If you enjoy a good meal like I do, odds are you also like to try new recipes at home. And when you’re trying a new recipe, it’s sometimes hard to track down the ingredients it calls for—trust me, I can write a whole entry on hunting down the Knorr tamarind soup base I use to make Filipino pork Sinigang soup. And, if you do happen to get your hands on that hard-to-find ingredient, you’ll use a teaspoon of it in the recipe and then that spice will sit in your pantry for months on end, unused.
That’s why I’m officially hooked on Plated.com. Plated offers weekly menu items, with complete dinners created by their staff of chefs. Order the items you want ($12 per plate if you’re a member/$15 for nonmembers), and a few short days later, the fresh ingredients are delivered, perfectly portioned, directly to your door. Plated offers flavors of the season—with Turkey Day around the corner, they’re offering dishes like quinoa-stuffed turkey with roasted autumn vegetables and potato goat cheese cakes with balsamic vinaigrette.
No matter your diet or taste, Plated has the perfect option for you—vegetarian, fish and meat dishes—with easy-to-follow instructions to make a well-rounded, flavorful gourmet meal. (See the monkfish, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts below.)
{IntoxiKate Tip}
Plated offers cooking tips and nuggets of information on the recipe card. For example, they noted that monkfish (pictured above) is known as the “poor man’s lobster.” A definite conversation started to the meal…
Whether you are getting a little budget-conscious for the holidays (a restaurant-quality entrée you can make for half the price), or looking to shave down shopping and cooking time (most recipes prepare and cook in 30 minute) or even looking to impress a loved one with your skills in the kitchen, Plated has you covered.
Items come labeled and portioned for all of the recipes, so forget the measuring cups and spoons (ingredients for pumpkin ravioli above). You will have to use a few items of your own—but Plated lists that on the website, as well as the recipe card that comes with your ingredients.
You’ll need pantry mainstays like salt, pepper and olive oil (and once in a while, an egg or two). And you won’t need any complex kitchen equipment. Pots, pans, knives, mixing spoons and bowls are they only items required.
Moroccan chicken, a dish I’ve never made before, was simple to make—I mixed the included spice packet with a little bit of olive oil and baked the chicken in the oven.
The final product included sautéed onions with couscous—flavored up with a bit of mint. The chicken was spiced with savory and sweet, and offered a powerful punch to the meal.
An IntoxiKate favorite? The pumpkin ravioli topped with shiitake mushrooms paired with an arugula salad with pears, toasted pine nuts and pomegranate vinaigrette.
Find out if Plated.com delivers to your area.
