Last week, I wrote about two websites, BlueApron.com and HelloFresh.com, that deliver ready-to-cook meals to your doorstep. Curious as I am, I ordered from both of them to see what they’re like. There’s also one other such service called Plated, which I used just the other day; however, I haven’t received my order yet.
I’m going to report my findings from what I received – just in case any of you are as curious as I was.
Before you jump in, here’s some food for thought. First of all (and very importantly), these are subscription-based orders. They both run about $20 per night for two meals, and once they’ve started, you have to cancel them or they’ll keep coming. They don’t stop just because you didn’t go to the website and pick out your selection; you’ll automatically receive what they’re sending.
With HelloFresh, you can deactivate your account in one easy step. With BlueApron, you have to send an email requesting cancellation. In turn, they send a reply with steps listed to deactivate your account. If you don’t want to worry about the hassles of picking out meals and delivery schedules, then don’t try it – it is a bit time-consuming.
Another thing: The food comes in insulated boxes, with frozen packs in the bottom where the meats are, and although they are cold, they’re not frozen. I wasn’t sure if I should freeze the meats or just refrigerate them. Another problem with that is, in this hot weather, you’d better be home to receive them when the mail carrier comes.
From BlueApron, I received every ingredient needed for these three meals:
1. Grilled cheeseburgers with a feta-watermelon salad and pickled watermelon rind.
2. Crispy fried chicken with kale-cabbage slaw and biscuits.
3. New England shrimp rolls with grilled green and yellow wax bean salad.
From HelloFresh, I received everything needed for these:
1. Peruvian shrimp ceviche tacos.
2. Charred garlic-lime chicken with salsa verde and spiced honey-butter corn on the cob.
3. Cheeseburgers with tomato-red onion jam and charred romaine salad.
Both websites allow you to choose the meals you want for the week – if you check on them soon enough. I didn’t get to choose because I placed my orders too late; I had to take what they were offering. Needless-to-say, hubby ate the cheeseburgers, but the watermelon salad and the charred romaine were mine. I shared with my mom.
The watermelon salad was tasty. It was baby arugula with chunks of watermelon, and a sweet and tangy Dijon mustard vinaigrette. I forgot to put the feta cheese on it, though. It was definitely a different way to eat my veggies!
The pickled watermelon rind was good, too. I had never made it before, so I looked up the nutritional benefits of the rind, and to my surprise, it’s a healthy and nutritional, ummm, fruit/vegetable. (I’m not sure what it is.) In next week’s column, I’ll write more about the health benefits of both watermelon and the rind.
Back to the dinners ...
The cheeseburger meal with the tomato-red onion jam? Oh my gosh! That stuff was too good! I could have eaten the jam by itself, but I didn’t; I put it on my burger, like the recipe said.
All-in-all, it was exciting to get the meals and prepare new recipes, but I don’t think it’s economical for my family, mainly because you get enough ingredients for that one meal only – there are no leftovers. Also, I’m not at home much during the day. I would hate for a box of food to sit on my hot doorstep for hours.
However, the foods were fresh and neatly packed with everything needed but salt, pepper, pots, and pans! And the postal carrier said he was delivering quite a few of them, so I’m sure they fit into some schedules and budgets very nicely. Maybe even yours!
Tomato-Red Onion Jam
I don’t know if I’m allowed to give away the recipes of their meals or not, but I couldn’t find where it said not to, soooo...
(This sounds really weird, but it’s really good!)
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 cup of diced red onion
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 large diced tomato, diced
Heat olive oil in small pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add remaining ingredients; season with salt and pepper and stir, cooking until the tomato breaks down and the sauce is jammy-looking. Remove from heat and serve. You can serve this jam as a topping for burgers or any other kind of sandwich. (Recipe from HelloFresh.)
Pickled Watermelon Rind
I know pickled watermelon rind has been around for eons, but I’d never tried it. When I was growing up, we fed watermelon rind to the pigs. In fact, the pigs, chickens, or the garden got all of our leftovers. So, seeing pickled watermelon rind on the grocery shelves? I thought it was just something crazy someone had thought up, like pickled eggs. (And I’m sorry, but I do not like pickled eggs. They remind me of the bouncing rubber-egg science experiment we did in school. It was stinky. Although, I have to say, that my brother-in-law can make some mean pickled eggs!)
Two cups watermelon rinds, cut into bite-size chunks
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of water
Peel the dark green skin off enough of the rind to make two cups; cut the rind into bite-size chunks. Combine ingredients in small pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the rind is tender-crisp. Remove from heat and cool. (Recipe from BlueApron.)
Kay Bona is a staff writer for the Hamilton County Herald and an award-winning columnist and photographer. Contact her at kay@dailydata.com.
Last week, I wrote about two websites, BlueApron.com and HelloFresh.com, that deliver ready-to-cook meals to your doorstep. Curious as I am, I ordered from both of them to see what they’re like. There’s also one other such service called Plated, which I used just the other day; however, I haven’t received my order yet.
I’m going to report my findings from what I received – just in case any of you are as curious as I was.
Before you jump in, here’s some food for thought. First of all (and very importantly), these are subscription-based orders. They both run about $20 per night for two meals, and once they’ve started, you have to cancel them or they’ll keep coming. They don’t stop just because you didn’t go to the website and pick out your selection; you’ll automatically receive what they’re sending.
With HelloFresh, you can deactivate your account in one easy step. With BlueApron, you have to send an email requesting cancellation. In turn, they send a reply with steps listed to deactivate your account. If you don’t want to worry about the hassles of picking out meals and delivery schedules, then don’t try it – it is a bit time-consuming.
Another thing: The food comes in insulated boxes, with frozen packs in the bottom where the meats are, and although they are cold, they’re not frozen. I wasn’t sure if I should freeze the meats or just refrigerate them. Another problem with that is, in this hot weather, you’d better be home to receive them when the mail carrier comes.
From BlueApron, I received every ingredient needed for these three meals:
1. Grilled cheeseburgers with a feta-watermelon salad and pickled watermelon rind.
2. Crispy fried chicken with kale-cabbage slaw and biscuits.
3. New England shrimp rolls with grilled green and yellow wax bean salad.
From HelloFresh, I received everything needed for these:
1. Peruvian shrimp ceviche tacos.
2. Charred garlic-lime chicken with salsa verde and spiced honey-butter corn on the cob.
3. Cheeseburgers with tomato-red onion jam and charred romaine salad.
Both websites allow you to choose the meals you want for the week – if you check on them soon enough. I didn’t get to choose because I placed my orders too late; I had to take what they were offering. Needless-to-say, hubby ate the cheeseburgers, but the watermelon salad and the charred romaine were mine. I shared with my mom.
The watermelon salad was tasty. It was baby arugula with chunks of watermelon, and a sweet and tangy Dijon mustard vinaigrette. I forgot to put the feta cheese on it, though. It was definitely a different way to eat my veggies!
The pickled watermelon rind was good, too. I had never made it before, so I looked up the nutritional benefits of the rind, and to my surprise, it’s a healthy and nutritional, ummm, fruit/vegetable. (I’m not sure what it is.) In next week’s column, I’ll write more about the health benefits of both watermelon and the rind.
Back to the dinners ...
The cheeseburger meal with the tomato-red onion jam? Oh my gosh! That stuff was too good! I could have eaten the jam by itself, but I didn’t; I put it on my burger, like the recipe said.
All-in-all, it was exciting to get the meals and prepare new recipes, but I don’t think it’s economical for my family, mainly because you get enough ingredients for that one meal only – there are no leftovers. Also, I’m not at home much during the day. I would hate for a box of food to sit on my hot doorstep for hours.
However, the foods were fresh and neatly packed with everything needed but salt, pepper, pots, and pans! And the postal carrier said he was delivering quite a few of them, so I’m sure they fit into some schedules and budgets very nicely. Maybe even yours!
Kay Bona is a staff writer for the Hamilton County Herald and an award-winning columnist and photographer. Contact her at kay@dailydata.com. v