Meal Kits Taught Me How to Cook. Now I Get to Test Them for a Living
I remember the first time I bought a meal kit. It was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was living alone in my first solo apartment after moving out of a comfortable house I’d rented with roommates.
My job at a local magazine had been temporarily eliminated, and area restaurants were beginning to move to a takeout-only model. At that time, I did what I always do in times of stress: I discovered several new hobbies that kept me busy at home. Then I decided, “Well, I guess I should learn how to cook, too.” And so I ordered my first HelloFresh box.
I remember making a chicken dish with a homemade white sauce, but I dried it out because I was afraid it wouldn’t be fully cooked. Later in the week, however, I made a super simple stuffed ravioli pasta dish and worked my way through a handful of other tasty dishes. At that time, I loved that I didn’t have to brave a grocery store (which, if you remember, was absolutely crazy) and that the kit gave me all the ingredients I needed, since my kitchen cabinets were pretty bare.
Plus, the introductory prices for the box sets were impossible to beat. I ordered a few more around that time and always kept the recipe cards in case I wanted to recreate the dishes in the future. Although I had tried Crockpot and Instant Pot meals before trying HelloFresh, I really didn’t cook much.
At the time, I lived in a pretty foodie town, so eating out was always welcome, but I felt a sense of pride after cooking dinner. There were times when I ordered meal kits again, but I still wasn’t a regular cook. That is, until last year.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased technical content and lab reviews. Add CNET as your preferred Google source.
Testing meal kits on CNET
These beef empanadas from Marley Spoon were fun to make from scratch and a new experience for me.
Fast forward five years, and now I enjoy reviewing meal kits for a living at CNET. In addition to testing kitchen equipment and exploring all things home, health, and cooking, meal kits have become an important part of my job, and also one of the most fun parts.
Learn more: How we test meal kits on CNET
I’ve always whipped up incredibly easy meals, perfect for a beginner cook, but I’ve also spent more time in the kitchen preparing homemade empanadasshepherd’s pie, pan fried salmon and more flavorful, photo-worthy dishes. But the best part is that I discovered a true joy in cooking for the first time, which I don’t think I would have discovered without the help of meal kits.
Meal kits make cooking easier
One-pan meals save valuable time in the evening.
If you’re learning to cook, meal kits are a great place to start. The included step-by-step instructions have photos to guide you through the recipe, as well as all the ingredients you will need.
Tips and tricks are also included, such as lining your baking tray with foil for easier cleanup or start slowly when adding spicy ingredients to your dish.
One of the benefits is that you can choose your meals based on your skill level. If you just want to start with simple things plate meal or pasta dishes, you can. Then, when you’re ready to take it to the next level, more challenging meals await.
No matter what type of meal you try, you’ll learn essential cooking skills along the way, such as dicing and chopping vegetables, searing meat, salting pasta water, and much more.
Meal kits have made cooking easy and accessible for a formerly shy cook like me, and they’ve inspired me to fire up my stove burners more regularly, with or without the help of a kit.
