Home Chef Review: Home Cooking Made Simple (No Really)
Does Home Chef make it less complicated to get dinner at the table? Let’s discover. Image courtesy of Home Chef.
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Ah, the pleasure of cooking. If Julia Child taught us some thing, it’s that there's delight in putting collectively a properly-crafted, delectable meal. At least, in concept. But anyone who’s ever run out of an factor, nicked a finger even as dicing or overcooked the shrimp knows that now not each meal guidance experience is a satisfying one. And with the busyness of daily life, grocery shopping for the important ingredients and getting dinner on the table can feel overwhelming. That’s wherein Home Chef comes in.
Home Chef, like most of the different meal subscription offerings cropping up these days, purports to supply “domestic cooking made simple.” Does it? I got every week of meals delivered to my door to place it to the take a look at.
The elements for each Home Chef meal come without difficulty packed of their very own bag. Image furnished by means of Kacie Goff.
The Home Chef transport: well packaged, nicely completed
Remember what we were pronouncing approximately how lifestyles receives busy? That become underscored for me as I boarded a aircraft to Colorado the day I had scheduled my Home Chef delivery. Not best. I turned into simplest going to be long past for a few days, however that meant it fell to my husband to make certain everything was placed away in order that it'd hold. And I needed to wonder, after already being exposed to who-knows-what for the duration of the delivery procedure, might the produce nevertheless be sparkling upon my go back? What about the shrimp-primarily based meal I so boldly ordered?
I’m glad to record that Home Chef makes each step of the technique, including storing meals until you’re equipped to put together it, a no-brainer. One of my least favorite matters in the world is setting away groceries. Home Chef takes the legwork out of it for you. Each meal comes packed in a handy zip-pinnacle bag. All my trusty companion needed to do changed into load our three bags into the fridge and — bam! — he was achieved.
And the simplicity of the system is extraordinary on each ends. It manner it takes seconds to position your Home Chef food away, and it additionally method that when you’re ready to cook, you literally just want to grab a bag and move. That is, in my opinion, genius.
Home Chef Pricing
Unlike different meal transport offerings (e.g. HelloFresh, Blue Apron), Home Chef doesn’t have set meal plan pricing. Instead, you pay in line with meal based totally on the recipe you choose. Their widespread food are priced at $20 for 2 servings or $40 for four. For top rate meals, you’ll pay marketplace charge.
Here’s a look at all the elements certainly one of my meal baggage contained. Image furnished by way of Kacie Goff.
The Home Chef food: delicious and delightfully simple to prepare
Okay, moment of honesty here: I don’t love cooking. I don’t hate it, always, however after a full day of work, I’d alternatively be in the bath with a huge glass of wine than standing over the stove. Some humans honestly locate pleasure in preparing a meal, however I’m now not one of those humans. I cook out of necessity. And, occasionally, I just like the end result sufficient that I retroactively determine I had a pleasant time getting ready a specific meal.
We acquired three meals in our Home Chef cargo and I went 3 for three on honestly playing the introduction of them. Not bad!
It’s additionally really worth noting that I’m a pescatarian so all of my food will be basically plant and fish-based. Now, allow’s speak info.
From bag to table in underneath 30 minutes! Image supplied through Kacie Goff.
Meal #1: Avocado & Beet Poke Bowl
First up, I made the Avocado & Beet Poke Bowl. I figured that when some days of sitting around in my refrigerator, this mostly produce-based meal would possibly leave a bit some thing to preference. But everything become so cleverly packaged that the whole meal shone. The carrots were crisp, the avocado turned into perfectly ripe and the edamame and beets have been delicious. Home Chef nailed it with the sauce, which turned into easy to customize for my picky husband. After a stint of short-but-laborious travel, this meal felt as nourishing because it become flavorful.
The recipes are easy to observe and have snap shots to guide you. Image courtesy of Kacie Goff.
Meal #2: Baja Shrimp Bowl
I love ingesting shrimp, but I hate cooking them. The prepare dinner time is just so brief that I experience like I’m continually tiptoeing the line among uncooked and overdone. But, with the help of my Home Chef recipe, I nailed it of their Baja Shrimp Bowl.
This is an ideal time to speak about those recipes because, even as I organized the shrimp, my husband did the relaxation of the meal. And he clearly hates to cook dinner, so I tip my cap to each him and Home Chef. Their recipes have snap shots to guide you at every flip (very useful for newbie cooks) and the stairs are damaged down so that you by no means sense rushed. Plus, Home Chef makes it remarkable easy by using doing a whole lot of the legwork — like tailing the shrimp or making the sauce — for you.
Oh, and as for the meal itself? It became so proper we forgot to take a photo. Oops!
Meal #three: Umami Miso-Mushroom-Cream Gemelli Pasta
Ever due to the fact that we gave up meat, mushrooms have come to be a staple in our house. Their earthy, meaty texture can genuinely take a meal to the following level — once they’re used well. Or they can simply be bizarre brown-gray hundreds in your dish. I’m very satisfied to file that the Umami Miso-Mushroom-Cream Gemelli Pasta honestly landed in the realm of the previous. This meal felt decadent without leaving us weighed down. And as a lover of umami, earthy flavors, this one absolutely hit home with me. Plus, how cute is that little round pat of butter?
Here’s what you should recognize about Home Chef before you order your first container. Image courtesy of Home Chef.
Home Chef professionals and cons
All in all, I become surely thrilled with each meal I got from Home Chef. Here are my key takeaways.
Home Chef execs:
- Easy and short to put together (the whole thing took us half-hour or fewer)
- Good portion size
- Convenient packaging
- Creative food
- Free delivery on orders over $forty five
- Competitively priced (the whole lot I attempted became about $10 in line with serving)
Home Chef cons:
- Lots of plastic packaging (a few is recyclable)
- Pre-made gadgets (e.g. Sauces) could sense limiting to a person who desires to learn how to cook from scratch
Would I order every other week of Home Chef meals? Absolutely. While $10 a serving might feel comparable to delivery, you’re getting a sparkling, flavorful meal and you manage the ingredients. Plus, the time it saves in menu making plans and grocery buying offsets a number of the cost in my thoughts due to the fact I dislike both of these activities.
Want to attempt Home Chef for your self?
If you’re interested in checking out Home Chef, we’ve were given you covered. Get 3 plates without spending a dime with our code “3platesoff” — just head right here and get started.
You don’t must be a connoisseur chef to stay a connoisseur life. I’d certainly recommend taking Home Chef for a spin.