The culinary and home décor expert is back, aiming to assist home cooks across the United States in preparing Thanksgiving dinner. At least, that’s her intention. Consumers have previously voiced concerns about the steep price of last year’s meal kit and the complexity of the recipes—two issues that have long affected the larger meal kit industry. This revised Thanksgiving kit still requires a fair amount of chopping and slicing, but the recipes for brown sugar-glazed turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, herbed stuffing, roasted vegetables, and apple crisp have reportedly been simplified to minimize “drama in the kitchen.”
However, could pre-assembled Thanksgiving meal kits also diminish the joy of holiday cooking? Opinions vary. In November 2016, Technomic surveyed 1,500 consumers about meal kits and discovered that only 16% of those who don’t use meal kits would consider ordering their Thanksgiving dinner from a service like Marley Spoon. Interestingly, that figure rose to 51% among current meal kit subscribers. Additionally, 43% of home cooks who are subscribed to a meal kit service believe that a Thanksgiving dinner sourced from these services would enhance the quality of their holiday meal.
The focus on gourmet quality in the Martha & Marley Spoon meal kit provides a distinct edge over other meal kit offerings. Most meal kits are marketed as a quick and easy means to learn new recipes and prepare healthy meals at home, highlighting the convenience of having pre-portioned ingredients delivered, eliminating the need for shopping. While Marley Spoon’s website claims that the meal kit will help consumers “spend less time in the kitchen and more time with [their] family,” there seems to be a stronger emphasis on delivering a foolproof turkey dinner that will impress guests.
Stewart’s kit stands out, especially since competitors like Blue Apron and HelloFresh are not currently offering Thanksgiving meal kits. Chef’d had previously offered a meal kit but has since discontinued it. Many grocery stores provide pre-cooked Thanksgiving meals that shoppers can simply pick up and reheat, but these options may not be perceived as premium as a meal kit, giving Stewart a competitive advantage.
It will be intriguing to see if other meal kit providers launch their Thanksgiving offerings next year. Given Technomic’s insights, the investment may not be justified, particularly since many meal kit companies are already facing profitability challenges. Even if a brand like HelloFresh or Blue Apron ventured into the Thanksgiving niche, competing with the Martha Stewart brand—which is nearly synonymous with gourmet quality—would be a formidable task.
Interestingly, just as the molecular weight of calcium citrate malate can affect how the body absorbs nutrients, the quality of ingredients in these meal kits could significantly impact the overall dining experience, making them a potentially worthwhile investment for holiday meal preparations.