Ok so my first week of Just Add Cooking was good but they still need some work.
Compared to Plated they have 7 recipes to choose (Plated has 9 but you have to pay extra for 2 so I think its about the same). You have to choose between 3-5 meals (Its nice you can get just 2 with Plated). I feel like they have a good mix of quick and easy stuff and some more complicated stuff. I feel like their recipe cards could use some work. It looks like a chart, there is lots of white space that could be filled with pictures or more directions (they only have the one picture of the finished product). I feel like their recipes need a little rechecking. I felt that there were times when I should have lowered the heat and when they said to slice a couple things they never indicated how thick or thin. As far as the packaging goes that has some good points and bad. The good is that there is less packaging, as they are delivering stuff that day from their warehouse they only include one small cold pack (vs about 3 large ones with Plated), and there is no inner liner only a small cold bag. The bad is that in the box everything is lumped together, no separation of ingredients for different dishes (ingredients are not even labeled for what recipe they belong to), so I did spend some time unpacking the ingredients to ziplock bags for each recipe. They also don't have an app, and their mobile site isn't that great. Like Hello Fresh you can see the recipes before you choose what meals you want. But my favorite thing about them is that they are local (around Boston, MA) and source a lot of local foods and with each order they give a list of some of the foods that were local to New England, I am all for supporting local companies. Another drawback is they only deliver to me on Sundays, I actually like to cook these meals on the weekend so this isn't that great for me. As for the food it was good here are my reviews of what I got.
Couscous Marrakech - This was a turmeric heavy mix of couscous, chicken, sausage and green beans. I thought the flavors were really good but that it was kind of dry (I tried mixing in the yogurt to make it moister but it just clumped up). I still liked it but probably wouldn't get it again.
Pasta with Blue Cheese and Walnuts - I loved this dish and loved that it took almost no time at all to make. Perfect for a weeknight meal. I did make a change and added the spinach that was meant for the salad into the pasta dish itself, plus added some garlic to the cream/cheese mixture. Would definitely make this again.
Pork Loin Africana - I loved the first bite of this dish, subsequent bites not as much but still good. I really like fruit and pork and this had a lot, raisins, pineapple, plantains (maybe too much). I loved the amount of sauce for the rice to soak up. WHat I would change is that you sliced the pork, but since it went into kind of a stew like preparation I would have cut it into bite sized pieces. Also I felt that the heat should have been lowered after the cream was added, cooking a sauce with cream in it at med high for 10 minutes seemed excessive. I would get this again, but maybe less pineapple.
I think I will stick with them for a while at least.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Goodbye Hello Fresh
So my second week of Hello Fresh was similar to the first, the food was pretty good but nothing blew me away (1 meal I thought the chicken was not really good, still ate it but would definitely no make again). Ultimately I decided not to stick with Hello Fresh for 2 reasons. 1- Lack of choices, you can only choose from 5 menu items, and you have to choose 3. 2 - Lack of interesting ingredients. So on to Just Add Cooking.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Hello fresh review
So this weekend I tried 3 meals from Hello Fresh. It was a very similar to plated with some differences. Overall the food was pretty good, but would probably rate it just below Plated. I have another delivery the end of this week so we will see if the quality goes up or down.
Some difference -
The recipe cards are smaller and come in a little booklet (can easily be pulled out). I like Plated's cards better because they are larger and easier to read but one small thing that I like about Hello Fresh is that they have a small ruler on the side which is nice if the recipe calls for something like cut into half inch cubes. Plated's recipes are also more detailed, like they specify amount of oil to add vs Hello fresh will say things like a large pour of oil or a drizzle of oil. Also Hello Fresh has more nutritional information on their cards but for me that wasn't a big deal either way.
The recipes from Hello Fresh are available before you order the food, so you can really check them out before you commit to a recipe. On the flip side Plated keeps the recipes that I have ordered online vs plated if a couple months from now I wanted to look back on what I order it would be harder (but all the recipes are archived you just might have to sift through them). Overall I like Plated's system better.
As for the recipes themselves I think plated does a better job. In one Hello Fresh recipe it never told me to lower the heat but I did and the food still ended up sticking (this was supposed to be a stew and if I had had it on med high heat uncovered fo 15 min as indicated it would have dried out completely). Also a recipe called to cut green beans in half, which I did, but then looking back I think they were supposed to be cut in half lengthwise, I feel that Plated does a better job being more specific.
The packaging is a little different here as well. Plated has things come in bags (really individual ingredient bags within each recipe bags) but Hello Fresh has the ingredient bags packed in a recipe box (both keep the proteins separate). The boxes probably would help things not get squashed but I have not had the problem with Plated in general. Also all the ingredients come in factory sealed bags/containers (vs Ziploc type bags and generic refillable containers with Plated). I personally like the Plated system better as you could reuse the bottles or bags if you wanted, I also feel like they can use more diverse ingredients as they don't have to only use branded single serve bottle (like Hello Fresh send a single serve colavita vinegar bottle). Also they sent some dried oregano which was pre packed in a 1 tsp serving but the recipe only called for 1/2 tsp so we were supposed to measure (one thing I thought we were supposed to be getting away from).
As for the food-
The first recipe I had was Shrimp Taco lettuce wraps. These were my favorite but they were very hard to eat as lettuce wraps, but I thought the flavor was really good. I would make this again.
Then I had the Chicken Yakitori with Soba noodles. Also very good (my husbands favorite of the 3). I thought the sauce for the noodles was lacking (just siracha and soy). The chicken was good but nothing to write home about. I ate it and was happy but probably wouldn't make it again (at least not with some modifications).
Third was the Jamie Oliver Eggplant stew, this was my least favorite but still ok. Thought it was too dried out to be called a stew, needed more olives ot something. Liked the toasted almonds on top though.
At this point I will not be switching to Hello Fresh but I am giving them one more week to sway my vote. Next weeks recipes Proscuitto wrapped chicken saltimbocca, shrimp and lemon risotto, and pan seared pork chops. No Asian foods for me to try another minus in my book.
Some difference -
The recipe cards are smaller and come in a little booklet (can easily be pulled out). I like Plated's cards better because they are larger and easier to read but one small thing that I like about Hello Fresh is that they have a small ruler on the side which is nice if the recipe calls for something like cut into half inch cubes. Plated's recipes are also more detailed, like they specify amount of oil to add vs Hello fresh will say things like a large pour of oil or a drizzle of oil. Also Hello Fresh has more nutritional information on their cards but for me that wasn't a big deal either way.
The recipes from Hello Fresh are available before you order the food, so you can really check them out before you commit to a recipe. On the flip side Plated keeps the recipes that I have ordered online vs plated if a couple months from now I wanted to look back on what I order it would be harder (but all the recipes are archived you just might have to sift through them). Overall I like Plated's system better.
As for the recipes themselves I think plated does a better job. In one Hello Fresh recipe it never told me to lower the heat but I did and the food still ended up sticking (this was supposed to be a stew and if I had had it on med high heat uncovered fo 15 min as indicated it would have dried out completely). Also a recipe called to cut green beans in half, which I did, but then looking back I think they were supposed to be cut in half lengthwise, I feel that Plated does a better job being more specific.
The packaging is a little different here as well. Plated has things come in bags (really individual ingredient bags within each recipe bags) but Hello Fresh has the ingredient bags packed in a recipe box (both keep the proteins separate). The boxes probably would help things not get squashed but I have not had the problem with Plated in general. Also all the ingredients come in factory sealed bags/containers (vs Ziploc type bags and generic refillable containers with Plated). I personally like the Plated system better as you could reuse the bottles or bags if you wanted, I also feel like they can use more diverse ingredients as they don't have to only use branded single serve bottle (like Hello Fresh send a single serve colavita vinegar bottle). Also they sent some dried oregano which was pre packed in a 1 tsp serving but the recipe only called for 1/2 tsp so we were supposed to measure (one thing I thought we were supposed to be getting away from).
As for the food-
The first recipe I had was Shrimp Taco lettuce wraps. These were my favorite but they were very hard to eat as lettuce wraps, but I thought the flavor was really good. I would make this again.
Then I had the Chicken Yakitori with Soba noodles. Also very good (my husbands favorite of the 3). I thought the sauce for the noodles was lacking (just siracha and soy). The chicken was good but nothing to write home about. I ate it and was happy but probably wouldn't make it again (at least not with some modifications).
Third was the Jamie Oliver Eggplant stew, this was my least favorite but still ok. Thought it was too dried out to be called a stew, needed more olives ot something. Liked the toasted almonds on top though.
At this point I will not be switching to Hello Fresh but I am giving them one more week to sway my vote. Next weeks recipes Proscuitto wrapped chicken saltimbocca, shrimp and lemon risotto, and pan seared pork chops. No Asian foods for me to try another minus in my book.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Still love Plated but must try competition
I know I haven't posted in forever and I do still really like Plated but with so many alternatives out there I thought it would only be fair to try at least a few other competitors (also it helps that most have great deals right now to try their services). One of the reasons that I am branching out is the chefs tables meals and their fish. No other service has an upcharge for shrimp, and I am already paying the highest price there is. The fish they serve (usually tilapia) has been lackluster in my opinion.
Here is the list of competitors that deliver to my area (outside of Boston, MA) and what I like or not like about them and relative cost (for 3 meals a week for 2 people). Plated is $72
Blue Apron - Probably the best known competitor. I don't plan on trying them mostly because you can't choose your meals. They are about $60 (so cheaper then most) and they offer wine pairings.
Hello Fresh - They are really actively marketing right now. The cost is $69 and you can choose from 5 different meals. I plan on trying them this week (my first delivery is tomorrow) and the week after (the coupon I had was $50 off 2 weeks). So less choice than Plated but still some choice.
Marley Spoon - $61.50 for three but you can also get 2 meals a week if you want (most others you can only do 3 or more). You have a choice of 7 meals which is similar to plated (if you don't take into account the more expensive chefs table meals). I plan on trying them in the future.
Just Add Cooking - This is a MA only local service which I am excited to try as I would feel good about choosing a local company instead of having everything shipped from NYC. The cost is $69 for a choice of 7. I am really hoping that the fish selection is better (when I talked to them they indicated that the fish comes off the boat the morning they ship it to me). The one drawback that I can see right now is there is no choice of delivery day, its either Sunday or Monday depending on where you live. I will be trying them right after Hello Fresh.
Green Chef - $72 (for the omnivore box) and no choice but they are organic. No plans to try them.
Peach Dish - $70 for 3 can choose 2 for $50, has a choice of 6-8 meals. Southern inspired. Not really interested right now as not a big southern food fan (a lot of the recipes I like from plated are Asian inspired).
Purple Carrot - $68 for vegan meals (many organic ingredients). No choice. Personally I am not interested in only vegan food, I might like one in a box of 3 meals but all vegan (and the price is high for not having any protein) is not for me.
Hopefully next week I will post on how Hello Fresh stacks up.
Here is the list of competitors that deliver to my area (outside of Boston, MA) and what I like or not like about them and relative cost (for 3 meals a week for 2 people). Plated is $72
Blue Apron - Probably the best known competitor. I don't plan on trying them mostly because you can't choose your meals. They are about $60 (so cheaper then most) and they offer wine pairings.
Hello Fresh - They are really actively marketing right now. The cost is $69 and you can choose from 5 different meals. I plan on trying them this week (my first delivery is tomorrow) and the week after (the coupon I had was $50 off 2 weeks). So less choice than Plated but still some choice.
Marley Spoon - $61.50 for three but you can also get 2 meals a week if you want (most others you can only do 3 or more). You have a choice of 7 meals which is similar to plated (if you don't take into account the more expensive chefs table meals). I plan on trying them in the future.
Just Add Cooking - This is a MA only local service which I am excited to try as I would feel good about choosing a local company instead of having everything shipped from NYC. The cost is $69 for a choice of 7. I am really hoping that the fish selection is better (when I talked to them they indicated that the fish comes off the boat the morning they ship it to me). The one drawback that I can see right now is there is no choice of delivery day, its either Sunday or Monday depending on where you live. I will be trying them right after Hello Fresh.
Green Chef - $72 (for the omnivore box) and no choice but they are organic. No plans to try them.
Peach Dish - $70 for 3 can choose 2 for $50, has a choice of 6-8 meals. Southern inspired. Not really interested right now as not a big southern food fan (a lot of the recipes I like from plated are Asian inspired).
Purple Carrot - $68 for vegan meals (many organic ingredients). No choice. Personally I am not interested in only vegan food, I might like one in a box of 3 meals but all vegan (and the price is high for not having any protein) is not for me.
Hopefully next week I will post on how Hello Fresh stacks up.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
This week - Cold Chicken Noodle Bowl and Creamy Zucchini Orzo
Cold Chicken Noodle Bowl - This was pretty good, and I liked how easy it was (although it was no cook you really still had to cook the rice noodle but still pretty easy). I only used one of the limes as I find generally the lemon/limes juice that they call for in recipes is too much. I also didn't add the radishes as I don't like them. I think the recipe shoul dhave said remove skin from chicken (I did this and I rinsed under warm water to remove any bits of congealed fat). Solid nice hot day dinner.
Creamy Zucchini Orzo - Edible (for me not so much for my husband). I think in general I don't like the "One pot" pasta dishes. I think it makes the pasta and the sauce too gummy (kind of like old school chicken tetrazinni or something gross like that). I think they could improve if they still did one pot but had you drain the pasta and then just cook everything in the pot after you drain. Maybe if I do another one of these that is what I will do (I did think about it for this one).
Sorry no pictures again but really neither of these was particularly attractive.
Creamy Zucchini Orzo - Edible (for me not so much for my husband). I think in general I don't like the "One pot" pasta dishes. I think it makes the pasta and the sauce too gummy (kind of like old school chicken tetrazinni or something gross like that). I think they could improve if they still did one pot but had you drain the pasta and then just cook everything in the pot after you drain. Maybe if I do another one of these that is what I will do (I did think about it for this one).
Sorry no pictures again but really neither of these was particularly attractive.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Been a while
I know I haven't posted in a long time but its the summer and well things get busy. Lately I have been only getting 2 meals a week just because usually we have been doing stuff over the weekend. One thing I have discovered is that if you are only ordering 2 meal you should get a dessert as well, because really it only costs you $2 (as the $8 cost bumps you into the free shipping category so you save the $6 shipping cost). So this means I have been getting more desserts which is fine but I really wish at least for the summer they would have more stovetop or even no cook desserts (I really hate putting on my oven, and I even have central air).
Ok here is a run down of my latest meals and just a brief description (starting with the most recen
Beef and scallion meatballs - This was fine, meatball ok nothing to write home about. Didn't really like the glaze, but might be because I burned the soy sauce. Noodles were good but I think the red peppers should be cut smaller.
Linguini with crab - Liked this quite a bit. I added some half and half to make it creamier but I like creamy.
Black ramen noodles - I also liked this quite a bit and was pretty easy. Maybe too many veggies to for the amount of noodle though.
Hawaiian style fajitas - Ok but wouldn't get them again. In general I find that the tortillas (and a lot of the bread products they send ) are not that great or else don't hold up well. Maybe because they have to be denser. Liked the sweetness of the pineapple though.
Tamarind beef wraps - pretty good but thought they needed some starch so I added some left over rice to them.
Pork Tonkatsu - I think this was good but don't remember much about it.
Duck confit tacos - OK but not worth the effort or money. Loved the duck breast they had a while back and was hoping this would be as good, alas not.
OK there is a lot more so I will just highlight the ones I really liked.
Gruyere Asparagus Pizza - Loved the balsamic sauce. And this made a lot of food.
Garlicky Chicken with Squash - Chicken was salty (in a good way from anchoveys and capers).
Avocado Quinoa Salad - So many things in this salad I loved and they all came together nicely.
Biggest disappointment - Stuffed Portobello Caps - barely edible (and not edible for my husband but hes not a big fan of mushrooms)
Ok here is a run down of my latest meals and just a brief description (starting with the most recen
Beef and scallion meatballs - This was fine, meatball ok nothing to write home about. Didn't really like the glaze, but might be because I burned the soy sauce. Noodles were good but I think the red peppers should be cut smaller.
Linguini with crab - Liked this quite a bit. I added some half and half to make it creamier but I like creamy.
Black ramen noodles - I also liked this quite a bit and was pretty easy. Maybe too many veggies to for the amount of noodle though.
Hawaiian style fajitas - Ok but wouldn't get them again. In general I find that the tortillas (and a lot of the bread products they send ) are not that great or else don't hold up well. Maybe because they have to be denser. Liked the sweetness of the pineapple though.
Tamarind beef wraps - pretty good but thought they needed some starch so I added some left over rice to them.
Pork Tonkatsu - I think this was good but don't remember much about it.
Duck confit tacos - OK but not worth the effort or money. Loved the duck breast they had a while back and was hoping this would be as good, alas not.
OK there is a lot more so I will just highlight the ones I really liked.
Gruyere Asparagus Pizza - Loved the balsamic sauce. And this made a lot of food.
Garlicky Chicken with Squash - Chicken was salty (in a good way from anchoveys and capers).
Avocado Quinoa Salad - So many things in this salad I loved and they all came together nicely.
Biggest disappointment - Stuffed Portobello Caps - barely edible (and not edible for my husband but hes not a big fan of mushrooms)
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Pasta with Crab
This was a decent meal although picking the crab was a bit time consuming. My husband thought this was better then the linguini with clams he had at a restaurant the night before.
What I liked - The crab was good and the I generally like cream sauces. The extra kick from the chili was a good addition.
What I didn't like - Picking out the crab. Needed quite a bit of salt. I felt that more cream was needed in the sauce (I added half and half as I had it on hand).
My modifications - Added half and half, used a little more then half the chili (no seeds) and didn't add the parsley (as I am not a fan of it).
Overall 3.5 stars (my husband would probably give it more).
What I liked - The crab was good and the I generally like cream sauces. The extra kick from the chili was a good addition.
What I didn't like - Picking out the crab. Needed quite a bit of salt. I felt that more cream was needed in the sauce (I added half and half as I had it on hand).
My modifications - Added half and half, used a little more then half the chili (no seeds) and didn't add the parsley (as I am not a fan of it).
Overall 3.5 stars (my husband would probably give it more).
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