Which Meal Delivery Service is the Best? Like us, our food choices are distinctive and individual. The booming prepared meal delivery services industry is a reflection of that. Choosing a meal kit from all the choices available depends on a lot of factors - the most important of which is the reason why you are looking for an easier way to nourish yourself in the first place.
Fair
There are many meal delivery services out there, and Gobble sets itself apart by offering recipes that can be prepped and plated within 15 minutes. Gobble doesn't focus on having lots of different kinds of plans, keeping it to three: classic dinners, lean and clean (600 calories or less), and vegetarian. Subscribers are shipped meal kits that are almost completely prepped - in theory, Gobble does most of the chopping, slicing, and marinating. Like other meal delivery options, subscribers here can customize their menus from any of the plans, skip deliveries, pause shipments, and even order holiday boxes. Gobble will proudly tell you that they were voted the #1 meal kit service by Parents Magazine.
Dinner in about 15 minutes
Gobble's meals are designed to take only 15 minutes from start to finish, which is perhaps the only thing that sets it apart from most competitor services. They prep so you don't have to, which means sauces, grains and pasta are already cooked or mostly cooked, and many of the vegetables and meats come pre-sliced. That being said, many customers admit that many Gobble recipes take a little bit more time, and some meals still involve some chopping or slicing.
Hand-select meals for yourself
Meals at Gobble are divided into three categories:
You can choose any or all of these categories when you make your weekly menu, and while Gobble doesn't offer gluten-free or other specific diets, you can take out ingredients that will cause problems for you or that you simply don't like. Additionally, if you look at upcoming meals, you will see more filterable categories:
Absolutely no information on food sourcing or certifications
While lots of Gobble subscribers talk about how good the quality is, we can't corroborate what kind of ingredient quality or sourcing is used, which is unfortunate. Gobble's website and FAQ don't cover this at all. Another unfortunate problem is that you can only see the full ingredients of recipes after you add your payment information. So, if you happen to have an allergy to specific ingredients in sauces, for example, you won't know if Gobble works for you until after you've signed up for their services with your credit card.
Big deals on first box
Gobble will automatically apply a really great deal to your first box when you subscribe. You will get the first 6 meals for only $36, with free shipping on your first box (after that, the flat rate shipping is $9.99). While a box can be priced as low as $11.99 for 2 people, that is only with 5 meals per week. Choosing fewer meals increases the cost per serving. If you have 2 people and you only have 2 nights of meals, for example, you will pay $16.99 per serving.
Comes chilled, not frozen
Gobble boxes come with packaging and insulation that keeps everything cool until you can put it in your refrigerator, where you can store it for up to 5 days (with Prepared and Ready meals lasting up to 10 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer). Meat and seafood can be stored in the freezer if it needs to be kept fresh longer. While Gobble does its best to live up to its freshness goals, some reviews we read complained of delayed or poor delivery, which resulted in less-than-fresh or spoiled food. Gobble seems to prefer giving a credit for any problems that arise rather than a refund.
Not available everywhere
This meal delivery option is available within the contiguous U.S., with the exception of Montana, and there's limited service in Nebraska, New Mexico, and Kansas. Strangely, this information is found on Gobble's pricing page, not on a shipping page.
Mostly happy subscribers, but bad BBB rating
We were really impressed with the many good reviews we found online. It's always nice to see multi-year subscribers who talk about their consistently great meals and experiences with Gobble, with the exception of one or two instances with missing ingredients or less-than-fresh produce due to late delivery. We were really surprised when we saw that Gobble had an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau, so we investigated it and discovered that it was only due to Gobble's failure to respond to a handful of customer reviews there. The actual reviews on the BBB site include many pleased customers who have no complaints with Gobble's meal delivery service.
Not our favorite
Gobble is a great idea, but sometimes great ideas run into problems being executed. Gobble has had some customer-reported issues with delayed shipments and email glitches and isn't quite up to the level of excellence we expect with a meal delivery service. Like other services, they will auto populate your upcoming weekly menu and it is up to you to go in and customize it before the cutoff date, in this case on Wednesdays at 11:59 pm. Unlike other services, they don't send reminder emails. To be safe, subscribers must create a reminder themselves. The website is difficult to navigate and does not contain any information about quality or source of ingredients. Potential subscribers are unable to see a list of ingredients unless they share personal information, and even then, Gobble is unclear about pricing for add-ons like breakfast and how they fit into the meal plan. All of that plus the steep price tag led us to a lower rating for Gobble as a meal delivery service.
Continued from above...
Like us, our food choices are distinctive and individual. The booming prepared meal delivery services industry is a reflection of that. Choosing a meal kit from all the choices available depends on a lot of factors - the most important of which is the reason why you are looking for an easier way to nourish yourself in the first place.
Perhaps you are dealing with a chronic illness that can be helped by altering your diet. Maybe you need to take a break from cooking because you are going through significant changes in your life. It is possible that your young family is too busy with extracurricular activities, playdates, and obligations to find time for menu planning and grocery shopping.
Perhaps you are a senior who needs a fully prepared meal solution. Maybe you are just tired of takeout and food waste and only want the food you know you will cook. Or you're a rotten cook who wants to learn how to prepare a meal that isn't too dry or undercooked. Meal delivery services can help you and your family's mental and physical health, regardless of your circumstances or motivations.
A meal delivery service can alleviate the burden of preparing entirely different menus for you and your loved ones in cases where families have multiple dietary restrictions. So if you need a diet to deal with the effects of menopause but your partner is weightlifting and needs a high protein diet, a meal delivery service can cover that. You only receive the food you actually eat with these services because everything is pre-portioned. Some kits even do the prep work of chopping, slicing, and cooking grains for you.
Meal delivery services typically keep things simple while still ensuring that your food is tasty and satisfying. Some are kits that take just five or six steps to prepare. There are others who promise 30-minute meal prep time. If you are interested in learning how to cook but are short on time, a meal kit subscription could be a good option. You can even learn new cooking techniques from the gourmet meals that some services provide (sometimes for an upgraded price, but it is worth it). In no time at all, you will be able to confidently claim the title of "home chef." And, for individuals who are mindful of their budget, there are companies that specialize in delivering affordable home-cooked meals.
If you are concerned about the environment, you can find a number of meal delivery options that adhere strictly to regulations regarding responsible fishing and provide only the healthiest ingredients in their prepared meals. Although not certified organic, many businesses are now buying from local farms that follow rigorous standards for the humane treatment of animals and for healthy, delicious produce.
There are meal delivery services that will teach you new skills but will also require you to do some prep work, and there are other services that will deliver meals that only require 15 minutes to make. Incredibly detailed recipe cards and easy-to-follow instructions are provided by most brands, making meal preparation accessible to even the youngest family members. Some people find the recipes on these cards to be so useful that they opt to keep them for when they want to make the same dish on their own.
Our mouths watered while researching today's most popular meal delivery options. Before you choose your ideal service, there are a few things we think are important:
To give you the most worry-free experience with choosing a meal delivery service, the experts at Top Consumer Reviews have spent hours looking at every aspect and facet of the most popular companies on the market today. We hope this helps you find a solution to creating healthy, delicious mealtimes - where you can create loving memories around the common, everyday act of providing a hot, home cooked meal with joy.
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