Reviewing Hello Fresh Meal Kit Service

Despite being a stay-at-home mom, I still have moments where the last place I want to be, is in the kitchen. Cooking about 4-5 days a week for 20 years can take its toll. A person runs out of energy, runs out of recipes and ideas, and most importantly, runs out of excitement.

Enter in all of the food delivery services that are out there today, including Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Home Chef (to name a few).  Since I received a great coupon from Hello Fresh for 50% off our first week of meals, I figured it was time to give meal delivery a try.

Why choose Hello Fresh versus other meal delivery services?

Hello Fresh has an easy website to use. Online, you’re able to see all of the various plans available including the Family Plan, the Classic Plan, and the Veggie Plan. You have the option of selecting 2, 3, or 4 meals a week and for 2 or 4 people. The website was pretty clear-cut about how much you receive and how much shipping will cost. You’re able to look online ahead of your delivery and select the meals that you want. With Hello Fresh, they have a couple of gourmet options which give you a pricier meal (like steak), as well as low-calorie, and 20 minute meals to choose from.

What bothered me about other companies is not all of them shared their menus before purchasing a plan. I liked being able to see the meals that Hello Fresh offered. By doing so, I was able to know for sure whether their meal plan would work for my family. No one wants to sign up for a meal service only to find out they don’t care for anything on the menu.

Another reason I chose Hello Fresh was because I had read online of some customer’s horror stories with cancelling other meal delivery services. Being that I simply wanted to try it and see if I would like it, I wanted a company with an easy cancellation policy. Hello Fresh definitely has that.

Pricing with Hello Fresh was simple and was especially affordable after the 50% off discount. They seemed to have everything I needed in a meal delivery service, which is why I selected them versus the other suppliers.

How Hello Fresh Works

Delivery of Hello Fresh was quite easy as it’s left outside your door in an insulated box. When you order your meals for the week, they all come at once, so be sure you’ll have room in your refrigerator. Each meal is packaged separately in bags and items like meat that need refrigeration will be at the bottom of the box next to an ice pack. Everything in the box is bagged in an insulated bubble wrap to keep your items cool. Instruction sheets are included, and I was even give a free sample of chocolate as my “extra somethin’.”

Hello Fresh sent a large sheet of instructions which included the extra ingredients and utensils necessary (from your home) as well as clear directions. The instructions were easy to follow and straight forward. There are a few items they require you to have but they’re in nearly every pantry – items like salt and pepper, olive oil, and butter.

Of the two meals we had (one with chicken for the family and one vegetarian meal for me), both of them were quite good. The ingredients were fresh, the produce was undamaged and clean, and the overall quality of ingredients was excellent. Everyone in my family gave a big thumbs up to Hello Fresh.

Would I use Hello Fresh again?

Yes, I would, but the reason I’d hesitate is because of their high prices. There is something to be said for the simplicity of cooking a meal from a box – it’s easy, it’s all pre-measured, and it requires minimal work from you. However, since I am someone who has the time to write a list, grocery shop, and do the meal’s prep work, it’s a bit too pricey for me to use on a regular basis. Shipping isn’t cheap either, but you do save more money on shipping if you’re receiving more food. All meal delivery kits are on the pricey side, however I found Hello Fresh to be in the low to mid range of prices for this service.

What I found quite interesting is the portion size that they send. We Americans have become so accustomed to huge portion sizes that we don’t realize we’re eating more than we need.  Cooking up the two person Hello Fresh meal and dividing it up to serve two people, shined a light on what our portions should be.

The Pros and Cons of Hello Fresh

Pros:

• An advantage for trying these meal delivery services is that they encourage you to cook with new ingredients and try new foods. For example, I hardly ever cook with sour cream since no one in my family likes it, but when slathered on top of chicken and topped with seasoned panko crumbs, my family approved, big time!
• Because Hello Fresh included the complete recipe, including the quantity of ingredients, I was able to re-create the chicken dish later in the month. Granted, I wouldn’t be able to add their special mix of spices that was included in the kit, but it was easy to find a pantry substitution.
• I also like how Hello Fresh posts their menus on the main pages of their website, before you even sign up with them. With some competitors’ websites, you can’t see the meal choices until you’ve signed up and paid. For families with picky eaters, that could push potential customers away.
• You can cancel your subscription anytime. Hello Fresh makes it’s easy to cancel and even easier to reactivate your subscription if you change your mind.
• There are plenty of vegetarian meals to choose from!

Cons:

• Being from a family of unadventurous eaters, using home meals kits can be difficult. Yes, you can skip weeks and there are many meals to choose from, but if you don’t like anything on their weekly menu, you may be forced to try something new, and that may not be as much fun for kids or picky adults.
• My main reason for not continuing Hello Fresh is because of the cost. Yes, if you are a family that eats out a lot, using a home delivery kit should save you money. However, since I cook most nights, using the kit is only a convenience for me, and it’s a convenience I’m not willing to spend so much on. $7-$9 per serving plus shipping costs isn’t a deal for me.

I did find it fun to try Hello Fresh for a couple of days as it was a nice break from the routine.  Despite not continuing the deliveries myself, I could see why busy people would enjoy it, as it makes cooking convenient and fun again. If you’re a busy parent looking to try a meal delivery service, I’d highly recommend Hello Fresh.

Please note, I was not compensated by Hello Fresh for this review. This is simply my honest review after trying it in my home.

What’s your favorite meal delivery service? Have you tried Hello Fresh? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Travels!

Julie