When your work and life schedules are packed, it can be hard to find time to make a healthy, home-cooked meal. On busy days, meal kits can be a lifesaver. You don’t have to rush to the store and everything you need comes right to your door. However, which ones are right for you, your family, your diet, and your wallet? That’s where Fortune’s review team comes in.
We cook and taste-test popular meal kits and grocery delivery services, then share our honest, hands-on experiences. Keep reading to see how we test meal kits and use that data to craft informative product recommendations.
Our Testing Standards
Our product recommendations are led by our hands-on testing experience. We treat every meal kit as if we are the customer, trying it for the first time. This allows us to give real feedback and insight into what your meal kit preparation may look like. After all, the best way to understand a product is a thorough test run.
Availability and Accessibility
No matter where in the U.S. you live, we want to ensure that these meal kits are readily available to ship directly to your door. We look at how easy it is to sign up, order your first kit, skip weeks, and cancel if you need. So, we note which brands have wide shipping options, clean and user-friendly websites, and helpful customer service.
Our Meal Kits Testing Protocols
Here, we’ll walk you through our meal testing protocols, which our team uses to understand and evaluate kits. After we finish our assessments, we rate each product on a scale of 1 to 5 for the factors you’ll see highlighted below.
First-Person Trials
Before buying a meal kit, we want our readers to have as much real-world insight as possible. Our first-person testing protocols vary a little depending on the product. Generally, though, we look at:
- Cooking Process. We prepare each kit by following the provided directions. Our testers note which brands are easiest to cook, thanks to the clearest directions. We also note the overall cleanup.
- Taste. The best meal kits are the ones you and your family enjoy eating. Our testers focus on flavor, texture, and how well meals hold up after heating. Emphasis is placed on the meals with sauces and seasonings that don’t require anything extra.
- Variety. Anything can become bland if you eat it too often. Our testers report which kits offer the most variety and options to switch up cuisines. Services that offer both “family-friendly” and more adventurous options are also noted.
- Customization. We look for meal kits that allow you to customize plans to fit your needs. Our testers note which brands offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, Keto, and Paleo options.
- Ingredient Quality. Before cooking each meal, our testers pay close attention to the ingredients, ensuring they are fresh and sealed correctly and noting whether they’re organic or non-GMO.
- Convenience. The bottom line is that meal kits should be convenient. Our testers record which kits include absolutely everything you need to make your meal. We don’t want you having to run to the store at the last minute.
Value
The cost for meal kit deliveries, just like fresh groceries, can add up over time. So, our team tries to find the best value for your money, weighing factors like cost, servings per meal kit, and actual serving sizes. We also pay attention to portion sizes and ask our testers whether the provided serving size was filling or if they were hungry afterward.