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Plated Subscription Box Review + Coupon – February 2016

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseJul 25, 2016 | 4 comments

Plated-February-2016-Box

Plated
3.7 overall rating
43 Ratings | 23 Reviews

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, seasonal produce, and meat that’s free from antibiotics and added hormones.

Plated also makes it easy to pick recipes that suit your lifestyle. Each recipe clearly lists calorie content and prep time. (Note: Plated also used to list a difficulty rating for each recipe, but it appears they’ve stopped doing that.)

Plated-February-2016-Inside

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

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Plated-February-2016-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).

ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first four weeks (up to $159 in savings). No coupon needed - just use this link.

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 and the Food Subscription Box Directory!

Plated-February-2016-Recipes

Each week, Plated offers a different menu with at least 7 dishes to choose from. For this box, I selected Duck Confit Tacos with Pomegranate and Citrus Salad, White Chicken Pizza with Buffalo Chicken and Yogurt Ranch Dressing, and Philly-Style Cheesesteaks with Onion, Mushrooms, and Peppers.

Plated-February-2016-Email

When my box shipped, I received an email letting me know that I would need to have the following “pantry items” on hand: olive oil, black pepper, and kosher salt.

Plated-February-2016-Packed1

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

Plated-February-2016-Packed2

The meats were sealed and packed at the bottom of the box, safely away from the produce and surrounded by cool packs.

Unfortunately, when I was unpacking this week’s box, I realized that Plated forgot to include the chicken for my pizza! I emailed them right away, and I got a response within a couple of hours. They apologized for the oversight and credited the cost of the pizza meal back into my account. While it’s always an inconvenience to find something missing in a box like this, I was very pleased with the way they handled the problem.

Recipe #1- Philly-Style Cheesesteaks with Onion, Mushrooms, and Peppers

Calories Per Serving: 720

Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Plated-February-2016-PhillyRecipe

I began my week of Plated meals with Philly-Style Cheesesteaks.

Plated-February-2016-PhillyRecipeBack

Here’s a shot of the backside of the recipe card.

Plated-February-2016-PhillyPrep

To begin, I prepped my ingredients.

Plated-February-2016-PhillySautee

I warmed the rolls in the oven while I sautéed some chopped onion and mushrooms. When the veggies softened, I added bell pepper and poblano pepper and cooked for another 5 minutes. Next, I added Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and parsley.

I set the veggies aside and cooked sliced beef in the same pan, searing the pieces until they were browned on all sides.

Plated-February-2016-PhillyAssembled

When the meat was ready, I assembled the cheesesteaks and topped them with provolone. I baked them in a 450 degree oven until the cheese was bubbly.

Plated-February-2016-PhillyPlated

These were pretty darn tasty! Plated suggested skipping the utensils, but my sandwich was way too thick to bite into, so I opted for a knife and fork!

Meal #2- White Pizza with Buffalo Chicken and Yogurt Ranch Dressing

Calories per Serving: 630

Cook Time: 30-40

Plated-February-2016-PizzaRecipe

As I mentioned above, Plated forgot to include the chicken for this recipe. They credited my account with the cost of the meal ($24), and I picked up some chicken from the grocery store. The recipe included instructions for cooking raw chicken, but I substituted rotisserie chicken to save some time.

Plated-February-2016-PizzaIngredients

Before getting started, I assembled and laid out the ingredients I’d need for this recipe.

Plated-February-2016-PizzaBase

I then prepared the pizza dough. The recipe contained instructions for one large pizza, but I decided to make two smaller pizzas, instead. I portioned the dough, stretched each piece out, topped them with cheese, and par-baked them until the cheese melted.

Plated-February-2016-PizzaAssembled

While the pizza was in the oven, I made ranch dressing (from mayo, buttermilk, yogurt, chives, and salt and pepper), shredded the chicken, and then mixed it with homemade buffalo sauce (a mix of garlic, butter, and sriracha).

When the pies came out of the oven, I topped each one with the buffalo chicken and returned them to the oven to finish baking.

Plated-February-2016-PizzaPlated

When they were done, I drizzled each one with ranch dressing and topped them with arugula. (The Plated recipe didn’t call for arugula, but I wanted to add some veggies to the meal.) Both my husband and I loved this pizza! The crust was perfectly chewy, the buffalo chicken was delicious, and the homemade ranch was the perfect finishing touch.

Meal #3- Duck Confit Tacos with Pomegranate and Citrus Salad

Calories: 650

Cook Time: 25-35

Plated-February-2016-TacoRecipe

Most meals from Plated cost $12 per plate; however, Plated also offers a selection of “Chef’s Table” meals that can be purchased for an additional charge. These meals use market fresh seafood and specialty cuts of meat. These tacos are made with confit duck leg, and the cost per plate was $20.

Plated-February-2016-TacoIngredients

I began by peeling and slicing a grapefruit and an orange, thinly slicing scallions, mincing a shallot, and cutting a cucumber into 1/4” matchsticks.

Then, I rubbed the confit duck legs with Chinese 5-spice (one of my all-time favorite spices!) and warmed them for 10 minutes in a hot oven. I also warmed up the provided tortillas.

Plated-February-2016-TacoCitrus

While the tortillas and duck were in the oven, I readied the citrus salad by plating the orange and grapefruit slices and topping them with minced shallots and a vinaigrette of sherry vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Plated-February-2016-TacoPlated

When the duck legs were warm, I shredded the meat and then assembled the tacos. On each tortilla, I spread hoisin sauce and piled on the duck, cucumbers, and scallions.

These tacos were SO GOOD, and I loved the citrus salad. I wasn’t sure how the shallots and vinaigrette would taste on top, but it worked really well!

Verdict: Looking at the meals I selected for this Plated box, it’s pretty clear I was in the mood for comfort foods this week! Happily, all of the meals delivered in that regard- they were all comforting, tasty, and relatively easy to make. The pizza and tacos, in particular, were great. It’s important to note that I was missing a key ingredient from my box this week (the first time this has happened), but I’m pleased with the way Plated handled the oversight. I really enjoy cooking with Plated’s recipes, and I’ve been extremely impressed with their meals lately. The perceived value of a box like Plated is subjective, but, for me, it’s definitely worth the cost. I’m always pleased with the quality of the ingredients, and it’s rare I receive a meal I don’t like!

Do you subscribe to Plated? If so, which dishes did you try last week?

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This weekly meal kit delivery subscription lets you select from a diverse, ever-changing menu of 20 recipes per week that feature responsibly sourced meats, sustainable seafood, and seasonal ingredients. They're also the only meal kit box to offer add-on desserts! Choose to receive everything you ne... read more.
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. 


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4 comments

nursermk

Your talent in prepping is envious! It looks gorgeous even before you assemble, and this month with the bright citrus shots were no exception. Can I assume it cost $40 for the Duck confit tacos? You said $20 per plate which is pretty high cost, but I guess not so much for an occasional splurge? Thanks for the illustrated review!

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Lindsey

Thanks so much, nursermk! 🙂

Yes, the total cost for 2 plates of the duck tacos was $40. It’s definitely a splurge, but I thought the flavor was fantastic. Also, out of curiosity, I just did a search for the D’Artagnan Confit Duck Legs, and it looks like the MSRP is $13.99 per leg. I suppose that helps to justify the price!

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Beth

I really want the little jar of Hellmann’s, it’s so cute!

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Kitty

We LOVED the pizza!! I’m saving the recipe card to make it again! 🙂

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