5 recipe box myths busted

Confused about what these meal kits offer? Here are the answers to some common questions to help you decide if they’re for you...

With more recipe boxes out there than you can shake your knife and fork at, it’s hard to know which box to choose and, more importantly, how to work out if they’re really worth it.

Whether you’re a carnivore or vegetarian, catering for one or feeding a crowd, recipe boxes can help you skip the “what’s for dinner?” debate by delivering all the ingredients (and recipe cards) you need to cook delicious dinners at home. There's fresh, pre-portioned ingredients, exciting weekly recipes and zero food waste – so, what’s the catch?

MYTH 1: “Recipe boxes are impossible to fit into my routine”

Most boxes offer a flexible subscription where you can choose which recipes go in, the day of the week you want them delivered, and how many people you want to cook for. If you want one box a week or one a month, the choice is yours: skip a week, pause or cancel your subscription at any time.

MYTH 2: “I can’t choose the recipes I want”

Recent research found that although people living in the UK own an average of six cookbooks, they make the same nine recipes on repeat. Subscribing to a recipe box can actually offer an easy way to break out of your recipe rut, allowing you to choose from a huge variety of recipes from around the world that you can cook and enjoy each week.

MYTH 3: “I’m a terrible cook – the recipes are too complicated for me!”

It’s a pretty common misconception that recipe boxes are best suited to people who really know what they’re doing in the kitchen. However, the truth is, if you can’t tell the difference between a cucumber and a courgette, signing up to a recipe box could be your saving grace. Along with all the fresh ingredients, they’ll send you step by step recipe cards that will take you through the whole process without a burnt pan in sight.

MYTH 4: “My kids are fussy eaters and won’t like the recipes”

If you’re catering for a house full of fussy eaters, cooking food the whole family will enjoy can be a struggle. So when your meals are planned and ingredients pre-portioned, recipe boxes can really take the hassle out of dinnertime. Some recipe box companies cater specifically for families, offering child-friendly recipes (cleverly packing in lots of extra veg) that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

MYTH 5: “I don’t have time to cook every night”

If you’re running on empty, cooking a meal from scratch can often feel like the last thing you want to do after a long day. The truth is, recipe boxes can be a godsend for the days when you’re too tired to think about what to cook. From box to table in just 20 minutes (less time than it takes to order a takeaway), HelloFresh’s Rapid Box is a particularly easy solution to the age-old “I’m too tired to cook” excuse.

The verdict

So, the big question: are recipe boxes really worth it? Ultimately, it boils down to the reason why you haven’t given them a go yet. If fitting a recipe box into your schedule, being in control of your menu, or not having enough time to cook are among the reasons holding you back, then it might be time to give them a try.

Thanks to companies such as HelloFresh, you can forget lugging a heavy trolley around the supermarket, and instead look forward to having exciting recipes delivered to your door. Sometimes it pays to think outside the box – when you take the headache out of planning your weekly menu you can spend more time enjoying the best bits: preparing and eating delicious home-cooked food.

HelloFresh is offering all Independent readers 50 per cent off their first two boxes. To find out more, and redeem this exclusive offer, visit the website