allergens, and the full recipe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Your box arrives between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on your chosen delivery date, packed with premeasured produce, raw meat or seafood (if applicable), and small amounts of herbs, spices, and condiments, plus the recipes for each meal. Heads up: If you aren\u2019t home when it arrives, don\u2019t sweat it. The contents are packed with insulation and several (seriously heavy) ice packs to avoid any food safety issues. There\u2019s no long-term commitment either: Skip a week, pause, or cancel anytime.<\/p>\n \n Because I wanted to sample a range of HelloFresh\u2019s meal options (e.g., a seafood and a meat-based dish, each of varying amounts of prep time required), I added the sweet and spicy shrimp lo mein, and chicken and spinach couscous salad.<\/p>\n As a gal who fancies brand transparency and flexibility around meals, I was into HelloFresh\u2019s lengthy list of customizable menu options, as well as the in-depth information the service provides about each recipe\u2019s ingredients, flavor, process, and nutrition. This made ordering a stress-free (enjoyable, even) process\u2014in a matter of minutes, my meal planning and food shopping for the following week was signed, sealed, and nearly delivered. Bonus points for not needing to painstakingly pore over packaged food labels at the grocery store (Is this salmon farm-raised or wild-caught? Are these oats safe for my gluten-free friend?<\/em>).<\/p>\n It was equally pleasing to see that HelloFresh sources its recipes from a wide range of cultural cuisines. Rather than the sloppy joes, meatloaf, and underseasoned skinless, boneless chicken breasts I\u2019m used to seeing with this type of service, HelloFresh\u2019s menu offers banh mi, za\u2019atar-crusted Halloumi cheese, stromboli, and enchiladas verdes (to name a few).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Flavor-wise, I was sold after a single bite of the sweet and spicy shrimp lo mein. The dish\u2014which took me about 45 minutes from start to finish\u2014tasted vibrant and saucy, and it hit the ideal balance of heat, sweet, and sour. The preparation was about as basic as it gets too: Cook noodles, sear shrimp and veggies, stir in sauces and seasonings, then garnish. It was clear that the recipe itself had been developed and tested by professionals, because it actually worked (a relative rarity!). And in terms of quality, I was relieved to see that the shrimp was still ice-cold when I pulled it out of the HelloFresh packaging and that the green beans and bok choy looked lively.<\/p>\n Similarly, the chicken and spinach couscous salad was just the thing for a sweltering July weeknight dinner when switching on the oven felt like a death sentence. It took just shy of 40 minutes to toss together, and thanks to the inclusion of a garlicky mayo-based dressing, toasted walnuts, and a generous portion of HelloFresh\u2019s signature Fry Seasoning, the otherwise simple seared chicken and spinach salad was rich in both flavor and textural nuance.<\/p>\n \n While HelloFresh certainly took the guesswork out of making a delicious midweek meal and saved me hours in the shop-and-prep department, the cooking process was slightly less predictable. According to HelloFresh\u2019s recipe, the chicken and spinach couscous requires roughly five minutes of hands-on time and no more than 30 minutes total. Not so, in my experience: It took me over 35 minutes to prep the dish. After testing a few other HelloFresh recipes with similar discrepancies, I\u2019d recommend tacking on around 15 minutes to the predicted cook time, regardless of what you\u2019re serving.<\/p>\n And while the single-serve packets of seasoning and sauce are smart when it comes to reducing food and packaging waste, opening packet after packet mid-sear or saut\u00e9, when your hands aren\u2019t exactly available to pry open anything slippery, was, honestly, agonizing. Similarly, the cleanup that came after felt relatively extensive for such a simple meal. None of the dishes I tested were one-pot or one-pan, so if that\u2019s the case for you too, budget some extra time for scrubbing.<\/p>\n \n HelloFresh is best suited to beginner and intermediate cooks looking to up their skill set and creativity in the kitchen while adding new flavors, cooking methods, and recipes to their arsenal (without having to grocery shop or take a cooking class).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s also a smart service for those who prefer to outsource the process of portioning their meals, as HelloFresh\u2019s recipes are composed of preportioned ingredients. And compared to many other meal kit services on the market, HelloFresh offers lots of customization options and a lengthy recipe list\u2014so whether you follow a restrictive diet or have strong preferences (and\/or aversions) to certain ingredients, you\u2019ll still find delicious menu options that fit within your palate\u2019s preference.<\/p>\n \n What kind of meal kit delivery service is HelloFresh?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n HelloFresh is a service that ships premeasured and prepped ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes directly to your doorstep on a weekly basis\u2014the grocery shopping, meal planning, and ingredient measurements have been done for you. Unlike a number of other meal kit services, HelloFresh allows you to select the exact recipes you\u2019ll receive from over a hundred options, easily accommodating the dietary restrictions, allergies, time constraints, and food preferences you designate. The service used to offer a limited number of ready-to-eat meals but no longer does.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What\u2019s new at HelloFresh\u2014why should I subscribe now?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Aside from the fact that back-to-school season (RIP free time) is rapidly approaching, now\u2019s the ideal time to test out HelloFresh because the brand is launching a completely \u201cReFreshed\u201d menu on August 4. The launch is substantial and was largely inspired by customer feedback: You can expect higher-quality meal options, a longer menu with more global flavors, bigger portion sizes, and greater nutritional value per serving (think more protein, better veggies).<\/p>\n \u201cThis menu evolution is designed to bring more enjoyment and excitement to home cooking by making it easier than ever to cook delicious meals any day of the week\u2014and it\u2019s just the beginning,\u201d says Assaf Ronen, the president of HelloFresh Group. \u201cWith more than double the amount of new recipes launching each week, including restaurant-quality ingredients and bold global flavors, our pace of innovation is only accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n Greater convenience offerings are coming to HelloFresh too: Each weekly menu will now include over 25 new meal options filed under Quick and Easy, and the brand is increasingly focused on providing customers with opportunities to customize and curate dishes, like swapping sides and protein options or adding appetizers and desserts to their menu.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What sustainability efforts are being made by the team at HelloFresh?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s clear that the company takes its carbon footprint seriously; HelloFresh has reduced its carbon emissions at its production facilities by 63% since 2019<\/a>. How? HelloFresh now sources all energy from renewables, utilizes solar arrays and LEDs, minimizes required food miles (due to having a shorter supply chain), and donates what would otherwise be wasted food to nonprofit organizations. Additionally, using preportioned ingredients has been shown to reduce total meal waste<\/a> in comparison to traditionally cooked dinners by roughly 38%. Finally, HelloFresh notes that 90%<\/a> of its packaging is curbside recyclable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n![\"recipes](\"https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/68c1e6095f01fea1228bd294\/3:4\/w_748%2Cc_limit\/hello%2520fresh%2520%2520meal%2520kit%2520box.jpg\" "\\"recipes\\"")
<\/picture><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nRecipes Watch us put HelloFresh\u2019s cook times to the test<\/h2>\n
Recipes The HelloFresh ordering experience<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Recipes What I loved about HelloFresh<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Recipes What I didn\u2019t like<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Recipes The bottom line<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Recipes FAQ<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Recipes Read more meal kit stories on Bon App\u00e9tit<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n