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Thinking About Home Chef Meal Delivery in 2024? Read This First!

You may not have much time to prepare meals with your schedule. Is Home Chef meal delivery the perfect solution? Let’s see what this meal kit can offer.

I’ve been looking for the best meal kit delivery services. And that’s where I discovered the Home Chef. 

Home Chef wants to be the best meal kit service for customizing recipes to your taste, diet, and way of life. You can modify it to your preferences if you have specific interests or are a parent with picky eaters.

It MAY be a great helper in the kitchen.. but you’ll want to hear about my experience and what others have seen first.

What Is Home Chef?

home chef meal delivery service cooked dish

Home Chef is a subscription-based service that sends meal kits to your door. It comes with pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards. It was founded in 2013 as one of the first subscription meal kits to hit the market in the United States.

They offer Oven Ready Meals, 15-Minute Meal Kits, Low Carb Meals, Calorie-Conscious Meals, etc. And you can also customize the meals if you like.

I am cooking with my skillet and spatulas over the Home Chef’s recipes week. Cooking a range of dinners from the different meal plans and recipe categories offered by them. And I have to admit that they never fail to provide me with the flavor I want.

How does Home Chef Works?

home chef meal delivery service mis en place.

You must first sign up on the site to begin your Home Chef subscription. Once you’ve logged in, you may choose between the Home Chef and Fresh and Easy plans to see which one best suits your needs.

Select how often you’d like meal kits delivered and the number of people you’ll be cooking for. You can also pick your meals each week or have the Home Chef team do it.

You can skip a week at any time and customize your delivery by adding meals or servings as needed.

What I like best about this meal kit because you can customize it to fit your specific dietary needs. You can also pick and choose which allergens and foods you want.

Although Home Chef allows you to select meals free of allergens, it’s essential to keep in mind that the foods are packaged. There’s a chance that food will become contaminated.

Is Home Chef A Great Option For Beginners?

home chef meal delivery service sample dish

Yes, this meal kit is ideal for beginner cooks. The recipes are simple to follow. A “Before You Cook” section on the recipe cards explains the quick steps you’ll need to follow before getting started.

The company also included a small binder with necessary items, such as pans, olive oil, or a meat thermometer.

Preparing and cooking each meal took me around 20 minutes longer than the recipe suggested. However, the cooking time will always be defined by the type of meal you’re preparing.

How To Customize Meals For Your Diet?

home chef meal delivery service meal prep

Home Chef has a wide range of selections for various diets, making it simple to choose something that suits your needs.

You may easily filter the weekly menu to include vegetarian, low-calorie, or low-carb options.

Potential allergens are also listed for each recipe. You may remove particular ingredients from your weekly meal, such as pork, seafood, red meat, nuts, or mushrooms.

It’s worth noting that the meals are prepared in a facility that handles a lot of major allergens. They might not be suitable for people with severe food allergies or intolerances.

Home Chef may also be inconvenient for those who follow strict food plans such as vegan, ketogenic, or paleo diets.

If you are on a Keto diet, you can check these best keto tools to help you!

home chef meal delivery service chicken

Is Home Chef Subscription Expensive?

If going to the grocery store is too much of a hassle, the convenience of Home Chef is certainly well worth the price.

Home Chef makes calculating the cost of your meals a breeze. Each meal will cost you $9.99, regardless of the delivery schedule or the size of your family (two, four, or six). Shipping is free if your weekly plan exceeds $40.

Who Can Subscribe To Home Chef?

home chef meal delivery service with family

This meal plan is ideal for anyone trying to learn to cook from scratch or who wants to minimize meal planning and grocery shopping. Home Chef is also suitable for people who like higher-protein meals and a wider variety of richer recipes.

However, if you are a person who prefers clean labels, organic or sustainable product sources. In that case, you might not like this meal kit.

It’s also worth noting that their meal plans are rich in sodium and saturated fat.

Does Home Chef Offers Healthy Meals?

home chef meal delivery service sample

Home Chef takes a lot of work to ensure you get good options every week. After all, organic ingredients make for 95% of all the ingredients for a recipe. 

You’ll have many nutritious meal options, including fresh vegetables and hearty foods. Especially with the COVID virus in our communities, giving our bodies the high-quality fuel they require to get through the day is essential.

What Other Customers Say About Home Chef

Home Chef is a good idea.. but they have trouble delivering on all they promise:

home chef meal delivery service Morgan review
The recipes are interesting.. but some ingredients come delivered spoiled or low quality.
home chef meal delivery service Vicki review
Customer support does their best- but they’re not always able or willing to resolve the issue. And by the time they can help you, it’s usually too late.
home chef meal delivery service Rhys review

There have been many delivery and supply chain issues along with a confusing order experience.

Home Chef Pros and Cons

Pros

+ Customizable meals

+ Flexible subscription

+ Comes with easy and advanced recipes 

+Delicious flavors and fresh ingredients

Cons

– Meals are high in sodium

– Limited option for vegetarians

– Customer support is lacking

– Some difficulties with delivery (late or spoiled foods)

People Also Ask

How long do the meals from Home Chef last?

Their meals usually last about 5-7 days inside the fridge. But the best thing is that their meals are made by a chef and delivered fresh. If you order a meal that has seafood, it should be eaten first.

Are Home Chef Meals already cooked?

Meals, proteins, and sides from Home Chef Heat & Eat are fully cooked and ready to eat. They can be prepared in just five minutes.

Are the meals from Home Chef frozen?

The meals are delivered frozen and, if no one is home, will be left outside in an esky with ice for meals that have been paid for. 

Conclusion

Home Chef can be a good option if you’re looking to have ingredients delivered to your home. It’s a good cheap starter option if you’re new to meal delivery services- and looking for something healthy.

For me, the inconsistent ingredient quality and delivery scheduling is a deal breaker. Instead, I now like to use a semi-homemade option.

And not just because I have a huge crush on Sandra Lee!

I prefer ordering prepped meals from Thrive Market. (Thrive Market is what’d you’d get if Costco and Trader Joes had a baby. An exclusive online shopping experience for its members including tons of healthy groceries and lifestyle products at discount prices.)

Thrive has much better vegan and vegetarian options. I’m able to order frozen meals. And they have a huge variety of paleo bowls and skillets.

Now, I always have something healthy, tasty, and simple to cook up in a pinch. AND I get local fruits, produce, and meats to complement the prepped meals.

For me, it’s a good balance of flavor, convenience, and health. Not to mention, it allows me to work on my cooking skills without dealing with as many dishes or hunting down exotic healthy ingredients.

If you’re interested, you can check out Thrive Market’s new chef-crafted freezer-friendly meal selections. And if you like what you see, they’re giving away free gifts when you become a member.

Personally, I like the Kevin’s Natural Food Entrees. Super tasty and quick to heat up after work. I’ll sometimes add them into tacos with my homemade guac and salsa 🙂

What are your thoughts about Home Chef meal kits? Let me know in the comments!