Overview: Plated Reviews & Cost | What You Need to Know About Plated Food Delivery
Ever wish you could take the hassle out of meal preparation and planning without having to go out to eat? New meal planning service sites like Plated are promising to help with all of the above to get you spending more time in your kitchen.
In our own Plated review, we will try to give you a thorough overview of the Plated meal delivery process to give you the facts on what this new service can provide.
From Plated food delivery to the Plated cost, this Plated review is designed to give you the information you need to make a decision on whether this service is for you.
We will take a look at some of the reviews of Plated from other consumers as well as take a close look at its competitors to decide if this is company is what can get you back into the kitchen and cooking again.
How Does Plated Food Delivery Work?
Sites like Plated are cropping up nowadays to help people find their way back to the front of their stovetops once again.
The premise of the company is simple: select how many meals you would like to prepare each week, choose the recipes you want, and the ingredients are delivered straight to your doorstep. One of the more appealing aspects to note in a Plated review is the quality of the ingredients. Each box promises a combination of:
- Antibiotic-free meat
- Sustainably caught seafood
- No added hormone beef
- Organic produce (when possible)
- Artisanal ingredients
The appeal behind Plated meal delivery is both the opportunity to attempt new recipes featuring unique ingredients as well as being able to skip the shopping experience. Each box comes on your specified Plated food delivery day, insulated in Jute boxes to remain cold until midnight.
Plated food delivery reviews point out that if you aren’t home because you had to run errands or go to work, letting the box sit on your front porch is no big deal, making Plated even more convenient than it was before.
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Image Source: Plated
Plated reviews the recipes, portions the ingredients, and packs them all into your box. Plated food delivery reviews each shipment to ensure it includes all of the ingredients and seasonings needed to complete the recipe, with the exception of staples (including eggs, olive or vegetable oil, salt, and pepper).
As with many sites like Plated, those who have used the Plated meal delivery service can attest to the helpfulness of the detailed recipe cards. Many detailed reviews of Plated comment on the clear instructions as well as the accompanying photographs for each step. While many Plated competitors do offer similar attention to detail on their own recipe cards, this is definitely a feature of any food delivery service to keep in mind. It can be particularly helpful to the home cook who is using Plated meal delivery to advance his/her own skills.
Image from Don’t Mind the Mess
Why Choose Plated?
With so many sites like Plated, why choose this one site? All offer very similar services revolving around the convenience of having ingredients and recipes planned out for you in advance. Plated competitors have flooded the market, including well-known names like Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, and Peach Dish. Plated.com reviews often exclude the very things that set this service apart from others, so in our own Plated review, we are going to take a look at what makes this service unique.
You can review Plated recipes in advance of receiving your box to see the calories, prep time, cook time, and level of difficulty before deciding for the week. Not only can you view the recipes in advance, but Plated food delivery reviews point out that you can review the recipes each week to select from nine different options (land, sea or veggie). Unlike some Plated competitors, such as Blue Apron, you aren’t stuck with whichever recipes are on the menu for the week.
Many Plated.com reviews comparing the most well-known meal delivery services will comment on the flexibility of the Plated meal delivery. You have the option to select foods up to three weeks in advance, modify your Plated food delivery schedule or opt for deliveries every other week. Add as many meals as you want to your order, but you must select them in 2-plate quantities, forcing you to choose four plates when you may have only needed three. However, when compared to other Plated competitors, Plated.com reviews label this company as a clear winner for its flexibility and options.
Other Plated Reviews, such as those from Don’t Mind the Mess, remark on the accuracy of the prep and cook times. In her Plated review, blogger Jessica Woodbury found that when her recipe card (pictured above) recommended thirty minutes, she was able to finish in thirty minutes flat. In her example, she was even able to shell all of the peas necessary for the recipe in the given time, having no previous practice. That isn’t to say that Plated competitors don’t have accurate times accounted for in their recipe cards, but many Plated reviews remark on this aspect.
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What About the Plated Cost?
The biggest hurdle for most to overcome in any Plated review is the anticipation of the expenses involved with having the convenience of Plated food delivery. In fact, the Plated cost does tend to be on the high side when compared with Plated competitors, and Plated reviews are quick to point this out.
The cost of Plated comes out to be $12 per plate, but the Plated cost could be higher depending on which recipes you select or the number of meals you opt to receive. Its prices are listed below:
- 2 dinners for 2 people: $54 per week
- 3 dinners for 2 people: $72 per week
- 4 dinners for 2 people: $96 per week
As you’ll see in our Plated review, the Plated cost is slightly higher for the smallest subscription option. When your order total comes to less than $50 (even if it’s only a $2 difference), you are automatically charged a $6 shipping fee.
Of course, this Plated cost would be for the basic plate option. You may also opt for the Chef’s Table recipes which feature special cuts of meat or seafood. Unfortunately, the prices for these more luxury options vary depending on the season and the current market price of the ingredient in question. One Plated review has seen prices for Chef’s Table recipes reach as high as $30 each when looking at dishes including filet mignon or scallops.
Have a sweet tooth? The Plated cost rises even higher if you plan to add dessert to your menu, with an additional $4 per serving. Plated.com reviews two dessert recipes each week that you have the option to add on to a meal. If you ordered the lowest priced subscription and added two servings of dessert, you would waive the shipping fee and only pay $2 more than if you had not ordered dessert at all.
The Plated cost is the biggest drawback among reviews of Plated. For similar services from companies like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh, you could spend $2 less per plate (options ranging from $9.99 to $11.50 on these plans). Among sites like Plated, Blue Apron definitely has a significantly lower cost, at roughly $10 per person instead of the base rate of $12 from Plated.
Image Source: Plated
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Plated.com Reviews: The Negative
Beyond the Plated cost that deters most people, Plated reviews consistently comment on a handful of items that steer potential customers away. First and foremost, many Plated.com reviews mention that the recipes can be more involved than those from other services. On some dishes, the preparation and cook time can be up to one hour – a hefty chunk of time for someone who is opting for this service in order to save time on those very things.
On the other hand, the recipes tend to be more involved because Plated reviews also consider the food to be more authentic, inventive, and better quality than the recipes given by Plated competitors.
Additionally, if you were seeking detailed nutritional information, you might not find it easily on the weekly recipe cards. The Observer noted in its own Plated review that only the calorie content was included on the cards, which might not be handy for individuals who prefer to keep closer tabs on the details of their dinners.
Several Plated reviews comment on the fact that while it is convenient to have your ingredients premeasured and portioned appropriately, it does generate a terrifying amount of waste. Plated reviews comments like these and has included very detailed instructions for how to dispose of and recycle the waste properly. Plated.com reviews state that the box is biodegradable and 100 percent recyclable, but the packaging itself can still be viewed as wasteful, especially coming from a company that includes in its own review that it attempts to source items as sustainably and locally as possible. One would assume that it would also want to do the environmentally friendly thing by reducing the volume of waste it generates.
While there are some negative Plated reviews, many of these items could be addressed depending on what works best for your own lifestyle. For example, a lengthier cook time or lacking nutritional details might not be an issue for your family. Similarly, if you are a family that already values recycling or doesn’t consider waste an issue either way, the amount of packaging discussed in Plated reviews may not bother you either.
Plated Review Conclusion
Could Plated food delivery be for you? In Plated food delivery reviews, it seems that the service itself is convenient and opens up home chefs to locally sourced, sustainable ingredients for inventive recipes. Plated.com reviews each recipe with its team of chefs to add new and exciting dishes into your repertoire. Sites like Plated don’t necessarily offer the same degree of flexibility in plan choices or subscription changes. Our Plated review concluded that its recipes are fairly clear and accurate, easy enough for anyone to follow along with.
Unfortunately, the major downside of the Plated meal delivery would have to be the pricier Plated cost, especially when compared with Plated competitors. At a $4 minimum difference from companies like Blue Apron, reviews of Plated might not mean much if you were looking for a subscription meal planning service on a tight budget.
Overall, Plated reviews are positive if you have the expendable income for involved but delicious meals with ingredients delivered straight to your doorstep. Depending on your lifestyle and the openness of your family to try new foods, the flexibility that Plated food delivery offers might be worth the higher price tag.
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