# Hello Fresh



## robert@fm (Jun 9, 2015)

I have recently joined the above-named scheme. The idea is that every Sunday (and every Thursday if subscribed to the five-meal box) they deliver a box with a set of recipes, and all the ingredients you need to cook them. (Well, not quite _all_ — they assume that any well-equipped kitchen has salt, pepper and olive oil, and water of course. But anything else, such as veggies, herbs, spices, lemons (if used in one of the week's recipes), is included.)

They have four options; a box which provides 2 people with 3 meals (which they say is used by a lot of single people to do themselves 6 meals), one which provides 2 people with 5 meals, a veggie option, and another I can't recall offhand. Part of the idea is to provide meals which are "exotic" and probably not the sort of thing one would otherwise do, but delicious and simple to cook.

The problem is that they assume a well-equipped kitchen, with oven (no prob for me, I have a tabletop oven, the convection mode of my combo microwave, and a halogen oven; although the recipes don't include any instructions for the latter's faster cooking time), hobs, good quality knives and a juicer (for when the recipe uses a lemon, lime or orange). The last three are problematic for me; until today, the only knives I've had are cheap generic ones which are as blunt as the proverbial a***holes, plus the hobs on the table oven have only one heat setting (high), making things such as simmering impossible, and the juicer I once had has long-since vanished. Hence I have today taken delivery of a set of Taylor's Eye Witness knives (not quite Sabatier, but quite good enough for me), and have a pair of hobs and a juicer on order.

The other thing is that although this scheme is top-quality, that unfortunately is reflected in the price; £39 per week (£6.50 per meal) for the box I'm subscribed to, which I don't think is sustainable for one on low income.

Still, in the nutritional values for their recipes, they list carbs, not "sugar".


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## zuludog (Jun 10, 2015)

I get the impression that you haven't been used to doing much cooking (apologies if that's incorrect) so what you've done is a good start

There is a lot of snobbery about chef's knives; yes it's nice to have the best of something, but the Taylor's Eye Witness are good enough; the trick is to keep them sharp. Get a good sharpening steel if you haven't already done so. If you get an oilstone or waterstone as well you may be able to rescue your other knives
Find a secondhand tool stall on a market, and search YouTube on how to sharpen  

Keep the recipes and make a list of what you get, if it's not included, then when you decide you've spent enough, shop around to get the same ingredients cheaper
Try Asian & similar shops. Where I live they are good value; not quite as pretty as a major supermarket, but considerably cheaper
They are also friendlier & informal; more willing to chat, explain, and so on. In fact, more like shops were years ago when I was a boy.


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## zuludog (Jun 10, 2015)

I've just searched YouTube for "sharpening a chef's knife"  There are loads of videos


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## zuludog (Jun 10, 2015)

Yes it's me again! I also suspect you live on your own - so do I.
shopping can be a bit of a problem; if I buy a cauliflower I have to eat it almost every meal for about 5 days or it goes off. Same for salad stuff, it often goes off before I can finish it

The answer I've seen a few times is to buy frozen - the nutritional quality is as good, certainly for anything that's obviously getting old. So I buy frozen peppers, mushrooms, broccoli& cauliflower mixed florets, and so on
I often buy bags of mixed salad leaves; a bit more expensive, but not that much; and I finish them before they go off


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## robert@fm (Jun 11, 2015)

I think one reason why this week's box is so expensive is that one of the recipes uses "genuine" Parmesan cheese. If making it using ingredients sourced by myself, I would instead use what is now legally required to be called "Italian (or "Italian-style") hard cheese" — in other words, Parmesan in all but name. Identical result, but far cheaper.


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## Northerner (Jun 12, 2015)

robert@fm said:


> I think one reason why this week's box is so expensive is that one of the recipes uses "genuine" Parmesan cheese. If making it using ingredients sourced by myself, I would instead use what is now legally required to be called "Italian (or "Italian-style") hard cheese" — in other words, Parmesan in all but name. Identical result, but far cheaper.



Useful to know if it is a recipe you enjoy and can save a lot of money making it again sourcing your own ingredients  Hadn't realised that about Parmesan, will have a look next time I'm in the supermarket to see what is what!


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## zuludog (Jun 12, 2015)

Put 'parmesan equivalent' into Google and there are lots of references


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## robert@fm (Jun 13, 2015)

This morning, my carer who does Saturdays asked me about my new knife set, since it's not only good quality, it also looks quite attractive!  (Five different colours, and an acrylic block to store them and to show them off.) So I've printed off a copy of the Amazon order page for him.


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## zuludog (Jun 13, 2015)

Now then, I have no wish to divert or hijack your thread, but I am a retired chef, and I think some of the best value for money or budget knives are SWIBO

Just put 'Swibo' into Google.

Whatever you choose, get a decent sharpening steel as well


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## MissMilli (Jun 18, 2015)

Re your hobs (somehow that sounds saucy doesn't it?) - for gas top cookers there is a kind of 'spacer' available - it looks like a metal plate with dimples or ridges or similar (to be honest, i've never seen the same pattern twice) but the principle is to lift the pot away from the heat slightly to enable simmering.

Maybe that would also work for electric?


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