I almost always post about beauty subscriptions, so here’s something different for you. Hello Fresh isn’t just a food subscription, it’s a cooking subscription! I wasn’t sure how exactly they plan to deliver perishable foods such as meats and veggies via mail, but they certainly don’t try to save on packaging judging from the way my box came.
About Hello Fresh:
HelloFresh is a new way to cook. Every week, you can choose the delicious recipes you want to try and we’ll send you amazing recipes and all of the ingredients you need to prepare them. We take care of your meal planning and even do the shopping for you. Our recipes are created by world-class chefs who ensure that your meals are delicious and easy to prepare within 30 minutes. You don’t need fancy kitchen equipment and our beautiful step-by-step photo instructions will change the way you think about cooking! The subscription plans start from $69.00/week, shipping included.
If you want a $40 discount on your first box, click here to subscribe.
What I essentially received is a cooler filled with ice packs and products inside a regular shipping box. It took my box two days to travel to me, but the ice packs were pretty much intact, so I decided it’s probably safe to eat.
My box contained three dinner recipes, with three plastic bags filled with all ingredients, already measured, and some were even washed and peeled. The meats were packaged in airtight vacuum plastic bags, the sauces and spices were sealed in secure ziploc bags, nothing was spilled or spoiled.
The instructions are very simple, straightforward, and accompanied by pictures, so I’d say they’re pretty foolproof. My husband is probably the worst cook ever, and even he would be able to make a delicious meal by following these steps.
Here are a few pictures of my favorite dish from the selection – Spicy Sesame Beef with Sauteed Asparagus. The package had just enough of everything to make the recipe, plus some extra chili flakes to adjust the spiciness level.
The meat had me worried the most, because it’s not a particularly good cut, but it ended up very tender and not too chewy.
The asparagus was a bit wilted, and I barely even noticed it in my dish at all when all was done. That’s a bummer, because it’s one of my favorite seasonal veggies 🙁
Compared to the pictures on the recipe card, my plate looked a little different. They sent another type of pasta, and I also decided not to brown the sesame seeds, because I don’t eat them when they’re charred like that. I didn’t really like the other two recipes – Pasta with Chicken Meatballs and Tilapia with Peaches, so I can’t justify subscribing to this service on a weekly basis.
The verdict: I was trying to figure out the target demographics for this subscription, and came to the conclusion that it must be for super busy executives who love to cook, but don’t have the time for shopping and recipe planning. Or, maybe for guys who want to impress a girl by cooking a nice dinner. What do you think?
Have you tried a cooking subscription before? What do you think about Hello Fresh?
Interesting subscription. I have food allergies so could never subscribe to something like this. Too bad you didn’t like the other recipes! 🙁
writingwhimsy.com
I deleted my previous comment. I guess you CAN pick the recipes, but I just couldn’t find where 🙁
Do they market based on nutrition?
Yes I believe all of these meals are well-balanced, and take no longer than 30 minutes to make.
I would DEFINITELY buy this.. so much to do, so little time. and I LOVE cooking 🙂
Recipes can be a hit or a miss, but it’s definitely a good deal for someone like you who doesn’t have much time 🙂
I wouldn’t have created an Asian meal with those type of noodles. However, it looked yummy. Now the recipes that you didn’t like I would have DEVOURED. This subscription is out of my price range. I guess too that this is for busy executives or others who can afford this type of service. This isn’t for worker-bees like me, lol.
But now that I think of it, I bet I could replicate these recipes for far less money than $69.00.
That’s what I thought too, I cook meals at home almost every day, so it wouldn’t be hard to repeat these recipes for less. I feel like the main reason this subscription costs so much is because the shipping has to cost a lot with all of those ice packs and everything.
Hi Anastasia, Thank you so much for your review – the photos are beautiful! I am sorry you did not enjoy the other recipes – we do offer a choice of 7 meals each week (including 3 vegetarian) to ensure you can pick what you most enjoy. They are all designed by award-winning chefs to make cooking delicious healthy meals hassle-free.
Many thanks again for your feedback.
Best wishes,
Hamish & the HelloFresh team
Co-Founder of HelloFresh
Thank you for the comment. I didn’t know we could actually pick the recipes from the selection, because I couldn’t find that option. Maybe my experience would have been different if I was able to choose.