Yesterday, I posted this, commenting on onions and meal kits and caramelisation. And then I started thinking (which some friends may point out is A Bad Sign). And now I'm gonna write a big thing about meal kits (eg Hello Fresh). What they are, what they aren't, and what to expect.
Unless they state otherwise, meal kits are not a good way to learn to cook
Meal kits assume that you know how to cook. They won't explain terms, or explain why you do things generally. They'll say "Fry X for Y minutes", and not say why you're doing that. Or say "Chop X", and assume you know the difference between chopping, slicing, cutting, whatever. If you're OK with crash courses and doing a lot of searching while cooking, go right ahead (I did, and it's sort of worked out?). Otherwise, either pick a meal kit provider that advertises teaching you to cook, or learn to cook first.
Meal kits assume you have certain pieces of equipment or certain ingredients in your kitchen.
I once got a recipe that said I should get out my blender to make a sauce of some kind. I had a blender, which was a neat bit of luck (the sauce did not work, however, so that was a waste). Make sure you've got a knife or two, a pan, two pots, and a chopping board. Some containers for chopped ingredients would also not go amiss. Additionally, make sure you have oil, salt, and pepper - those are the basics that every recipe calls for. Some also ask for butter - make sure you have that or an equivalent. Hello Fresh will let you look at recipes online ahead of time to find out what tools and extra ingredients you'll need.
Make sure to select your meals on time.
The two meal kit providers I've used have a cut off date. If you order before then, all good. If you neglect to, then the system selects something for you. If you have specific dietary needs, and you can't tell the system to only select from, for example, vegetarian meals, then you may get three meals you can't have. It's your responsibility to select your meals on time, rather than have their algorithms try to select something for you. Additionally, if your provider lets you customise things (ie ask for certain ingredients to not be included), you have to tell them. Don't expect them to read your mind across countless kilometres to know that you can't eat onions.
Know when the kit is being delivered, and make sure you're around.
My apartment complex has a gate, so the kit can't be left by my door as it should be. So I need to go out and collect it from the delivery driver. If you have a similar living arrangement, remember when your meal arrives, and be there when they're going to arrive, or have someone else be there. Or give them a safe place to leave your kit. Remember, it can't stay outside forever, so make sure you come back that day.
Make sure everything is there as soon as possible.
Actually, let me write that bigger.
Make sure everything is there as soon as possible.
When the kit arrives, open it. There should be recipe cards of some description. Take them out, and get a pen. The box should also contain packages containing the ingredients for each recipe, as well as a separate bag for meats and stuff that should be kept chill. Check each bag, and mark off what's there and what isn't. For anything with an expiration date, write those down as well. If there's anything missing or wrong (recipe card, bag, ingredient), let the provider know as soon as possible, then make plans to account for that based on their response. If you're missing a recipe card, they may e-mail it to you. If you're missing a bag, they will either refund you for that meal or send a replacement bag around ASAP. If you're missing a recipe, they'll probably apologise, and you'll have to go get it yourself.
Before cooking, handle your fruit and veg.
Yeah yeah, hurr hurr hurr. When you're going to make a meal, wash the fruit and veg where required (you don't wash onions, though I've had times where I've peeled them and found some mould and have just rinsed it off under a tap). Citrus fruits may have some kind of wax on them, which requires hot water and maybe soap (be extra careful if you're gonna zest those fruits). The biggest advantage of this is that you can see if the fruit and veg have gone bad before the point of no return. Pay especial attention to anything leafy, like lettuce or rocket (also known as "arugula") or spinach, as there can be leaves that are nasty that you can pick out and bin before washing the rest.
Also before cooking, prep everything beforehand.
There is a concept in cooking called mise en place ([mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]), or "putting in place". It refers to having everything prepped before you begin. A lot of these recipes will say you cut stuff up, put it on, then start cutting other stuff up. That's bullshit. The idea of doing something while something else is in a pan actively frying is madness. Instead, do as much as you can before cooking. This includes washing the veggies and fruit, but also cutting things up, measuring the correct amounts of fluids and ingredients, and marinading stuff. Then, when the cooking starts, you throw the ingredients in, cook, then throw in more, and so on, without having to worry about madly cutting stuff up as a pot is bubbling away. It also works really well to alleviate concerns about getting called away while cooking and before cutting up an ingredient, meaning you run out of time to do so. Prep beforehand!
The times listed are estimates, the ingredients provided may be as well.
The recipe cards will generally say something like "cook for 4-6 minutes until softened". That means that, assuming you have the exact same hob or oven as the person making the recipe, and you set it to the exact same setting as them, it'll take between 4-6 minutes for this step. But if your hob runs hot, then it may take closer to 4 minutes than 6, and maybe even faster. That's why those last two words are there - to tell you the aim of the step so you can adjust. Some recipes may not include them, leaving you unsure as to what the time is for. But the point is, be aware of that fact, and check your cooking frequently to prevent issues. Additionally, the ingredients may be too much. Some providers (at least one, and it's called DropChef) write the recipes for four people, then scale the ingredients down. But, if you're getting a meal for one, then you'll probably need less than they say. If they say chop up a whole onion, you can probably make do with half of one. Hello Fresh gets around this by having the fewest people you can order for be 2, which means that chopping up one onion is correct, and by packaging stuff themselves (pretty sure DropChef just grabbed an onion for me - which has resulted in onions bigger than my fist, which I was supposed to chop up for myself).
Scan 'em, set 'em aside, archive 'em, whatever you want. Those can be useful later. You don't need to memorise them, but make sure you know where they are when you need to make something.
Right, that's a big ol' post, but I think that's everything. If I can think of anything else that isn't just cooking advice, I'll reblog with it.
