We really love the meals we make with Hello fresh but the recipe instructions really don’t flow well at all.
Any recipe with garlic I’m always instructed to crush the garlic in step 1 but generally don’t use it until much later so it would just sit there in the garlic press if I actually followed the recipe.
Today’s recipe has me prepping the veg long before it’s actually needed. So I’ve ended up with the veg lying around for ages while I actually prep the chicken to go in the oven first.
Also the way they’re written you really have to focus to avoid missing steps (not helped by the jumping around between ingredients)
Anyway – please tell me I’m not the only one that finds it frustrating!!
by flan100
11 Comments
Yes. Multiple recipes that have me pre-heat the oven first thing, even though it never uses the oven. Lol
I’m not going to lie, I don’t see anything wrong here with what’s circled. It’s quite normal to prep ingredients in advance for a meal like this. I always prep and cut all my ingredients (aside from sauces) first and then start cooking. Unless I have rice or pasta to boil, then I just start that before chopping.
I think step 3 and 4 could be combined so that it reads more “cook the chicken in the oven for x amount of time, remove and add veggies, then return to the oven until the chicken is cooked.”
There’s nothing wrong with this? It makes perfect sense
Yeah this makes sense because in the vegetable step you have 10 minutes left for the chicken and potatoes to be done and the veg needs to cook for 10 mins so they have you do it in step 1 so it’s ready to just be thrown on the sheet tray and pop it back in.
I saw another comment saying they sometimes have them preheat the oven for something not cooked in the oven… now that’s illogical.
They almost always put basic prep work in the very first step. It’s not a hard rule that you HAVE to do it all then, but it’s to give everyone the prep amount up front for planning purposes. Of course you should always read the entire card before starting a recipe to know when and where you are going to need ingredients IF you decide to hold a prep until it’s needed.
But some people who start using these meals/service don’t yet know how much time it takes for each prep step, so those folks may want to do all prep up front so there is no frantic rush to do something while there is something else cooking that they may also need to keep an eye on.
As for the other comment about being upset turning your oven on too early, if you know your oven heats up fast, then hold off. Some ovens take longer to preheat, so they take that into account. That being said, I agree that now with AI writing all of the instructions, a random turn the oven on when you will never need it does happen. That goes back to reading the entire recipe before you start. Know what you’re working with so you aren’t caught off guard.
But of course, I’m not here to come to their defense for everything. Their AI writing the cards is atrocious, the quality of the produce is falling fast, and the shrinkflation of certain ingredients is getting really bad. (Once recipe stated there would be 10 oz of cheese, I measured and it only had 2 oz. It was sad). So they don’t deserve a lot of defense, but when it comes to strategizing the order of operations, they generally have tried to make it fit for all levels of cookers and organized in a way that they all follow a similar pattern to know what to look for. Is it perfect for everyone, of course not. But it’s a decent strategy none the less.
This make sense to me. I read the entire recipe, prep everything, and lline them up in the order of use BEFORE starting the recipe. This helps me maintain efficiency and use less dishes. I make most things with one cutting board, knife, spoon/tongs, and pan/pot. Seems much easier to chop everything at once vs coming back to each item, while cooking.
I literally had this same complaint to my husband cooking last night, trying to follow the recipe guide. But I cook a lot, and I work in a school cafeteria. So my time management would find pockets of time while other ingredients are cooking. But I can prep pretty quickly. I think this is written for basic beginners, who might take more time prepping. I have learned to skim the recipe, get the gist, and do it my own way 😂
I agree that I really dislike the way that some of their menu cards are written.
The fact that they try to make every single recipe appear to have just 6 steps, but many times the steps have like 3 or 4 things in it, and you have to keep re-reading them to make sure you aren’t skipping over anything.
I’d prefer they abandon their ‘6 steps’ format, and actually put many more steps on the card instead of cramming so many things into a single step. Or even just keep the 6 steps they show, but bullet point the individual components of each step.
Why don’t you just prep the veggies at the very beginning?
Mis en place should be done at the beginning of cooking so you have everything prepped and ready to go when you need it. This is how chefs work and the most efficient/best way to cook.
Not sure why anyone would want to rush to prep veggies as they need them when they’re likely in the middle of other tasks. Stressful way to cook for nothing.
I already prep vegetables first. I feel like it flows easier if everything is ready to go when I need it. But, I’m also rather new and haven’t yet figured out how to do things quickly, so I hate feeling rushed when I’ve misjudged the amount of time it takes.