Home Chef Review: Home Cooking Made Simple (No Really)
Read More : Does Home Chef make it easier 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 something, it’s that there's pleasure in putting collectively a properly-crafted, delectable meal. At least, in principle. But anyone who’s ever run out of an aspect, nicked a finger at the same time as dicing or overcooked the shrimp is aware of that not each meal coaching experience is a delightful one. And with the busyness of each day existence, grocery shopping for the necessary substances and getting dinner at the desk can feel overwhelming. That’s in which Home Chef comes in.
Home Chef, like among the different meal subscription services cropping up these days, purports to deliver “home cooking made simple.” Does it? I were given per week of meals delivered to my door to place it to the take a look at.
The components for each Home Chef meal come quite simply packed of their very own bag. Image provided by using Kacie Goff.
The Home Chef transport: neatly packaged, well performed
Remember what we have been saying approximately how lifestyles receives busy? That turned into underscored for me as I boarded a plane to Colorado the day I had scheduled my Home Chef shipping. Not best. I became most effective going to be long past for a few days, but that supposed it fell to my husband to ensure the whole thing become positioned away in order that it'd keep. And I had to surprise, after already being exposed to who-is aware of-what at some stage in the shipping process, could the produce nonetheless be clean upon my return? What about the shrimp-based meal I so boldly ordered?
I’m satisfied to record that Home Chef makes each step of the manner, along with storing food till you’re prepared to put together it, a no-brainer. One of my least favorite matters within the international 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 associate needed to do turned into load our 3 luggage into the refrigerator and — bam! — he become done.
And the simplicity of the system is extraordinary on each ends. It manner it takes seconds to place your Home Chef food away, and it additionally means that while you’re equipped to cook dinner, you literally simply want to grab a bag and pass. That is, for my part, genius.
Home Chef Pricing
Unlike different meal transport services (e.g. HelloFresh, Blue Apron), Home Chef doesn’t have set meal plan pricing. Instead, you pay in keeping with meal primarily based on the recipe you pick out. Their general meals are priced at $20 for 2 servings or $forty for four. For premium food, you’ll pay market fee.
Here’s a study all of the elements one among my meal baggage contained. Image provided through Kacie Goff.
The Home Chef meals: delicious and delightfully easy to prepare
Okay, second of honesty right here: I don’t love cooking. I don’t hate it, always, but after a full day of labor, I’d rather be within the tub with a large glass of wine than status over the range. Some humans simply locate pleasure in making ready a meal, however I’m no longer one of those humans. I prepare dinner out of necessity. And, sometimes, I like the cease result sufficient that I retroactively decide I had a pleasant time making ready a specific meal.
We acquired three meals in our Home Chef shipment and I went 3 for three on truly enjoying the creation of them. Not awful!
It’s additionally well worth noting that I’m a pescatarian so all of my food might be normally plant and fish-based totally. Now, permit’s talk info.
From bag to desk in under 30 minutes! Image supplied by means of Kacie Goff.
Meal #1: Avocado & Beet Poke Bowl
First up, I made the Avocado & Beet Poke Bowl. I figured that once a few days of sitting round in my fridge, this in the main produce-primarily based meal may depart a bit something to desire. But the whole thing turned into so cleverly packaged that the entire meal shone. The carrots were crisp, the avocado become perfectly ripe and the edamame and beets had been delicious. Home Chef nailed it with the sauce, which changed into smooth to customise for my choosy husband. After a stint of short-but-hard journey, this meal felt as nourishing as it changed into flavorful.
The recipes are smooth to comply with and feature photographs to manual you. Image courtesy of Kacie Goff.
Meal #2: Baja Shrimp Bowl
I love consuming shrimp, however I hate cooking them. The cook time is simply so short that I sense like I’m always tiptoeing the road among raw and overdone. But, with the help of my Home Chef recipe, I nailed it in their Baja Shrimp Bowl.
This is a perfect time to talk approximately those recipes due to the fact, at the same time as I prepared the shrimp, my husband did the rest of the meal. And he truly hates to cook dinner, so I tip my cap to each him and Home Chef. Their recipes have photographs to manual you at each flip (very useful for newbie chefs) and the steps are damaged down so you in no way feel rushed. Plus, Home Chef makes it awesome easy via doing numerous the legwork — like tailing the shrimp or making the sauce — for you.
Oh, and as for the meal itself? It became so top we forgot to take a photograph. Oops!
Meal #3: Umami Miso-Mushroom-Cream Gemelli Pasta
Ever due to the fact we gave up meat, mushrooms have grow to be a staple in our house. Their earthy, meaty texture can definitely take a meal to the subsequent level — when they’re used properly. Or they could simply be weird brown-gray loads on your dish. I’m very glad to file that the Umami Miso-Mushroom-Cream Gemelli Pasta truely landed within the realm of the previous. This meal felt decadent without leaving us weighed down. And as a lover of umami, earthy flavors, this one certainly hit domestic with me. Plus, how cute is that little spherical pat of butter?
Here’s what you should know approximately Home Chef before you order your first box. Image courtesy of Home Chef.
Home Chef professionals and cons
All in all, I changed into in reality pleased with every meal I were given from Home Chef. Here are my key takeaways.
Home Chef execs:
- Easy and quick to put together (the whole thing took us 30 minutes or fewer)
- Good component size
- Convenient packaging
- Creative food
- Free transport on orders over $forty five
- Competitively priced (the whole thing I tried turned into approximately $10 in step with serving)
Home Chef cons:
- Lots of plastic packaging (a few is recyclable)
- Pre-made items (e.g. Sauces) should sense proscribing to a person who desires to discover ways to cook from scratch
Would I order another week of Home Chef food? Absolutely. While $10 a serving might sense similar to shipping, you’re getting a sparkling, flavorful meal and also you control the substances. Plus, the time it saves in menu planning and grocery purchasing offsets some of the price in my mind due to the fact I dislike both of those activities.
Want to strive Home Chef for your self?
If you’re interested by checking out Home Chef, we’ve were given you protected. Get three plates totally free with our code “3platesoff” — simply head right here and get commenced.
You don’t have to be a gourmand chef to stay a connoisseur lifestyles. I’d without a doubt propose taking Home Chef for a spin.