Home Chef Makes Cooking Easy, Even If You’re Bad at It

Home Chef has long been my top pick for a great meal kit for beginner chefs. I first tested the service back in 2020, when meal kits surged in popularity due to the pandemic. And after another week of trying it out, I still think it’s an excellent option for anyone looking to get cookin’ with a little bit of guidance.

The first thing you’ll notice when opening a Home Chef delivery is how easy it is to put everything away. Every meal is packaged in its own zippered plastic bag, with proteins arriving sealed in their own package. I filled up my refrigerator door with three dinners’ worth of ingredients. When it was time to try a recipe, I simply grabbed the bag and the corresponding protein. I have a shared refrigerator that’s chaotic even at the best of times, so I appreciated being able to quickly grab everything and set it on my counter rather than rifling through leftovers to try to find a rogue vegetable or sauce packet.

What really sets Home Chef apart from the many other meal kits are its recipe cards, which are some of the most detailed I’ve seen. On the front, there’s a list of the ingredients you should have, plus a list of what you’ll need to supply. Typically that’s olive oil, salt, pepper, and perhaps some aluminum foil. There’s also a list of the kitchen items you’ll need. It’s not exhaustive—for example, you still might need to grab a measuring cup or cooking utensils—but it is a nice starting-off point. And I really appreciate the “Cook Within …” section with suggested cook- or freeze-by dates, which will help you prioritize the dishes that arrive so you don’t run the risk of ingredients going bad. There’s also a chart with reminders about safe internal temperatures for meat, plus a difficulty level and a spice level.

Home Chef’s weekly menus have filters for preferences and dietary needs like carb-conscious, calorie-conscious, and vegetarian meals. The meals are arranged into categories, like Oven-Ready (meals that come with a tray and are made in the oven), Culinary Collection (meals with more adventurous ingredients and cooking techniques), Express (meals that take 30 minutes or less to make), and more. There are optional add-ons and extras, like breakfast muffins, dinner rolls, or desserts. Some dishes are customizable, allowing you to choose different proteins, double up on proteins, or upgrade proteins.