Technologies

Meal Kits Are More Popular Than Ever. Here’s Why

The meal kit industry is expected to quadruple in less than a decade, according to new research.

The meal kit industry is booming, and according to a new report, it’s not slowing down any time soon. In 2024, the industry was valued at $25.79 billion, according to the report from Straits Research. By 2033, it is expected to quadruple, reaching a whopping $113.69 billion.

The report states that the industry’s growth can be credited in part to the ease of meal preparation ease of preparation and cost-effectiveness. Meal kits are often seen as a healthier alternative to dining out and a way to lessen food waste.

«Consumers are increasingly becoming health-conscious, for which they are focusing on homemade foods rather than processed foods or to dine out,» the report reads.

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A recent CNET survey found that Americans end up wasting an average of $125 a month, or $1,500 each year, on food they purchase in grocery stores that then goes unused. Meal-kit subscriptions, which send boxes of preportioned ingredients plus recipes directly to customers’ doors, offer one possible solution to this problem.

The key players in the meal kit industry, cited in Straits Research’s study, include EveryPlate, HelloFresh, Gobble and Blue Apron.

After rigorous testing, Blue Apron was CNET’s No. 1 pick for the best meal kits of 2025. The company’s recent update now allows customers to order meals without a subscription, which makes it more appealing to those who don’t want a subscription commitment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 25 #601

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 25, No. 601.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, with a Halloween theme. There are only four answers, and only two of them are really well-known creatures, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Quite a transformation!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Monsters that change.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

SIRE, SIRES, HIRE, HIRES, WALK, WALKER, WALKERS, WERE, WOLF, FISH, FISHER, CHANGE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

VAMPIRE, WEREWOLF, CHANGELING, SKINWALKER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SHAPESHIFTERS. To find it, start with the S that’s two letters down on the far-right row, and wind across.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Oct. 25, #1589

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Oct. 25, No. 1,589.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is kind of a toughie. The letters are a bit unusual. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with G.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with E.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to an instrument or device for measuring the magnitude, amount, or contents of something.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is GAUGE.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Oct. 24, No. 1588 was TUBER.

Recent Wordle answers

Oct. 20, No. 1584: LIMBO
Oct. 21, No. 1585: DETOX
Oct. 22, No. 1586: STUNT
Oct. 23, No. 1587: DRILL

Technologies

Bag JBL’s Tune 720BT Wireless Headphones With a 76-Hour Battery for Just $70

Amazon is selling four different colors of these excellent headphones with a 22% discount — but only if you’re quick.

A pair of wireless headphones can make all the difference, whether you’re commuting or locking in at work. Being able to listen to your favorite music, podcasts and audiobooks anywhere, anytime is worth its weight in gold — but you don’t have to spend that kind of money to do so.

Right now, Amazon is selling the popular JBL Tune 720BT wireless headphones for just $70. That’s a $20 discount, and you don’t even have to enter any codes or clip any coupons to get it.

Plus, this deal is available on all four colors, but you’ll need to act fast. This is a limited-time offer, which means that I can’t vouch for how long it’ll last. I suggest ordering sooner rather than later.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

The JBL Tune 720BT headphones can run for up to 76 hours before you need to reach for the charger. When you do, a short 5-minute charge will have you up and running for around three hours.

JBL’s Pure Bass feature is present, so you can expect strong audio, while Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity means you won’t have to deal with messy cables or a spotty connection.

Other features include support for making hands-free calls, as well as the option to customize the audio using the free JBL Headphones app.

Why this deal matters

A great pair of headphones can make it easier to deal with the morning commute to work, among other things. Can you put a price on that? Probably, but why not make that price smaller? This deal does that, and you can even choose from some lovely colors, too.