Meals can include classic Midwestern meats and twos, but also barramundi filets topped with a “Niçoise” olive topping, Caribbean-spiced chicken thighs, and the occasional premium-priced filet mignon with truffle butter. More than half of meals contain 30 grams or more of protein, and more than half are no-gluten-added, usually with rice or potato sides. (Though take note that Factor is not prepared in a fully gluten-free facility.)
In the past couple years, Factor has also branched out to add more fresh ingredients and even baked goods. There are calzones now. Flatbread pizzas. Mixable salads and warmable soups, each available as a dinner option. But there’s also a world of market add-ons, including smoothies, protein shakes, and downright terrific juice blends.
How Does Factor Taste?
Over the past two years, I’ve tried about three dozen Factor meals, ranging from breakfast pancakes to meals involving steaks, shrimp, and pork chops. The results, after reheating in an oven, air fryer, or microwave, are not quite the same as a fresh-cooked meal, including meal kits you prepare yourself using HelloFresh’s other services. Any meal that looks like it might be mushy probably is. But proteins in particular fare quite well, whether shrimp or fish or pork chops.
Heated, frozen, then reheated chicken breast tends to have the character of wet chalk. But a never-frozen chicken breast from Factor had the texture of … wait for it … chicken breast. Shrimp is plump. And the tenderness, juiciness, and blessed pinkness of a truffled medium-rare filet mignon slab from Factor was nothing short of startling after I steamed it in the microwave, according to Factor’s instructions.
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
But the results are even better when I ignore Factor’s instructions and cook for eight minutes at 340 degrees Fahrenheit in an air fryer, specifically the Ninja Crispi (7/10, WIRED Recommends) that allows me to put wet ingredients below the crisper plate, and proteins or potatoes atop the crisper. This leads to light browning on a pork chop, but especially much better crispness on green beans or carrots or potato sides. When left to my own devices, this is kinda the only way I want to heat a prepared meal, and I will continue to lobby for Factor to add air fryer instructions.