I Tried Plated, The DIY Food-Delivery Site Started By A Couple Of Wall Street Guys Who Didn't Want To Get Fat

I don't know how to cook.

Well, that's not true. I know how to make chili. But it's San Francisco summer right now, and a hot bowl of chili when it's 80 degrees outside does not sound too appetizing.

That's why I decided to give Plated a try.

(Click here to see what Plated is like.)

Plated is like a do-it-yourself food-delivery service, much like Blue Apron. You go to the website and enter your ZIP code. You can also let Plated know whether you have any dietary restrictions, or if you simply just don't like something. Which days your food gets delivered depends on where you live.

Each week, there are seven menu items created by Plated chefs: four meat and fish dishes, and three vegetarian options.

It costs around $12 per plate, and you need to order a minimum of four plates. If you spend $50, however, you get free shipping (shipping costs around $20). So it's worth tacking on a dessert for around $4 so you don't have to pay the extra fee.

You can order a la carte, or you can sign up for a weekly subscription, which comes with its own perks, such as 20% off all plates. You even get a couple bonus plates if you refer a friend.

And that's it; a box full of portioned ingredients lands on your doorstep, and you're able to start cooking.

Nick Taranto, the co-CEO of Plated and former Goldman Sachs employee, said he started the company because he was feeling depressed about gaining weight and being unhealthy.

"When I was living on West 14th Street and taking the E train to Goldman Sachs it got so bad that a homeless man handing out papers in the train station would look at me and say, 'cheer up young man'," he told Business Insider in an interview in February.

He and his friend Josh Hix started Plated in 2012, and since then it has grown to making deliveries in 80% of the continental US, according to the Plated website. And it's raised more than $21 million from investors.