Ordering a ready meal has never been easier. But easy isn't the same as high-quality. Large-scale research by the Dutch Consumers' Association (Consumentenbond) found that most online delivery meals are less healthy than they promise. So the question isn't only "how fast is it on the table?", but above all: what's really in it, and how is it made?
In this article we explain what sets high-quality, gourmet meal prep apart from the average ready meal, and why real quality simply takes time.
Are ready meals healthy? Here's what the research says
In 2024, the Consumentenbond examined no fewer than 224 online delivery meals from 15 national providers. The outcome was sobering: only 8 meals fully met the guidelines of the Netherlands Nutrition Centre for a healthy main meal.
- Too much salt: on average around 3 grams per meal — roughly 1 gram more than the guideline.
- Refined grains instead of wholegrain: often white rice or white pasta, with fewer fibres.
- Too few vegetables: half the providers fell short of the recommended amount — despite claims to the contrary.
After the study, many services promised to communicate more honestly about nutritional value. (Source: Consumentenbond, 2024.)
What is high-quality (gourmet) meal prep, really?
"Gourmet meal prep" doesn't mean expensive or complicated. It means restaurant-quality meals ready at home, made with the care and the ingredients you'd choose yourself. The difference from the mass market isn't the convenience — they both have that — but the choices behind the scenes: which ingredients, how much vegetable, how much salt, and how it's cooked.
5 features of a high-quality ready meal
- Fresh, recognisable ingredients — no endless list of additives.
- Real vegetables in a proper portion, not just as a garnish.
- Flavour from herbs and preparation, not from an excess of salt.
- Chilled-fresh instead of frozen — so flavour, texture and nutritional value are preserved.
- Transparency about origin, preparation and — for those who care — halal assurance.
Why real cooking takes time (and why it's worth it)
An authentic stew is left to simmer for hours. A good sauce is built up layer by layer. Meat is marinated, fresh vegetables are chopped, you taste and adjust. That very time is where the mass market cuts corners: with processed ingredients, extra salt for flavour and freezing for convenience. High-quality cooking means taking that time — because you taste it in every bite.
Yasemin's approach: high-quality ingredients, freshly prepared
At Yasemin, everything revolves around that principle. We cook our authentic Turkish dishes ourselves, the traditional way, with high-quality ingredients from our own, controlled sources. Our meals are chilled-fresh and never frozen, 100% halal, and you choose from 60+ dishes — from fresh stews to classics that need their time.
No shortcuts and no unnecessary additives: just food like home, but without you spending hours in the kitchen. Curious what's in your meal? Browse the dishes and how they're made in our menu.
Give us your time — we cook, you enjoy
Good ingredients and real cooking take time. We take that time so you get yours back. We simmer, stew and prepare for hours the authentic way; you put a high-quality, fresh meal on the table in 5 minutes.
Taste the difference with a classic like the Etli Güveç, or discover the full menu.
