Pizza delivery and Chinese takeout aren’t the only choices if you’re too tired or have no time to cook. Many people are rediscovering the joy of cooking with meal kits that eliminate the humbug of hunting and gathering ingredients in crowded grocery aisles.

Locally, Calabash Meal Kits by Foodland offer a break from the same old thing. The kits went on sale in February at Foodland Farms at Ala Moana Center, named “Calabash” to recall the humble, wooden bowls used for family meals and gatherings.

“With these meal kits, we’ve done all the thinking, planning, shopping and prepping for you, so cooking for or with your family will be a breeze,” head chef Keoni Chang says.

The kits include just about all the ingredients you’ll need for two hungry people, and they’re fresh, not frozen. They’re pretty easy to prepare, and most can be completed in less than an hour by the average home cook. The Foodland team promises that if you can cook rice, you can mix and match any of the 10 main dishes and sides they’ve designed.

All the sauces and garnishes are included, although you may need to add your own staples of salt, pepper, cooking oil, butter or shoyu.

Much of the measuring of ingredients has already been done, leaving you with some chopping and combining, which you do while following step-by-step directions.

I made two of the main dishes and two of the sides to see how easy the preparation really would be, and how long it would take compared with the chef’s estimate.

Each kit is rated on a four-star scale for ease of preparation and taste. While my judgment on the preparations varied, all the meals were at least three-star in taste.

I also compared the cost of the kits with the actual cost of shopping for individual ingredients.

In general, the kits cost far less than purchasing all the ingredients separately, considering that with many items you’d have to buy more than you need (a full bunch of kale, for example, rather than the half-dozen leaves required for a particular dish).

On the other hand, could you use the extra kale for something else? Would you use it before it wilted?

Considerations like these will help determine if the meal kits are worthwhile for you.

Note that the kits are offered on a rotating basis so these four kits are not in stock at all times.

ROASTED GARLIC AND KALE SMASHED POTATOES

>> Contents: Yukon Gold potatoes, Tuscan kale, horseradish, chives, garlic

>> Cost: $7.49 vs. $22.54 buying ingredients separately

>> Cooking time: 35 minutes estimated vs. 1 hour 15 minutes actual

>> Ease of preparation: This kit requires a few steps not usually associated with a quick meal, namely, roasting a head of garlic.

I was reluctant to heat my oven to 450 degrees just for the garlic, so I used the toaster oven. Maybe that’s why it took 45 minutes, rather than the 30 minutes recommended.

Allow 5 to 10 minutes for the garlic to cool before squeezing out each clove, unless you don’t mind the burn.

Also, the instructions don’t say to chop the kale, but it’s common sense. 2 stars

>> Taste: The garlic and horseradish flavors were tasty, but I wouldn’t add the entire head of garlic for the small amount of potatoes, much as I love garlic. 3 stars

PULEHU STEAK WITH SPICY SAMBAL HAMAKUA MUSHROOMS

>> Contents: Beef, King Oyster mushrooms, lime, shallots, spicy Sambal butter, pulehu spice, Italian parsley

>> Cost: $17.99 vs. $37.38 buying ingredients separately

>> Cooking time: 15 minutes estimated, 30 minutes actual

>> Ease of preparation: Chopping the vegetables took most of the time, and there are various steps to coating the raw beef in the pulehu spice, then frying it.

It took more than the two minutes recommended per side to get to medium-well without burning the pan — and a black char still built up on the bottom.

You’re supposed to use the same pan to cook the shallots and mushrooms, which allows the pulehu spices to add to their flavor. This also took more time than recommended. 3 stars

>> Taste: The mushrooms and shallots with the butter and spices combine really well with the pulehu spices. 4 stars

PAN-ROASTED THAI LEMONGRASS CHICKEN

>> Contents: Sriracha honey sauce, lime, lemongrass, garlic, cilantro

>> Cost: $13.99 vs. $23.14 buying ingredients separately

>> Cooking time: 15 minutes estimated; 45 minutes actual

>> Ease of preparation: Most of my time was spent chopping the garlic (the instructions said to mince, though that would have taken longer), lemongrass and parsley.

Frying the chicken was supposed to take two minutes per side, but took much longer because one piece was really thick, and I felt I had to lower the heat from the recommended medium to avoid drying out the outside before the middle was cooked through.

Cooking the garlic and lemongrass until done also took a little longer than recommended. Perhaps if the chicken were cut into smaller, more uniform pieces, it would cook faster, and more sauce would coat each morsel. 2 stars

>> Taste: The Sriracha honey sauce made it delectable, and wasn’t too spicy. 3 stars

KUNG PAO BRUSSELS SPROUTS

>> Contents: Brussels sprouts, kung pao sauce, peanuts, dried hot chilies

>> Cost: $7.49 vs. $17.56 buying ingredients separately

>> Cooking time: 25 minutes estimated vs. 45 actual (includes 15 minutes to preheat the oven to 425 degrees)

>> Ease of preparation: This was super easy, just be careful not to over-toast the chilies and peanuts, which can happen if you turn your back.

While the oven is preheating, do the cutting and washing, and you’ll be able to finish in about half an hour. 4 stars

>> Taste: I never would have thought to put kung pao sauce on Brussels sprouts, but it was a nice surprise. 3 stars