Not only is it quicker, but cheaper in the long-run too. Cooking on a weekday night just became a whole lot more appealing

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Thanks to the rise of takeaway apps, our phones are becoming our new fridges. ‘Fast food’ is being redefined, however, when you factor in 45 to 60 minute wait times and also how long it takes to decide on a restaurant that makes everyone in your household happy, ordering in soon becomes far from the quickest option. HelloFresh’s range of Recipe Boxes  offer up the perfect alternative though and are helping prove that whipping up a meal from the comfort of your own home can be just as speedy (if not speedier) and, surprisingly, more cost-effective than swiping your order on a screen.

Complete with easy-to-follow recipe instructions and pre-measured ingredients, they remove common kitchen-based stumbling blocks (such as shopping and chopping) to make cooking from scratch refreshingly simple. Still need convincing? Here are six more reasons why recipe boxes trump takeout boxes any day of the week.

1. They provide long-term convenience

Takeaways provide short-term, one-off convenience, however, HelloFresh Recipe Boxes provide something more substantial thanks to the subscription packages on offer. Thanks to the ability to customise your weekly menu from their huge range of delicious recipes, you can create a box that’s truly bespoke. Whether you’re looking for a box that gives you three or five recipes a week, or caters for two to four people and those who are vegetarian, there’s something for every taste, lifestyle and craving. What’s more, you’re also able to choose your delivery day according to your commitments - you can even skip a week or stop your deliveries anytime to suit.

2. They get you trying different things

Order the same things when you get a takeout? I know I do, which makes stepping outside my culinary comfort zone particularly tricky. If you often find yourself in a food rut, a HelloFresh Recipe Box can help you get out of it thanks to the new recipes that are added every week. It’s easy to choose your weekly recipe selection - simply use the HelloFresh app or website  to select what you like best and, as long you place your order by Wednesday at midnight the week before your delivery, your ingredients will be at home waiting for you in time.

3. They reduce wastage

Ever struggled to get through an entire takeout order? You’re not the only one. Portion size is far from a consistent measure and as a result, wastage is by and large the norm. However, thanks to the inclusion of pre-measured ingredients in each of HelloFresh’s Recipe Boxes , more of your food ends up on your plate rather than in your bin.

4. They allow you to know exactly what’s in your meal

A takeout only really allows you to see the finished product, whereas a recipe box allows you to see the full breakdown of its ingredients. HelloFresh prides itself on using only the freshest components, which are also individually packed to ensure that they don’t go bad. Some even come with handy ice packs too, which prove especially useful for picnics too in our experience.

5. They take away takeout delivery time

Even if you’re quick at picking something from a takeout menu, there’s a good chance that it won’t get to you for a good 45 minutes - especially if the London traffic has anything to do with it. Comparatively, recipe boxes are impressively pacey - HelloFresh's Family recipes take less than 30 minutes to make and their even speedier Rapid recipes take less than 20 minutes.

6. They’re cheaper in the long-run

Prices start from a budget-friendly £4 per meal in HelloFresh's Classic Box, Family Box and Rapid Box packages. This varies depending on the number of people you’re ordering for and the number of recipes requested. They’re great value for money and provide a significant saving on takeaways three to five times a week. Want to save more? As our gift to you, claim 50% off your first two HelloFresh boxes by entering the code HELLOGTG50 at checkout. Happy ordering!