If you’re looking for a way to enjoy effortless gourmet meals at home, Pop-Up Pantry may be the answer.
Pop-Up Pantry is a new California company that prepares creative gourmet meals which are then flash-frozen and shipped directly to your door. All you do is reheat, by either boiling a pot of water or turning on the oven. In thirty minutes or less (in most cases) you can prepare a delicious meal.
We recently gave it a try. I went to the Pop-Up Pantry Website and browsed through their menu – it was hard to choose just two but I ultimately selected the Hoisin-ginger Braised Short Ribs and the Cod Provencal with Zucchini Fondue. We really liked the Hoisin-Ginger Braised Short Ribs.
It came with a coconut gelee side, warm asparagus salad and sesame bread pudding.
The Cod dish came with a sweet pea arancini appetizer and a peach dessert.
As part of the ordering process you tell them when you want the meals delivered. Our meals were delivered right on time in a Styrofoam cooler that was packed inside the box. The cooler contained all the individual packages for me to prepare two three-course meals. There was dry ice in the box which kept the items frozen.
Sign up is free and each month you receive an email outlining the new menu items for the month. Just listen to some of their current menu items: Pork Roast with Root Vegetables, Butternut Squash Lasagna, Portobello Wellington or Shrimp Stir-Fry. The items start at $17 per person. Some of the dishes are a little pricey.
I liked Pop-Up Pantry for the following reasons:
Creative dishes that you would never make at home
Easy clean-up
Detailed instructions that make preparation go smoothly
New menu items each month
Excellent customer service (one of the dishes was missing the preparation instructions – they emailed it to me before I even realized it wasn’t there!
They give you suggested pairings that go with your chosen meal
I think Pop-Up Pantry could be an ideal solution for busy professionals, moms/dads on the go, or hosts looking to create a menu for a last-minute dinner party.
Disclosure: I received two complimentary meals to facilitate this review. All opinions and views are 100% my own.
