Health |

12 home-delivered meal kits tested and ranked to find the best for your money

Meal kits hold such promise, particularly as we all stay home to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Pay the fee, and a box of food will appear on your doorstep, saving you not only a trip to the grocery store but the mental expenditures involved in meal planning. But do the kits deliver?

I tested a dozen services, and here’s what I found.

I cooked these meal kits in February and early March, before the COVID-19 pandemic inspired shoppers to decimate grocery-store shelves. Since then, most of the meal-kit companies have issued statements reiterating their plans to fulfill orders during the pandemic — all of the services ranked here were operating at the time this story was posted — and outlining enhanced sanitary protocols. Some also pointed out the food packed in meal kits likely is handled by fewer people en route to consumers, especially since it doesn’t sit on store shelves.

While it is true that a meal kit may help to reduce the risk of community exposure if it eliminates visits to grocery stores, the New England Journal of Medicine reported last week that the SARS-CoV-2 virus potentially could live up to three days on plastic. It may be possible to transmit the coronavirus via contaminated food packaging, said Vincent Racaniello, Columbia University professor of microbiology and host of the podcast “This Week in Virology.” He suggests using bleach wipes on food packages and avoiding cold cuts and other food that can’t be washed or cooked — whether it comes from a meal kit or the grocery store.

“The way I look at it now, everything is a potential vector,” he said. “If you’re touching boxes, if you’re unpacking things, wipe them down and wash your hands afterward. You can prevent it.”

We’ve ranked the following meal kits, from worst to best, based primarily on flavor after testing at least three meals from each company. Keep in mind: Taste is only one factor in deciding whether a meal kit is right for you. We’ve added notes about ease of preparation, packaging waste, portion size and cost.

Every Plate

Our first Every Plate meal, bay-scallop linguine, left an aftertaste that reminded me of childhood Rice-a-Roni, but I kept an open mind. Our second meal, Italian pork-sausage gnocchi bake? Lousy cafeteria food. By the third meal, hoisin-pork sloppy joes, I had zero expectations — and it proved significantly better and kid-friendly to boot. This is one of the cheapest meal kits in our testing, and it showed in the quality of the ingredients. Your time and money is better spent elsewhere. everyplate.com

Ease of preparation: Easy enough, but illogical at times. Why chop crummy out-of-season tomatoes for a pasta sauce when canned, diced tomatoes would be far superior? Packaging: Typical; useful cardboard tray in place of bags. Portion size: Plenty. Overpowering, processed flavors made two of them difficult to finish. Cost: $4.99 per serving; $8.99 shipping.

Gobble

Gobble’s banh mi vermicelli bowl, featuring a truly tasty black-pepper tofu, hit a snag with its choice of greens: kale. Yes, it cried out for a bitter green — but not that bitter. Or maybe the flavor was out of whack because the Thai basil had wilted and was mostly unusable. Or because there wasn’t enough fish sauce, since its package had leaked. Whatever the issue, this was a recurring theme: The meals were almost good, but details were overlooked — often literally, as in the case of the almonds for a cilantro salmon recipe that were omitted from the box altogether. gobble.com

Ease of preparation: Some chopping and prep, but fairly minimal. No overall approximate cooking times listed on recipe cards. Packaging: Typical; plastic bags. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $11.99-$13.99 per portion; $6.99 shipping.

HelloFresh

A pork-and-veggie bibimbap was the standout in our HelloFresh batch. No, it wasn’t as good as what you’d find in a dine-in restaurant, but it could certainly sub for takeout. A sweet cherry balsamic chicken was offset by garlic couscous studded with crisp almonds and roasted carrots, while a crispy Parmesan chicken was served alongside couscous and lemony green beans. Nothing exciting, but good enough. The one potential problem I noted in the recipes was an abundance of salt. It seemed unnecessary to salt the bibimbap dish in two separate steps, even after adding soy sauce, so I didn’t. Had I, the dish would have been inedible. hellofresh.com

Ease of preparation: Some chopping, pre-measured liquids; moderate attention required. Packaging: Typical for subscription service; paper bags. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $7.49-$8.99 per portion; $7.99 shipping.

Green Chef

If you surf through enough meal-kit menus, you’ll find iterations of one recipe over and over again: oven-fried, panko-crusted chicken breasts. Green Chef takes the prize for the best one we tried, using pesto to moisten the meat and Parmesan to liven it up. It was paired with a garlicky kale Caesar salad for a thoroughly satisfying home-style meal, as opposed to other more rubber-chicken-banquet style riffs on this dish. The other Green Chef dishes were fine but missed opportunities. An Italian sausage puttanesca could’ve been dramatically improved with more flavorful sausage and broccoli rabe, rather than plain old broccoli. Shaved steak fajita salad was substantial, but the produce at this time of year is so-so and its accompanying cilantro-lime crema didn’t pop. On the plus side, though, organic ingredients are a Green Chef priority. greenchef.com

Ease of preparation: Some chopping and measuring. Recipe cards are generously sized and feature step-by-step photos. Packaging: Typical; paper bags. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $9.99-$12.99 per portion; $7.99 shipping.

Sun Basket

Sun Basket’s fare aims for a more restaurant-style approach. It hit the mark with its kit for steak and sweet potato, finished with scallion-ginger relish. The relish, along with the suggestion to char the accompanying kale, help to make this dish something special. Similarly, the company offers thoughtful tips, such as pressure-cooker instructions when appropriate and tips for how to involve the kids in making its rich mushroom risotto with spinach and Parmesan. The only disappointment was a pumpkin-seed-crusted sole with warm carrot salad, which turned out to be beautiful but bland. sunbasket.com

Ease of preparation: Some chopping and prep required; significant attention required. Packaging: Typical; paper bags. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $10.99-$12.99 per portion; $7.99 shipping.

Home Chef

Home Chef offers a range of options, from pre-prepped kits that require minimal assembly to more labor-intensive recipes requiring full attention. More effort, however, didn’t necessarily result in a better dish. Our favorite meal, in fact, was a pulled-pork pot-sticker bowl, which required boiling noodles in one pot, while dumping a series of ingredients into a skillet to produce a cozy bowl of spicy zest. It took 15 minutes, max. The more involved meals — the best of which was a crispy-prosciutto-and-mushroom farfalle — had the feel of banquet food. The recipes often were less than precise, omitting resting time for meat, for example, or way too much salt. That said, I give the company credit for experimentation. Their oven kits, such as the creamy poblano chicken carbonara, layer ingredients in a disposable pan to create something akin to a casserole; in an earlier era, this dish might’ve involved Campbell’s Soup. In any case, the simpler skillet and oven kits, which are available at Mariano’s, offer a decent option for novice cooks. homechef.com

Ease of preparation: Several options available, from no-chop to full prep. Packaging: Minimal if purchased in store; typical packaging with plastic bags if shipped. Subscriptions come with recipe binder and cards featuring step-by-step photos. Portion size: Satisfying and, in some cases, generous. Cost: From $6.99 per portion, depending on product.

Dinnerly

Dinnerly is a budget-friendlier option from Marley Spoon, and it delivers a cheaper version of its better endowed sister kit. Think burgers instead of steak. Indeed, we tried the cheeseburger and green beans. We would’ve preferred to leave the cheese on top, rather than stuffing it inside to be unevenly distributed during cooking, but it wasn’t bad for a stove-cooked burger. The best meal we tried was tortelloni alfredo with peas. An “extra credit” tomato salad mentioned in the recipe notes added brightness. Chicken meatballs with spinach salad was well-rounded but required more prep that the resulting meal deserved. dinnerly.com

Ease of preparation: Some chopping, moderate amount of attention required. No printed recipe cards; online only. Packaging: Typical; plastic bags. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $4.49-$4.99 per portion; $8.99 shipping.

Blue Apron

Blue Apron menus have broken out of the meat-potato-veggie mold to serve up something more contemporary. Shiso peppers lent a smokiness to a Spanish-spiced beef-and-kale salad, drizzled with a perky orange-juice-and-saffron dressing. Salmon isn’t usually my go-to for fish tacos, but they worked here in a spicy chipotle version. Curried cauliflower, served over rice, had a cool, herbaceous cilantro sauce that served as an excellent foil to an accompanying sweet-chile sauce. The only drawback: In every case but the salad, we were left hungry for more — which is both a strength of the recipes and a weakness of the portions. blueapron.com

Ease of preparation: Some chopping and prep; moderate attention required. Packaging: Typical; plastic bags. Portion size: Stingy. Not even an extra tortilla for the fish tacos. Cost: $7.99-$9.99 per portion; shipping ranges from free-$7.99, depending on order size.

Freshly

For all the parents who are trying to work from home right now while caring for children, get Freshly now. A tasty, fully prepared meal comes packaged in a plastic, microwave-friendly tray. It can be ready in minutes, but I suggest, however, that you dump it onto a sheet pan and bake it, as recommended by Freshly, for 30 minutes under foil and 5 more minutes uncovered. That’ll give you just enough time to clean up whatever domestic disaster has unfolded while you were teleconferencing. And, bonus: Your meals will brown slightly, offering richer flavor. (If you prefer to microwave, consider scooping meals onto a plate to avoid cooking in plastic.) Our favorite meal was the cod cakes, featuring an excellent fish-to-filler ratio, nestled in a smoky chipotle sauce. Spaghetti squash with well-spiced turkey meatballs and cauliflower-shell bolognese both satisfied. freshly.com

Ease of preparation: Opening the package is the most taxing part. Packaging: Meals come in plastic trays with cardboard sleeve in a shipping box with freezer pack. Portion size: Skimpy for hearty eaters. Cost: $7.99-$11.50 per portion; variable shipping.

Amazon Meal Kits

Amazon Meal Kits has two major things going for it: well-seasoned food featuring modern flavors and a no-subscription-required pricing model. Available for order from Amazon or for pick-up in Whole Foods, these individual meal kits offer a tidy package of convenience. Pre-chopped, mostly pre-prepped ingredients easily combine, thanks to succinct recipes. Shwarma-spiced lamb meatballs, warmed by notes of cinnamon, were offset by a lemony bulgur salad. Masala tofu might’ve been better with paneer, but mop up enough of the silky tomato sauce, and who’s complaining? Pan-roasted za’atar chicken reminded us how much we love za’atar seasoning. The only major misstep was a package of baby arugula for an accompanying corn salad that was too slimy to use; would’ve been a nice touch, but we didn’t miss it. In all, these are reliable kits that’ll send you back to your phone to order another. amazon.com/fmc

Ease of preparation: Minimal. Most ingredients pre-chopped or pre-measured. Packaging: Minimal, especially if you purchase in store. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $15.99-$19.99 for two portions.

Martha & Marley Spoon

If you’re aiming to serve restaurant-quality food — and you’re willing to put in a little more effort to achieve that — then go with Martha & Marley Spoon. The recipes are well-conceived and clearly written, illustrated with step-by-step photographs. Three of the dishes we tried — butter-basted steak and fries, one-pot crispy gnocchi Florentine, and Parmesan-thyme chicken — made smart use of the broiler to deepen flavor. Thoughtful touches — like the surprising roasted-romaine salad that paired with the chicken dish or the house-made garlicky mayo that accompanied the steak and fries — helped to elevate these meals beyond the usual weeknight fare. marleyspoon.com

Ease of preparation: Requires chopping and full attention for proper timing. Two of the recipes significantly exceeded estimated cooking time. Packaging: Typical for a shipped subscription: shipping box, insulated sleeve with freezer pack, plastic bags and packaging. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $6.99-$10.25 per portion, depending on plan; $8.99 shipping.

Meez Meals

Evanston-based Meez Meals sets you up to cook Sunday dinner with the energy you have left after a bad Monday. The menu is inventive and often uses local ingredients. Bennison’s Bakery pie crust topped an earthy Italian chicken-and-sausage pot pie that was as lively as it was comforting. Udon noodle salad with Sriracha-roasted brussels sprouts balanced sweet-tart heat atop a tangle of hearty noodles. And massaman steak curry offered a delightful mix of texture that could compete with any takeout. Beyond the flavor, though, Meez hits the mark in the prep department. The company’s name is a riff on mise en place, the cooking concept of having everything in its place when it’s time to cook, and it lives up to it: Everything you need to make a successful meal is pre-chopped and pre-measured. Voila. meezmeals.com

Ease of preparation: Ideal. Easy to assemble. Packaging: As good as it gets. Within Chicagoland, company provides reusable cooler bag stocked with most ingredients in paper bags. Portion size: Satisfying. Cost: $9-$15 per serving; free delivery.

jeday@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @dayjenn