I want the future of food to look something like the roast chicken in The Fifth Element. You put a small pellet in a microwave-like box, and in seconds out comes a delicious-looking, home-cooked roast chicken. We've made some progress since the movie came out nearly 30 years ago, but we're not quite there yet. We've had the microwave for awhile, but the pellets still need some work.
The latest attempt at tasty meals from a box is the meal delivery service. These range from meal kits that deliver the ingredients and you cook them, to complete, ready-to-eat meals. The latest I've tried is Factor, which falls into the latter category. Factor's particular spin on that market is that it specializes in high protein meals targeted at anyone on a keto diet, high protein/low carb, or restricted calorie diets.
What You Want
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Factor Prepared Meals Shop at Factor
Factor is similar to other meal services in that you subscribe, pick the meals you want, and Factor ships them out on a weekly basis. I went for the completely hassle-free option of Chef's Choice and set some guard rail parameters like high protein and gluten free. The Factor-selected meals arrived at the start of the week via FedEx, though the delivery service will vary by area. These aren't frozen meals, so throw them in the fridge. They will last up to seven days.
The subscription process walks you through a list of questions that help determine the right meals for you. There are option lists with goals like “Eat more protein,” “Save time in the kitchen,” “Eat a better variety of foods,” and so on. Then you select other things like your spice preference and how many meal you want per week (the options are 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 18).