When I moved into my own apartment back in January I initially planned to eat all of my meals either out or as prepackage, already prepared food. I quickly found that this was not healthy nor financially wise. That’s why I was excited to check out Hello Fresh, their food delivery service, and their new iPad app. I’m a fan!
As you may know the company provides a number of different recipes each week. You order from them and they deliver all of the items you will need to prepare your food. It’s all properly packaged and ready to go so you don’t have to go to the supermarket and select the items and potentially end up with more than you need.
The company claims that their recipes will take somewhere around 30 minutes from start to finish. That seemed like a good timeframe for a novice like me and I was anxious to get started. I downloaded their new iPad app, set up an account and waited for my first boxes to arrive. They did and I was pleasantly surprised.
Three meals came in my initial shipment. I was impressed with the packaging. Each meal was in a separate interior box and the meat ingredients were in icepacks at the bottom of the larger shipping box.
I decided to make the Za’atar Pita Burgers first.
I opened the box and all the ingredients were there waiting. I just needed to supply olive oil, salt, and pepper. I was impressed with the quality. The lemon was ripe but not overly ripe. The cucumbers and zucchini were firm and unblemished.
The app shows you what the meal should look like if you do everything correctly. I didn’t expect my meal to look like the picture but hoped I could get toward something in the same ballpark.
The app also shows you which ingredients come in the box. I guess this is good for someone who doesn’t know a cucumber from a zucchini but, let’s face it, if you are that person your preferred meal is probably McDonald’s.
The app takes you through the cooking process step by step. Each “page” has both an explanation and a picture of what you should be doing. No, my zucchini didn’t look quite as good as the ones in the picture but they were a close approximation.
So this was my kitchen setup as I set out to cook my meal. Chopping board on the left (the box even included one along with an apron!), plate with panko for the zuccini next to it, and my iPad within reach so I could keep checking the instructions. Not shown is the glass of red wine… Gotta have a glass of wine while cooking right??
I followed the instructions for seasoning and cooking up the burgers. It was great having my own “tutor” right there on the app!
And, 35 minutes later I was ready to eat. No, my burgers didn’t look quite as good as the ones in the picture but I think they came out pretty well for a first timer. More importantly, they tasted great.
I’m a fan of Hello Fresh and suspect I’ll be using the service going forward. The food is good, the shipments are convenient, and the recipes they offer are simple, healthy and tasty. Add in the app and the wonderful way it offers step by step instructions and you have a winner.
Source: Hello Fresh supplied me with my first box as part of this review.
What I Like: Convenient; iPad app is a huge help; Even a novice like me made a good meal.
What Needs Improvement: Worst part of the process was cleaning up.
Hmmm.. so having been a bachelor since the turn of the century, cooking has always been a bit of a quandry as I take little iterest in it. Do you find that this approach might lead you to better cooking skills and meal planning? The best food is always home prepared and this seems to be an intermediary step