We tried Plated and it seems our favorite meal delivery subscription has some stiff competition. To be completely honest, we tried Plated last year, but are just getting around to raving about them. Yes, it’s one of those… so you can stop reading now and order a box to try out for yourself.
Why I really like Plated –
First of all, the site’s interface is very easy to use, choose the meals you want, edit your information, and move on with your day. Sometimes I find services like this make it intentionally difficult to find the most basic of things so that you become so frustrated you never cancel. Of course you can call that 1-800 number, but how many of you will actually wait on hold, or suffer through the runaround to correct an account issue? Exactly. So, Plated garners major points for that alone.
The packaging, besides how the groceries were wrapped, I can’t give much detail on the sustainability of the box it arrived in. I did appreciate there were no excess use of plastic jars. They take up an unnecessary amount of space in the fridge, so the groceries wrapped together are more space effective.
And now, my favorite part, the food. I received Apple Cider Chicken Paillard and Gnocchi in Parmesan Broth, both recipes that I will repeat again in the near future. For the chicken, Plated even provided an aluminum baking pan for the cauliflower gratin. Instructions were easy to follow, especially for a meal so advanced.
Gnocchi in Parmesan Broth was my favorite dish to prepare. The only downside, that I understand was done to save time, was the gnocchi was pre-made. It would have been a culinary treat to make it from start to finish, but cooking the broth was gratifying within itself. And the aromas that fill your home will have your neighbors salivating. I did want to point out while I was following the steps, I must have let the broth boil for a bit too long as it evaporated more than I had hoped. But it was still a cheesy, gnocchi deliciousness.
Things you need to know –
With Plated you can subscribe for a 2,3, or 4 person serving to be delivered for 2, 3, or 4 days of meals that week. Prices start at $48/week for two nights of meals for 2 persons and go up to $144/week for four nights of meals for 4 persons. The breakdown is essentially $12 per meal. When you create your account, you’ll be offered 11 different meals in the range of seafood, meat, vegetarian, and desserts. Some dishes are gluten free, but there is no customized preference for that, or paleo (sorry caveman diet fiends). Meats are responsibly sourced, seafood sustainable, and veggies are farm sourced and seasonal… so no out of date ingredients altering the flavors of a tried and true favorite.
A word to the wise, make sure to create a booklet of the recipes you loved. They’ll come in handy later on down the road, and you can begin to modify them to your liking.
What are you waiting? Get Plated!