Magic Kitchen


MagicKitchen Reviews - Prepared Meal Delivery Reviews

Our MagicKitchen Review

We take many factors into consideration when we review a prepared meal delivery service including website and ease of ordering, shipping, packaging, reheating, food quality, and value. Like when you go to a restaurant, you will have a meal and decide if you would go back there again.

We do the same thing here with the ultimate deciding question being, would we reorder this meal at the current price? A "Yes" answer gets a thumbs up and a "No" answer gets a thumbs down.

We also have to take into consideration that most consumers buying prepared meals online want a complete meal. A complete meal meal is considered to be an entree, side (carb) and vegetable (green).

MK has two sections for entrees and sides where you can create your own complete meals. In most cases we found the cost of complete meals from the A La Carte section exceeded what most people would be willing to pay.
Magic Kitchen Complete Meals

We were very disappointed in the "complete meals" we purchased from MagicKitchen, and make up most of their menu. In most cases, MagicKitchen doesn't make them, including those labeled as their Signature Meals. These single serving meals are purchased from Traditions Meal Solutions, or Bateman Selects. Both of these prepared meal delivery services are contracted for government services like Meals on Wheels, Medicaid, Prisons, etc.

As you can probably imagine, local, state or federal governments are going to contract for very low priced meals. We have purchased Traditions meals retail for $6.95 each. These meals are sold at MagicKitchen.com unidentified, and at a premium price. To read more detailed reviews on these meals, please visit MagicKitchen Reviews at Senior-Meals.org.

Here is a comparison, including the price, of meals we purchased from MagicKitchen compared to similar meals from other meal delivery services we purchased food from.
Penne with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce $8
Penne with Meatballs and Sauce - $15 for Two Servings

We didn't get as many meatballs in the sauce as is shown on the website, but this is a top of the line meal that really tastes like it's homemade. The penne with meatballs came in individually pouched microwave bags, which we preferred much more over a single tray. This is just too easy to have a great-tasting meal.

Families with busy mid-week schedules could serve this dinner instead of eating fast food. It is just so handy and such a good value that it makes too much sense to keep a few of these in your freezer inventory.

-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Mama's Beef Lasagna With Tomato Sauce $20
Mama's Beef Lasagna With Tomato Sauce with Creamy Spinach - $20 for Two Servings

The lasagna does not remind me of a family recipe lasagna. It reminds us more of a lasagna one might find in the frozen food aisle of the supermarket. It is good, and perhaps one of the best you get from the frozen food section, but it is not good enough to be worth $10 a serving.

The Creamy Spinach is good also, and we would say this is equal to what you would get at an authentic steakhouse. The portion size is hefty too and well worth $6.50 per serving. In the end, we did not feel there was enough value to repurchase this meal for $16.50 a serving.
-Morris Pelphner
Baby Clams With Linguini Marinara $9
Baby Clams With Linguini Marinara - $18 for Two Servings

This is not as good as you are going to get compared to your local Italian eatery, but for something that comes out of the microwave, it is a pretty good value at $9 per serving. Canned baby clams are used, and you can see if you click on the picture and look at the closeup view there are a lot of them. The sauce is good, but the base comes from the canned clam juice. The Linguini reheats perfectly, and you won't be able to tell the difference between this and if you took the time to boil a pot of salted water. All in all, we recommend this prepared meals for $9 a serving.
-Morris Pelphner
Chicken Ana Luisa $25
Chicken Ana Luisa - $25 for Two Servings

One of the things you have to do when you shop at MagicKitchen.com is look up the heating instructions for anything you may be interested in buying. Most people think "prepared meals" means they are microwaveable. In this case, Chicken Ana Luisa cooks in the oven.

This is a delicious meal, just too expensive for us to recommend it. The is a stuffed 8-ounce breast with ham and cheese. The Macaroni and Cheese add $6.25 to the cost of the meal and the String Beans add another $6.50. Total cost for this meal is $25.25, but we didn't have to get past just the value of the chicken breast to not feel comfortable in recommending it.
-Nicole DiLayne
Chicken Parmigiana - $9
Chicken Parmigiana - Two Servings for $23

This might be the best Chicken Parmesan available from a prepared meal delivery service. It is larger than almost every other we've tried, and we've tried nearly all of them. We also felt the portion was much larger than the 10-ounce size listed on the website. The breading is crunchy, not mushy, the sauce is outstanding, and there is a perfect amount of cheese to melt your entree to your happy place. 

These would be great to have in your inventory as mid-week quick meals for families with busy schedules or toss one between some garlic bread, and you'll have a delicious hero. Well worth $11.50 each. 

-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Corned Beef $24
Corned Beef - Two Servings for $24

We enjoyed the corned beef. A lot can go wrong with cooking corned beef, freezing it, shipping it to consumers, having them reheat it in their microwave, and it still comes out good. This one did. The problem we have is that you are looking at two servings worth in the picture. MK is calling a serving 6 oz, so you are looking at 12 oz. for $24.

If there were just two slices on the plate for $12, we still think it wouldn't be worth the cost. If you wanted to make this a complete meal, we added a side of Haluski Kapusta (Cabbage and Noodles) for $6 and the Creamy Spinach for $6.50. This plate as pictured would cost $36.50. A delicious meal, just not a good value.

-Nicole DiLayne
Eggplant Parmigiana - $9
Eggplant Parmigiana - Two Servings for $18

MK seemed to corner the market for prepared Italian meals. You could enjoy this Eggplant Parmesan by itself for $9 a serving. With the two sides, the cost of the meal would be $21.50. I wouldn't spend that much for this meal as that is more than I would pay at a local restaurant, but I would buy just the Eggplant Parmesan again.

-Morris Pelphner
Crab Cakes $15
Crab Cakes - Two Servings for $30

When people that eat crab cakes think of them, they think of Maryland and the giant 4 to 5-inch wide crab cake fried to order. This crab cake isn't even close.

Order this entree, and you'll get two four-ounce crab cakes for $15 each. They are good, but not overwhelming delicious where your taste buds say "wow, what was that?" The small size makes it almost impossible to have one for a meal. Add the cost of a side and vegetable, and you're looking at over $42 for a complete meal.

-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo - $12.50
Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo - Two Servings for $25

It doesn't seem like a significant portion size, the shrimp count seems a little light, and really? Just two small broccoli florets? But even so, I really enjoyed this meal and had it as an office lunch. The cream and Parmesan cheese sauce was the star of the plate that tied everything together perfectly. I just added some fresh cracked pepper and was happy with the entire meal.

$12.50 a serving is probably at the high end of what I would pay for a meal like this, but given its culinary perfection and microwave convenience, I would add this prepared meal to my next order.

-Nicole DiLayne
Portobello Shiitake Mushroom Ravioli $9
Portobello Shiitake Mushroom Ravioli - Two Servings for $18

At $9 per serving I wouldn't reorder this meal. The ravioli are large but I didn't feel four made enough of a meal. As you can probably see in the picture, and if you click on the picture you will see a closeup view, the sauce isn't very plentiful nor is too saucy. What came with the meal just kind of baked into the pasta where it was closer to a solid than a sauce. The mushroom filling inside the ravioli was good, but I didn't taste any Shiitake mushrooms. 

-Morris Pelphner
Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce
Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce - Two Servings for $16

If you came to this website thinking the picture on the MK website looked a lot like Chef Boyardee Ravioli, you're right! We thought so too. Maybe we think we caught a lazy webmaster but to set the record straight, you are not getting Chef Boyardee.

The Cheese Ravioli you are getting is exceptional but the real joy of the dish is the sauce that also comes in the Penne and Meatballs. What a home run! If you were to add two MK sides to make this a complete and balanced meal, it would cost over $20. That would seem a little steep for my wallet.
-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Spinach Mushroom Lasagna - $9.50
Spinach Mushroom Lasagna - Two Servings for $19

This is awful, there is no other way to describe this meal. So far, we give a thumbs down to an MK a la carte meal it will be because of the cost and the value. This meal is so bad I threw it out. The spinach has a very strange tasting tint to it I couldn't identify, and I didn't see anything in the ingredients list that matched the flavor. Of course, how good will any meal when it's featured with canned mushrooms.

I am really surprised this company (or any company) would keep this on the menu and expose their customers to it.

-Nicole DiLayne

Reviews from Magic Kitchen Customers

MagicKitchen Review by Chef Piquanti Published on Jul 30, 2012

Chef Piquanti's MagicKitchen.com Review from 2012

Overall, I was very happy with the shipping delivery schedule and the quality in which my meals arrived. The cardboard microwave trays didn't look too impressive, but they did a great job in reheating the meals evenly, which is not always the case. I thought the food quality was better than average but I found the prices to be on the edge, or over, what I felt comfortable paying from a prepared meal delivery service. I did not care for finding meal components in my order that required oven cooking time. I feel that they should be labeled on the website.
-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Poor Review
Not Edible

Overall: No Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Not Observed
  • Reheating: Poor
  • Customer Service: Not Observed
  • Shipping: Fair
  • Taste and Food Quality: Poor
  • Value: Poor
While hospitalized for major surgery, my daughter sent meals for my husband. They were awful! We did not get the food she ordered; several of the packages were freezer burned; and the food itself was very poor quality....the burnt pork Barb q ends had so much fat that there were not edible. My daughter paid a lot of money for these meals, hoping to ease the burden of illness and it is disgusting that a company would take advantage of people trying to help others in times of need.
-Cynthia Johnson, MN
Gold Medal Review
A Big Help During a Difficult Time

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
Thanks for your help at a difficult time for family in Florida.
-Donna C. Mobile, AL

Gold Medal Review
Ziti with Meatballs: A Real Treat

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
Wow. This may be one of the best traditional pasta dishes I had from a meal delivery service. The ziti was perfectly cooked and reheated still al dente. The meatballs were small, but there were six of them, and they tasted pretty darn close to homemade to me. The big winner here was the sauce, which had a homemade texture only to be matched by perfect seasoning and flavor. The package says this meal serves two, which it can, but can be a real treat for a hungry person. And I saved more with my Magic Kitchen Coupons.
-Jan F. NY

Silver Medal Review
Stuffed Pepper: I would Order this Meal Again

Overall: Silver Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Good
I enjoyed this meal very much. The stuffed pepper was large and filled with tasty meat and rice. Traditional recipes of this comfort food classic come with tomato sauce on it, which I think would have elevated this meal to near perfection. The rice side dish was good too. The rice was fluffy and full of flavor, which is difficult to do from the microwave. I think I would have preferred a vegetable side dish, instead of more rice, but I would order this meal again.
-Jan F. NY

Silver Medal Review
Chili and Rice: I Would Order this Again

Overall: Silver Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Good
I actually had this for lunch and found it to be quite enjoyable. There could have been more rice, as I had some trouble covering the bottom of my plate with it, but the chili was good. Add some of your own hot sauce if you want it spicy, the heat level is understandably mainstream. There is a substantial amount of meat in the chili, and a sliced vegetable I could not make out. A carrot maybe. It was surprisingly filing too. I would order this prepared meal this again.
-Jan F. NY
Bronze Medal Review
Beef Short Ribs: I Expected More

Overall: Bronze Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Good
I was very disappointed with my Braised Short Rib meal. I should have looked at the picture on their website closer, but I assumed I was getting beef short ribs on the bone. Instead, I received a few thin slices of dry meat under a gelatinous (you can see it in the picture) and flavorless gravy that didn't melt when I reheated it.

The tiny serving of instant mashed potatoes didn't do anything for me either. The beans were plentiful and okay, but I expected more.
-Jan F. NY
Consumer Supplied Magic Kitchen Meal Pictures

No Medal Review
Scalloped Potatoes: I Threw this in the Garbage

Overall: No Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Poor
  • Value: Poor
Imagine taking a peeled Idaho potato, slice it, and put it in your microwave. That is what these scalloped potatoes were like. There wasn't any seasoning, and the creamy sauce one would expect from this traditional dish is reduced to a tiny blob of a substance (pictured in the center of the plate) similar to old wallpaper paste. 

As much as I love potatoes, I threw this in the garbage.
-Jan F. NY
Consumer Supplied Magic Kitchen Meal Pictures

Gold Medal Review
Macaroni and Cheese: A Must Order

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
There is something about a Macaroni and Cheese meal that works for people of every age, and Magic Kitchen did a great job in bringing this comfort food classic to the world of meal delivery. The sauce is thick, and the noodles are perfectly tender. The sauce is made from cheddar cheese, and the flavor comes through loud and clear. It already tastes good as soon as you see the sauce bubbling in the tray when you take it out of the microwave. A must order if you have, know, or occasionally baby sit any children.
-Jan F. NY

Silver Medal Review
No Identification of the Contents

Overall: Silver Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
Thank you for my order received in good condition. My only comment is that some dinners, of the 10 I received, had opaque coverings with no identification of the contents, making a guessing game until cooked.
-Carl M., CO

Silver Medal Review
Food was Okay and Better than Cooking Myself

Overall: Silver Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Fair
  • Reheating: Good
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Good
I tried a few different meals and dinners from Magic Kitchen. Overall I thought they were good. The mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese were very good. The shipping was flawless. I waited around for the delivery guy to come, but when I couldn't wait longer I put a note on the door asking them to put the carton in the backyard. When I came home that's where I found it.

I do find the website hard to find things but I am the first to admit I am new to the Internet. The stuffed pepper meal may have been my least favorite of my order. There is a lot of rice in the stuffed pepper and then you get a side of rice. This meal didn't come with any vegetables except for the pepper. I would have liked to get some sauce for the stuffed pepper too. 

The meatloaf came with servings for four so I thought I would have a lot or a while one that I would slice up. A serving is under 4.oz. and has a lot of fat. It was okay, and I thought it had a little bit of a "hot dog" taste to it. I don't think it reheated too well in the microwave either. There was a lot of water in the tray. But their food was okay and better than cooking myself.
-Amy, T. CA
Consumer Supplied Magic Kitchen Meal Pictures
Gold Medal Review
I've Been Ordering Regularly for a Year

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Excellent
Magic Kitchen is among the first of the heat-and-eat delivery services I've tried and I've been ordering regularly for a year. I selected Magic Kitchen first among others because they have many selections that are free of soy and vegetable oils; overall, Magic Kitchen keeps the list of ingredients short and natural.

We buy primarily gourmet pasta and meat dishes through delivery services as an alternative to restaurant convenience, so I can't fairly extend my review to Magic Kitchen's vegetable dishes, desserts, or meal plans.   

We use a small convection oven and hot plate - not a microwave - so convenient packaging is important. Magic Kitchen uses sturdy oven-safe paper trays and "boil-in-bags" for most of their items. Shipping timing and quality has been perfect every time. 

The prices are reasonable, and the more costly items are good quality and generously portioned. We've found that some products are a good foundation for other things (a pat of garlic butter, a can of tuna, and some fresh sage - mac and cheese) and some are perfect with just a bib (rosemary lamb shank). So overall, our cost per plate is steady and our nourishment and satisfaction high. I do highly recommend Magic Kitchen.
-CH, Central PA

Gold Medal Review
Meals for my Mother Who's on a Renal Diet

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
I was searching for meals for my mother who's on a renal diet and came across magickitchen.com. I was relieved to find the meals were within reason, she enjoyed them, and the shipping worked out well. The 7% off is a nice appreciated touch. Their website was easy to use (for those who are familiar with handling the internet). I definitely will be buying her more meals, since she cannot cook these days due to a number of reasons.
-Name Withheld

Bronze Medal Review
Good for the Price

Overall: Bronze Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
  • Reheating: Poor
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Good
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Fair
I tried several dinners from Magic Kitchen with mixed reviews. The packaging said to not remove the film and cook for four to six minutes. I reheated three meals for my family in this manner, and all of the meals were overcooked. We had to get a pizza. The next night I cooked them for only two minutes and they came out perfectly. One of the meals had a broken seal, but it didn't matter.

Braised Beef Brisket
This is a meal I reheated for half of the suggested cooking time. It was an wonderful meal. The meat was real and tender. It is hard to see in the picture, but it came with five slices of beef. The rice was good, but the strings beans were farm-fresh crispy and fresh.

Braised Short Ribs
This is the second meal I cooked using half of the recommended amount of time. This meal was very good. The slices of short ribs were thick, the mashed potatoes tasted like they were homemade, the gravy was delicious, and the string beans were perfect.

The other meals I had were all way overcooked. I followed the directions exactly as they were on the label (4 minutes) and they were tougher to cut than beef jerky. I thought it was odd the stuffed pepper didn't have any sauce or cheese on it. I am giving Magic Kitchen a fair review because I was only able to eat two of the meals I purchased, but the dinners I did have were very good. If you do buy these meals I suggest you try to reheat them at two minutes first.
-Name Withheld
Consumer Supplied Magic Kitchen Meal Pictures

Gold Medal Review
We Loved the Meals

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
We Loved the Meals
-Melody Read, AZ

Silver Medal Review
Good for the Price

Overall: Silver Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Fair
  • Reheating: Good
  • Customer Service: Good
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Good
I agree with most of the other visitors that Magic Kitchen is good, but probably not as good as some others I have tried. I do admit they are more money, so the food I tried is good for the price. I prefer not warm up meals in the microwave because the food doesn't come out as good as some other companies. I had some difficulty understanding the website, but they are good meals for the money.
-K.S., Los Angeles
Gold Medal Review
Above Average Meals

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
  • Reheating: Good
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
I have found the quality of the Magic Kitchen prepared meals to be above average. I consider them to be fairly priced. Not as good as going to a restaurant, but far superior to cooking myself.
-Margaret H., CA

Gold Medal Review
Enjoys the Meals

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
I enjoy Magic Kitchen meals. I have always found their meals to be good. Their customer service is excellent too.
-B.H., CA

Silver Medal Review
Excellent at Getting My Problems Resolved

Overall: Silver Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Good
  • Reheating: Fair
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Good
  • Value: Good
The people on the phone are great. They are quick to take your order and very helpful to make suggestions on meals to choose, side dishes, etc. We have found them to be very reasonable when it comes to price and fixing issues when they come up. They are excellent at getting my problems resolved. My favorite MagicKitchen.com dishes are the apple and sage stuffing, chicken Ana Luisa, and BBQ baby back ribs.
-A.M. of WA

Gold Medal Review
Customer Service Sets the Situation Right

Overall: Gold Medal
  • Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
  • Reheating: Excellent
  • Customer Service: Excellent
  • Shipping: Excellent
  • Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
  • Value: Excellent
We have enjoyed nearly all of the entrees we've ordered from the HomeStyle menu and they come with easy heating instructions. Once, some meal containers arrived broken. Customer service was amazing. They set the situation right immediately and gave us a gift coupon. We're a busy professional couple and Magic Kitchen is a Godsend for us. Just ordered another 4 weeks of meals!
-Julie K., Ann Arbor, MI

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