Kitchen Report

First there were cookbooks, then food blogs, and then subscription meal kits. It’s been fascinating to watch the evolution of home cooking through such recent trends as community supported agriculture (CSA) and farm-to-table restaurants.

Meal kits were a game changer that no one was really expecting and they may be one reason farms with CSAs are reporting a drop in memberships. Given the choice of carting home a brimming bag of locally grown cabbage (and figuring out how to use it up) or having an ice-packed, ready-to-cook meal with recipe instructions delivered to your front door – it’s hard to not to pick the latter.

I’m trying not to be a commercial for meal kits, but truth be told I started subscribing to Hello Fresh not long after my husband and I became engaged. Quite frankly, it has been a life saver as we planned a wedding and honeymoon in five months; then, over the next six, packed up my condo, moved me into my husband’s apartment, sold my condo, bought a house, and moved two adults and two kids into our new house.

We are still recovering.

Not having to figure out what we were going to cook for dinner and shop for food a few times a week has helped ease the various transitions. It’s also been a great way to introduce my husband, who had the cooking repertoire of a bachelor single dad trying to appease picky eaters, to a higher level of cooking skills. He’s really enjoyed learning how sauces can enhance a dish among other culinary tricks.

I have some friends who toggle between a variety of meal kit subscriptions but we’ve stuck to Hello Fresh, just to keep it simple. Admittedly, we get tired from the routine of chicken, beef, and pork and have been skipping weeks a little more frequently.

So when I was presented with the opportunity to review Martha Stewart’s Martha & Marley Spoon I jumped at the chance.

I was sent Banh Mi Turkey Burgers and Sirlon Filet & Potatoes to test.

I was excited about the turkey burgers having read about the growing popularity of the Vietnamese French-inspired banh mi sandwiches prepared on baguettes. Marley Spoon’s version came with ciabatta rolls and the salad was a simple pickle carrot and cucumber salad.

I really loved it – simple and refreshing. The turkey burger had a touch of heat from jalapeños and a hint of freshly grated ginger, which my mom loved (she was my partner in this meal as my husband wasn’t sure he was adventurous enough for exotic sounding turkey burgers).

For the more traditional sirloin and potatoes, I was pleasantly surprised by the treatment for the roasted potatoes that I hadn’t encountered before: After halving the fingerling potatoes (which have been boiled until tender) and tossing them with olive oil and salt on a baking sheet, the instructions call for gently pressing down on the potatoes with the bottom of glass to flatten slightly. These made for delicious crisp-tender potatoes. We will be repeating this the next time we have potatoes to cook!

Maybe my only preference for Hello Fresh over Marley Spoon were some of the instructions. Hello Fresh will say in the instructions “we sent more,” referring to the capsules of vinegar or what have you, an important flag for me since I tend to charge ahead without carefully reading the amounts you need for each step.

In our household, Marley Spoon got two thumbs up! And if we ever get organized in our new life we might sign up so we can switch up our meal kits every now and then.