What is Hello Fresh?

Hello Fresh is one of the many meal delivery services on the market today. You simply go to the Hello Fresh website, select your plan, the number of people you'll be feeding and a couple of days later a Hello Fresh box shows up on your doorstep. 

Hello Fresh supplies all the ingredients (typically uncut - that's up to you) and the recipe. You follow the recipe to make the meal. 

How Much is Hello Fresh?

Hello Fresh has three main plans that can be customized:

1. Classic Plan (what we use): About $10/meal. Can get 3 or 4 meals a week. 
2. Veggie Plan (for the vegetarians out there): About $10/meal. Can get 3 or 4 meals a week. 
3. Family Plan (for the family out there): About $8.75/meal. Less complicated dishes.

You get about 6 choices to choose from for your delivery. So, you have 6 different options to choose for you 3 or 4 meals delivered. That way if you don't like something (Mr. We Tried It hates mushrooms and doesn't eat carbs), you can pick something else.

Some of the meals available this week:

Buttered-Up Stead with Roasted Potatoes and Garlicky Green Beans

Turkey-Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Cheddar Cheese

Each box comes with the number of meals you ordered. Each meal is in one of these Brown Paper Bags:

All the ingredients for this dish are in the brown paper bag.

The meat is usually separate, but all the other items (vegetables, spices, etc.) are in the bag.

You need a couple of things in your kitchen already for Hello Fresh:

• Knives (a good one - you'll be using it a lot!)
• Cutting Boards
• Zester
• Pots
• Pans
• Butter
• Salt + Pepper
• Olive Oil (a lot of it!)

The ingredient card tells you exactly how long the recipe is going to create. 

The recipe card shows exactly how long it will take. We found this to be pretty accurate.

We found the time to be very accurate - all depending on how quickly you can chop.

The recipe card also shows you what else you'll need (pots/pans and any other ingredients). 

Nothing is too complicated and the directions are well-written. 

Why do we love Hello Fresh?

First of all, Hello Fresh was MUCH easier than Blue Apron. Hello Fresh seems to be the perfect balance between unique flavors and easy-to-make dishes. We used to think prep and cleanup was reasonable, until we got the Tovala. Read our full Tovala Review to learn more.

The prices are very reasonable.

It forces us to get out of our comfort zone and try some new dishes.

Mr. doesn't eat carbs. Mrs. loves carbs. Hello Fresh gives us dishes that aren't just meat and cheese but are also not just carbs.

What don't we love about Hello Fresh?

Hello Fresh is far from perfect. We used to be OK with Hello Fresh, until we got our Tovala Smart Oven.  Our biggest complaint about all meal delivery services is that you have to wash, peel and chop all of your vegetables. This creates a huge mess and takes a ton of time. Here's the best food delivery service that doesn't require any prep. 

This seems like something that could be done by the meal delivery company on a larger scale. Washing, peeling and chopping takes up the most time of most dishes. As lifehackers, there has to be a better way.

Hello Fresh also instructs you to put salt and pepper on everything. We've made several dishes that were WAY too salty for our tastes (pun intended?). 

Because we have to wash, peel and chop everything, cleanup is a mess. That's one bonus of the brown paper bag: we use it to put in scraps as we go.

Hello Fresh: The Verdict

If you're a foodie, you might love Hello Fresh. If you like making food, chopping food, mincing food, cooking food - you should give Hello Fresh a try. If you're looking for the easiest food delivery service, check out Tovala.  

Curious about Hello Fresh? Try it today.