Most people know about BLUE APRON, the company that sends out the ingrediants for meals that you can whip up in minutes. BLUE APRON has competitors in the mail-order meal space and PLATED is one of the best. Katie gave Diane a coupon for two FREE PLATED meals. Diane picked “Saucy Meatball Sliders” (see above photo) for me and “Pan Roasted Chicken with Tomato Butter, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa” (see photo below) for herself. These pre-fab meals feature convenience and variety. If you check out the MENUS at PLATED.COM you’ll see plenty of food for every taste.
Of course, the convenience and variety come at a price. But, if you’re willing to try something new, different, and delicious without leaving your house, I recommend PLATED as a smart dinner option. GRADE: B+
I”ve seen them, but the choices always have something I wouldn’t like, and then the cost is much more than a lean cuisine or Luvo (love that frozen dinner, no plastic tray, comes in a paper bag the 99c store often has them, as does grocery outlet. I especially like their cauliflower mac and cheese, which comes in a paper bowl.
Maggie, you’re right about the cost of BLUE APRON and PLATTED meals. Not cheap.
Hi Maggie! Thanks so much for the comment. We’re so happy you love our Roasted Cauliflower Mac & Cheese! Cheers 🙂 *Aya
No! If I’m too lazy to cook I’ll go out to eat!
Bob, watch out for food infections when you go out to eat.
Of course, the “without leaving your house” part is key in the Western New York winter, right? Looks good, but we generally go out to eat.
Jeff, we try to limit “eating out” to once a week. Diane likes to cook and bake. And I like to control what we eat. Take-out food usually has too much salt for my taste (unless it’s pizza).
Are those pictures from Plated or are they pictures you took after preparing the meals? They look very good but, as someone who loves to cook and finds cooking very relaxing, I don’t think it’s a service I’d be using.
/Made a huge pot of spicy lentil soup yesterday. Now I have my lunches for the week.
Deb, those photos are from the PLATED.COM web site. But the actual dinners look very similar. We might order some PLATED dinners once a month or so. Especially in the Winter months.
S’matter, you don’t got a Pizza place that delivers?
Dan, we have a dozen pizza places in North Tonawanda. And, I make a very good pizza if I have to say so myself. But, variety is the spice of Life so we’re trying some of these more adventurous meals from PLATED.
We’re perfectly capable of planning, shopping and making our own meals, thank you. I think those meal places are rip-offs.
Rick, services like BLUE APRON and PLATED are aimed mostly for Millennials. And rich Millennials at that.
As pensioners we have enough time to cook/prepare our own salads and my wife is very choosy/picky re ingredients, fat etc. She also likes to try new things so we go shopping regularly …
Any leftovers are usually frozen as an “iron reserve” – so there’s always something when we don’t want to cook …
Anyway there’s nothing around here that’s comparable to these offers like plated.com
The ready made meals (whether frozen or not) are not that attractive and/or too expensive.
PS: There also is a conditio sine qua non for evry meal:
An accompanying salad – and that needs fresh ingredients, plus things like olives, pepperoni, baby corn, garlic and artichoke heats in oil …
Sounds good, Wolf.
Around the time I left the classroom and started training teachers and new principals my hours were pretty long. After 30 years of cooking having learned a great deal from my mother in law, I hung up my apron.
In retirement we have breakfast, prepared by Jeff and then eat out our main meal as a late lunch. Dinner is a distant memory.
I have no objection to services like Plated, but we have so many local places to choose from in Brooklyn. Anyway, your dinners were a gift. I spent 34 years advising children that the proper
Response to a gift is thank you and then go ahead and enjoy whatever it is even if you wouldn’t have chosen it.
Jackie
So you two don’t eat dinner at all? Gosh.
Look at it this way, you’re being edged into accepting Meals on Wheels!
Bob, BLUE APRON and PLATED are Cadillac MEALS ON WHEELS!
Does it come already prepared and on the plate? I don’t quite get this concept. It seemed like you had to cook and serve it yourself on the commercials. If that’s the case I really don’t get the expense. In our house, Phil cooks dinners like this every night. Unfortunately, I have to clean them up-just took me 45 minutes to clean up tonight’s meal. I cannot get him not to use the stove top as a prep area. And he cuts near the edge of the counter so the floor has to be cleaned every night. I guess every good meal carries its price. Another complaint, he averages 6-8 pans and serving dishes a night. And he uses every cutting board. I am calling Plated tomorrow.
Patty, using many pots and pans and boards and other utensils is maybe a sign of a good cook.
I also clean up after my wife and almost every day the dishwasher is full even though she cooks just for the two of us.
Btw there’s a story behind this:
When she spent the first night at my house I went out after breakfast with the dog and when I came back she had just started doing the dishes.
I said no, no and she looked at me, not understanding why I wouldn’t allow her do this
So I just opened the dishwasher’s door and started putting the stuff in. Since that day it’s part of our routine that I’m responsible for the dirty side of the machine and she puts back the clean dishes where they belong. 🙂
Patti, you mostly have to combine the ingredients PLATED sends you. At most, Phil would have to use 2 pans. I suggest you try it and see if you like it.
I like Wolf’s explanation. We both unload the dishwasher though. Whoever needs to put a dirty dish in first.