To test each meal delivery service, I tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I tried to choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings. For instance, I always mixed up the meal types to include pasta, rice bowls, soups, salads or any other various styles offered by the brand. Further, I made sure to test a variety of cuisines — Italian, Indian, Thai, Mexican — if they were offered.
I took careful note of each meal delivery service’s website, including what information was provided (ingredients, nutritional info), how clearly the menu was organized and how simple it was to pick a meal plan and order meals. When they arrived, I noted how well they were packaged and checked whether each meal was still chilled or frozen.
To reheat each prepared meal, I took a twofold approach. For some meals, I meticulously followed the heating instructions on the label. But since these are merely suggestions, I reheated other meals the way I would if left to my own devices. Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in my air fryer
Testing meal kits requires cooking, of course, and thus different practices and procedures for evaluation. Here’s more on how we test meal kits at CNET.
Plant-based meal delivery compared
ServicePlant-based options per weekSubscription only Price per serving (entree)Shipping CNET rating (out of 10) Mosaic Foods (prepared) 50+Yes$10$89.2Purple Carrot 8Yes$12Free8.6Fresh N Lean (prepared) 12Yes$9-$13Free9.2Splendid Spoon (prepared) 48Yes$12Free7.8HelloFresh 6Yes$9$98Sunbasket 4Yes$14$89Sakara Life (prepared) 15NoN/AFree7.6Green Chef 9Yes$13$107.6Daily Harvest (prepared) 50+No$9Free8.8Veestro (prepared) 50+No$14Free for subscribersN/A