More food by mail

Almost a year ago, we ordered our first box from Misfits Market. We kept up our subscription for a short while, getting a new box of organic produce every other week, but then my excitement about the fruit and veggie selection began to wane, the delivery was sometimes inconvenient (if I felt I wasn't efficiently planning meals around it), and I thought I could get better prices just doing regular grocery shopping. I'll tell you something, though. There is still ginger in our freezer from that first ginormous bunch. I just used some the other day.

I haven't canceled our account; I just haven't ordered anything new in a while. Maybe I'll feel like it again in the new year, because sometimes facing an unexpected quantity of random ingredients inspires creativity in the kitchen. Other times, yeah, it exerts the pressure of "Do something with this before it goes to waste!"

In the meantime, I got sucked into a "come-back deal" from Hello Fresh. This is a meal kit service. It, too, costs more than regular groceries but less than dining out (or ordering in). You're paying for the convenience of not having to think too much about what's for dinner and then getting mostly pre-measured ingredients delivered to your doorstep. In some ways, it's more convenient than a produce box like Misfits, because the meal planning is done for me, and the amount of food that shows up is that exact amount we're going to eat. In that way, it does prevent food from going to waste, because every bit is consumed. 

However, unlike Misfits, Hello Fresh does not rescue food from the "reject" pile. And, it generates waste, as the pre-measured ingredients are often individually packaged. I concede that the company seems to  make a considerable effort to minimize the packaging, and most of the packaging is recyclable, with some even made from recycled materials. But, as I say on repeat, reducing is superior to recycling, which means throwing away even small wads of plastic with the preparation of each dinner does not sit well with me. I will likely discontinue this subscription at the conclusion of the discounted period. 

I have been saving some of the recipes, though. They're tasty, and some of them use things we typically have on hand. I'll also share a few tips I've learned through cooking with Hello Fresh and the like:

• I could be doing more delicious things with rice. It's a pantry staple on which I've seldom relied outside of a stir-fry accompaniment, but it's so much more versatile. Butter, herbs, spices, lemon zest... Rice does not need to be a bland filler in need of soy sauce but can make a flavorful bed 'neath any meat or vegetable entree.
• Gathering and prepping all equipment and ingredients, the well-known mis en place practice of chefs everywhere, is worth the the time upfront. Act like you're about to film a cooking show in your own kitchen -- they don't run to the pantry six different times during the recipe; they always have their ingredients ready to dump right into the mix. I don't go as far as measuring two tablespoons of flour into a tiny bowl, but I have the flour container and measuring spoon out on the counter. More important, I have the veggies washed and chopped.
• Don't underestimate how much a quick sauce can elevate a recipe. There are condiments we already stock in our fridge that I could just use more frequently to recreate some my favorite recipes -- mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, hoisin sauce, broth concentrate... One large container tends to be less wasteful than several single-serve packets.
• Season your food with a little salt (and maybe pepper, too) at each major step (in the water with the rice, when you add the veggies to the hot oil) instead of just once at the beginning or the end. But also, and here's what the meal kit won't tell you, taste it along the way! You may or may not want that final sprinkling of salt after everything comes together.

The moral of the story is you have to decide for yourself what conveniences are worth what cost to you, and what tradeoffs are acceptable to you when balancing time, effort, money, and sustainability.

What's next for us, then? I guess it's back to the usual meal planning based on what's in season, on sale, and/or already in our pantry or freezer at home, and trying to gather any needed ingredients in just one shopping trip, preferably combined with other errands in the vicinity. And don't you worry -- we always eat all our leftovers.

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