Home Meal Kits - To "kit" or not to "kit" - That Is the Question

The heavy, brown box was waiting expectantly at the doorstep.  It sat proudly, perfectly centered on our welcome mat.  The bright blue logo gleamed in the sun. Christmas delivered early?  No.  Premature birthday present?  Nope.  One of those clothing boxes expertly styled  and accessorized, shoes and purses included (not that I wouldn't love that)? Uh uh.  It was our pre-ordered "dinner in waiting."  Glorious!  Gorgeous!

What the heck is a meal kit, you may be saying to yourself?  Well, it's a subscription type of meal ordering and delivery service.  I've seen it aptly described as a kind of Netflix for food (wish I'd thought of that).  The box contains fresh ingredients and detailed recipe instructions on how to prepare a meal.  I mean everything you could possibly need is included.  Except, of course, the sous chef.  That would be you!

So why would you - or wouldn't you - "kit" it?

Pro's-
-  no overthinking - the drudge of meal planning handled - done!
-  no overeating - neatly packaged portion control
-  no boredom - lots of variety along with the opportunity to expand your palate (and that
    of your family too)

Drawbacks-
-  pricey - although less than a restaurant meal - perhaps more than home cooking
-  no control over where food is sourced
-  time-consuming prep

Hey, this "kit" thing is a 2.2 billion dollar industry (I mean "billion" with a "b"). Blue Apron was our purveyor of deliciousness in a box.  The company launched in 2012 with a promise: "We do the prep, you be the chef."  So, chef I was.  The menu creativity was so much fun. We ate salmon with gremolata (chopped herb condiment), Japanese eggplant, and sweet potato.  We also ate short rib burgers on pretzel buns.  Did we love it?  Oh yes we did!  Are we still subscribing?  Um...no.  The prep time was a "drawback" for me.  Some meals took over an hour.  And on a work night it was just too much.

However, that was a year ago.  And now, with over 100 companies to choose from, I know many have streamlined the labor and added organic, gluten-free, paleo-, family-friendly, and probably easy prep.  So how in the world could you choose if you wanted to try it? Here are the top 5 picks according to Money Magazine (I wonder what's the "Best in Chow!"  Get it?).

Ta Da!:
#1 - Plated - superior quality and ingredients
#2 - Blue Apron - fresh food, good quality, and lots of variety
#3 - Sun Basket - organic and boasts less prep time
#4 - Green Chef - another organic option, tasty yet costly
#5 - Martha and Marley Spoon - kid-friendly, very good variety - very utensil, pot and pan intensive - and heavy kitchen clean-up

Most meal kit companies require you to subscribe to weekly or monthly deliveries.  But you are usually allowed to cancel with a few days of advance notice.  The pricing ranges from about $8.75 up to $15.00 per meal.

Are you ready to think "inside" the box?