HOME CHEF REVIEW: Home Cooking Made Simple? (coupon inside)

So I had been toying with the idea of subscribing to one of these Meal Delivery Services.  It seemed like every time I turned around, there was some advertisement for Home Chef, Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, etc. I could be browsing on Instagram and then BOOM! Hello Fresh's sponsored ad would appear in my timeline.   

I began doing my research on the various companies and decided to pull the trigger with Home Chef. I chose Home Chef because of a couple of reasons:

• I had a coupon code to receive a deep discount
• You can choose from different meal options
• Menu Options available appealed to both, the kids and adults in my household
• Many meals are low in calories

Ordering

I decided to start off with the two meals per week just to see how we liked it. The site allows you to order up to 8 meals per weak and up to 8 servings per meal... I imagine that this can get quite expensive. Ordering from their website is a pain in the butt if you do it from a mobile device.  The ordering experience was easier on my laptop.  For our first two meals we ordered the Sirloin Steak w/ Blue Cheese Compound Butter (green beans and roasted fingerling potatoes) and the Farmhouse Fried Chicken (mashed potatoes, green onion gravy, and corn).

Image Source: Home Chef

Image Source: Home Chef

The pictures looked appetizing and I knew the kids would be satisfied with both meals.  You  can only have your food delivered on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays of any given week, so I chose Wednesdays. I paid, and then waited.  Another great thing about Home Chef is that that have all the meal options planned a month in advance so you can choose all the meals you want for the entire month.  You also have the option to skip a week.

Shipping/Delivery

The delivery was normal.  It came on time and was left at the door by the delivery man. The box was packed neatly with ice packs to keep the ingredients fresh and cold. Along with the ingredients, the box also contained a binder with the recipes for each meal we ordered. 

Prep/Cooking  

The directions were pretty clear and easy to follow.  My only concern was that the timing suggested for cooking each item was not accurate.  I had to increase the time allotted for cooking the steak, chicken, green beans, and fingerling potatoes.  The time suggested on the recipe card left the greens hard and difficult to bite.  The timing left the steaks rare, and the chicken undercooked.  After adjusting the time to my liking, everything else went smoothly.  

It was also nice being able to cook with my significant other.  We rotated between being the "head chef" and the "sous chef".  

Taste Test

The food was really good.  I did make some other minor adjustments with seasoning; such as adding garlic powder along with salt and pepper to the chicken breast.  The gravy that was made to top the chicken was delicious.  The blue cheese compound butter that topped the sirloin was equally tasty.   

The sides were also good... However all of the side dishes were dishes that I would make on a regular basis.  There was no WOW Factor! The wow factor was really the toppings made for both of the main entrees.

Final Thoughts

I would absolutely order from Home Chef again or a different Meal Delivery Service just for the simple fact that I wouldn't have to shop for each and every ingredient needed to make a meal. I was happy that the steak meal was around 600 calories.  The farmhouse chicken meal was a whopping 994 calories (Not the best meal option for someone counting calories).  

Even though I had to increase the cooking time, the meals still went from kitchen to table in about an hour. The directions were clear and  easy to follow.  I just feel that Home Chef could up the ante by introducing more exciting side dishes. 

If you are interested in trying Home Chef click RIGHT HERE to receive $30 off your first order!