For the novice chef, cooking at home can be a daunting process. There’s choosing a dish to prepare, shopping, measuring, preparing, and cleaning up. Even for experienced chefs, it is easy to fall into a cooking rut, preparing the same line-up of meals week after week.
A meal kit subscription service can be an effective way to learn new cooking techniques, and introduce a wider variety of dishes into rotation. Because many meal kits offer trials, even just a few weeks can be sufficient to motivate home chefs to prepare fresh, delicious meals.
One benefit of a meal kit is a reduction in kitchen waste. Imagine you’ve found a dish in a cookbook and have bought all the ingredients at the supermarket. The recipe calls for a spring onion, which you can only buy in a large bunch. After making your meal, the remaining spring onions wilt in the refrigerator’s produce drawer, only to be thrown out a few weeks later. Other recipes call for a new spice or condiment that you know you are unlikely to use again before its expiration date.
A home meal kit pre-measures ingredients and sends just the amount you will need, eliminating unused leftovers. This saves on immediate food waste and reduces the amount of food in landfills. A 2017 study estimated that meal kits reduce food waste by 27 percent compared to meals constructed through ingredients you buy directly at the grocery store. That's good for the environment and your refrigerator.
Meal kits also educate chefs about appropriate portion sizes. Home chefs must guess how much to serve each person, and Americans typically overestimate, leading to overeating and/or food waste. With portion-ready meal kits, plating becomes simple, and each contains nutritional information. Particularly for chefs interested in mastering portion control, meal kits are a handy resource.
Due to their increasing popularity, meal kits offer something for nearly everyone. Basic meal kits, such as Blue Apron or Hello Fresh, provide creative recipes at an accessible price point, with many options for choosing frequency and number of servings. If organic ingredients are a priority, Sun Basket sources organic produce, while vegans can choose Purple Carrot for delicious and hearty plant-based meals.
Whatever meal option they chose, chefs can simplify the process of preparing health-conscious meals. Unlike takeout, which typically contains large quantities of salt and other flavor enhancers, meal kits allow for total control of ingredients. Most meal kits have been created with input from expert nutritionists, prioritizing flavor from real, whole food ingredients.
In addition to saving on food waste and time, meal kits can provide substantial cost savings. While the per meal cost may appear high at first glance, chefs must consider the costs associated with shopping and wasting leftover ingredients. Further, meal kits help chefs of all skill levels expand their culinary horizons. Whether it is using an unusual spice or experimenting with a new technique, chefs benefit from clear, easy-to-follow instructions. When they find a recipe they like, they can replicate it on their own.
