June 23, 2023
Cold Brew Club Coffee Review
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Coffee & Tea Reviews
This Magic Kitchen Reviews post contains affiliate links and we were given a sample. We may be compensated if you make a purchase. All opinions are our own.
Written By Alison Chew | Dietitian Verified by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
Magic Kitchen provides delicious, convenient, and diet-sensitive meal options for individuals and families to eat well at home. Started in 2005, Meal Kitchen aims to make in-home dining easier by delivering home-style frozen meals to your door – without a contract or subscription.
Customers can order just once or on a regular basis, making Magic Kitchen an easy, convenient meal delivery option for your family, friend, or loved one.
The price of Magic Kitchen meals varies depending on which menu is selected and the items ordered. A meal can cost on average between $10 and $16, not including the cost of shipping.
Magic Kitchen ships anywhere in the Continental U.S.
Shipping rates are based on the weight and distance of the package being shipped.
If you spend $100+ on your first order you receive FREE delivery. After the first order, if you order again within 30 days and spend $125 or more, you can continue to receive free delivery.
If you sign up for the Magic Kitchen loyalty program you can receive gift certificates for discounts off orders that can be used on future orders including free delivery and up to 22% off.
All meals are shipped from Magic Kitchen’s centrally-located warehouse in Kansas City, KS, and are contained in a reusable, recyclable Styrofoam container with dry ice. SHOP NOW >>
Magic Kitchen offers customers two menus to choose from, A La Carte and Complete Meals, with a focus on Senior Meals. The A La Carte Menu includes items that can easily be paired with a full or partial meal, including entrées, side dishes, soups & bread, and desserts.
The Complete Meals Menu are full, nutritionally-balanced meals designed to meet a variety of special diets, including portion control, low sodium, low fat, low carbohydrate, gluten-free, diabetic, dialysis, heart-healthy, and for seniors.
A primary focus at Magic Kitchen is their Senior Meals Program. As many seniors have special dietary needs, a large part of Magic Kitchen chefs’ energies has gone into creating complete meals that can be included as part of a healthy diet, and are also special-diet-friendly.
Magic Kitchen also has a Registered Dietitian on board to provide expertise and consultation to customers. Family members can send meals directly to the seniors in their lives so they can enjoy tasty, healthy meals with minimal prep or cleanup. SHOP NOW >>
For our Magic Kitchen reviews, we received six meals:
Magic Kitchen uses restaurant-quality products and, whenever possible, uses organic fruits and vegetables, grain-fed beef, and hormone-free chicken. The ingredients in their meals are all antibiotic, hormone, and pesticide-free.
When meals arrive, they should be placed in the freezer until ready to eat. Meals are freezer safe for 6 months or more from the expiration date but it’s suggested that meals be eaten within 30 to 45 days to ensure flavor or nutritional value isn’t lost.
Most Magic Kitchen meals can be heated in the microwave in minutes, while some require reheating in the oven or on the stovetop.
Out of the six meals that we tried our favorites were the Prime Rib Beef with Pearl Onions & Mushrooms and the Cheese & Spinach Manicotti with Marinara Sauce, both were from the A La Carte Menu. We also liked the Chicken & Mushroom Swiss Rice with Peas & Carrots and Stewed Tomatoes and the Salisbury Steak with Red Skin Potatoes & Mixed Vegetables from the Complete Meal Menu. The breakfast items from the Complete Meal Menu were hit or miss for us. SHOP NOW >>
Breakfast Burrito with Salsa, Applesauce & Hash Browns: The burrito and black bean sauce were flavorful and not spicy. The potatoes were a bit dry but when mixed with the bean sauce, that made them more flavorful. The apple sauce was tasty as well. SHOP NOW >>
Breakfast Scramble, Hash Browns & Asparagus: I’m guessing it was the sausage within the egg scramble but I found it to be incredibly salty, even though the ingredients list says that it contains 2% or less of salt. The “hash browns were cubed bits of potato versus the shredded potato that comes to my mind when I think of hash browns. These were actually under salted but the overly-salty scramble somewhat balanced it all out. The asparagus, once cooked, just kind of sat in a little pool of water. I drained them, cut them up into smaller bits, and added them to the scramble.
Overall, not one of my favorite meals in the selection but certainly not terrible. And it definitely made for a quick, easy breakfast during a very busy work week, which was appreciated. SHOP NOW >>
Chicken & Mushroom Swiss Rice with Peas & Carrots and Stewed Tomatoes: The breast was ground chicken made into a patty. The flavors in this meal were pretty plain so seasoning was added to bring out the flavors. The stewed tomatoes were a bit watery and the peas and carrots were good – tasted fresher than one might expect from a frozen dinner. SHOP NOW >>
Salisbury Steak with Red Skin Potatoes & Mixed Vegetables: Overall, this meal was tasty. The actual Salisbury steak had a bit of an odd texture, which I’d guess was due to the textured vegetable protein and the soy protein, but it was pretty good with the gravy. Veggies were a good mix and went well with the meal. SHOP NOW >>
Cheese & Spinach Manicotti with Marinara Sauce: Very tasty but very rich. I was pretty full after eating two but quite enjoyed this meal. Made a side salad to go with it and it made for an easy, enjoyable dinner. SHOP NOW >>
Prime Rib Beef with Pearl Onions & Mushrooms: The flavors in this meal were really good. I chose to cook it in the cast iron skillet and, once cooked, the beef stayed tender, the onions held a slight crunch and the sauce was rich and delicious. This was the favorite meal out of the six! SHOP NOW >>
Magic Kitchen provides convenient, diet-sensitive meal options for individuals and families to eat well at home without a contract or subscription.
For someone looking for something superior to store-bought frozen meals, MagicKitchen.com is an appealing option. They also offer a lot of variety, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, entrees, dessert, and sides options, which can be helpful for those needing some extra meal help (e.g. new mom’s, someone recovering from a medical procedure or illness, seniors, etc.) or individuals needing simple-yet-tasty options when trying to simplify complex dietary requirements.
We like that you do not have to sign up for a subscription and can place a one-time order, though there are meal plans available for those who want regular deliveries. And we also like that these meals are easy to heat up and can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
What we didn’t love is that most of the Complete Meals seemed to have a lot of additives, especially when compared to some other prepared meal delivery services we’ve tried. The A La Carte meals have fewer of these added ingredients. Although a common challenge in many flash-frozen meals, we’d prefer meals that had cleaner ingredients and fewer additives. And while we weren’t looking for low-sodium meals, some of the sodium levels in the meals that we received were surprisingly high.
When looking at the price per meal compared to other prepared meals, Magic Kitchen is in the middle of the price range and has the added benefit of not needing a subscription.
Overall, the meals we received tasted good and we definitely appreciate the convenience with minimal prep and cleanup. We would recommend Magic Kitchen to anyone looking for prepared meals that can meet a variety of dietary needs, those looking for a convenient lunch or dinner option, and to seniors (or their families) looking for a meal plan tailored to their individual needs. SHOP NOW >>
Looking for more prepared meal services? Check out our Prepared Meals Directory >>
| This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy. | |
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 | Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease. |
