Latest news with #EveryPlate
CNET
3 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Grab Meal Kits for as Little as $2, Plus Free Heat & Eat Meals for a Month With This EveryPlate Deal
Life's only getting busier, and finding time to grocery shop and planning meals isn't always realistic. Takeouts can seem like a quick fix, but the costs can creep up fast. That's where meal kit services come in, and right now, you can try one of our favorite budget-friendly options for even less. EveryPlate is currently offering new customers meal kits for just $2 each on their first box (down from $6), but that's not it. You also get a full month of free Heat & Eat meals -- perfect for those hectic days. This Back to School offer can be claimed with the code CNET199FREEM, which is auto-applied at checkout, and it is live through September 28. EveryPlate delivers all the ingredients you need, with recipe cards to help you make your chosen meals at home. You can customize your plan by selecting how many meals and servings you want each week, and choose from a rotating menu of over 30 recipes. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Our experts tested several popular meal kit services and found EveryPlate to be one of the most convenient ones out there. Even the seemingly complex recipes took no more than 30 minutes to make. Even better, when our editors compared the cost of buying the same groceries separately, EveryPlate turned out to be just as affordable. While you still have until September 28 to take advantage of this offer, you might want to lock it in sooner if your schedule is about to get more hectic. Why this deal matters Cooking doesn't have to be stressful. If you are looking to cook more at home and try new meals without spending a ton of money or energy, EveryPlate is a solid choice to consider. The current deal makes it even easier to get started without the usual cost or effort.
The Advertiser
18-07-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Are you drowning in trend-driven kitchen gadgets you don't actually use?
If your kitchen cupboards are more scrambled than last night's eggs, turns out you're probably not alone. New research reveals that Australians have accumulated a truckload of expensive and useless kitchen gadgets, cluttering our drawers, gathering dust and turning dinner prep into a game of utensil hide and seek. Not only are we wasting money, but we're also adding stress and losing precious time. The culprit? An over-the-top foodie culture and trend-driven tools that promise time-saving magic, but often deliver clutter and regret. Commissioned by meal delivery service EveryPlate, nearly 75 per cent of people participating in the survey own between 10 and 20 gadgets. Almost a third said some of these have been left untouched for more than a year, and 90 per cent admitted to using the same three or four items over and over again - sound familiar? Coined the spice rack effect, 36 per cent of those surveyed buy a kitchen gadget, use it once, then never again, with 43 per cent admitting to wasting between $100 and $200 on cooking contraptions they don't use. Sixty per cent reported to having a kitchen junk drawer, where unused tools are mercilessly dumped. What are the top kitchen one-hit-wonders? An egg yolk separator came in at number one (51 per cent), followed closely by the avocado pitter (50 per cent), then the spiraliser (47 per cent, electric salt and pepper grinders (40 per cent), garlic crushers (23 per cent) and even the time-honoured food processor (22 per cent). To help Aussie households cut through the chaos and bring dinnertime back down to earth, home cook and clutter realist, Mel Buttle shares her top five tips for simplifying your kitchen. 1. Ditch one-hit wonders They overpromise, underdeliver, and take up way too much space for something that gets used once a year (if that). If it requires a tutorial and a deep clean after every use, it's not a time-saver - it's a shelf hog. Let it go. 2. Back to basics You don't need an army of appliances to make dinner. Just a solid knife, a chopping board, tongs, and a pot. Maybe a peeler if you're feeling fancy. These are the tools that pull their weight - no flashing lights, no USB charger, no risk of accidentally grating your knuckle. 3. Six-month rule If it hasn't been used in six months, it's not a gadget - it's a squatter. That pasta maker you bought during your 'Viva Italia' phase? It's not on a break, it's done. Gift it to a retiree with time for that stuff, give it to the op shop, or the local kindy, but it does need to rack off. 4. Viral? Think twice Wondering if your drawer is full of irrational viral flings? Try this: pick your top three go-to recipes and write down the tools you actually use. You'll likely find the same handful popping up every time, and that's your lineup. Did the electric egg cracker make the cut? No? Shocking. If you won it from a magazine, if you got it from a supermarket for collecting stamps, or got it from a $10 work secret Santa, it may not be worthy of the cupboard space, alongside legends like the chopping board, frypan and butcher's knife. 5. The re-buy rule Here's a task for you to help decide if it's earned its place on the used once and never again metaphoric spice rack; the 'Would I buy again?' test. Line up all those kitchen gadgets gathering dust and perform a merciless cull. Be honest with yourself, is that corn peeler really going to need replacing? If the answer is no, it's time to say, toodle-oo. If your kitchen cupboards are more scrambled than last night's eggs, turns out you're probably not alone. New research reveals that Australians have accumulated a truckload of expensive and useless kitchen gadgets, cluttering our drawers, gathering dust and turning dinner prep into a game of utensil hide and seek. Not only are we wasting money, but we're also adding stress and losing precious time. The culprit? An over-the-top foodie culture and trend-driven tools that promise time-saving magic, but often deliver clutter and regret. Commissioned by meal delivery service EveryPlate, nearly 75 per cent of people participating in the survey own between 10 and 20 gadgets. Almost a third said some of these have been left untouched for more than a year, and 90 per cent admitted to using the same three or four items over and over again - sound familiar? Coined the spice rack effect, 36 per cent of those surveyed buy a kitchen gadget, use it once, then never again, with 43 per cent admitting to wasting between $100 and $200 on cooking contraptions they don't use. Sixty per cent reported to having a kitchen junk drawer, where unused tools are mercilessly dumped. What are the top kitchen one-hit-wonders? An egg yolk separator came in at number one (51 per cent), followed closely by the avocado pitter (50 per cent), then the spiraliser (47 per cent, electric salt and pepper grinders (40 per cent), garlic crushers (23 per cent) and even the time-honoured food processor (22 per cent). To help Aussie households cut through the chaos and bring dinnertime back down to earth, home cook and clutter realist, Mel Buttle shares her top five tips for simplifying your kitchen. 1. Ditch one-hit wonders They overpromise, underdeliver, and take up way too much space for something that gets used once a year (if that). If it requires a tutorial and a deep clean after every use, it's not a time-saver - it's a shelf hog. Let it go. 2. Back to basics You don't need an army of appliances to make dinner. Just a solid knife, a chopping board, tongs, and a pot. Maybe a peeler if you're feeling fancy. These are the tools that pull their weight - no flashing lights, no USB charger, no risk of accidentally grating your knuckle. 3. Six-month rule If it hasn't been used in six months, it's not a gadget - it's a squatter. That pasta maker you bought during your 'Viva Italia' phase? It's not on a break, it's done. Gift it to a retiree with time for that stuff, give it to the op shop, or the local kindy, but it does need to rack off. 4. Viral? Think twice Wondering if your drawer is full of irrational viral flings? Try this: pick your top three go-to recipes and write down the tools you actually use. You'll likely find the same handful popping up every time, and that's your lineup. Did the electric egg cracker make the cut? No? Shocking. If you won it from a magazine, if you got it from a supermarket for collecting stamps, or got it from a $10 work secret Santa, it may not be worthy of the cupboard space, alongside legends like the chopping board, frypan and butcher's knife. 5. The re-buy rule Here's a task for you to help decide if it's earned its place on the used once and never again metaphoric spice rack; the 'Would I buy again?' test. Line up all those kitchen gadgets gathering dust and perform a merciless cull. Be honest with yourself, is that corn peeler really going to need replacing? If the answer is no, it's time to say, toodle-oo. If your kitchen cupboards are more scrambled than last night's eggs, turns out you're probably not alone. New research reveals that Australians have accumulated a truckload of expensive and useless kitchen gadgets, cluttering our drawers, gathering dust and turning dinner prep into a game of utensil hide and seek. Not only are we wasting money, but we're also adding stress and losing precious time. The culprit? An over-the-top foodie culture and trend-driven tools that promise time-saving magic, but often deliver clutter and regret. Commissioned by meal delivery service EveryPlate, nearly 75 per cent of people participating in the survey own between 10 and 20 gadgets. Almost a third said some of these have been left untouched for more than a year, and 90 per cent admitted to using the same three or four items over and over again - sound familiar? Coined the spice rack effect, 36 per cent of those surveyed buy a kitchen gadget, use it once, then never again, with 43 per cent admitting to wasting between $100 and $200 on cooking contraptions they don't use. Sixty per cent reported to having a kitchen junk drawer, where unused tools are mercilessly dumped. What are the top kitchen one-hit-wonders? An egg yolk separator came in at number one (51 per cent), followed closely by the avocado pitter (50 per cent), then the spiraliser (47 per cent, electric salt and pepper grinders (40 per cent), garlic crushers (23 per cent) and even the time-honoured food processor (22 per cent). To help Aussie households cut through the chaos and bring dinnertime back down to earth, home cook and clutter realist, Mel Buttle shares her top five tips for simplifying your kitchen. 1. Ditch one-hit wonders They overpromise, underdeliver, and take up way too much space for something that gets used once a year (if that). If it requires a tutorial and a deep clean after every use, it's not a time-saver - it's a shelf hog. Let it go. 2. Back to basics You don't need an army of appliances to make dinner. Just a solid knife, a chopping board, tongs, and a pot. Maybe a peeler if you're feeling fancy. These are the tools that pull their weight - no flashing lights, no USB charger, no risk of accidentally grating your knuckle. 3. Six-month rule If it hasn't been used in six months, it's not a gadget - it's a squatter. That pasta maker you bought during your 'Viva Italia' phase? It's not on a break, it's done. Gift it to a retiree with time for that stuff, give it to the op shop, or the local kindy, but it does need to rack off. 4. Viral? Think twice Wondering if your drawer is full of irrational viral flings? Try this: pick your top three go-to recipes and write down the tools you actually use. You'll likely find the same handful popping up every time, and that's your lineup. Did the electric egg cracker make the cut? No? Shocking. If you won it from a magazine, if you got it from a supermarket for collecting stamps, or got it from a $10 work secret Santa, it may not be worthy of the cupboard space, alongside legends like the chopping board, frypan and butcher's knife. 5. The re-buy rule Here's a task for you to help decide if it's earned its place on the used once and never again metaphoric spice rack; the 'Would I buy again?' test. Line up all those kitchen gadgets gathering dust and perform a merciless cull. Be honest with yourself, is that corn peeler really going to need replacing? If the answer is no, it's time to say, toodle-oo. If your kitchen cupboards are more scrambled than last night's eggs, turns out you're probably not alone. New research reveals that Australians have accumulated a truckload of expensive and useless kitchen gadgets, cluttering our drawers, gathering dust and turning dinner prep into a game of utensil hide and seek. Not only are we wasting money, but we're also adding stress and losing precious time. The culprit? An over-the-top foodie culture and trend-driven tools that promise time-saving magic, but often deliver clutter and regret. Commissioned by meal delivery service EveryPlate, nearly 75 per cent of people participating in the survey own between 10 and 20 gadgets. Almost a third said some of these have been left untouched for more than a year, and 90 per cent admitted to using the same three or four items over and over again - sound familiar? Coined the spice rack effect, 36 per cent of those surveyed buy a kitchen gadget, use it once, then never again, with 43 per cent admitting to wasting between $100 and $200 on cooking contraptions they don't use. Sixty per cent reported to having a kitchen junk drawer, where unused tools are mercilessly dumped. What are the top kitchen one-hit-wonders? An egg yolk separator came in at number one (51 per cent), followed closely by the avocado pitter (50 per cent), then the spiraliser (47 per cent, electric salt and pepper grinders (40 per cent), garlic crushers (23 per cent) and even the time-honoured food processor (22 per cent). To help Aussie households cut through the chaos and bring dinnertime back down to earth, home cook and clutter realist, Mel Buttle shares her top five tips for simplifying your kitchen. 1. Ditch one-hit wonders They overpromise, underdeliver, and take up way too much space for something that gets used once a year (if that). If it requires a tutorial and a deep clean after every use, it's not a time-saver - it's a shelf hog. Let it go. 2. Back to basics You don't need an army of appliances to make dinner. Just a solid knife, a chopping board, tongs, and a pot. Maybe a peeler if you're feeling fancy. These are the tools that pull their weight - no flashing lights, no USB charger, no risk of accidentally grating your knuckle. 3. Six-month rule If it hasn't been used in six months, it's not a gadget - it's a squatter. That pasta maker you bought during your 'Viva Italia' phase? It's not on a break, it's done. Gift it to a retiree with time for that stuff, give it to the op shop, or the local kindy, but it does need to rack off. 4. Viral? Think twice Wondering if your drawer is full of irrational viral flings? Try this: pick your top three go-to recipes and write down the tools you actually use. You'll likely find the same handful popping up every time, and that's your lineup. Did the electric egg cracker make the cut? No? Shocking. If you won it from a magazine, if you got it from a supermarket for collecting stamps, or got it from a $10 work secret Santa, it may not be worthy of the cupboard space, alongside legends like the chopping board, frypan and butcher's knife. 5. The re-buy rule Here's a task for you to help decide if it's earned its place on the used once and never again metaphoric spice rack; the 'Would I buy again?' test. Line up all those kitchen gadgets gathering dust and perform a merciless cull. Be honest with yourself, is that corn peeler really going to need replacing? If the answer is no, it's time to say, toodle-oo.
CNET
17-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
Meal Kits Have Gotten Cheap, but Are They Cheaper Than Groceries?
Bloated costs on everything from eggs to olive oil have folks looking for ways to cut costs. Meal kits -- once considered a splurge -- may not have cause a blip on your thrifty radar. While supermarkets seemingly jack prices up at will, meal kit companies have been more careful when raising consumer costs, since retaining subscribers is key to their survival. Meal kit services such as EveryPlate, Blue Apron or HelloFresh are known for helping busy people save time and eat better, but I crunched the numbers to find out if any of of the top meal delivery services are cheaper when compared with a supermarket haul of the same items. Meal kits vs. buying the groceries Cost per serving (average plan) Cost of same ingredients at grocery store EveryPlate $6 $5.40 Blue Apron $11 $9.75 HelloFresh $9 $6.55 After looking at several ingredient lists for various recipes, I found that some meal kits are more expensive while others are about the same price as grocery shopping, or in some cases even cheaper. It depends on the service and, more importantly, the meals you choose. Here's a breakdown and how I got these figures. How I did the math I put on my math hat to see if meal kits are actually a good deal in see how much Blue Apron, HelloFresh and EveryPlate meals cost to make, I priced out the ingredients for two real recipes that are included in a standard subscription. When choosing groceries, I used the cheapest version of the same or similar ingredient I could find at Shop-Rite, a budget-friendly grocery store in my area. Because meal kit recipes include only the amount of ingredients needed, I prorated the cost by how much you would actually use for a recipe, not the full price of the bottle, jar, box or bag. I chose basic, nonorganic items unless it was otherwise specified in the meal kit recipe. How I picked the recipes I picked steak and seafood recipes to compare since they represent the best value on most meal kit menus. David Watsky/CNET If you're looking to meal kits as a value proposition, you'll have to be smart about which recipes you choose. Steak, chicken and fish tend to be more expensive to cook at home than plant-based meals, so I specifically chose recipes featuring those proteins. (I also recommend you take advantage of them if you're signing up for a service). Not all services include steak recipes without a surcharge, but HelloFresh and Blue Apron do. Blue Apron typically offers at least one fairly high-end beef cut like sirloin steak with no added charge. HelloFresh offers one or two beef recipes per week, but it's usually a cheaper cut like chuck steak. Seafood options are limited with a basic HelloFresh, but I found a barramundi recipe on this week's menu, in addition to the ranch steak with Caesar salad. Budget-friendly services including EveryPlate don't usually offer steak or seafood, which is how they keep prices low. For my EveryPlate analysis, I chose a cherry beef meatball and pork chop recipe. Blue Apron presents real value if you choose the right meals Blue Apron's seafood recipes including steak, salmon and trout prove to be an excellent value in 2025. Blue Apron Blue Apron has the most high-end recipes of the three I chose to analyze. I picked a recipe featuring sirloin steak and another with fresh filets of steelhead trout. When I priced out the groceries to make these meals, they clocked in at $11.26 and $8.23, respectively, with an average price of $9.75 per serving. Both meals proved more expensive to buy at the supermarket than the $8 per-serving cost for the largest (cheapest) Blue Apron plan. As good as that sounds, Blue Apron's largest plan is a whopping five meal kits per week with four servings each, and likely practical for most people. If you choose a more reasonably sized plan -- let's say three meal recipes with four servings each -- the price per serving jumps to $10. That's still cheaper than the cost of buying the groceries, but only by a little. Add the $11 weekly shipping cost and the Blue Apron creeps over the cost of buying the groceries, but only slightly. When you consider the convenience a meal kit provides, it's hard to argue that Blue Apron isn't a good value. Blue Apron vs buying the groceries Trout with feta, couscous and vegetables Ingredients: Cost: Steelhead trout filets, 10 oz $11.50 Pearl couscous, 1/2 cup $2 4 oz. grape tomatoes $1.25 1 red onion $1.29 Crushed pepper flakes $0.10 Feta cheese, 1/2 oz $2 Spice blend, 1 tbs $0.25 Green beans, 6 oz $3 Roasted sunflower seeds, 2 tbs $0.50 Pitted niçoise olives, 1 oz $0.64 Total: $22.53 Per serving: $11.26 Mexican steak with green beans and sweet potatoes Ingredients: Cost: 2 sirloin steaks, 11 oz $7 Guajillo chile pepper sauce, 1/3 cup $1 Lime, 1 $0.50 Raw pepitas, 2 tbs $0.59 Cotija cheese, 2 tbs $0.60 Sweet potatoes, 1 lb $3 Green beans, 6 oz $3 Smoky spice, 1 tbs $0.25 Garlic, 2 clove $0.20 Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbs $0.46 Total cost: $16.55 Per serving: $8.23 HelloFresh was the worst value HelloFresh meal kits cost $10 per serving but only around $6.50 per serving if you were to buy the groceries yourself. HelloFresh HelloFresh might be the most popular meal kit service, but it was also the worst value of the three. I chose a barramundi recipe and chuck steak meal kit to compare with local grocery prices. By my calculations, HelloFresh meal kits would cost just $6.55 per serving to buy the groceries and make the meals yourself. That's about $2.50 cheaper than HelloFresh's average meal plan of $9 per serving, and that's all before factoring in your weekly delivery cost of $11. If you were to spread that shipping fee out across two or three meal kits, the actual per-serving cost is more like $11 to $12. HelloFresh may have one of the largest weekly menu of meal kits and user-friendly ordering interface, but as it turns out, the popular service doesn't offer as much value as other meal kit companies. HelloFresh vs buying the groceries Barramundi with lemony carrots & couscous Ingredient: Cost: Barramundi, 10 oz $7.56 Carrots, 12 oz $1.50 Lemon, 1 $0.57 Cumin, 1 tsp $0.23 Israeli Couscous, 2.5 oz $0.75 Cilantro, ¼ oz $1 Garlic, 2 cloves $0.20 Chili flakes, 1 tsp $0.23 Veggie stock concentrate, 1 packet $1 Total: $13.04 Per serving: $6.52 Balsamic-glazed steak tagliata Ingredient: Cost: Potatoes, 12 oz $1.50 Lemon, 1 $0.57 Italian seasoning, 1 tbs $0.50 Garlic powder, 1 tps $0.23 Ranch steak, 10 oz $6 Mixed greens, 2 oz $0.70 Caesar dressing, 1.5 oz $0.45 Croutons, 2 oz $1.00 Parmesan cheese, 3 tbs $1.50 Balsamic glaze, 5 tsp $0.80 Total: $13.17 Per serving: $6.59 EveryPlate is also about the same as buying groceries EveryPlate meal kits clocked in at $5.40 per serving when ingredients were purchased at the store. That's just a hair cheaper than the service, making it a great value if you're trying to save time and energy. David Watsky/CNET EveryPlate's two meal kits cost $4.98 and $5.82 when purchased a la carte at the grocery store, which averages out to $5.40. That's just 60 cents less than the per-serving price of EveryPlate's meal kits, which cost $6 per serving no matter which plan you choose. Add the $10 shipping cost per box and the meal kit cost creeps up a bit, but it's still around the same price as buying all the groceries yourself. EveryPlate's meal kit menus don't feature much in the way of steak or seafood so you can expect more budget-friendly proteins such as chicken, ground beef and pork chops. EveryPlate meals are also easy to make and satisfying, making it our top pick best cheap meal kit service. EveryPlate vs buying the groceries Cherry meatballs with zucchini and garlic mashed potatoes Ingredients: Cost: Potatoes, 12 oz $1.50 White bread, 2 slices $0.50 Zucchini, 1 $2 Ground beef, 8 oz $3.50 Cherry jam, 1 oz $0.85 Garlic powder $0.10 Sour cream, 4 oz $1 Soy sauce, 1 oz $0.50 Total $9.95 Per serving $4.98 Smothered pork chops with potatoes and carrots Ingredients: Cost: Carrots, 12 oz $1.50 Potatoes, 12 oz $1.50 Yellow onion, 1 $1 Scallions, 2 $0.50 Boneless pork chops, 10 oz $4.93 Chicken stock concentrate $1 Cayenne pepper $0.25 Sour cream, 4 oz $1 Total $11.63 Per serving $5.82 To get the most out of your meal delivery, see my guide to hacking a meal delivery subscription in 2025.
CNET
10-07-2025
- Health
- CNET
EveryPlate: Our Honest Review
CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 8.8 / 10 SCORE EveryPlate Buy at EveryPlate Pricing Starts at $2/serving w/CNET Type Meal kits Recipes per week 25+ Good for Healthy, family-friendly, comfort food, picky eaters, quick and easy Score Breakdown Taste/results 8 /10 Value 10 /10 Ease of recipes 9 /10 Recipe variety 8 /10 Healthiness 7 /10 Pros Simple, tasty meals at the lowest price per serving in the category You can swap proteins and sides if you want Uses less plastic than other meal kit services Everything I made tasted great and was easy to execute Cons Not many low-carb or plant-based options Some boxes of ingredients arrive a little disorganized $9 extra for shipping EveryPlate 8.8/10 CNET Score Buy at EveryPlate Signing up for a meal kit delivery service is not only convenient, but choosing the right service could end up costing less than buying the groceries yourself; that's particularly true in the age of tariffs and food inflation. Starting at $6 per serving, EveryPlate meal kits are some of the cheapest options -- but are they good? Of the dozens we've tested, EveryPlate stands out as one of the best values in the meal delivery category. To ensure that my glowing take on EveryPlate in the several rounds of testing I've done wasn't a fluke, I tapped two other CNET editors -- a wellness expert and another who is new to cooking -- to confirm my findings. Here are three unique perspectives on EveryPlate meal kits. I retested EveryPlate and it's still my favorite cheap meal kit service. EveryPlate EveryPlate has topped our hand-tested list of the best cheap meal delivery services for four years running. In the spirit of quality control -- something we take seriously here -- we decided to take EveryPlate for another spin in 2025 by using hands-on testing experiences from wellness editor Caroline Igo and flex editor Corin Cesaric. The service's affordable offerings hold steady as the best cheap meal kits to buy, doling out simple and satisfying recipes for good, homemade meals that often cost you less time and money to make than doing it from scratch. Below is a full breakdown of our most recent round of testing EveryPlate meal kits and what you can expect if you sign up. How EveryPlate works EveryPlate is a meal kit service that sends you all the necessary ingredients and directions but they're not pre-made meals so keep in mind that you'll still have to cook. (If you prefer not to, I suggest trying a service like MealPro, Mosaic Foods or CookUnity for fully pre-made food delivered each week.) This budget-friendly service is an offshoot of Green Chef, which was acquired by HelloFresh in 2018. While Green Chef offers a more gourmet approach to meal kits, EveryPlate strives to be the most affordable meal kit service. The more meals per week you pick, the cheaper they get. EveryPlate/Screenshot by CNET Signing up for EveryPlate couldn't be simpler. First, you'll plunk in an address and contact information and then select a plan (number of meals) and payment option. For plans, you can choose either two, three, four or five meal kits per week with either two, four or six servings per meal. The more meals you pick, the cheaper the per-serving price gets. The plans start at about $6 per serving. EveryPlate recipes are simple and good. EveryPlate/Screenshot by CNET Then comes the fun part: You pick meal kits from a menu of more than 30 recipes. The meals change weekly with favorites popping back into the rotation often. There is loads of information available about each one, including calories, nutrition and the time it takes to make. You can also substitute proteins and side dishes on most EveryPlate meal kits just in case you despise green beans or have had way too much chicken lately. You can even view the next two weekly menus in advance. Shipping and delivery EveryPlate uses less packaging than other services by lumping most of the ingredients together in one box. You'll have to separate items before starting a recipe but it doesn't take long and didn't bother me at all. David Watsky/CNET EveryPlate delivers to most of the continental US with boxes arriving on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays (your choice). Meal kit deliveries come sealed with large ice packs and are meant to stay cold for up to 48 hours, just in case you're not home to receive them on a particular day. What EveryPlate meals are like EveryPlate's recipe cards will guide you carefully through each meal kit. David Watsky/CNET EveryPlate is big on comfort food. On any given weekly menu you'll find options for meatloaf, pork chops, chicken pot pie, tacos and pasta recipes. Sides are equally hearty, including lots of mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, white rice and noodles. The recipes are mostly familiar, but the culinary team will mix things up with a hoisin (Japanese barbecue sauce) glaze on an otherwise traditional meatloaf or a sweet apricot and Dijon sauce to liven up a chicken dish. There are a small selection of plant-based options per week and you won't find many trendy ingredients or superfoods in EveryPlate meal kits. However, our wellness editor was impressed with the amount of fresh, whole foods that came included in the meal kit (and weren't covered in plastic). Caroline Igo/CNET EveryPlate has only a few seafood or steak options (one or two per week) and most of the ones available are considered "premium" and cost an extra $3 per serving. There are really only lunch and dinner meal kits and no breakfast or snack options, although you can select a protein pack of chicken breasts and ground beef for meal planning. How easy are EveryPlate meal kits? Most of EveryPlate's recipes are simple and fuss-free. I like that. David Watsky/CNET Of the meal kit services I've tried, EveryPlate meals are some of the easiest to prepare. The most complicated recipe I made during my testing was meatloaf and even that took just 30 minutes. Our flex editor and novice cook didn't find any of her meals too challenging to prepare. There are very few, if any, overly complicated recipes that require advanced skills or fancy kitchen equipment, making EveryPlate a good option for new or amateur cooks. Each meal kit comes with a comprehensive recipe card fit with glossy images and directions to help you through. Each card also lists what you'll need that isn't provided -- cooking oil, butter, ketchup -- so you're not caught flat-footed. If you've chosen to swap a side or protein, there are little addendums up in the corner to address any slight changes to the recipe. For example, "Did you choose chicken instead of pork? Follow the recipe as written but in step 4, simply cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side." Who is EveryPlate good for? EveryPlate is perfect for anyone looking for a boost to their cooking routine, learn to cook or inject some new recipes into their rotation without breaking the bank. Busy people would love the service, too, because it's also a time-saver, eliminating trips to the store as well as time spent ruminating over what to make. If you like comfort foods and don't mind a few carbs, EveryPlate has them in spades but there are some healthier options, too. Is EveryPlate healthy? Screenshot by Caroline Igo/CNET Our wellness editor tested EveryPlate with nutrition, taste, variety, protein and diet preferences in mind. There aren't any vegan options but she was able to test a few vegetarian dishes. Out of about 35 meal choices each week, there are about 10 veggie meals available. While this isn't a lot, she did appreciate how flavorful and filling the vegetarian meals were. All of the dishes she tried came with fresh vegetables and produce. She found that it is very easy to adjust the recipes to include less dairy for those watching their sodium and fat levels. Some of the meal options could also be made without meat and could still be very tasty. She thought that the portions were good and a lot of dishes had a variety of produce, protein, fiber and carbohydrates. It was very helpful when choosing her meals because the website marks the healthier dishes with 'veggie,' 'calorie-smart,' 'carb-smart' or 'protein-smart.' However, always check the nutrition label to determine how much sugar, fats, sodium and protein a recipe contains. While this might not be the healthiest meal kit out there, for such a great price, it can be a good start. Who EveryPlate meal kits are not so good for EveryPlate recipes are on the simple side so we wouldn't recommend it for very experienced chefs looking to further hone their skills. There also aren't as many options for vegetarians as there are for meat eaters so those who want a variety might not like EveryPlate. Also, there aren't any completely plant-based meals on EveryPlate so I also wouldn't recommend this meal kit service for vegans. As a way to keep prices low, EveryPlate also doesn't cater to diet plans such as keto, paleo or low-sugar. EveryPlate pricing EveryPlate is the cheapest of the major meal kit delivery services. Screenshot by David Watsky/CNET EveryPlate is about $6 a serving, so by my count, it's the cheapest meal kit company available and it's even cheaper when you bag a special promotion offer. Keep in mind that "Premium" meals like salmon and steak do incur an upcharge of $3 per serving and each box costs $9 to ship. Are EveryPlate meal kits cheaper than buying the groceries yourself? Last time I tested EveryPlate, I also did a cost breakdown to see how much it would cost to make the same meals if you bought the groceries yourself. In some cases and especially when you figure in gas to get to and from the market, EveryPlate was about the same as cooking from scratch but with the bonus of a whole lot more convenience and time saved. See the full breakdown here. What we cooked and how it went Barramundi with chimichurri sauce, mashed cauliflower and roasted asparagus: This was the one premium recipe I made (extra charge alert), which means it'll cost you extra. It was simple, healthy and really good. The fish smelled and tasted very fresh, and didn't really even need the punch of chimichurri. I doused the filet in it anyhow. A simple spiced barramundi with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. David Watsky/CNET Chicken sausage flatbread + tomato pasta: This unique meal kit is designed to be made as a pizza one night, then a portion of extra cooked pizza sauce and toppings are turned into a pasta dish the next day, for lunch or another dinner. The meal kit has all the ingredients for both recipes. I liked both meals and found this to be a rather clever idea. This meal kit starts as a rustic flatbread for dinner. But then... David Watsky/CNET ...on Day 2, the extra pizza toppings you put aside can be turned into a hearty pasta dish in about 7 minutes. David Watsky/CNET Sweet umami beef bowls: This is one of my favorite types of meal kits. It takes very little time or mental energy to prepare and is highly satisfying. It wasn't heavy but plenty hearty, with lots of complimentary flavors and textures. This simple umami beef bowl with cucumbers and carrots was one of my favorites. David Watsky/CNET Hoisin pork meatloaves with wasabi mashed potatoes: This was another favorite of the EveryPlate recipes I cooked. It was simple to make but interesting and satisfying. Putting wasabi in mashed potatoes is definitely my new default. The meatloaf was my favorite of the recipes but all of EveryPlate's meal kits passed the ultimate taste test. David Watsky/CNET Sweet potato and pepper quesadilla with fresh salsa and chipotle sour cream: This was a nice changeup for lunch, especially if you're looking for some plant-based options to sprinkle into your routine. Spicy umami pork chops with ginger rice and roasted carrots: Another simple yet flavorful dinner. The hoisin and ponzu made good on the promise of umami and the fresh ginger made the rice really pop. Tex-Mex rodeo risotto: Our wellness editor, Caroline, tried this vegetarian meal and loved how the recipe simplified risotto (which is normally an intensive dish involving a lot of stirring). This involved a lot of fresh ingredients and flavors from lime, tomato, onion and jalapeno. Caroline Igo/CNET Charred corn tacos: This was easily Caroline's favorite meal from EveryPlate. It incorporated black beans, cheese, corn and fresh pico de gallo. The beans offered a great source of protein for this veggie-based meal. The onion, tomato, jalapeno and lime were fresh and zesty. Caroline made the meal a few times, even buying all the ingredients from the store the week after testing. Caroline Igo/CNET Pork egg roll in a bowl: While this dish did incorporate meat, our wellness editor could see this meal still being tasty without it. The pork or any meat could easily be made on the side for a meat-eating family member or loved one. The dish had a great gingery taste and, according to Caroline, was restaurant quality. Sesame mushroom and zucchini lo mein: This was my favorite meal of the week. It was so flavorful and simple to make, and I feel like it can easily be re-created at home. This is an ideal meal for new cooks and one that didn't disappoint (even when my leftovers were heated up the next day!) Corin Cesaric/CNET Carne asada-style steak pitas: This was another tasty dish that took less than an hour to whip up. The diced steak was tender and each ingredient complimented the other to create a tasty and satisfying dinner. Corin Cesaric/CNET Creamy peppercorn chicken: While there was nothing hard about cooking this meal, it did take me nearly double the time to cook it than what the recipe card said. However, I still feel that the meal turned out great. I wasn't a huge fan of the sauce but besides that, this was a classic and simple meal that is a great way for a new cook to get dinner ideas. Corin Cesaric/CNET Is EveryPlate worth it? As someone who reviews meal kits for a living, I often feel like I'm splitting hairs trying to find the nuance but with EveryPlate the distinction is very clear. EveryPlate is the most affordable meal kit service but still delivers enjoyable recipes that are interesting and satisfying. In multiple rounds of testing with three editors -- that's 13 total meal kits -- EveryPlate recipes have not produced a single meal we didn't like. Caroline Igo/CNET As for a healthy perspective, EveryPlate offers a few vegetarian-based meals each week. Dishes are also labeled 'carb-smart,' 'protein-smart' or 'calorie-smart' to further give nutrition insight before choosing which meals you want each week. Nutrition values are also visible on the website, but only the calorie count can be seen on each meal recipe card. The vegetarian meals are very tasty and have a great serving of protein. While EveryPlate turns down the gourmet dial just slightly compared with Blue Apron or Green Chef, the meals I made were all solid and didn't look or taste "budget." At just $5 or $6 a serving, I also felt like I was getting a genuinely good deal. Plus, most boxes of ingredients from EveryPlate use less shipping materials than many of its competitors. If you've never tried a meal kit before and want to see if it's a good fit, I would absolutely recommend EveryPlate. In fact, I've been recommending EveryPlate to just about anyone looking to try meal kits, especially at those wildly cheap new-customer prices of just $1.99 per serving.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Best $75 (or Less) You Can Spend That Will Pay for Itself in a Month
Spending money to save money might sound like a contradiction, but when done strategically, it can actually work in your favor. Whether you're trying to lower your bills, save time on daily tasks or cut back on wasteful spending, a small upfront investment can deliver quick returns. Read Next: Check Out: So if you have $75 (or even a little less) to put to good use, here are some of the smartest ways to spend it. Each one could likely pay for itself in about a month (sometimes even less), making it a savvy move for your wallet. Also see seven purchases that may change your life, according to Rachel Cruze. Buying in bulk at warehouse clubs like Costco or Sam's Club can significantly reduce the cost of essentials from toilet paper and laundry detergent to pantry staples and meat. On top of groceries, you can also score deals on prescription medications, travel packages, car rentals and even insurance. According to CNET, a Costco membership can save $1,000 a year in groceries. Add in discounted gas, and your membership could pay off quickly. Costco's Gold Star Membership costs $65 a year, while Sam's Club's base-level membership costs just $50 a year. Explore More: Meal kits like HelloFresh, EveryPlate, Blue Apron and Dinnerly offer heavily discounted intro rates for new users, often up to 50% off your first few boxes. Subscribers receive pre-portioned ingredients and recipes that make weeknight dinners easier, reduce food waste and limit the need for expensive last-minute takeout. If your family has been ordering takeout for two to three nights per week, you can likely save money on your food costs by considering one of these meal kit dinners services. Plus, you can save time planning meals and shopping. Most of these plans allow you to skip weeks or make adjustments to your order anytime, so you can also manage how much you spend overall. According to Bon Appétit, HelloFresh costs an average of $9.99 per serving, plus shipping fees, while Dinnerly comes in slightly lower at an average of $7.99. Investing in durable, reusable household items can save money in the long run. Think water filter pitchers (like Brita or ZeroWater), silicone food bags, beeswax wraps or a quality reusable coffee cup. These products replace single-use items you'd otherwise need to buy every month. If you stop buying bottled water and use a filter instead, you could save on buying pricey plastic water bottles. Replacing plastic bags and foil for lunches or leftovers? That's more savings. Good Housekeeping ranked the Brita water filter pitcher as the best overall. It costs $55 on Amazon. Cooking at home can save hundreds per month, but the key is convenience. A good set of meal prep containers, a slow cooker or even an air fryer can help you plan ahead, reduce food waste and avoid costly takeout when you're busy. Slow cookers are great for batch-cooking soups, stews and proteins, and they work while you're busy living life. Even replacing just two takeout meals per week with home-cooked options can save $40 to $80 month — or more. That's not even counting the leftover meals you can freeze or refrigerate. Kohl's is selling a Gourmia air fryer on sale right now for just $75.99. Or if you want to go the slow cooker route, Target has a 6-quart Crock-Pot for $74.99. A simple tool kit with a hammer, pliers, a screwdriver set, measuring tape and a level can empower you to handle basic repairs and upgrades yourself. You can watch free tutorials on YouTube or TikTok to learn simple DIY techniques for home maintenance. Hiring a handyperson for a one-hour fix can cost an average of $50 to $150, per Angi. If you tackle even one small job yourself, whether it's hanging curtains, fixing cabinet doors or patching holes in drywall, you'll already have saved more than what you likely spent on the tools. A Husky homeowners tool set at Home Depot costs just $74.97, which would likely pay for itself after just one repair. Saving money doesn't always mean cutting things out. Sometimes, it means spending smart. Choose one or two of these ideas to try, and watch how fast that small investment pays off. Editor's note: Pricing and availability may vary depending on location. More From GOBankingRates 10 Unreliable SUVs To Stay Away From Buying 7 Tax Loopholes the Rich Use To Pay Less and Build More Wealth This article originally appeared on The Best $75 (or Less) You Can Spend That Will Pay for Itself in a Month
