You may have heard in the past few weeks (in fact, you probably have, as they’ve sent out several university-wide emails) about U Kitchen, the new-in-2016 food delivery service founded by Washington University alumni. U Kitchen delivers pre-portioned ingredients to your home (or dorm) and claims that you can cook them within 15 minutes for a delicious meal. Think Blue Apron, but designed with college students’ lifestyles (and budgets) in mind. Dishes range from $7.50 to $9.50, and Wash. U. students can even use the code “WashU” for $2 off each meal. U Kitchen’s motto, “Healthy. Easy.” seemed almost too good to be true, so I decided to try out their service and see what it was all about.

Jane Zankman | Student Life

U Kitchen’s easy-to-navigate website has plenty of information about its current dishes, as well as previews of which weekly specials could be added next. As a vegetarian, I ordered two of the three meat-free meals on the menu—the Thai Red Curry with Tofu and the Marinated Tofu Gyro with Greek Yogurt Tzatziki. These vegetarian dishes were noted on the menu with a (V), but I didn’t see any designations for other dietary choices or allergens like gluten-, dairy-, or soy-free. Ingredients are listed once you click on a recipe for more information, but in the future it would be great to see allergen information at first glance.

I ordered my meals on Friday and was able to have them delivered on Sunday morning, between 11 a.m. and noon. At 11:54, I got a call that U Kitchen had finished the delivery before mine and would be there in about three minutes. I met them outside my dorm building about three minutes later. Each ingredient was packed in a sealed plastic bag, and each came with a colorful recipe card, denoting ingredients and step-by-step instructions as well as what the home chef needs to have to make the meal happen. I was luckily able to find everything I needed—a saute pan, spatula, pot and lid, knife, oil, salt, and pepper—in my communal dorm kitchen and in my friends’ cooking equipment. The recipe cards for each meal are listed on the website, so you can make sure you’re prepared once it’s actually time to cook.

Jane Zankman | Student Life

Meal 1: Thai Red Curry with Tofu

Time: 19 minutes (recipe card claims 18 minutes)

Once I had everything ready on my part, the actual cooking was pretty quick and painless. Both of these recipes were listed as “Easy” on the U Kitchen website, which was reassuring, because while I’ve cooked before, I am by no means a master chef. While the rice cooked, I cubed and fried tofu along with the provided veggies and pineapple. Once I added the curry sauce, it took only a few minutes of simmering before the meal was ready. I poured the curry over the rice and garnished it with some basil, and then my roommate/photographer/cooking assistant and I dug in. We both found the meal delicious, with a flavorful sauce and fresh-tasting veggies. I’m usually not a huge fan of tofu, so I was a little skeptical of this dish going into the cooking process. But the crispy fried tofu worked well with the rest of the dish, and overall it was very filling—the portion size was quite generous, considering that these meals are meant to be single servings.

Jane Zankman | Student Life

Meal 2: Marinated Tofu Gyro with Greek Yogurt Tzatziki

Time: 14 minutes (recipe card claims 15 minutes)

After washing my saute pan, I was ready to begin preparing the second meal. This one was even easier than the curry; the only thing I actually had to cook was the marinated tofu. The rest of the recipe consisted of spreading tzatziki sauce on a couple of pitas, chopping up a tomato, and distributing the tofu, veggies, and feta cheese over the pitas. I liked the level of preparedness that U Kitchen delivers the ingredients—I didn’t have to peel or clean any vegetables, but I did some quick things like chop tofu and mince basil, which were not too annoying and added to the feeling of actually cooking. Yet again, the meal was very tasty. The Mediterranean-style marinade really elevated the tofu beyond its usual status of bland soy chunks, and the tzatziki was a nice creamy base.

Overall, I was very impressed with the quality, ease, and final results of using U Kitchen. The premise of this service really fits into a Wash. U. student’s busy lifestyle. As long as you have access to basic cooking equipment, oil, salt and pepper, the recipes are pretty much foolproof—they even include a warning on the recipe card that the hot oil might pop when ingredients are added, which served as a helpful reminder in the heat of the moment. In addition to the tools U Kitchen listed, I would definitely recommend grabbing a cutting board, and a pair of scissors to cut open the sealed ingredients packages. (I ended up using the tip of a kitchen knife to precariously slash open the plastic baggies.)

U Kitchen claims that their ingredients stay fresh in the fridge for up to 7 days, so you could theoretically stock up on meal packs for a week and cook them on separate occasions (and take advantage of the free delivery when ordering three or more meals). The “WashU” coupon code sweetens the deal, which is already pretty sweet, because, frankly, the food is delicious. The price was right; the cooking process was fun, especially with a friend; and the final product was tasty. I would definitely use this service again.