EveryPlate is A great meal kit subscription service that takes the hassle out of figuring out what to make for dinner and helps you learn more in the kitchen. This is one of several services owned by a company called HelloFresh that I’ve tried and loved.
EveryPlate offers a few different plans: You can prepare three meals for two people ($7 per serving) for as low as $45 per week, or you can stock your fridge with six meals for six people per week for $150 ($5 per serving).
Like many other meal kit subscription services, EveryPlate has filters like “calorie smart,” “quick and easy,” and vegetarian ingredient preferences. Each week, you choose your meals from a rotating menu with at least 20 options. You can skip, pause, or cancel your plan at any time in your account settings.
What makes EveryPlate different?
EveryPlate has some key differences that could make it better or worse for you and your family.
Unlike most meal kit subscription services, there are no special diet plans like keto, vegan, paleo, etc. EveryPlate says this is to keep the price low. Another difference is in what the company offers. With most meal kits, you have to provide your own butter, oil, salt, and pepper. With EveryPlate, you might also need aluminum foil, baking paper, and flour. These are things most kitchens have in stock, but this is an important difference because other meal kit services don’t usually require you to provide these “extras.” Again, this reduces the cost of EveryPlate compared to other meal kits. Also, unlike other services that pre-package the ingredients for their recipes, EveryPlate ships the ingredients together in one big box or bag. I separated out only the dry goods and put all the rest in one big freezer bag in my fridge drawer. However, you have to pack the items yourself, which can get a bit tedious when they share fridge space with other ingredients. This keeps the price down and reduces packaging. In general, EveryPlate is more affordable than most other meal kit services (though like other services, there are usually promotions for new users that bring the price down even further).
Photo: Lauryn Strumpf
But how did it taste?
During the testing period, I decided to make Pork Chops with Apricot Sauce, Garlic Tuscan Tomato and Mushroom Penne, and Herb Butter Steak. When testing meal kits, I follow the instructions exactly and use only the ingredients provided (unless expressly instructed otherwise due to special circumstances). I am an experienced cook, with All-Clad cookware, trusty Kiwi knives, and a gas stove. I try one service at a time and sample the recipes with the help of my partner. I jot down my initial impressions and opinions before discussing the dishes further.
All of the recipes were delicious. The pork chops with couscous and roasted carrots had the perfect balance of sweet and savory, creamy and chewy, and the penne dish brought out the flavor of mushrooms, an ingredient that can often get overwhelmed by strong sauces and flavors. In the end, the meals I made were delicious.
