Dining sets continue to cause a sensation among consumers who are looking for an easier way to eat healthy, varied meals at home without relying on delivery or spending hours on the stove. And Freshly is a dining set option designed for super-crunchy eaters who don’t want to sacrifice their taste or nutritional qualities for dinner.
Freshly is a subscription catering service that delivers fully prepared, ready-to-eat meals to customers across the country. Unlike other basic dining sets such as the Blue Apron and Purple Carrot, Freshly has no preparatory work. Instead, just put the fully cooked, chilled dishes in the microwave for a few minutes and veil: you have a delicious and nutrient-rich dish ready.
Basic information
Warm up and eat meals
Dinner and lunch options
Weekly plans for up to 12 meals
Choose your delivery day
Easily pause or cancel
The menu includes complete meals and side dishes
Recyclable packaging
Low calorie options
High quality ingredients
Vegan options
Freshly is one of the best food delivery services for busy people who do not want to cook or order food to take home every night. The dishes are full of variety, meet all dietary needs and could not be easier to assemble.
We tested the dishes for a week from Freshly to see how the service compares to the competition and whether it meets the promises. In particular, we took a closer look at how easy it is to sign up for the service, the cost, including how far in advance you can see menu options, the delivery and packaging experience, how the dishes look and of course how they taste.
Here’s how our week of fresh food went and what to keep in mind if you’re looking for a new food delivery service.
Recently reviewed: fees and delivery
Freshly offers five plan options, ranging from four meals a week to 12. The smallest box of four meals costs $ 47.16 plus $ 11.99 delivery, which comes out to $ 14.79 per serving. A fully charged box of 12 meals costs $ 107.88 plus shipping or $ 9.99 per serving. Shipping is $ 11.99 per box. The menus are available three weeks in advance on the Freshly website.
Freshly offers over 50 meal options each week, including side dishes such as sauteed French green beans and stand-alone proteins such as roasted turkey meatballs, in addition to standard dishes.
The menu meets a wide variety of dietary needs, including gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free and low-calorie options. Each menu item has easily accessible nutritional information, making Freshly one of the best nutrition kits for people following specific diets.
New review: Using the food delivery service
Since all Freshly dishes arrive completely ready and ready to warm up and eat, using the kit really couldn’t be easier. The box comes with lots of ice packs to keep things cool. Then all you have to do is put the dishes in the fridge until dinner.
Each meal has clear instructions for warming the package. In general, you will need to peel off the corner of the plastic wrap on the food container and bake the dish in the microwave for two to three minutes, then let the dish stand for a few minutes. It is! You can eat straight from the plastic plate or eat your dinner (which Freshly recommends, too). We found that every meal is perfectly hot after the allotted cooking time.
It is definitely easiest to heat dishes in the microwave, but if you don’t have them, you can heat them in the oven. Of course, this will take longer, as the oven must be preheated and the food cooked slower than the microwave. You will also need to transfer the food to a suitable dish as the plastic plate will melt in the oven.
A recent review: Taste and nutrition
We received three different dishes in our Freshly box. We first tried Homestyle Chicken with Masterful Mac & Cheese, which seems like a favorite because it’s a staple on the menu. We were surprised by several things with this dish. First, the coating on the chicken was not a complete mess and actually had a nice texture, even after a microwave. The chicken was incredibly tender and juicy and didn’t even require a cutting knife. We were also impressed by the size of the portion of green beans, which was far from scarce.
The poppy and cheese sauce was creamy and very tasty. We thought the beans needed a little flavor, so we added hot sauce (which Freshly recommended). The food was satisfactory and had an impressive nutritional value (560 calories, 35 g of carbohydrates, 27 g of fat and a huge 46 g of protein). In addition, since the poppy and cheese sauce is made with pumpkin, you get an extra hit of vitamins.
Then we tried a vegetarian dish: Middle Eastern falafel with garlic tahini sauce and whole grains. In particular, the whole grains in question are quinoa and rice. This dish was not as tasty as chicken; the tahini sauce tasted good, but separated a little when heated, which gave the dish a strange texture. The falafel was tasty enough, but it lost its crunchiness in the microwave. Cereals and vegetables (mostly roasted onions) were our favorite part of the dish. Also, it didn’t turn out as well as the chicken – mostly because of the sauce problem.
Finally, we tried Bistro French Chicken with Onion with Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Vegetables, which is labeled as a high-protein, gluten-free and soy-free option. This was the highest calorie diet on our menu, with 630 calories, 42 g of carbohydrates, 34 g of fat and 40 g of protein. Again, the chicken was as tender as the house chicken. The sauce was good and there was a good amount in each bite. There were also a lot of vegetables. They were a little toasted in the microwave, but they were still nice. It was a filling dish that didn’t feel too heavy.
New Review: Customer Feedback
Freshly scores an impressive 4.9 stars out of five on Trustpilot (opens in a new section), based on over 12,000 reviews. Customers admire the convenience factor of the food delivery service. It is said that meals help to separate stress and time from planning and preparing a healthy lunch or dinner. According to a satisfied customer, “With Freshly I don’t have to think about what I’m going to eat for lunch every day and I feel good knowing I’m eating healthy food. I love convenience! ”
Negative reviews are usually dissatisfied with the nutritional value of the dishes, with one customer quoting that he would like more focus on vegetables and less refined carbohydrates.
Should you use Freshly?
If you are looking for a dining solution that is super simple and means you can skip the grocery store, chop and even turn on the stove, Freshly is a great solution. The dishes are not only ready in minutes, but are also delicious and high quality. On the other hand, if you are someone who enjoys the cooking process, it may be better with a food delivery service that sends you individually portioned ingredients and recipe cards to follow so you can prepare your own meals. . Given this, Freshly is not an old-fashioned TV dinner; the dishes are healthy, nutritious and, well, fresh!
If this product is not for you
If you still love the ritual of cooking at home, do not have a microwave or want a dining set that will help you sharpen your culinary skills, consider Marley Spoon. You’ll get pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow gourmet recipe cards inspired by world cuisines.
On the other hand, if you follow a plant-based diet or try to eat more vegan dishes, Purple Carrot makes reducing animal products very easy. You will prepare your own meals with pre-portioned ingredients, and the service includes breakfasts, lunches and dinners.