Imperfect, Misfit, Etc. (The Food Delivery Services)

[Shelby]

I couldn't stand it any longer so I ordered an Imperfect box.  Not as simple as Misfits, but that's because there are more categories.   I discarded most of the things "they" added to my cart (Ronnie would crap if I bought organic grass fed ground beef lol).  It's more expensive than Misfits.  I have to order a minimum of $45 worth plus the shipping is $8.99 on top of that.   The benefit is being able to order other things besides produce.  I didn't see too much different produce wise as compared to Misfits.  They didn't have any fresh herbs except a clamshell with thyme and rosemary and basil.  Hopefully I can get what I need with my next Misfits.  I was impressed with the bread selection .  Lots of chicken and beef.   Eggs.  Anyway, it was fun and I'm looking forward to seeing what I got.  The following is my order (all conventional, no organic):

 

Creamer potatoes (not exactly sure what these are)

Brussels sprouts

Lemons

Broccoli

Yellow onion

Limes

Butter lettuce

Grape tomatoes

Garlic

Crimini mushrooms

Parm. Cheese wedge (I'm almost out--this is badly needed)

Pita bread

Pepperoni

Salami

Roast beef deli meat (mainly to hit the required $45)

 

Also, got a really nice response from Misfits regarding the dreaded kale.  They responded on New Years Day which I didn't expect.  She said it wasn't a mistake--they subbed it because they were out of lettuce.  So *shrug* I will figure out something to do with it. 

[heidih]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Also, got a really nice response from Misfits regarding the dreaded kale.  They responded on New Years Day which I didn't expect.  She said it wasn't a mistake--they subbed it because they were out of lettuce.  So *shrug* I will figure out something to do with it. 

Seeing this salad on Eater LA from Win Dow in Venice, Ca reminded me that I have done salads with the springy kale- can be massaged and let to sit for a couple days, giving it a stir daily. Cathy Chaplin who I trust  described it as one of the best things she ate last week : well-massaged kale dressed in a lemon vinaigrette along with pine nuts, croutons, golden raisins, and a dusting of pecorino

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by heidih (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Here's today's Imperfect delivery:

 

The carrots are ginormous, as are the brussels sprouts. The bok choy actually looks quite nice, though: last time we got bok choy it was too small to use on its own as a side, I had to mix it into something else. This time I got four big ones, it's probably two sides, or one main. The weather here is perfect for this sort of service right now: it say on my front porch all afternoon, but it was in the 40s, so basically perfect for storing the greens.

[Shelby]

7 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

Here's today's Imperfect delivery:

 

The carrots are ginormous, as are the brussels sprouts. The bok choy actually looks quite nice, though: last time we got bok choy it was too small to use on its own as a side, I had to mix it into something else. This time I got four big ones, it's probably two sides, or one main. The weather here is perfect for this sort of service right now: it say on my front porch all afternoon, but it was in the 40s, so basically perfect for storing the greens.

What size box are you getting?

[gfweb]

24 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

Here's today's Imperfect delivery:

 

The carrots are ginormous, as are the brussels sprouts. The bok choy actually looks quite nice, though: last time we got bok choy it was too small to use on its own as a side, I had to mix it into something else. This time I got four big ones, it's probably two sides, or one main. The weather here is perfect for this sort of service right now: it say on my front porch all afternoon, but it was in the 40s, so basically perfect for storing the greens.

So what did that cost?

[gfweb]

26 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

Here's today's Imperfect delivery:

 

The carrots are ginormous, as are the brussels sprouts. The bok choy actually looks quite nice, though: last time we got bok choy it was too small to use on its own as a side, I had to mix it into something else. This time I got four big ones, it's probably two sides, or one main. The weather here is perfect for this sort of service right now: it say on my front porch all afternoon, but it was in the 40s, so basically perfect for storing the greens.

I see too many carrots,  too few potatoes and of wrong type, too many lemons and avocados. Is this actually a good deal ?

 

I love the philosophy and all, but does one save money with this thing ?

[Chris Hennes]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

What size box are you getting?

“Medium regular”

 

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

what did that cost?

$22 for the food, $5 delivery. I never hit the free delivery price.

 

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

I see too many carrots,  too few potatoes and of wrong type, too many lemons and avocados.

It’s shopping, you pick the items. The item size and condition varies, but they sent me what I ordered.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

I see too many carrots,  too few potatoes and of wrong type, too many lemons and avocados. Is this actually a good deal ?

 

I love the philosophy and all, but does one save money with this thing ?

 

It would be entertaining to price the same order from amazon/Whole Foods.

 

[Chris Hennes]

45 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

It would be entertaining to price the same order from amazon/Whole Foods.

It's hard to do it completely fairly: for example, the avocados are very small, and Whole Foods only has organic produce for some of these options so the price can be expected to be a bit higher. So I tried to be fair, and just get one less of the organic items, and I got one "large" avocado instead of two small ones, but my Whole Foods cart is $29 for about the same stuff. I don't know how much shipping would be, in real life I'd spend the extra $6 to get the free delivery. Totally comparable, and while it's not a great cost savings, that's not really the point (for me).

 

I do really appreciate the absolutely bare minimum packaging that Imperfect gives you. Except for the blackberries (which are in clamshells) none of that produce was in any separate packaging, it was all just chucked in the box. To be honest, that's better than I do when I go to the store!

[dtremit]

@Chris Hennes — I'm sure there's some regional variation, but I've done the same or similar comparison a couple of times and Imperfect comes out about 25% less in most cases. But Boston is admittedly an expensive place to shop.

 

If I were going to the nearby produce market I love, I'm sure it'd be a different story, but that place is so crowded that I was careful about when I went *before* the pandemic.

 

Interestingly, the organic items at Imperfect are sometimes slightly cheaper. I have noticed that with pears lately — they're $0.50 more but you get three instead of two. And it definitely varies by item — I often will take out a few things because they seem overpriced or add more of something that's cheap.

Edited January 5, 2021 by dtremit (log)

[heidih]

5 minutes ago, dtremit said:

Interestingly, the organic items at Imperfect are sometimes slightly cheaper. 

When I hear "organic" I always wonder what that means as definitions vary by governing agencies. It can go from "grown without pesticides" to State certified with many variations. A mushy term.

[gfweb]

7 hours ago, Chris Hennes said:

 

It’s shopping, you pick the items. The item size and condition varies, but they sent me what I ordered.

Ah. I was confusing it with a CSA where they give you what they have

[weinoo]

I seem to be able to get the chickens I like (not Joyce, but close) from Imperfect, and a fair amount of other stuff too. Most everything in the produce area is cheaper than I pay at my regular stops. 

[weinoo]

I think if I use/continue to use this (imperfect) service I would try to up to the free delivery level ($60 here), and use it less frequently.  

Edited January 5, 2021 by weinoo (log)

[dtremit]

23 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I think if I use continue to use this (imperfect) service I would try to up to the free delivery level ($60 here), and use it less frequently.  

 

That's basically what we do. I tend to select for stuff that will keep well and don't hesitate to skip deliveries (or delay them by switching weeks).

 

OOC, which of their chickens do you like?

[Chris Hennes]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

I seem to be able to get the chickens I like (not Joyce, but close) from Imperfect, and a fair amount of other stuff too.

During winter in NY, do they still pack meat/dairy/etc. in a separate insulated compartment, or is it tossed in the box with everything else? I basically only buy stuff from Imperfect that doesn't require the additional packaging, but I had wondered if in colder areas they skipped the extra packaging when it didn't really do anything. Or are they doing the opposite, and trying to protect greens and the like from freezing?

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, Chris Hennes said:

During winter in NY, do they still pack meat/dairy/etc. in a separate insulated compartment, or is it tossed in the box with everything else? I basically only buy stuff from Imperfect that doesn't require the additional packaging, but I had wondered if in colder areas they skipped the extra packaging when it didn't really do anything. Or are they doing the opposite, and trying to protect greens and the like from freezing?

 

I seem to remember something coming in different packaging, but didn't really make the weather connection.

I'll totally keep an eye on it my next delivery.

And now that I think about it, some Fresh Direct packaging changed too.

[weinoo]

5 hours ago, dtremit said:

OOC, which of their chickens do you like?

 

Oh - it's the chicken from Cooks Venture. But they really don't appear to be heavily discounted at all (though they offer thighs, which fresh direct does not).

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

 

Oh - it's the chicken from Cooks Venture. But they really don't appear to be heavily discounted at all (though they offer thighs, which fresh direct does not).

Have you tried Katie's Best chicken thighs?  You can get them on Fresh Direct... I'd be curious as to your thoughts, compared with Cooks Venture

[weinoo]

23 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Have you tried Katie's Best chicken thighs?  You can get them on Fresh Direct... I'd be curious as to your thoughts, compared with Cooks Venture

Yes - pretty good product, but I have not roasted a whole Katie’s, which I find offers to me a better way of judging the bird from nose to pupick. 

[weinoo]

So I just went to cut up the 2 sweet potatoes I received in my Imperfect Box, and boy, are they lousy. Red potatoes are better but still not great. Maybe in my neck of the woods, imperfect potatoes are not worthy.

[Shelby]

2 minutes ago, weinoo said:

So I just went to cut up the 2 sweet potatoes I received in my Imperfect Box, and boy, are they lousy. Red potatoes are better but still not great. Maybe in my neck of the woods, imperfect potatoes are not worthy.

My potatoes from Misfit were great.  Now I'm nervous--I ordered taters from Imperfect.  

[weinoo]

3 minutes ago, Shelby said:

 Now I'm nervous--I ordered taters from Imperfect.  

 

Hennes's look fine - you should be okay. 

 

Maybe.

[dtremit]

I don't think we've had any issues with Imperfect potatoes when we've gotten them in the past — guessing it was just a bad batch.  Have not ordered any in a while as we are getting them in our winter root CSA.

I know it was a challenging season for potatoes in much of the northeast due to the weather — our summer CSA lost a bunch of their crop and some of what was left was bad in the middle. So they could have gotten some local ones that were subpar.

 

I will say that both Misfits and Imperfect have been great about crediting for anything damaged or unusable (though sometimes their email support is backlogged a day or two).

[Chris Hennes]

4 hours ago, weinoo said:

Hennes's look fine - you should be okay.

I haven't had a problem with potatoes (or sweet potatoes) -- the occasional bad lemon or lime, and the hit rate on berries is not great, but that's true in-store as well.