Confession time: I really do not like cooking. But I really love food! It’s a tough life I lead sometimes. Ha! But, in all honesty, cooking and meal-planning are not my favorite things to do. The problem? Currently, I am the only one in the house who can cook, so the responsibility falls to me!
One of the things I dislike the most about cooking is the meal-planning. It’s hard coming up with different meals that will please everyone’s taste buds. And I get bored of the same ol’ fallbacks. That’s why I decided to take the plunge on a meal delivery service.
So far, I’ve tried both Hello Fresh and Home Chef. While both services have their pros and cons, what I loved the most was not having to come up with dinners ideas myself! After utilizing both services, I thought it would be nice to share about those pros and cons and do a Hello Fresh vs. Home Chef comparison, so you can make an informed decision on which one you’d like to try!
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Hello Fresh or Home Chef: Who Has Better Meal Options?
When choosing a meal delivery service, the first thing you need to look at is what meals they offer. Both companies don’t do a great job of advertising their menu before asking you to sign up. However, you can see their upcoming menus at any time, even before you join! You just have to use the right link!
In my opinion, Hello Fresh meals are a little more “gourmet”. Their menu is inspired by many different cuisine types, such as Korean, Indian, and Mexican. If you have been meaning to try some of these types of meals at home, but haven’t wanted to commit to a spice cabinet full of ingredients you may only use once, Hello Fresh is a good option for you!
For those less-adventurous eaters, or if you have picky eaters at home, Home Chef’s menu may be better for you. This isn’t to say the meals they offer are plain or boring. They are just more universal. One of the things I like the most about Home Chef meals is that I feel like I can easily reproduce the meal with ingredients I have at home, giving the service a little more value.
Overall Packaging: Home Chef vs Hello Fresh
On the surface, there isn’t much difference between the Hello Fresh and Home Chef packaging. Both companies ship the ingredients for your meals in one large box. Insulation and ice packs help keep the food fresh. Each meal’s ingredients are individually bagged and labeled, making it easy to grab what you need when you are ready to cook.
However, there are some slight differences between how the two companies package their meal kits. Overall, I prefer Home Chef’s packaging over Hello Fresh. First, I like that they use proper insulating material that is 100% recyclable. Additionally, I love that the meal ingredients are separated into clear bags. Hello Fresh uses paper bags. The clear bags from Home Chef made it easy to do a quick inventory, and also see how the food looked.
Last, Home Chef used less packaging overall. Hello Fresh individually wrapped almost every ingredient. It seemed like overkill. Home Chef wraps what should be covered, and leaves others floating free in the meal kit bag. Not that these meal kits are “green”, but the less packaging used, the better, right?
How Does the Food Quality Compare in Hello Fresh and Home Chef?
Overall, the food quality is about the same between these two meal kit delivery services. Between the multiple deliveries, both the meats and the vegetables were fresh. Even when waiting a few days to cook the meals! I have not found any significant differences in the quality of food between Hello Fresh and Home Chef, so they both get a good rating from me in that regard.
Ease of Making Meals: Hello Fresh vs Home Chef
I mentioned earlier how I felt like the Hello Fresh meals were a little more “gourmet” than the Home Chef meals. The cooking instructions are a little more involved, as well. For the majority of my Hello Fresh meals, I needed to use several bowls, baking sheets, and other kitchen tools that I forgot I even owned!
As someone who was looking for an easier way to cook, Hello Fresh didn’t make the cut. However, if you are someone who truly enjoys spending time in the kitchen and dirtying up multiple utensils, then you find Hello Fresh’s cooking styles enjoyable!
After trialing Hello Fresh, and finding cooking WAY more involved than I wanted it to be, I was a little nervous to try Home Chef. However, I am so glad I gave it a go! Home Chef is definitely made for those people who see cooking as something that has to be done but isn’t interested in spending all day doing it.
Home Chef’s meals usually only require a single pan, pot, or baking dish. And if a baking dish is needed, they typically provide one for you! The meals are easy to make, and clean-up is quick. Overall, for what I was looking for in a meal delivery service, Home Chef hit the mark.
Who Offers a Better Value? Home Chef or Hello Fresh?
Like most things, value is entirely subjective. Overall, the cost of Home Chef and Hello Fresh does not differ much. Currently, for three meals for two people, both companies are charging about $60 per delivery. However, both companies have various sign-up deals for first-time users. If you are interested in trying Home Chef, sign-up via this link to save $35 off of your first box!
Both delivery services offer the customer options to skip weeks. Currently, I receive Home Chef meals two weeks a month. You can skip as many you as would like. This is a great feature, especially if there are weeks you know you won’t be home, there are meals that just don’t appeal to you, or you’ll be too busy to cook.
Also, both services allow you to cancel at any time. There is no commitment for any length of time. If, after the first week, you are not impressed, cancel!
Home Chef or Hello Fresh? Which Meal Delivery Service Should You Choose?
So which meal delivery service should you choose? Hello Fresh or Home Chef? Honestly, it depends on your cooking style. If you are looking to expand your cooking expertise and try new recipes without committing to purchasing full-sized ingredients, then Hello Fresh will be an excellent option for you!
If you are looking to relieve the stress of meal-planning and would like cooking to be less-stressful, then try Home Chef. Don’t forget to use this link to save $35 off of your first box!
Overall, if you are interested in trying a meal delivery service, you can’t go wrong with either one. My preference leans towards Home Chef, but I would be just as happy using Hello Fresh. Bon appetit!
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