Have you tried online food delivery? You aren’t alone; this once-obscure service that was considered a luxury has become a staple in American homes. It’s set to pass the $200 billion mark by 2025.
With this kind of growth and opportunity, new meal services are coming on the market every day. This leads to an overwhelming amount of variety and options.
This guide will help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of pre-cooked meal delivery, meal prep kits, and homemade meals.
Cost
When considering meal delivery, the biggest hurdle for people is the cost. The most affordable kits are in the $10 per meal range, and they get more expensive from there. This makes them more affordable than eating out at a restaurant but not cheaper than ordering takeout.
Cooking meals at home from scratch will be more affordable than ordering kits. However, you also need to consider the additional costs beyond the dollar amount.
Planning and Shopping
The biggest advantage home meal delivery kits have is that they eliminate the planning and shopping process. You may find that the additional cost of the kit is well worth it to save you time planning and shopping.
Pre-cooked meals come prepared, so there’s no need for planning or shopping. Meal prep kits eliminate the shopping aspect, but you’ll need to plan which meal you’ll cook and the time you need to prepare them.
When you cook at home from scratch, you need to plan meals and spend time driving to the grocery store and shopping for all of the ingredients.
Prepping and Cooking
When you cook meals at home, you have to do all of the prep work and cooking. This takes time and effort.
Some meal delivery kits still require you to do this work because they send you the ingredients and directions. Other meal kits eliminate all of the prep work and deliver a pre-made meal that you heat and eat.
The less work you have to do, the more expensive the meal kit will be. If you don’t like to cook, the extra expense can be worth it. However, most of us are willing to balance the cost with the amount of cooking required.
Specialty Food Shipping
One time when food delivery can be well worth it is when you want to serve a specialty item. Several services can send high end or hard to find foods directly to your front door. George Stone Crab lets you enjoy top quality stone crab.
Other specialty food delivery services include grass-fed beef or bison, crab, lobster, caviar, and gourmet desserts.
Try Pre-Cooked Meal Delivery Today
As you can see, you may find that a pre-cooked meal delivery service is just what you need. Thankfully, there are several options, so you’ll be able to find one that fits your budget, time constraints, and cooking skills. Check out our recipe and how-to articles to step your cooking game up and impress your family with new and exciting dishes.
