// WIRED US/UK — FINANZA
Factor Delivery Meals Review (2026): Tender Salmon, Room to Grow
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Like many children of the West Coast, I am a sucker for teriyaki salmon—a Japanese classic that slid easily into the menu of funny little bento shacks owned by former surfers named Dan or Dave.
And so maybe I was a prime target for a teriyaki salmon and “forbidden rice” meal from Factor, HelloFresh’s ready-to-heat meal delivery service. Factor preps and cooks its meals freshly in a commissary kitchen and then, through the magic of modified atmosphere packaging, Factor ships this meal in the mail without the indignity of freezing. All I have to do after that is heat it up.
What surprised me is how good the salmon tasted, even after being reheated. After air-frying my meal with the sauce drizzled on top, the salmon remained flaky and mild, without rubber or mush. The rice was al dente, lightly crisped. I’ve tested nearly every meal delivery service in existence, and one of the most interesting developments in food tech over the past decade has been the rise of the fully prepared, ready-to-heat meal that’s actually palatable.
With Factor, HelloFresh’s ready-to-heat meal delivery service, I’ve witnessed this process in real time. Over the six years since the meal kit giant acquired Chicago-founded Factor (previously Factor 75), Factor’s meals have evolved from their roots as essentially protein pills in TV dinner form to something much more sophisticated. It’s also expanded to include flatbread pizzas and frankly delicious smoothies and juice blends.
Not every meal tasted as good as that salmon, of course. And at around $13–17 a serving for dinner, Factor is more expensive than scratch cooking but less expensive than delivery. The cost is comparable, perhaps, to the ready-to-heat meal boxes you might find in your local supermarket deli section, except delivered to your door. Factor also tends to offer steep discounts for the first week or month.
After testing four different deliveries of Factor meals over the past two years, here’s my experience.
Like all prepared meal delivery services, Factor is a lot like ordering a week’s worth of meals from a restaurant—in this case, one of HelloFresh’s regional kitchens. Factor’s website will ask you a few questions about your preferences, ranging from allergens to whether you’re looking to up your protein levels or lose weight.
Then you’ll be asked to choose the number of meals you want to order a week—and the day you want them delivered. In general, the more meals you order per week, the less they cost. Most fall in a modest 600-calorie range. The following week, a box arrives at your door with your chosen selection of meals, plus some ice packs.
Factor’s selling point over other ready-to-heat meal kits has always been twofold. One is that its meals are friendly to keto and other versions of high-protein and carb-conscious diets, which goes back to the company’s founding 15 years ago by a fitness-obsessed MMA fighter. The other is that its microwaveable meals have never been frozen, leaving open the possibility for actual texture in one’s meal—a light crispness to the green beans, say, or the grill char and soft give of a medium-rare filet mignon.
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.)