Finding the perfect meal plan for the seniors in our lives can be challenging. Not only does the food have to be accessible and easy to heat, it also has to be affordable to a population that may be living on a fixed income.
Mobility may also be an issue with seniors. Silver Cuisine addresses this with their services, taking care of the planning, shopping, cooking, and delivery with their ready to heat and eat meals.
Silver Cuisine by bistroMD’s extensive menu has over 150 items that are not only tasty, but set at a relatively approachable price point for seniors and the adult children and caretakers that may be in charge of their meal planning.
Silver Cuisine by bistroMD’s At A Glance
- Best Match For: Seniors looking for a doctor-designed meal plan for their unique dietary needs.
- Commitment Level: No commitments - Order at any time; Recurring orders
- Availability: The contiguous US (No Alaska or Hawaii)
- Value: $5.99-$13.99/meal; $19.95 shipping fee
- Type: Fully prepared frozen meals and ready-to-eat sweets and snacks for seniors
Silver Cuisine by bistroMD, which we’ll truncate to Silver Cuisine here on out, is specifically designed for people 50 and older.
It’s our top choice for senior meal programs. You can read about it on our review of senior meals delivery services.
Read our review of Balance by bistroMD to learn about it’s sister company.
Because these chef-prepared meals are crafted according to guidelines set by a physician, caretakers can rest easy knowing that their parents and loved ones are eating meals that are healthy and require minimal prep.
How Silver Cuisine by BistroMD Works
Diners simply have to select their meals and then order by either phone or online. We particularly love that there is a phone option, as some seniors may find this option less time consuming than navigating their website.
When you receive your food depends on your location.
On their site, Silver Cuisine advises you “allow up to two business days for order processing from the date that you place your order. Once processed, most orders will arrive within 2-5 business days via FedEx Ground.”
One huge advantages of the Silver Cuisine services is that no subscription or minimum order is required.
That means you can order as much or as little as you want and replenish meals according to your or your loved one’s schedules.
There are more than 150 items on the menu. Meals are cooked in small batches and flash frozen to ensure freshness.
What You Can Expect From Your Meal
Your Silver Cuisine meals will arrive frozen and individually wrapped. Each package will be accompanied by instructions on how to best heat your meal.
All meals can be heated in 6 minutes or less in a microwave or in 30 minutes in an oven.
The extensive menu contains breakfast, lunch and dinner items. There are also a plethora snacks to choose from.
Silver Cuisine is also easily adaptable for those who have special diets. Customers can choose meals that meet the following criteria (as seen on the Silver Cuisine website):
These options make it easy for diners to know that they are following their prescribed diets even when they don’t have the time or energy to cook all of their meals themselves.
Each Silver Cuisine meal is carefully created using the expertise of their founding physician along with a team of professional chefs.
The nutritional breakdown of an average Silver Cuisine meal is this:
These macronutrient targets provide the body with fuel without “creating nutritional imbalances that could lead to health complications such as weight gain and many others.”
Silver Cuisine Menu Offerings
In addition to the lunch and dinner items, the program has a full breakfast menu that includes items like omelets, frittatas and breakfast sandwiches.
And as mentioned above, tons of snacks are available, like crunchy almond puffs, teriyaki chicken and mango jerky, and cinnamon toast pretzels to name a few.
Having tried the services, we can honestly say that though these meals arrive frozen, once heated, you don’t feel like you’re eating a TV dinner or grocery store frozen entree.
Silver Cuisine meals are anything but simple meat and potato type creations. No, these meals go beyond bland and basic. We’re talking about dishes like grilled salmon with creamy pumpkin seed pesto or sliced ham with mustard maple sauce with a side of roasted root vegetables.
Silver Cuisine Delivery
Silver Cuisine delivers to every state with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii.
Your order will be shipped via FedEx from the BistroMD frozen distribution center from Monday to Wednesday. Orders received after 11:59 pm on Wednesday will be shipped the following Monday.
All packages will cost $19.95 for shipping regardless of the size of your order.
Shipments arrive in insulated coolers, and are packed with dry ice to keep meals frozen during transport to your home.
Environmental sustainability is important to Silver Cuisine and so all orders are shipped using boxes that are constructed from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and printed using vegetable-based ink.
Their commitment to sustainable shipping practices, however, doesn’t end there. Each of the coolers are formed from no less than 60% post-consumer recycled foam products.
FAQS
Silver Cuisine ships from bistroMD’s frozen distribution center in Florida.
You can expect to pay anywhere between $5.99 and $13.99 per meal. In general, breakfast options are cheaper than lunch and dinner entrees. There is also a $19.95 flat-rate shipping fee.
Silver Cuisine Cost
One of the biggest benefits to the Silver Cuisine program is that the meals are affordable in addition to being filling.
Because the customer pays for shipping, it is important to budget for the shipping costs (an additional $19.95) per order.
Another big advantage to Silver Cuisine is that there is no subscription needed to use their services.
Also, Silver Cuisine provides AARP members the exclusive offer of 25% off plus free shipping on your first order of $99 or more, plus 10% off and free shipping on all future orders when you order $99 or more.
You just have to enter your AARP membership number at checkout to redeem your offer.
In general, Silver Cuisine breakfast entrees range in price from $6.49 to $9.89. As for lunch and dinner options, they can cost anywhere from $7.29 and $12.49 each.
Food for Thought
Overall, we found Silver Cuisine to be an affordable and tasty option for the seniors in our lives.
We especially appreciated how easy the website was to navigate and that we could always talk to a customer service representative on the phone when ordering that way was simply easier.
The diabetes, heart health and low sodium options are also particularly useful for customers with special dietary needs and it is clear the company’s chefs thankfully did not skimp on flavor.
All in all, we recommend this service as the best option for a meal delivery plan specifically and thoughtfully designed for seniors.
Silver Cuisine by bistroMD