How I Learned to Cook, Save Money, and Eat Healthy. In One Month.
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My parents tried to get me to cook at a young age. But as kids are, they don’t like to be told what to do. I didn’t want to eat vegetables, I didn’t want to cook. Fast-forward to me being an adult, and I now cook at dinner parties for friends, and I’ve found ways to enjoy all types of vegetables. Who knew?
These past months, my roommate and I signed up for weekly meal delivery services. It was after the first month that I realized I learned a lot about cooking, that we saved money from eating out, and, we ate delicious and healthy meals. By the time three months came around, I could go to any grocery and just pick meats and food out, and instinctively knew it would make a great meal.
Companies that prepare pre-portioned meals for weekly subscribers are starting to pop up more, each aiming at specific demographics and trying to get a piece of this new industry pie. Weekly, monthly, and quarterly subscriptions for all types of products and services are also popping up. Some are a fun (I love my quarterly Pusheen Box), some are very niche, but all are part of the growing subscription industry that has something for everyone. Food is one of those sectors.
Learning to (Be a Better) Cook
We chose our first company, Blue Apron (this is not an ad). Headquartered in NYC, they were the most recognizable name we knew. We received a promotion from a friend for a one week free food trial. To clarify, when I say, “one week,” that means three distinct meals at two servings each. That is the typical package for these companies.
The first box arrives. It’s about two feet squared in size. The inside consists of large ice packs and cushioning. All the ingredients are labelled and packaged in separate bags or boxes (all of it is recyclable), and there are full-color printed recipes. The ingredients go in the fridge, and the meats go in the freezer, save for the selection of the first night’s dinner.
What pick was first? I don’t like vegetables and one of the reasons I started this was to help me prepare vegetables in a way that I would enjoy eating, so I jumped right in with “Seared Chicken & Caramelized Vegetables.” Each recipe has three sections: a photo of what the finished meal should look like with a description of what you’re about to eat; a visual list of ingredients (because not everyone knows what a fennel bulb looks like); and photo instructions for major steps of the entire cooking process. The prep and cooking times are also specified so you can plan meals based on your free time.
Getting out all the labelled food was easy. I made sure to check each one off mentally as I laid them on the counter. There are three ingredients they presume you have which are not provided: pepper (grounded), salt (kosher), and olive oil (extra virgin). Now, onto the cooking!
I thought I knew how to cook before this. It was true to an extent, but there is so much more to learn. So much. And with learning anything, you learn the basics before you get to the complicated stuff. The first thing I learned was to wash the vegetables (to get rid of any surface bacteria). I then sliced and diced some potatoes and fennel, peeled and minced some garlic, dried the chicken with a paper towel (so that heat energy goes into crisping the skin instead of evaporating the water) and coated it with flour, caramelized and seasoned the fennel and onion (it smelled so good), roasted some tomatoes and thyme.
In the end, when everything was cooked and carefully placed on plates, it looked picture perfect, just like the photo. But now the true test came: would this meal taste good, and, would I be able to eat diced fennel and cherry tomatoes — as I’ve never eaten either before?
It tasted delicious. I ate everything. All of it.
Well, except for a couple of tomatoes. I had to slice them in half; I could not manage them whole. But I ate them. Baby steps!
These companies really want you to stay, and will give you bonuses to make life easier. Home Chef gave me a binder for their recipes. I even got a handy insert about tips and tools for cooking; it makes an excellent primer and a handy reference guide. Hello Fresh (with Jamie Oliver), makes things super easy by sending you organized separate boxes for every meal, saving you a lot of time. They all want you to use their products, they want you to learn, and they want you to continue enjoying their food.
Each company gave insight into different ways of preparing and working with the same ingredients. In a month’s time, I learned a lot more by doing it all instead of reading about it. In three months’ time, I’ve become comfortable enough that I’ve started going to friends’ homes to share uniquely-prepared meals for them.
Saving Money
After our first week, our free trial was over. If you were to subscribe to this weekly service of three meals at two servings each (for six servings total), it cost about $60 a week on average. That comes out to about $10 per person per serving, or about $20 per meal for two people.
“That’s kind of a lot of money. How is this saving money?”
Well, here’s the catch. Remember the dot com era? Websites everywhere were having promotions and loss leaders (a pricing strategy where a product is sold below market cost, or even at a loss, to stimulate sales of more profitable goods/services), in an attempt to get new customers. And what did I notice with food subscription services? In addition to having similar prices, they also all had similar promotions — promotions like a free week of food. Cha-ching.
Now, I wouldn’t feel morally right just signing up for free services and cancelling (but you can). So my strategy went as follows: get a free week of food, pay for another week of food, cancel subscription (make sure you cancel early), repeat for every food subscription company out there (I think there are at least six now). That’s at least twelve weeks of discounted food!
However, not all of them give free week trials, some give up to 66% off that first week or something similar, which is still a good deal. So if you have one free/discounted week, plus a paid week, you’re paying an average of $30–35 per week for every two weeks with a company. Dividing that by three meals is $10–12 a meal. Divide that by two servings a meal, and you each pay $5–6 per meal. (These are general numbers, and the pricier the service, the higher the average.)
Of course, pricing is relative. Depending on where you live, this might be a bargain, especially in a place like New York City, or it might not. What works for you may not work for me, and vice versa. Other factors that affect whether you keep the subscription will depend on the available time you have to cook; your allocated finances for food; and if you like the selection of meals.
I don’t know about you, but twelve weeks of tasty home-cooked meals at under $6 a serving seems like a deal to me. It was definitely worth it for us.
Eating Yummy and Delicious Food
Now, let’s talk about the food. These recipes are curated by talented chefs and you’ll be exposed to different foods from around the world. Meals are healthy and use quality ingredients, and your meal preferences are up to you. Each serving consists of a similar formula: a meat selection, along with vegetables. Occasionally, you’ll think, “this meal looks questionable,” but, you have to trust the chefs. Follow the recipe and you may end up pleasantly surprised.
I cooked thirty-six unique meals in twelve weeks — without a single repeat. A majority of it was delicious. There will come a point where you start throwing in the seasonings you like and change things up a bit. Do it. Once you know what factors affect taste/texture, you can use that knowledge to manipulate those things to get a final dish prepared as intended. Feel free to alter recipes to how you want food to taste (and how much evoo you choose to put in). Make it your own.
I’ve had so much fun, not only learning to cook (vegetables), but I’m amazed at the palate of tastes that have opened up for me and at the variety of dishes that my roommate and I have been able to enjoy for the last few months. I am by no means a true Chef, but with my mom’s cooking genes, along with three months of newly acquired knowledge, I can now go to the grocery store, select the ingredients I want to eat, and prepare my own food using different combinations of the techniques that I now know. I’ve even been using my nomiku more and showing friends the wonders of sous vide cooking.
If you’re relatively new to cooking or wish to be better in a short amount of time, this is a terrific way to do it. Instead of buying food on your own and having to look up recipes, instead of paying for a cooking class but having to buy your food separately, instead of all that, try a food subscription service where they provide you with exact portions and give you step-by-step instructions. Cook often enough and you’ll be a natural in no time.
If you’re ever wanted to learn how to cook, you have to do it. I know it took me a while before I finally learned how invaluable and easy cooking is to do. And the more you know how things behave and work, the more you can make those things work for you. This whole experience expanded my cooking abilities, saved us some money, and opened my mind and tastes to delicious and healthy home-cooked meals, and I want the same for you.
And as the saying goes: “The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.”
Food Home Delivery Services
If you interested in trying these services, here are current promotions:
Blue Apron: Ask a friend for a free week (I have two left, follow me on medium and tweet me a message to get it)
Green Chef: $40 off first order
Hello Fresh: $40 off first order; ask a friend for a free week
Home Chef: $30 off first order
Martha & Marley Spoon: $30 off first order
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