4 Problems with Meal Kit Subscriptions (and how local meal delivery solves them)
We admit The Austin Artisan might be a bit biased when it comes to food delivery options. After all, we know what our chefs cook up, and we want everyone to be able to enjoy it.
But since you aren’t here in our kitchens to try our delicious food, there are a few other convincing reasons you should consider canceling that meal kit subscription that don’t require a taste test. Switching over to weekly meal delivery from a chef-prepared food delivery service might be the best decision you make, whether you live here in Austin or anywhere for that matter. Here’s why…
1. Pre-made meals taste better.
We get it. Meal kits get sent to you in beautiful boxes, complete with beautifully designed recipe cards that make you just want to swoon. You eye that delectable meal on the card, roll up your sleeves, and prepare yourself to create a culinary masterpiece that is worthy of a Michelin star.
But hold up…
Here’s the thing about meal kits. No matter how much time you spend reading over that recipe card or how precisely you follow the step-by-step rules, you are bound to make mistakes. And that $90 box you paid for with that prime cut of steak? Well, you just overcooked it because you didn’t realize that your oven settings weren’t quite what the recipe card called for.
This is why weekly meal delivery made by a professional chef will taste better every time. We are professionals, and we know how to keep it consistent.
And besides, all those little plastic baggies and pre-made cups with the perfectly portioned ingredients? They bring us to another reason you should consider a different way of getting your weekly meal food delivery…
2. Our prepared meals are Austin-friendly.
If you want to engage in a raging debate that is the culinary equivalent of an out-of-towner belittling the Longhorns, listen to an eco-friendly group debate which is worse, meal kit subscription services or grocery stores. The truth is, both have their cons… prepared meal kits come in huge boxes that have to be shipped to you and include a lot of single-use plastics. They do, however, reduce food waste. Trips to the grocery store, on the other hand, require fuel, not to mention electricity to keep the grocery store running.
Quite the conservation-minded culinary pickle, isn’t it?
At The Austin Artisan, we believe that local chefs’ meal delivery marries the best eco-friendly solutions the other two options lack. Because we use local, seasonal Austin produce, and work with local farmers and food providers whenever possible, there’s less of a footprint on the environment. We also are supporting Austin’s local economy. And because we make many meals for lots of people, we reduce food waste.
3. Prepared Meals Meal Delivery Saves Time
On average, a dinner takes about 37 minutes to complete from start to clean-up, according to the USDA. With meal kits, perhaps it’s more. There’s the unboxing, the recycling of the box, the unloading of groceries, the prepping (chopping and mincing), and then the cooking.
That doesn’t even include the dishes after!
Unless you have aspirations of becoming a skilled chef in your own right, that’s a lot of time to take making dinner. With all that time back, you could spend more time with your kids working on their homework, playing, exercising, or whatever else you want to be doing with your time.
We aren’t saying that cooking can’t be fun (we love sharing our love of cooking with recipes here on the blog)! But if meal kit subscriptions were something you did to save time, meal delivery from a local Austin chef can be even more of a time saver.
4. Enjoy the mastery that can only come from local Austin chefs.
A certain verve comes with living in the A-T-X, and only a local Austin chef can truly grasp what that means. From getting stuck on the MoPac to understanding why the best breakfast food is a taco, only a local Austinite can truly comprehend the local culinary scene that is distinctly weird and distinctly Austin.
At the Austin Artisan, we are proud to have local Austin chefs who get our city, from its distinct flavors to the local love of Home Slice pizza. And that love of our city is cooked into everything we do, from the spices we use to the farmer’s markets we frequent.
You have many options when it comes to dinnertime (or breakfast or lunch for that matter). A quick Google search will present you with an ever-growing array of options for meal kit delivery services, from Blue Apron to Home Chef to Hello Fresh.
But nothing compares to a home-cooked meal made by a personal chef who had you in mind. The Austin Artisan uses locally sourced, seasonal ingredients to create each meal, customized to your specific flavor and dietary preferences. You can choose how frequently to have meals delivered, and you will love the diverse array of ingredients you are introduced to!
Your house might not be a 5-star restaurant. But it will sure feel that way. To explore the options, check out The Austin Artisan’s food profile, and let’s see what culinary adventure takes you.
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