Dinnerly: Meal Kit

I’m a pretty big fan of this meal kit, I’ve tried a bunch so far and usually pause because I can’t handle the endless supply of freezer bags or get bored of the recipes. I’m cooking for 2 and usually get 4-6 meals a week with 2 servings each. Overall, I like that it’s a smaller ingredient list to keep things simple (and cheap) and it’s easy to add additional vegetables/items. The variety of recipes is good, I’d tried Marley spoon for a bit (the ‘fancier’ sister brand) and there are some very similar types and recipes across the two which makes me appreciate dinnerly all the more for being far cheaper and simpler to make. I actually reorder meals again vs being sick of things and annoyed about it repeating in the list of options. The app is a little barebones but it works fine. If I could request an interface update, however: I wish that after cooking a meal I could “check it off” in my weekly list. That way I wouldn’t have to swipe through all of my meals every time, it would just show the remaining ones.

I started getting Dinnerly when a coworker referred it to me while I was super stressed planning my wedding. Having an easy solution for dinner half the week was so nice and took a lot off my plate (ha), but the app is definitely a bit frustrating in itself. First of all, it seems to have errors a lot, to the point where I can’t load anything - this is annoying when I’m trying to get dinner started. Secondly, I originally said that I didn’t like pork but when I go to change it, nothing happens, I tap the check box and it stays unchecked. Finally, I’m less than thrilled with the customer service I’ve received in regards to some errors. When the app didn’t save the recipes I picked and confirmed for the week (another annoying problem), I emailed support to fix this and they told me they could make an exception and told me what time to make changes by for future reference, even though I mentioned that I had selected what I wanted but the app didn’t save them - this has happened twice, once for my first box and another which I believe was right after I started my subscription back up again after pausing it. When I didn’t get to select my recipes due to the app not loading and it confirmed anyway, I emailed for a change or refund and still have not heard back. At this point, I’m tired of the hassle so I’m cancelling my subscription and going with Hello Fresh instead. If you’re more patient than I am then Dinnerly is a great choice, otherwise, consider one of the many other options out there.

The service: Before I started looking into meal plans, I was just telling my partner how it’s not any cheaper to buy groceries anymore. We were spending the same amount to eat out every night than if we had been buying groceries to cook. I felt awful, and I love cooking, but we were on a budget. I was scared when I looked into Dinnerly and saw how cheap it was—I thought for sure something had to be wrong with it. Fortunately, I was wrong. I pay about 70 bucks a week for me and my partner to eat dinner every night, which according to my calculations is probably saving us around 150 or 200 bucks a month. It’s cheap, all right, but it comes with fresh vegetables and pre-cut meat. I’ve not had a bad tasting meal, and it’s so easy to prepare. I let my settings sit at mid range for difficulty and quality, and they’re just perfect for our lifestyle. I’ve already been annoying about it to several people, but I’ll catch a recommendation some day. The app: I like that I can view the ingredients before I prepare the meal, and it gives me simple step-by-step directions. On my weekly email, it also tells me what ingredients I will need that won’t be in the box (which are usually just condiments). I like that I can adjust what meals I want, too. The app is simple and easy to use! Some people have complained about interface issues, but for me, a simple home cook only cooking for two people, it’s perfect.