Do you sometimes struggle to find time to put together nutritious and delicious meals for yourself and your family? Maybe you are single, and your schedule leaves you uninspired when it comes to your diet, leaving you having to make do with what’s at the back of the fridge or forced to get unhealthy junk food on your way home.
There are many reasons why we may struggle to find time and energy to eat well, but there is a solution to your woes, and it’s one that has proven hugely popular in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic hit us all very hard, and as well as taking its toll on individuals, families, and communities, it also decimated a number of industries.
However, some niches and markets thrived, and meal kit delivery services were undoubtedly one of these. The ability to call upon such assistance, particularly during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, made the industry something of an oasis for many.
What are Meal Kit Delivery Services?
Meal kit delivery services are subscription-based and involve a customer ordering pre-packaged meals that are either made up of specific ingredients that you quickly put together or are already pre-made.
They offer customers a wide range of meals that can be bought in bulk to save even more money. The best providers of meal kit services offer a wide range of meals, and that means that you, and your family, can enjoy lots of great food and a variety of types of dishes that mean you can avoid always eating the same meals.
They are also great for those looking to stick to specific dietary requirements and also helpful when trying to watch the calories or to improve your overall nutrition.
A meal kit service refers to the pre-packed nature of the meals that are put together for you to easily assemble and put together from the comfort of your own home. Meal delivery services are more aligned to full meals, already assembled, which you then simply cook as and when you wish to eat them.
What to Look For When Selecting a Meal Kit Service That Is Ideal for Your Needs
Here are some handy tips to help you select the right service that meets your specific individual tastes and needs.
Selecting the Right Type of Service
As referred to earlier, meal kit delivery and meal delivery services are slightly different sides to the same coin. So if you just want to get the best ingredients, along with the relevant instructions, so that you can put the meal together at your own leisure, then make sure that the service you select is predominantly for this purpose.
Meal delivery services are likely to be ideal for the long-term planning of menus for your family, so they will be frozen, and you can store them for future use. So with this in mind, look for the brands and providers that cater more to this aspect of the service.
Dietary Requirements
Maybe you and your family are vegans, or perhaps one or two of you have an allergy. If so, make sure that the meal delivery service not only caters to these needs but has a good reputation in this area.
When we hand over the meal planning duties to a third party, we need to be confident that the food we receive is of the highest quality and also meets those requirements that are relevant to you.
Variety
Variety is the spice of life, and one of the biggest positives about meal delivery services is that they take away the hard work of dreaming up new meals and ideas. Select a provider that offers a wide range of meals, offering you the chance to order as many different styles of culinary magic so as to keep you and your family well and truly satisfied.
Some meal kit providers run seasonal specials and a rotation of dishes so that you are always able to try something new.
Complexity
If you are ordering meal delivery kits, but you are not a wizard in the kitchen, be sure to stick with those that are so easy that a two-year-old can put them together. Others are slightly more complex, but that may well bring out the ‘inner-chef’ within you, and you might find that you quite like the process of cooking the meal, especially as the ingredients are neatly packed and ready to use, along with instructions that make the whole process plain sailing.
Portions
Be sure to select kits that work for your personal needs. If you are a young professional, you might not need a massive bulk order and will only need singular dishes. A large family, on the other hand, requires a mass of meals to make sure that everyone is taken care of. Some providers are more relevant than others, so check out online reviews so that you are more aware of which are perfect for you.
Cost
The bottom line. Subscribing to a meal delivery kit service will save you money in the long run. It will help you to cut back on the weekly shop, and you won’t be stuck with perishable items that go to waste. Now you need to be aware of the costs of the service you sign up with.
There is a wide range of meal kit companies, and some, unsurprisingly, cater to the more high-end customer, and others are more down the ‘no fuss’ end of the spectrum. That isn’t to say that the less expensive options can’t also be very effective and tasty as hell, but finding the right service for the right budget is part of the whole process and one that is hugely important.
