Have you ever thought about trying Freshly? More and more of us are looking for new ways to streamline our dining and save time in the kitchen – however, traditional ready meals are slowly falling out of favor, with freshly prepared meal kits growing in popularity instead. However, it’s not always clear whether these are any better than typical ready meals, let alone tasting like true home cooking. With this thought in mind, today, we’re looking at some of the key things you need to know about the Freshly prepared meals service to decide whether it’s the right choice for you.
What is Freshly?
Before we go any further, we first need to consider what the Freshly platform actually is. Freshly is a unique ready-meal solution that delivers high-quality, freshly-cooked meals directly to your door. The three main philosophies behind the Freshly range are:
- Reducing sugar
- Cutting out processed ingredients
- Ensuring each dish is full of nutrients
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How Does Freshly Work?
Freshly’s food is based on a choice of around 35 different recipes, all of which are cooked by the Freshly chefs to perfection. From there, the cooked meals are delivered directly to customers’ door, where the meal can be refrigerated until it’s ready to be re-heated. Then, the Freshly ready meal can be re-heated in either the oven, a skillet, or the microwave. This choice will typically depend on your preferences and what you have access to.
It’s important to consider that you may need to re-heat protein-rich ingredients for longer in some cases (mainly when using a skillet).
Does Freshly Live Up to Expectations?
Before you sign up with the Freshly platform, it’s worth checking whether it lives up to expectations. Fortunately, as far as pre-made ready meals go, the Freshly meal range typically provides a very high-quality alternative to traditional ready meals. All the ingredients are prepared fresh and the ready meals are not frozen, which helps keep them at their best. Plus, by using genuine, high-quality ingredients, the Freshly meals pack in as many nutrients as possible.
What Meals Does Freshly Offer?
Freshly offers a vast array of different meals, each prepared and chosen with care by Freshly’s expert chef teams. The meals are designed for one person to enjoy, so if you’re buying for a family, you may need to order several meals at once.
Several examples of their weekly menu include:
- zingy buffalo chicken
- veggie-loaded burrito bake
- swedish meatballs
- steak with peppercorn sauce
- shrimp and andouille pasta
- oven-baked pork chops
- chicken Florentine
- turkey meatloaf
- veggie Bolognese
- turkey and mashed potatoes
- and much more
In addition to having a wide range of menu items, Freshly recognizes that many of its customers have unique dietary preferences and requirements. As such, it offers a wide range of recipes for every diet, including low-calorie meals, plant-based and dairy-free meals, and gluten-free recipes.
What is the Minimum Order Quantity?
The minimum order quantity for Freshly boxes is 4-5 meals, but the best prices are offered on orders of 12 meals or more. Generally speaking, most meals cost around $10 each, but you can save money on your order by choosing a larger delivery.
Pros and Cons of Freshly
There’s definitely a lot to love about the Freshly platform, and this could influence your decision. However, there are also several criticisms of the Freshly system that you should consider to check whether or not Freshly could make a good alternative to standard cooking.
Pros
Freshly has amassed quite the following recently, and the following may help explain why this is. However, it’s worth remembering that Freshly’s recipes and menu may not work for everyone. But for those which it works for, here are some of the pros about it:
- Unlike standard ready meals from the store, Freshly meals are cooked by chefs before being delivered, so you know that they will be made correctly.
- By using top-quality, very fresh ingredients, Freshly strives to lock in as many vitamins and minerals as possible – reducing the chances of Freshly diners experiencing deficiencies or an imbalanced diet. Each meal contains a fully balanced selection of food groups, as well, to help support a healthy diet and good overall well-being.
- Freshly meals are delivered directly to your front door once they’re cooked and ready to go. This is excellent for people who lead busy lives and don’t have time to get to the shops to pick up ingredients for that night’s tea.
- In order to make serving easier, each Freshly meal is packaged in a single-serving tub. This ensures that you won’t have to spend ages measuring out food; simply serve up one Freshly meal for each guest and dig in.
- The friendly customer support team at Freshly typically replies quickly with responses to queries and questions, as appropriate. This further reduces the time that customers need to spend waiting around to place their first order, ask for an update, and the like.
Cons
Freshly has rapidly become one of the most popular food delivery services. However, the following drawbacks are good to keep in mind.
- When it comes to price, Freshly meals can be somewhat expensive compared to standard ready meals, which may make them unaffordable for most people on a regular basis.
- Portion sizes with Freshly can be slightly limited. While this may help with weight loss programs and the like, the meal sizes may not always be large enough for a main meal, especially if you don’t usually eat much during the daytime.
- Freshly meals are primarily focused on nutritious and healthy recipes. While this is incredibly important, this does reduce Freshly’s appeal as a replacement for takeaways (etc.) since not all of the meals offer the same “comfort food” level as we often hope for.
Final Thoughts
We all deserve the chance to enjoy delicious, high-quality, and fresh food. However, if you don’t have time to prepare a home-cooked meal, don’t worry – Freshly will help. Indeed, while Freshly is admittedly a little expensive compared to traditional ready meals, it nevertheless offers a delicious and nutritious meal-delivery service that’s hard to turn down.
Of course, it’s worth considering that Freshly’s food delivery doesn’t quite compare to fully homemade dishes; still, if it’s convenience you’re looking for, Freshly might be right for you!