In the 5 years since Meez made its first delivery, we’ve learned more about food than we’d ever imagined. No matter how many degrees our team holds in food science or years in fast-paced kitchens, creating the menus at Meez has been a real education for us all.  Some of the lessons have come from our testing kitchens, and many of them have come from YOU, the people who cook with us. 

This week we’re sharing 10 of the great things we’ve learned along the way.

1. Miso Is A Meatless Miracle
When you need depth of flavor and don’t want to turn to beef or chicken stock, grab a little miso.  It can completely transform a recipe, giving it that “little something” it needed because it adds just the right umami to make a recipe sing.

2. Time Matters.  A Lot.
We’ve learned different dinners hit the spot on different nights.   Some nights you need dinner RIGHT NOW.  Other nights, dinner can be an hour away, as long as it’s just a few minutes of hands-on work in the kitchen.  So when you ask someone their favorite recipe, the answer depends on what kind of night they have ahead of them.  That’s why we have both speed meals on the table in 15 minutes or less and hands-free recipes on our menu.  And, of course, we know time always matters.  That’s why we prep all the ingredients so you never have to spend time slicing, dicing and chopping.

3. Not Everyone Loves Blue Cheese
Most of us at Meez love blue cheese, and we think it’s a magical ingredient and have developed a lot of delicious recipes featuring it.  Then we learned the truth: lots of people aren’t fans.  So we introduced the mellow cheese option, sending less pungent cheeses to members who don’t share our love for stinky cheese.

4. Everyone Loves Toasted Gnocchi
Seriously.  Their love affair toasted gnocchi is one of the first thing members tell us when they talk about cooking with Meez.  Those crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside nuggets always top the sales, and recipe ratings, when they’re on the menu.  (Want to make them even when you’re not cooking with Meez? Toss un-cooked gnocchi with olive oil, then bake at about 400 degrees until they get golden on the outside.  And make plenty – we nibble about half straight off the roasting pan!)

5. Being Delicious Isn’t Enough, Variety Is King
We’ve learned we get tired of eating the same bite of food over and over again, no matter how delicious it is.  Imagine a big bowl of spaghetti with a delicious marinara sauce on top.  It sounds great, right? But after a few bites, it gets, well, dull.  Adding a little crunch from a nut, color from sautéed spinach or zing from a caper berry can turn that delicious bite into a superstar from start to finish.

6. Acid, Acid, Acid
Whether it’s fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or a squeeze of lime, acid is the key to brightening a dish.  Frequently in our recipe development meetings we’ll taste a recipe that the team agrees needs a little spark.  Someone will grab some lemon juice, another will go for the champagne vinegar.  We’ll sprinkle it over a corner of the dish and see what sings.  After some playing, we can always find just the right match.  Try it at home when a recipe needs something more.  Add a dash to a corner of the dish, and when you find the right note season the entire dish.

7. Everything’s Better In A Tortilla
There’s something about making a taco or stuffing a burrito that makes dinner extra delicious.  Our taco and burrito recipes are among our most popular dishes, and don’t worry, we’ll keep ‘em coming.  (One of our favorite summer tacos are the Toasted Corn & Zucchini Tacos on this week’s menu.  See all the details and order here.)

8.  Every Night Is Different
Some nights you’re eating dinner as a family, other nights it’s just 3, 2 or 1 of you at the table.  And that means you need different types of recipes each week. Sometimes a casserole is perfect for everyone to dig into, other nights you want just a salad for yourself and a single-serve pizza for the kids.  Other nights you’re craving a tasty side to pair with a favorite recipe from your own cookbook. That’s why our menu has evolved from offering just entrees to side dishes, main course salads, single serve snacks and, of course the opportunity to order individual meals in the sizes that make sense for you.

9. Fennel Tastes Like Sausage
Crazy but true.  Sautéed or roasted fennel brings a meatiness to recipes that even makes meat eaters think they’re eating sausage.  Try adding some to your next meatless recipe and you’ll become a convert as well.

10. Magic of Leftovers
Leftovers are powerful.  Of course, you can always reheat leftovers of a meal and enjoy it all over again.  But what we’ve learned is that there’s magic in using leftovers as the basis for a whole new meal.  Like using leftovers of the Yellow Curry on this week’s menu (see the full menu and order here) to create a salad, or using leftover pasta in a frittata.  You can make a whole new meal with minimal work when you’ve got a delicious base to build from.

 

Hungry For More?

Every minute counts at the end of a long day.  That’s why we make our dinners fast and easy to prepare, taking care of the prep work and measuring, so you can focus on the important part: the cooking. This week’s menu is packed with tasty recipes on the table with less than 15 minutes of hands on cooking.  From this Hands-Free Yellow Curry to Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Caprese Pasta, we’ve got dinner covered.  Creative recipes.  Local footprint.  Healthy meals in a heartbeat.  That’s the magic of Meez.

 

Order (here) at www.meezmeals.com