Facebook PixelPlated Subscription Box Review – May 12, 2015 | MSA
My Subscription Addiction
My Subscription Addiction
Our reviewers research, test, and recommend the best subscriptions and products independently; click to learn more about our editorial guidelines. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site.

Plated Subscription Box Review – May 12, 2015

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseJul 25, 2016 | 16 comments

Plated Subscription Box Meal Review

Plated delivers a weekly box of pre-portioned fresh and seasonal ingredients, everything you need to cook their chef-designed recipes at home in your own kitchen. Each week, they offer a different menu, and you can select which dishes you’d like to make, how many plates of each dish you’d like to serve, and when you’d like to receive your delivery.

Three of the dishes offered on every menu are vegetarian. Plated also regularly rotates in vegan and dairy-free options. They’re committed to using sustainably sourced seafood, seasonally fresh produce, and meat raised without antibiotics or added hormones. 

Plated also makes it easy to pick recipes that best suit your culinary skill level and lifestyle. Each recipe is tagged with a difficulty level and clearly lists calorie content and prep time.

Plated-May12-2015-Inside

Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Plated-May12-2015-Contents

The Subscription Box: Plated

The Cost: Recipes begin at $12 per plate. 2 recipes (4 plates)= $48 per week (+ $6 shipping). 3 recipes (6 plates)= $72 per week (with free shipping). 4 recipes (8 total plates)= $96 per week (with free shipping).

The Products: All of the pre-portioned fresh and seasonal ingredients you need to make chef-designed recipes at home in your own kitchen.

Ships to: 95% of the US. (Currently, Plated does not ship to Hawaii and Alaska, and there are also a few cities in Texas, including San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and Midland, where they don’t yet ship.)

Check out all of our Plated Reviews!

Plated-May12-2015-Menu

Each week, Plated offers a different menu with 7 dishes to choose from. I opted for a Tuesday delivery (05/12) and selected Homemade Chorizo with Paella-Style Rice, Crispy Fish with Coconut Bok Choy, Tatsoi, and Rice, and Roasted Lemon-Shallot Halloumi Cheese with Israeli Couscous. I also decided to try one of their desserts, the Lemon Pots with Graham Cracker Crust. When my box shipped, I received an email letting me know that I would need to have the following “pantry items” on hand: black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, water, and eggs. The email also clearly listed the difficulty level, cooking time, and calorie information of my selected dishes. 

Plated-May12-2015-Packed1

Plated-May12-2015-Packed2

As always, the box was packed with extreme care. Ingredients were bundled by recipe, and each item was in its own container.

Plated-May12-2015-SealedMeat1

The fish, pork, and cheese were vacuum-sealed and packed at the bottom of the box, safely away from the produce and surrounded by cool packs.

Recipe #1- Homemade Chorizo with Paella-Style Rice

Plated-May12-2015-ChorizoCard

Each meal from Plated comes with its own recipe card. I’ve found the recipes to be well written, and I like that they provide pictures for each step.

I began by separating, cleaning, and chopping my ingredients. I was a little disappointed by the size of the onion I received. It was so small that I initially thought it was a shallot! Luckily, I had another small onion on hand that I add in.

Plated-May12-2015-ChorizoIngredients

To begin, I sautéed the onion and garlic until they were soft. I removed half of the mixture from the pan (to mix into the chorizo later) and then added paprika, rice, and tomato. The rice simmered in a mix of water and chicken stock paste until the water had absorbed.

Plated-May12-2015-Rice

I added fresh peas and let the rice continue to cook until a crust formed at the bottom of the pan.

Plated-May12-2015-CrustRice

While the rice cooked, I made the chorizo by mixing ground pork, vinegar, spices, salt, and pepper with the onions I’d reserved earlier.

Plated-May12-2015-ChorizoMix

I formed this meaty mixture into 6 patties and cooked them in a skillet over medium heat until they were browned on the outside and cooked through.

Plated-May12-2015-Chorizo

To plate, I transferred the rice onto plates and topped it with the chorizo patties.

Plated-May12-2015-PlatedChorizo

I wasn’t thrilled with this recipe. First of all, I thought the rice lacked flavor and that it would have benefited from the incorporation of some additional spices. Also, the “chorizo” patties tasted more like sliders than sausage. According to the card, this fresh pork recipe is a Mexian-style chorizo (as opposed to the cured Spanish variety I’m used to), so it could be that part of my disappointment with this dish stemmed from my inaccurate expectations. Still, I wasn’t a fan.

Meal #2- Roasted Lemon-Shallot Halloumi Cheese with Jeweled Israeli Couscous

Plated-May12-2015-HalloumiCard

 The following day, I made the halloumi dish. I began by prepping my ingredients.

Plated-May12-2015-HalloumiIngredients

I arranged the halloumi in a pan with sliced lemon, pepper, shallot, and white wine and roasted it at 400 for 20 minutes.

Plated-May12-2015-RoastingHalloumi

While the halloumi roasted, I sautéed spices until they were fragrant and then added currants, dried apricots, and Israeli couscous. I stirred this mixture and waited for the couscous to turn a nice, medium brown.

Plated-May12-2015-CousCous

When it had nicely toasted, I added water and let the couscous cook. When the water had absorbed, I stirred in chopped pistachios and adjusted the seasoning.

When the couscous was ready, I set it to the side and finished the halloumi. After the halloumi was warmed through and had started to brown, I turned on the broiler and allowed it to cook under direct heat until a bubbly brown crust formed on top.

Plated-May12-2015-PlatedHaloumi

I loved this dish! I thought the dried fruit and nuts were a great addition to the couscous, and the grilled halloumi was fantastic with the lemon and shallot. Admittedly, we ate a lot of cheese in this meal, but I thought the lemon and white wine added a nice acidity that kept the dish from feeling too heavy. If I were to make this again, though, I think I would add a vegetable. Maybe some grilled asparagus? I think a salad with arugula & pomegranate would go really well, too. I’d feel a little bit better about eating a plate of cheese and pasta if it was paired with something green.

Meal #3- Crispy Fish with Coconut Bok Choy, Tatsoi, and Rice

Plated-May12-2015-FishCard

My last meal from this box was a fish dish. With Plated, I usually try and make any fish dishes first to ensure I use the fish when it’s freshest, but, honestly, I just wasn’t in the mood for fish this week. Happily, the fish was still very fresh on the fifth day after receiving my box. (All of the fish I’ve received from Plated has been shipped frozen, and I think that helps prolong its refrigerator lifespan.) The prep for this dish was simple. I cleaned and chopped my greens, sliced the shallot and garlic, and halved a lemon.

Plated-May12-2015-FishIngredients

I cooked the rice while I sautéed the onion and shallot in another pan. When the onion was translucent, I added the bok choy and Swiss chard and let them wilt. To make the sauce, I added in coconut milk, water, soy sauce, and lemon juice and simmered until the liquid had reduced. I then stirred in the tatsoi and set the greens aside. (I’d never cooked with tatsoi before! For anyone unfamiliar with it, like I was, it’s an asian green with a subtle flavor that looks a lot like spinach.)

The tilapia was quick to prepare. I seasoned both sides of the fillets, doused them in cornmeal, and then pan-fried them until they were golden brown of both sides.

Plated-May12-2015-CookingFish

I plated the rice and greens and topped them with the fish fillets.

Plated-April29-2015-PlatedFish

This dish was pretty good. I really liked the greens, and I thought the lemon/soy/coconut milk sauce was unusual and surprisingly delicious. The only problem was that the ratios seemed a little off; I would have been happier with more greens and less rice. Still, I enjoyed the flavors, and I thought the components of the dish worked well together.

Dessert- Lemon Pots with Graham Cracker Crust

Plated-May12-2015-LemonCard

When I found out that Plated also offers dessert, I had to try it! Like with their meals, they provide all of the ingredients needed to make their desserts. This recipe even came with tin ramekins!

Plated-May12-2015-LemonIngredients

First, I made the crust. I bashed the graham crackers into crumbs with the bottom of a pan and then rubbed in softened butter and a tablespoon of sugar. I divided the mixture between the ramekins and pressed it into the bottoms.

Plated-May12-2015-Graham

Next, I made the lemon curd.

Plated-May12-2015-CurdMix

Now, in the spirit of full-disclosure, I want to mention that I’m a professional baker, and I make lemon curd very frequently at my shop. I make it similarly to how Plated instructed, which is to whisk all of the ingredients together over medium heat in a pot until the curd thickens. If I’d written this recipe, though, I’d probably have recommended cooking the curd over a double boil to help make it a little more foolproof. This method takes longer, but it doesn’t require the same frantic whisking you need over direct heat to ensure the eggs don’t scramble. (FYI- if your eggs do scramble, try straining your curd. That will sometimes salvage it.) I worry that Plated’s instructions might lead to problems for some.

Anyway, once my curd was ready, I filled the ramekins and allowed the curd to set in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Plated-May12-2015-PlatedLemonPots

I really enjoyed these little Lemon Pots, and I thought they were very tasty. While I didn’t have any problems making the curd, I do have some concerns about the way the recipe was written. I think for anyone who hasn’t made curd before, there are potential pitfalls. Have any other subscribers tried Plated desserts? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

Verdict: For me, this shipment from Plated was okay. Plated has a number of different chefs who write their recipes, and I’m starting to notice that I like certain chef’s dishes more than others. I might have to start paying more attention that that when I pick out my dishes for the week. Still, I really love the convenience Plated offers, and I’m consistently impressed with the quality of their ingredients. While this week’s dishes weren’t a homerun, I still enjoyed most of the dishes I received. 

What do you think about Plated?

Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


Join the Conversation

Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.

16 comments

Gabbi B

They had chocolate chip sea salt cookie cakes a while back that were absolutely heavenly…

Reply ButtonReply

Jen

We went with the steak and chicken and the peppermint patties this week. The steak was good, but it didn’t really stand out from dishes I already make. The chicken was okay, but far too saucy for my taste. We did have a lot of leftovers from that, though. The peppermint patties, on the other hand… Those barely lasted long enough to set up in the fridge. I’ll definitely be making those again, though I’ve found some other recipes online that I might try instead. I doubt I’ll ever by a York again.

Reply ButtonReply

chris

Thanks for the detailed review and extra baking tips which I can always use, Lindsey!

We have done Blue Apron quite a bit over the last couple of years, but have been mostly skipping for a while now. May have to give Plated a try.

Reply ButtonReply

Kylie

I love these weekly reviews, as plated is something that has always intrigued me (so thank you!). I was wondering though, as I’m a calorie conscious eater, if you could include the calorie counts, so that I can see the range provided by plated, I would be so appreciative!

Thank you!

Reply ButtonReply

Lindsey

No problem! I’ll include calorie info in the next review. 🙂

Reply ButtonReply

Renee

I often get the desserts because I’m single, so four plates per week is usually plenty for me and that’s only $48. You need $50 for free shipping, so I throw the desserts in because it’s only $2 more than not getting them and paying for shipping.

Keeping that in mind, I love them. It’s nice to have dessert but not have 12 servings of dessert tempting me. Almost all of them have turned out pretty well and all of them have been good. It’s very strange to make such small portions for desserts though. Making a tiny batch of cookies or just a small bowl of something like whipped cream feels weird. The only one I really had problems with was the chocolate coconut macaroons. They tasted delicious, but they spread out all over the place.

Reply ButtonReply

Victoris

I found this review rather harsh. Plated has been fantastic to someone like myself that has to drive an hour to the nearest wholefoods or simply would like to have food shopping done after working all day. It’s a wonderful concept for a busy gal:)

Reply ButtonReply

Laura

What’s so ‘harsh’ about this review? I would describe it as her being realistic and detailed. Lindsey is just sharing her experience with this box and her opinions based on that experience, which is the purpose of a review.

Reply ButtonReply

Victoria

It’s a large pot with a smaller pot on top with a cover. They come made like this. Water is put in the large pot and the ingredients are put in the smaller pot. This makes melting ingredients such a cocoa, solid chocolate, anything with milk, much easier. You can buy one at Target for like $10. Even Walmart:

Reply ButtonReply

Ragan

You can just use a metal mixing bowl on top of a saucepan for a double boiler. (I never use a cover because I am usually doing a lot of stirring.)

Reply ButtonReply

Ragan

I see Lindsey already answered that…

Christina

Just so you know, Mexican chorizo is nothing like this recipe either. It is super spicy and flavorful, and it is eaten crumbled, never in a patty like that. I can just tell the recipe is not even close to authentic Mexican chorizo because of how pale the patties are–real chorizo has so many spices that it is a bright reddish-orange color. This will be my dinner tonight, so thanks for the heads-up. I’ll probably add some extra chili powder before cooking. I also loved the halloumi cheese recipe, though I agree, it could have used a veggie. This was my first box, so I’m curious, which chefs do you prefer?

Reply ButtonReply

Lindsey

That’s really interesting about the Mexican chorizo. Thanks for the info! I’ve really just started paying attention to which chef is behind each recipe, but, so far, I’ve had some excellent dishes from Chef Elena.

Reply ButtonReply

Sherry

What is a double boil? Just curious as I love to bake, but haven’t even made something with a curd.

Reply ButtonReply

Lindsey

To make a double boiler, simmer about 1″ of water in a saucepan and place a metal or glass bowl on top of the saucepan. The steam from the water heats the bowl gently and evenly, which helps prevent overcooking. It’s a great method for cooking custards and melting chocolate. 🙂

Reply ButtonReply

Sherry

Awesome tip!!