Hello Fresh Review!

My colleague at work ordered Hello Fresh, a food service very similar to Blue Apron, and sent me a coupon code. For 3 meals for two people, it would cost $29. That was a no-brainer - I put Blue Apron on hold for a week and ordered Hello Fresh, intending to try it once, and then go back to Blue Apron.

What I didn't like was that upon receipt of the box of food, Hello Fresh immediately charged my card $69 (the regular weekly price) for next week's box. I emailed their customer service people to complain, and they promptly refunded the charge. I merely intended to try the service at the much-reduced rate of $29, and certainly harbored no intentions to drop Blue Apron.

Here were the meals:

Pan-Seared Steak With Roasted Butternut Squash and Green Beans Almondine

• This was absolutely terrible.
• This was the third and final meal we made, so by the time we got to it (4-6 days after receiving the shipment), the green beans were rotten and had to be thrown away. Luckily, I had just gotten a small bag of quinoa at Whole Foods, so I made that to add to the almonds and roasted butternut squash.
• I frequently roast cubes of butternut squash in the oven, so when I saw the package of diced butternut squash, I thought easy! WELL after the requisite time in the properly heated oven, they were STILL basically raw. Unfortunately I did not taste them before adding them to the quinoa and almonds, so it ruined the side salad.
• The steak was a little tough, and the buttery thyme sauce had way too much thyme. 

Chicken Milanese with Crispy Potatoes, Mixed Greens, and Creamy Lemon Chive Dressing

• This dish was okay. The chicken was nothing special, but I would leave out the creme fraiche coating ... it seems to stick together with the panko breadcrumbs and slide off my chicken while in the pan.
• The crispy potato wedges were yummy.
• When I mixed the dairy component with lemon juice to make the dressing, the liquids separated and looked disgusting. I threw away the dressing and dressed the arugula myself, with just olive oil and balsamic. 
• I expected mixed greens, but it was just arugula which I don't eat, so hubs at the side salad.

Tuscan Sausage Linguine With Zucchini, Chilies, and Parmesan

• This was my favorite from the bunch. The diced zucchini, small amount of tomato sauce, parmesan, and pasta all tasted great.
• The pork was seasoned a little too heavily with Italian herbs for my liking (I am really not a fan of licorice-flavor in herbs or anything else), so I ate most of the pasta and veg.

Shrimp & Lemon Risotto With Roasted Zucchini and Parmesan

• WOW this one was possible the best one yet. SO delicious!
• I plan on visiting the Whole Foods bulk aisle to pick up a few cups of Arborio rice and making this at least once a month. The rice was so creamy and delicious,and the shrimp and zucchini just combined to make it a perfect dinner. My husband and I scraped the pot clean!

Concluding Thoughts

• Overall, not a big fan. It was great to try a rival service, out of curiosity, but I am very happy to have gone back to Blue Apron!