Sick of take-out? We tested 13 best meal kit delivery services to try now

Fending for yourself in the kitchen and wandering the grocery store’s aisles can be tedious, expensive and exhausting.It’s about time to start thinking outside of the box — and into the meal delivery kit box.

The best meal kits offer the combined powers of mixing things up in the kitchen and accomplishing personal goals, from wanting to eat healthier to saving money.I started this journey in 2020 and have since tested more than 25 meal delivery companies.Over the years, many have changed packaging, meal plans, and more — hence, why I thought it smart to retest them all, so I could have a comprehensive list of the top picks for this year.Here’s everything you need to know about all the meal kits you’ve heard about and some you haven’t but need to know about right now.

Bon appétit!EveryPlate │Home Chef | Marley Spoon | Dinnerly | Blue Apron │Factor │Green Chef│Purple Carrot │Hello Fresh │Hungryroot │Thistle Editor’s Note: Offer applied as discount on 1st box.EveryPlate is an affordable option from the Hello Fresh family, and one of my favorite kits.The kit includes recipe cards, fresh produce, meat and fish, and everything comes packaged on ice, in a brightly colored box that arrives on your doorstep.For less cash than any fast food meal, the options are also healthier.

To fully taste the meal kit’s offerings for my EveryPlate review, I wanted to try a sampling of some of the different categories of options on the site.I chose two meals for my weekly picks, with a customer favorite option of the “Chicken Sausage & Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous & Parmesan,” and then a more premium pick of the “Brown Butter Scallops over Creamy Corn & Tomato Risotto” as a treat for the weekend.To note, each recipe, regardless of premium or not, came with easy-to-follow recipe cards, printed in full color with no more than six steps.

This was super appreciated, especially when cooking something unfamiliar, as the photos guide...