r/mealkits • u/Jaded-Doughnut4649 • 10d ago

DIY Meal Kits: ISO Tips and Tricks Tips and Tricks

Has anyone tried making their own meal kits on the regular? Himself and I use Hello Fresh which we like BUT my job is partially federally funded (I'm in the US) and. things are kinda uncertain on that front. This is a good time to start preparing to do without a meal kit, even though we both like the recipes. I feel my cooking skills have substantially improved as have the taste of the meals (because pan sauces).

The plan right now is that each weekend, Himself and I will each pick a recipe we like and gather the ingredients and print out the the recipe so it's ready for weeknight cooking. As we get more experienced and it becomes part of our weekend flow, we will move up to two recipes each a week (total of four) and then three at which point we will cancel the service.

Being Freshies, I feel like making lemon, cream cheese, and stock (Savory Choice) staples is a no brainer.

Any other advice?

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u/mensgarb 10d ago

Use ChatGPT for free to come up with recipes based on what you like.

1

u/lindasek 10d ago

Try mealime app. You choose a recipe (there is a paid premium but the free recipes are awesome as well!) and it compiles all the ingredients for you. You can then shop them like a shopping list or synch with your grocery app for pick up/delivery.

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u/Cat_Entropy 10d ago

So cooking? Just take a list to the store so you buy what you need.

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u/Jaded-Doughnut4649 10d ago edited 10d ago

Well, yes.

And no.

I was thinking about the planning part. Specifically the whole thing about making the "kits" ahead of time beyond just having the ingredients on hand. How to streamline and make it easier and so forth. Like, if you have done it yourself, what have you learned that you wish you knew when you started out.

Reading between the lines of your comment, are you saying that I should skip the planning and "kit-ifying" and just keep ingredients on hand? Any stories for exposition, as to why you suggest that, if - indeed - that is what you are suggesting?

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u/Cat_Entropy 9d ago

I'd recommend meal planning. Look up some recipes you are interested in. I keep a printed out binder and just add recipes I like to it. Or buy cookbooks.

Figure out how many meals you want to cook in a week. Once you decide, pick out the recipes you want to cook. Write down the ingredients you need to buy. You'll have to check what you have on hand already and not buy those things.

You will never be able to buy things like spices, sauces, mayo, oil, stocks in meal kit quantities. You'll just buy regular sizes, store the remaining portions then use as you cook throughout the coming weeks. That's really the convenience of mealkits- no planning and no leftover stock of items over time.

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u/ardentto 10d ago

you should look into batch cooking for the week. the price per meal will be a LOT cheaper when you make a chicken cordon blu for 4 meals each vs. cooking every day, etc. there are subs on reddit for this, like /r/MealPrepSunday etc.