My Five Favorite Pre-Order Kitchens
Plan ahead and you can have beautiful, fresh food for a much greater value than restaurant takeout.
Greetings! Today’s post is especially timely, as I’m offering my five favorite pre-order kitchens to help with the dinnertime hustle this coming season.
But first, I wanted you to know that I’ve posted the winners of my recent Salad Platter Contest. All eleven entries received votes, but here are the top three that pulled ahead.
Now, on to today’s post:
What I Love about Pre-Order Kitchens
With few exceptions, restaurant food simply isn’t meant to travel far. Anything cooked with vegetables can be especially sad—so often the tightly sealed to-go containers cause the veggies to steam to colorless imperfection.
That’s why I’m becoming increasingly passionate about pre-order kitchens. Food at places like The Grateful Chef and New World Kitchen is designed to be picked up and enjoyed at home. They’ve thought through the packaging/reheating logistics to ensure a quality experience at your own table.
Pre-order kitchens are generally a good value. By requiring pre-orders, chefs can buy precisely what’s needed, eliminating the hidden costs of food waste that could otherwise end up on your bill. I find most entrees cost under $15 per person. The exception is Catering by Cyd, but many of her meals are complete menus, and are the most entertaining-worthy options in this story.
I also love the way some pre-order kitchens often veer off the beaten path. Rather than catering to the masses with rote and predictable choices, these chefs develop a loyal following through niche appeal. For example, not everyone will love New World Kitchen, but those who do will love it with a loyalty and passion rarely seen at your usual Chicken Alfredo emporiums. These places take risks, and the diner wins.
The only thing I don’t love about pre-order kitchens is that it can be hard to keep track of when the order windows open and close. I’m also always afraid I’ll forget to actually pick up the food at the specified time (which is why I set about five alerts).
That said, here are the kitchens in my rotation right now—along with tips on ordering. These are not in any specific order.
NOTE: All ordering/pick-up schedules were correct as of the writing of this article. However, because schedules can change, always follow the pick-up/delivery information given to you when you order your food.
Dinner Dispatch—A Fresher (+ More Local) Alternative to “Hello Fresh”
Located at 7246 University Ave. in Windsor Heights (in a strip mall just west of Aldi), this meal-kit service is a little like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh in that each meal kit offers pre-prepped and measured ingredients ready for you to cook at home. Recently, a terrific version of Greek Chicken Rice Bowls came together in about 20 minutes, and wholly satisfied with zippy, fresh flavors. Not surprisingly, the ingredients tasted noticeably fresher than those from Hello Fresh, likely because they weren’t trucked in from far away.
How It Works: The ordering process is being revamped. According to co-owner Jennifer Oredson, Dinner Dispatch is taking the Labor Day week off from deliveries and is using that time to transition to a new ordering and delivery schedule. Beginning the 2nd week of September, the new menu will open on Tuesday mornings, with an ordering deadline of Monday at midnight. Orders will be available for delivery or pickup on Wednesdays or the following Monday.
To get notifications, head to their homepage, scroll down, and enter your email in the “Be the First to Know What’s on The Menu” field.
Bonus: Dinner Dispatch also has grab-and-go meal kits in their cooler that you can pick up during store hours. This is an especially great option if you’ve forgotten to pre-order and need to cook something tonight. They also have frozen kits; however, these need to be thawed in the refrigerator before cooking, and alas, my foray into this option—a Sriracha-ranch sheet-pan chicken—was less successful, as the frozen-then-thawed-then-roasted veggies had lost some of their appeal. I’m sticking with the fresh kits.
New World Kitchen
Don’t let the word “vegan” throw you. The ready-to-eat or ready-to-reheat meals I’ve picked up at the all-vegan New World Kitchen is more gratifying and dynamic than about 95% of meat-centric restaurant fare I encounter these days. Recently, I adored the Sweet Corn Pasta with Butternut Chorizo—a silky pasta dish that crossed sweet coconut-milk and corn with a spicy “chorizo” made of butternut squash and ground nuts. I’ve also enjoyed their Curried Cauliflower Salad, a creative dish with nicely crisp veggies, quinoa, chickpeas, almonds, and a delightfully “creamy” curry sauce. In the past, I’ve brought home their incredibly satisfying New Mac Sauce—a richly “cheesy” sauce that works as a recipe starter for everything from broccoli soup to pasta.
How It Works:
• The order window is open Tuesday through Thursday each week.
• Pick up is at the Mickle Center on Mondays, between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Be sure to go to the back lot, as described. Delivery is also available.
Nourished DSM
While Nourished’s kitchen is vegan and vegetarian, I often use the wonderfully varied salads as the base of a salad platter to which I add a protein. Salmon, for instance, goes beautifully with the Green Goddess Salad platter, and I adored the Southwest Salad with a grilled steak.
But you can certainly remain vegan or vegetarian and have a creative and wholesome meal. Take, for example, a recent offering, the Banh Mi Salad: cauliflower and sweet potato replace the meat, and it’s flavored with cilantro, sriracha, lime juice, and avocado oil.
As cooler months arrive, I’ll be taking a deep dive into Nourished’s warming soups.
How It Works: The weekly menu is posted Thursdays at noon, and ordering closes Sundays at noon. Pick up is on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Moxie, 4119 University Ave.
Bonus: Nourished’s system is incredibly convenient—you get alerts when it’s time to order, an alert before the order window closes, and a reminder when it’s getting time to pick up your food. Sign up for alerts on their home page.
Grateful Chef
Chef Brandy Shayan has been been cooking for Des Moines families since 2010, and her business has become a kind of gold-standard for pre-order kitchens. Her food is immensely creative—from spins on classic flavors (e.g., Coq Au Vin Blanc Chicken Meatballs) to worldly picks like Teriyaki Chicken Tacos with Creamy Sesame Cucumbers, Avocado & Pickled Onions. I also appreciate the way she always switches things up—her menus are never static!
How It Works: New pre-order menus are posted on their website Monday morning, and the window remains open through Wednesday morning. Note that items sometimes sell out—so it’s a good idea to order early. That’s why I sign up for their email reminders (via their website). Pickup for your pre-order items is every Thursday or Friday. Grateful Chef is located at 1938 SE 6th Street, Suite 103, Des Moines.
Bonus: Grateful Chef also has a grab-and-go case and some freezer meals available during store hours (currently Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
Catering by Cyd
Cyd Koehn is best known as a caterer for everything from business gatherings to grand celebrations, but did you know she also offers complete dinner menus for as little as two diners? I’ve enjoyed this service when entertaining—the lamb chops feast in particular wowed my guests. I’ve also relished her menus when being entertained by friends—the lemon parmesan chicken menu was a delight.
But it’s not only about entertaining: if you plan ahead, you can also pick up family-friendly meals for any night of the week. Selections include anything from a fried chicken bundle to a German bratwurst dinner, a taco bar, an Italian feast, and more.
How It Works: Order online at CateringByCyd.Online. While they prefer a 7 to 10 day advance notice, they will accommodate you if you get your order in 48 hours in advance. You can have it delivered or pick it up at her kitchen in Johnston (details will be given when you order).
Did I miss one of your favorite pre-order kitchens? Please tell us about it in the comments section.
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Political writer Laura Belin recently wrote about the top 10 moments of the Democratic National Convention. Kamala Harris’s speech came in third. What topped this list? No, it wasn’t Oprah! Find out here.
That’s just one of the many articles in this week’s Iowa Writers Collaborative Roundup. Find more writers you’ll enjoy here:
Great choices!