eat2explore takes families around the world, right from their own kitchens
We sure miss traveling. We don’t just miss seeing new places, but also tasting new places. In search of a way to satiate our global appetites (in the midst of being homebound during a pandemic), we signed up for a new subscription box. eat2explore delivers the flavors of the world right to our mailbox.
In the kit
Our first box to arrive featured foods from South Korea. The box included three popular dishes from South Korea and a shopping list to make Bindaetteok (Mung Bean pancake with Kimchi), Dak Bulgogi (Korean BBQ chicken) and Bulgogi Kimbap (Korean roll). When you make dishes like these, it’s not just about the meat and veggies in the recipe. A key ingredient is the seasonings. Provided in the eat2expore box are essential spice, sauce and grain ingredients. For instance in the South Korea box, mung beans were included. Handy, because I’ve never shopped for mung beans before and wouldn’t know where to find them in my neighborhood grocery store.
Also included in each box is a cooking tool, the South Korea kit included a mat for rolling the Bulgogi Kimbap. There’s also information about the country or continent, activity sheets, a passport, country sticker and country flag pins. Yep, they pack a lot of goodies into a small box!
In the kitchen
The idea is to get the whole family in the kitchen. Unlike some other cooking kits for kids, this one will require parental involvement. The recipe cards indicate the experience level needed for the job – ranging from youngest chefs, older chefs and oldest chefs (adults). My 12-year-old daughter handled some of the stove and oven work while our 7-year-old son was instrumental in chopping vegetables.
The recipes we made were rather involved and they required advance planning. The good news is that the needed ingredients are available at any grocery store. After receiving your kit, plan ahead. Some of the items in the South Korea recipes needed to be made at least two days ahead of the meal (like the kimchi, for example). The meat needed to marinate overnight and the mung beans also had to soak overnight.
Lessons learned
Like with any recipe, my best advice is to read it all the way through before you get started. The recipes were easy to follow, but each dish involved many steps. This foodie adventure might be best served as a weekend activity, rather than on a busy weeknight.
What I didn’t realize is that each dish can be made separately. We endeavored to make all three on the same night. We quickly abandoned that idea, realizing it would be too much work and too much food. We made the mung bean pancakes and the Korean BBQ chicken. It worked out great. Setting aside the Korean rolls gave us something to look forward to on a different day. (Those were really fun to make and eat!)
Each recipe estimates four servings. We could have easily made just one of the dishes and left the table with full tummies. I’ll remember that for next time.
How to maximize your subscription
Spreading the recipes out also allows you to continue learning about the country throughout the week (or month) beyond just a one night activity.
If you want to make the most out of your subscription, utilize the eat2explore website for lesson plans, extra activities and videos.
When you’re ready to visit South Korea in real life, be sure to read our article featuring the 10 best things to do in Seoul with kids.
Family feedback
Our family enjoyed the experience of cooking together and trying new foods from a country we look forward to visiting someday.
We particularly liked the Dak Bulgogi. The kids had second helpings of the BBQ chicken. My daughter enjoyed the radish salad. She’s never really liked radishes before but this recipe was the right mix of sweet and sour.
We also appreciate that you can purchase the seasonings and spices separately. Meaning if you really like one of the recipes, you can make it again. We’ll definitely be doing that with the Dak Bulgogi.
Next time, we’ll be sure to map out our meal plan better. We’ll take advantage of the lesson plan to make a week out of it.
Subscribe & save
If you’re interested in trying out eat2explore, KidTripster fans get a 20% discount using the code KIDTRIP20.
Food preferences and allergies can be accommodated. Gluten-free and vegetarian boxes are available.
Beyond cooking, there are several other travel themed subscription kits for kids. Read our reviews to see if one is right for your young explorer.
KidTripster was provided with a complimentary kit for the purpose of this review. All opinions are our own.
