This is wheremeal delivery serviceslike Magic Kitchen come in.
Magic Kitchen prides itself on having chef-prepared homestyle meals shipped frozen directly to your door.
With a pay-as-you-go model, there is no contract or subscription to worry about.
Food from Magic Kitchen (left) and Factor.
Heres how it went.
The payment model was a welcomed feature.
I appreciated paying this way.
I opted for standard shipping at $19.95 and received my meals one week after my order.
I could have selected expedited shipping at an increased cost to receive my meals in two to three days.
How Much Does Magic Kitchen Cost?
With Magic Kitchen there are no contracts or special meal packages required to purchase meals through the platform.
Meals are priced individually, with pricing and serving-size information clearly displayed during meal selection.
The cost of a meal varies by items selected and total servings.
Upon review, most meals cost between $12 and $17 for one serving.
Theres also a $19.95 standard shipping charge for every order.
For my order, I purchased 14 meals, with five of the meals containing two servings.
I also applied a promo code for free shipping, which brought my order total to $171.41.
When I broke down my order by servings, I received 14 meals with 19 total servings.
This comes out to an average cost of about $9.00 per serving.
This price is likely cheaper than what I could receive for similar meals at a local takeout spot.
Convenience is a feature you pay for with any meal delivery service.
These trial packs are precisely that a trial with no commitment.
Each pack consists of 15 preselected meals (two soups, three breakfasts, and 10 dinners).
With the ability to filter and select meals, ingredient substitution is likely unnecessary.
Magic Kitchens menu is extensive, with more than 120 individual items.
My main feedback on the meal selection was the lack of cuisine choices.
Most meals were homestyle, lacking varied flavors, spices, or cuisine influences.
My husband was excited about the brisket and breakfast croissant.
My children looked forward to the mac and cheese and spaghetti.
I added a bread option (muffins), two soups, and a dessert for my trial.
I found the prices to be a bit high, considering what you get with some items.
For example,two muffinswere $9.99.
Thetiramisuwas $18.49, though despite the description stating two servings, I thought it was closer to four.
It reminded me of a dessert you would order at a restaurant to share with the table.
The soups are $8.99 for an 8-ounce serving.
The package was in good shape, the meals were cold, and dry ice was still present.
It came in a sizeable cooler-like package that is made ofbiodegradable styrofoam.
Inside the cooler was two cardboard boxes filled with packing bubbles and my food.
All of the food was individually packaged and stacked nicely.
The meals are designed to be reheated via stovetop, oven, or microwave.
For simplicity, each item lists clear and specific reheating instructions near the nutrition label.
I prepped my breakfast croissant, brisket, mac and cheese, spaghetti, and breakfast scramble via microwave.
All of the meals were fully reheated within two to five minutes.
The chicken pot pie was warmed in the oven at 400 degrees for 22 minutes.
I heated up both soups and the pierogis on the stove bringing both to a boil and then simmering.
In total, cook time was less than 10 minutes for each.
The tiramisu and muffins were ready to go once thawed no reheating required.
Overall, the reheat process was straightforward.
Instructions were clear and the cook time was relatively accurate to what was recommended.
This impacted me on the pierogies.
I didnt read the labels beforehand, and they were frozen once I went to make them.
Tasting the Meals
My family and I thoroughly enjoyed some of the meals.
The brisket burnt ends were tender and well-seasoned, although the barbecue sauce was a bit sweet.
The breakfast croissant held its structure, and the flavor was good and filling.
The creamy texture inside paired with the crisp crust reminded me of my grandmothers pot pie.
The soups were flavorful but lacked seasoning.
The mac and cheese, unfortunately, was not a winner.
My 1-year-old son had some, but it was too cheesy, per my older daughters.
The dish was very homestyle-looking and had a creamy feel to it.
The portion sizes felt appropriate, and all ended up being rather filling for my husband and me.
With various diets to cater to, Magic Kitchen is responsible for ensuring nutritional standards are met.
There is a registered dietitian on staff for just this reason.
Not all menu items are necessarily low in fat, sodium, and carbs, etc.
If you require a specific dietary regimen, you must filter appropriately and only choose from those meals.
I analyzed three of Magic Kitchens medically tailored meal plans to assess nutritional quality.
Without having to do much, meals are shipped directly to their door.
This is where prepackaged, preprepared meals can be a huge benefit.
Is Magic Kitchen Worth it?
That being said, preprepared meal delivery services are not high on my list for everyday conveniences.
However, I can see where Magic Kitchen can fit and fit quite nicely for someone else.
Not sure Magic Kitchen is the right meal delivery service for you?
Check out ourExpert Guide to the Best Meal Kit Delivery Services in 2024.
To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices.
Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size.
She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.
She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’sRegistered Dietitian-NutritionistMember Interest Group.
As a lifelong and collegiate athlete, Brittany has always kept fitness and nutrition a top priority.
Brittany received her undergraduate degree in human nutrition and dietetics from University of North Carolina in Greensboro.
She is the author ofThe Complete Macro Cookbook.
