Accidental Homesteader
…a funny thing happened on the way to the bar
Meal Kit Service
So we did a meal kit service because we got a coupon from a friend, and I think if we used it, they got a benefit of some sort.
A few things stand out. We are not their prime demographic. The food was okay. The packaging was ridiculous.
First, the demographic. This service is for people who are not good home cooks. It is not for innovative home cooks. There were some definite misses in terms of the directions. Last night I made a pork tenderloin with ginger rice and green beans. The instructions had you cook the pork, then clean the pan, then make the sauce. Not sure what they were thinking, since the fond makes the sauce better. The beans were to be cooked in the microwave. Seriously. Next, the image on the instructions showed the pristine white rice, with the pristine green beans next to the pork with the sauce. WTF? I cooked the beans in the sauce and added the rice so that it was just a jumble of yumminess. Meld the flavors.
The food was okay. *shrug* Yeah. I can make better stuff, I can make their stuff better. Options are kind of limited for gluten-free stuff. But I can supplement what they send with my own ingredients.
Which brings me to the third issue. The packaging. I know they have to package everything so it stays fresh, yadda yadda. And that this is for people who don’t want to do the shopping for all of the various things, but OMG packaging. The veggies are in a package, the glaze was in a jar, the sesame oil was in a small sleeve, as was the chicken stock concentrate. The balsamic vinegar was in a bottle like you get when you get booze on an airplane. The oil and vinegar went directly into the picnic supply kit, and we just used our own, because holy extra packaging batman.
And, since it is only three meals, you still have to go to the grocery store for 4 dinners, 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches. Unless you have breakfast and lunch out. So maybe a less expensive grocery store bill, but you still have to, you know, leave the house and deal with other people whether you’re getting bread and milk, or the entire contents of your fridge.
I think it’s probably good for some people. Those people are not us.
If you aren’t good at shopping for the week, it’s good. If you get coffee and breakfast on the way to work, and eat at the work cafeteria, it’s probably good. If you aren’t confident in your cooking it’s good (seriously, gentlemen, if you want to cook for your partner but haven’t learned to cook yet, this is a good starter).
But if you’re like me and have a freezer with half a lamb and 50 pounds of assorted cuts of other meat, an affinity for seasonal cooking, and the confidence to throw stuff together, maybe it isn’t for you. It’s more expensive and has more packaging.
That said, if anyone wants a discount to try it, I’ve got em.
Accidental Homesteader 