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Kroger's Tangy New Take-and-Bake Pizza Features This Controversial Topping That Fans Can't Wait to Try

Yahoo

04-06-2025

Entertainment
Yahoo

Kroger's Tangy New Take-and-Bake Pizza Features This Controversial Topping That Fans Can't Wait to Try

Parade aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission. Kroger's Tangy New Take-and-Bake Pizza Features This Controversial Topping That Fans Can't Wait to Try originally appeared on Parade. Pizza toppings can be quite controversial. Pepperoni? Sure. Anchovies? Probably not. Proscuitto, arugula, balsamic, and burrata? Absolutely. Pineapples? Not so much. Of course, yours truly has no qualms about pineapples, roasted peaches, or salty anchovies on my personal slice. In my eyes, the more toppings the better, and I'm always willing to try it even if it turns out not to be my personal favorite. While I may not shame you for choosing to top your pie with Spam or fettuccine alfredo, it might take some convincing to get everyone else on board. 😋😋SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter🍳🍔 There used to be a day and age when black olives were the most offensive thing you could do to slice of za, but the wide and wondrous world of pizza toppings has ballooned far beyond our wildest dreams (or nightmares). The latest polarizing trend to make its way around the interwebs takes things in a decidedly tangy direction you'll either love or loathe with all your being—pickles on that's right, folks. The briney, vingeray cuke revered by some and hated by others has found its way on top of our beloved pizza pie. Whether you're curious or not, it looks like pickle pizza is here to stay, but if your interest does happen to be piqued, Kroger has just the thing for you. The national supermarket chain just added a new take-and-bake pizza to its HomeChef line of products, and it's a pickle lover's dream. HomeChef partnered up with fan-favorite pickle brand Grillo's Pickles to create the new Pickle Pizza available exclusively at Kroger. The intriguing (or rage-inducing) pizza features mozzarella cheese, hot pickle chips, pulled pork, red onions, and a creamy barbecue sauce, and retails for a meager $6.99. Unsurprisingly, some fans are already saying, 'Omg I need it immediately.' As a card-carrying pickle connoisseur, specifically a Grillo's Pickle aficionado, I must say my tastebuds are tingling. Judging by the comments, I'm not the only one intrigued. 'YUMMYYYYYYY' exclaimed one person. 'Going to Kroger rn,' said someone else. Maybe pickles aren't as polarizing as we thought. Does that mean there's room to reopen the roasted strawberries on pizza debate?Kroger's Tangy New Take-and-Bake Pizza Features This Controversial Topping That Fans Can't Wait to Try first appeared on Parade on May 30, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.

Home Chef Debuts Pickle Pizza with Grillo's Pickles, Classic Seasoned Chicken and More on Kroger Shelves

Yahoo

04-06-2025

Business
Yahoo

Home Chef Debuts Pickle Pizza with Grillo's Pickles, Classic Seasoned Chicken and More on Kroger Shelves

These convenient new in-store items make summer eating as easy as (pickle) pie CHICAGO, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Chef is satisfying summer cravings for customers nationwide with a fresh new lineup of flavorful, convenient meals available at the Kroger Family of Stores. To kick off the summer spread, Home Chef is launching an exclusive, limited-time Pickle Pizza with the one and only Grillo's Pickles – offering a ready-to-bake pizza that packs a spicy, crisp and fresh kick and proves every dish is made better with pickles. Home Chef has also upgraded its Classic Seasoned Chicken with a new herb and spice blend that brings bold flavor to the dinner table staple. Home Chef x Grillo's Pickle Pizza is inspired by sunny backyard BBQs. The ready-to-bake pickle pie is topped with mozzarella cheese, Grillo's hot pickle chips, pulled pork, red onions and creamy BBQ sauce on wood-fired style crust – perfect for entertaining pickle-obsessed friends or switching it up on the next pizza night. Pickle fans can now find the pizza at participating Kroger stores nationwide, but the zesty 'za is only available through Labor Day weekend, so pickle lovers should grab one while they can. Each Pickle Pizza serves four people (SRP: $7.99) and is ready in just 16 minutes, so the pizza party always starts on time. "Home Chef is thrilled to collaborate with the pickle pros at Grillo's to create this flavor-bomb Pickle Pizza," said Kalya McCreery, marketing manager at Home Chef. "Between our ready-to-bake pizzas, our new ready-to-eat Classic Seasoned Chicken, and our many other in-store meals and snacks, Kroger customers are sure to enjoy simple, tasty meals this summer." Home Chef and Kroger also revamped a grocery go-to: the Classic Seasoned Fresh Roasted Chicken. This ready-to-eat, bone-in chicken amps up the flavor with bold yet versatile seasonings, including onion, roasted garlic, herbs like parsley and oregano, lemon and dijon mustard. Great as a centerpiece protein or adding to sandwiches, soups, stews, salads and more, the upgraded Classic Seasoned Chicken is an all-around staple that delivers comfort and convenience. This new whole chicken, available hot or cold, is now on shelves in the deli department of participating Kroger stores (SRP: $7.99; serves up to four people). Shoppers can also find two new Mexican-inspired, heat-and-eat offerings from Home Chef at Kroger stores starting in mid-July: heat-and-eat Burritos (crafted in collaboration with Tucson Foods), which come in Cilantro-Lime Chicken Pork Carnitas varieties – plus, a cheesy Chicken Quesadilla with red salsa. To find out what items are available at your nearest Kroger store and to learn more about Home Chef's simple, delicious meal solutions, visit About Home Chef Founded in 2013, Home Chef is the leading meal solutions company with both a retail and online presence. Available from and in retail at more than 2,400 stores in the Kroger Family of Companies, Home Chef is committed to bringing ease and convenience to home cooking through simple, delicious meals, so fans can enjoy their time at home, both in and out of the kitchen. The Chicago-based meal kit company was ranked #1 in Customer Service among Meal Kits by Newsweek. Home Chef is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). Find out more and get cooking at Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and inspiration. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Home Chef Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Yahoo

04-06-2025

Business
Yahoo

Home Chef Debuts Pickle Pizza with Grillo's Pickles, Classic Seasoned Chicken and More on Kroger Shelves

A private chef dishes on HelloFresh vs. Home Chef: Which one should you get?

New York Post

16-05-2025

Business
New York Post

A private chef dishes on HelloFresh vs. Home Chef: Which one should you get?

New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. When you're a part-time private chef, the bar for food is high. Clients don't care that you were out until 2 a.m. or that you cooked for twenty the night before — they want their halibut flaky, their risotto perfect, and their expectations exceeded. So when I decided to test two of the biggest meal delivery services on the market — Home Chef vs. HelloFresh — I didn't approach it like a tired millennial looking to simplify weeknight dinners. I approached it like someone who has seared $70 steaks for people who tip in Birkin bags (I wish). Spoiler: these boxes delivered. Not every dish was a hit, but both brands have carved out a space in the weeknight meal game for a reason. I was genuinely impressed by the quality of ingredients, the ease of recipes, and the fact that I didn't have to schlep to Whole Foods with a list longer than my last relationship. Comparing Home Chef to HelloFresh wasn't just fun, it was delicious, and oddly therapeutic. It gave me a much-needed break from menu planning, but still satisfied my compulsive need to judge everything on a scale from 'sad hotel breakfast' to 'Michelin-adjacent.' Advertisement So if you're debating between the two — comparing things like Home Chef vs. HelloFresh prices, recipes, menus, or even who's running the better promo code right now — I've got you. This review is for home cooks, food snobs, and chaotic chefs alike. Let's dig in. Home Chef vs. HelloFresh at a glance Home Chef Pros: Highly customizable meals Offers oven-ready and quick-prep options Solid portion sizes Family-friendly Cons: Less adventurous flavor profiles Packaging isn't the most eco-conscious Limited vegetarian/vegan options Home Chef was founded to make home cooking accessible without sacrificing flavor or quality. They specialize in comforting, classic meals that feel homemade without being high maintenance. Think of it as the meal kit version of your favorite diner-meets-bistro — no frills, just satisfaction. It's best for busy families, picky eaters, or anyone who wants solid meals without spending 45 minutes slicing aromatics. Who it's best for: Picky eaters, comfort food lovers, and people who want oven-ready or 15-minute meals. Home Chef is like the steady guy who shows up on time, remembers your coffee order, and always has a plan. It's dependable, satisfying, and ideal for anyone who wants to spend more time eating and less time prepping. Dietary options: Offers calorie- and carb-conscious meals, vegetarian options, and the ability to swap proteins. There are also oven-ready and quick-cook options, which are great for special diets or picky eaters. Sample recipes: Garlic Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Teriyaki-Glazed Salmon Oven-Ready Lasagna with Ricotta and Spinach Tuscan Pork Medallions HelloFresh Pros: Global flavors and creative recipes High-quality ingredients Consistently good seasoning and sauces Sustainable packaging Cons: Recipes can be more involved Less flexibility with customizations Can get repetitive if you order frequently HelloFresh is one of the biggest names in the meal kit industry, and for good reason. The brand has leaned into globally inspired, flavor-packed recipes that let you flex a little in the kitchen. It's best for people who actually like to cook and who see dinner as a time to try something new, not just get food in their body before reruns of Succession. Who it's best for: Curious cooks who love trying new flavors and international recipes. HelloFresh is the artsy ex who makes great cocktails and introduces you to Ethiopian jazz. It's fresh, fun, and ideal for anyone who wants to make dinner an event. Dietary options: Vegetarian, pescatarian, family-friendly, calorie smart, and carb smart options. Less flexibility in ingredient swaps, but plenty of variety across cuisine types. Vegan options are limited. Sample recipes: Harissa Chickpea Bowls with Pickled Shallot Figgy Balsamic Pork with Roasted Carrots Zucchini & Tomato Flatbreads Sweet Soy Glazed Chicken with Garlic Rice Editor's Note: *One per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. Our review How everything comes in the Home Chef box. New York Post Sheet Pan Herby Crusted Salmon: The salmon came vacuum-sealed and surprisingly fresh. Once cooked, the crust crisped up perfectly, with the panko and herbs forming a golden shell that didn't fall apart on the plate. It didn't have that 'frozen seafood' flavor that I half-expected from a box. Instead, the texture was firm, the flavor delicate, and it paired beautifully with the included potatoes and tomatoes, roasted with tarragon and garlic. Trusting the process… New York Post What impressed me most was the minimal effort it required. This was a single sheet pan, low-stress recipe that looked and tasted like something I'd charge $24 for on a brunch menu. For anyone who thinks salmon is too tricky to make at home, this is the gateway fish. The final salmon dish! New York Post Creamed Spinach Smothered Chicken: The cooking process. New York Post This dish was indulgent, in the best way. The spinach cream sauce was thick, silky, and clung lovingly to the chicken breasts like it knew what it was doing. The seasoning was spot-on and the spinach didn't get lost in the sauce — there was enough texture and brightness to break up the richness. The final chicken dish. New York Post If you grew up eating casseroles and crave that nostalgic vibe but want something a little more elevated, this meal hits the mark. It was easy to prepare, made the kitchen smell like a hug, and reheated surprisingly well the next day. It's not winning any culinary innovation awards, but that's not what it's trying to do. The unboxing of my HelloFresh box. HelloFresh Creamy Chicken Sausage Tortellini Soup: This dish came together like a dream. The broth thickened beautifully as the tortellini cooked, and the chicken sausage added a savory depth that played well with the spinach and tomatoes. The seasoning was dialed in — just enough garlic, a kiss of cream, and a finish that made you want to keep going back for another bite. The final tortellini dish. New York Post I'd make this again from scratch. It felt indulgent but not heavy, and tasted like it had simmered for hours. The instructions were foolproof, and the end result felt restaurant-grade. Bonus points for the minimal chopping. Ease of ordering Both Home Chef and HelloFresh offer straightforward online experiences. That said, Home Chef takes the edge for its nearly obsessive customizability. Want to swap chicken for shrimp? No problem. Prefer double veggies instead of rice? Done. You can build meals the way you want, which makes it feel more tailored. HelloFresh, on the other hand, offers a curated experience. You select from their rotating HelloFresh menu each week, but modifications are minimal. This isn't a flaw if you like to be surprised or don't suffer from choice paralysis. Delivery and availability Both services were delivered on time, and everything arrived cold and well-packaged. Home Chef's ingredients came in meal-specific bags (except for proteins, which were separated), while HelloFresh neatly labeled and color-coded each meal kit, which made fridge organization blissful. Sustainability-wise, HelloFresh wins with its recyclable packaging and compostable insulation. It's a small thing, but it makes you feel slightly less guilty about outsourcing your grocery shopping. Time and ease of instructions Home Chef's meals were fast. The 15-minute and oven-ready options are ideal for people who want to eat ASAP. The instructions were clear, and the prep was minimal — a dream for chaotic weeknights when you don't want to deal with a lot of cookware. HelloFresh was more hands-on. While their average recipe takes 20 to 40 minutes, the instructions were precise, and the results made the effort worthwhile. Still, if you're prone to hangry meltdowns, factor in the extra prep time. Price Home Chef cost: Starts at $9.99/serving. You can scale your meals up or down depending on your needs, but customizations and premium ingredients (like filet mignon) cost more. Still, you get solid value for the quality. HelloFresh prices: Starts at $8.99/serving. The more you order, the cheaper it gets per meal. With frequent discounts and Hello Fresh promo codes, your first few boxes can be a steal. Just read the fine print—those discounts often taper off after the trial period. The verdict Home Chef is your steady, no-surprises wingman. If you want straightforward meals with comforting flavors and easy prep, it's the clear winner. It's perfect for nights when you want to eat well without performing culinary gymnastics. HelloFresh is for your inner food nerd. It brings creativity, flavor, and a little extra flair to dinner. If you enjoy cooking as an experience and want to add new recipes to your repertoire, this is your box. Which is best for whom? Pick Home Chef if you want: Oven-ready meals Comfort food classics High customizability Easy clean-up if you want: Pick HelloFresh if you want: Globally inspired dishes Restaurant-quality sauces and flavor combos Engaging cooking experience Eco-friendly packaging if you want: How we tested I ordered the two-person, two-meal plan from both Home Chef and HelloFresh. Each dish was prepared solo, by me, with zero prep hacks and no extra seasoning cheats. I followed instructions to the letter, plated like it was for a chef's table, and judged with all the love and precision of someone who has cried over broken beurre blanc. Each meal was rated on: Taste Ingredient freshness Cooking experience Clean-up time Reheating performance (yes, I tried the leftovers) I tested two meals from each service and approached each with the scrutiny of a chef who's watched too many clients complain about under-salted soup. Here's how they stacked up in real-life scenarios: hangry post-Zoom call, date night at home, and 'I forgot I needed to cook' weeknight. FAQ: Home Chef and HelloFresh Which is cheaper, Home Chef or HelloFresh? HelloFresh tends to be slightly cheaper, with prices starting at $8.99 per serving compared to Home Chef's $9.99. However, Home Chef allows more customization, which can increase the total price compared to HelloFresh. Which has better vegetarian options? HelloFresh offers more variety for vegetarians, with rotating global-inspired meatless dishes. Home Chef has options but leans heavier on traditional American-style fare. Can you skip weeks with both services? Yes. Both Home Chef and HelloFresh allow you to skip a week or pause your subscription with a few clicks online. Just make sure to do it before the weekly cutoff date. Do either offer meals for special diets (keto, gluten-free, etc.)? Home Chef has more flexible options for low-carb and calorie-conscious eaters. Neither brand offers true keto or gluten-free certified plans, but HelloFresh includes labels for dietary preferences. Which is faster to prepare? Home Chef wins here. Their oven-ready and 15-minute meal options are unbeatable for speed. HelloFresh meals tend to take 30–40 minutes and require more hands-on time. Are the ingredients fresh and high-quality? Yes, both brands deliver fresh, high-quality ingredients. I found the proteins clean and well-sealed, produce crisp, and nothing arrived wilted or spoiled. It was pretty amazing. Can I change the number of servings each week? Yes. Both services allow you to change your plan size and number of meals per week, giving you flexibility if you're feeding more (or fewer) people that week. Looking for a headline-worthy haul? Keep shopping Post Wanted. This article was written by Kendall Cornish, New York Post Commerce Editor & Reporter. Kendall, who moonlights as a private chef in the Hamptons for New York elites, lends her expertise to testing and recommending cooking products – for beginners and aspiring sous chefs alike. Simmering and seasoning her way through both jobs, Kendall dishes on everything from the best cookware for your kitchen to cooking classes that will level-up your skills to new dinnerware to upgrade your holiday hosting. Prior to joining the Post's shopping team in 2023, Kendall previously held positions at Apartment Therapy and at Dotdash Meredith's Travel + Leisure and Departures magazines.

CNET

08-05-2025

Business
CNET

Home Chef: Our Honest Review

CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 7.8 / 10 SCORE Home Chef Buy at Home Chef Score Breakdown Taste/results 7 /10 Value 9 /10 Ease of recipes 8 /10 Recipe variety 9 /10 Healthiness 7 /10 Pros Recipes are customizable Oven-ready meals require almost no prep You can easily skip a week at no cost or penalty Most recipes are easy to execute Website and ordering is easy Cons Not a great value Some recipes are clunky and lack creativity Quality of ingredients could be better Too much plastic used in packaging $11 for shipping on every box Home Chef 7.8/10 CNET Score Buy at Home Chef Home Chef is among the most popular meal kit services in 2025, joining the likes of Blue Apron, Sunbasket, EveryPlate and HelloFresh. With dozens of meal kits and prepared meal subscription services vying for your dinnertime dollars, Home Chef looks to distinguish itself with the most customizable recipes of any of them, allowing you to swap out one protein for another or replace meat with a plant-based alternative. Home Chef meal kits are also some of the easiest to execute, with certain dishes eating up no more than 20 minutes of your precious time. Meal kits can make life easier and save time, but they can also be expensive and aren't ideal for every eater. To see if Home Chef is worth it (and who it's best for), a meal kit expert, an editor new to cooking and a wellness editor who is also vegetarian put several meal kits to the test. I've tested Home Chef already, making two weeks' worth of meals. But I wanted to compare notes and opinions with others. I asked two of my fellow editors to make two to three additional meals each to see how Home Chef was standing in the current ranks in 2025. Here's our firsthand reviews of Home Chef meal kit delivery. What is Home Chef and how does it work? In a sea of competitors, Home Chef has emerged as a leading meal kit delivery service with an emphasis on flexible and customizable meal plans, and recipes that can be tailored to your taste. The service launched in 2013, just a year after Blue Apron, and was acquired by grocery giant Kroger in 2018. Since the buyout, individual Home Chef meal kits can now be purchased in most Kroger stores in addition to a mail-order subscription. Home Chef is a subscription service for weekly meal kits, so there is no online option to buy one or two meal kits. New customers sign up via the website or app and a short quiz helps determine which meal plan is best for you, as well as which recipes and ingredients should be avoided. Home Chef's quick quiz helps in determining an optimal meal plan. Home Chef/Screenshot by CNET Then you'll choose the number of recipes per week -- as few as two or as many as six -- as well as how many servings you'd like per recipe: two, four or six. Subscribers can opt to select their own meals each week or let the Home Chef team pick them. You're free to skip a week anytime you'd like and can add meals or servings (at cost) to your delivery as you go. Every meal plan except for one (the smallest) breaks down to $10 per serving, plus $11 for shipping. Home Chef/Screenshot by CNET I found the meal plan selection and ordering process simple, clear and intuitive. When selecting meal kits, a major differentiator between Home Chef and others is that you can swap the protein in just about any recipe. Alternative ingredients include several steak cuts, chicken, shrimp, scallops, mahi mahi and Impossible meat. Certain premium swaps will incur an upcharge of a few bucks, while others won't. If this recipe sounds good but you're not a fan of salmon, you can swap the protein. Home Chef/Screenshot by CNET Meals are delivered once a week in neatly packaged cooler boxes, with each ingredient pre-portioned in separate plastic bags and ready to be cooked. In our first delivery, we also received a small Home Chef binder that is made to keep your recipe pages for future use when you want to recreate meals, which was a nice touch. Meals should be made within a few days of arrival, as many ingredients are not suitable for freezing. What are Home Chef meals like? Home Chef meals are largely easy to prepare and don't require a ton of technical skill. The company aims to please a wide range of eaters, and that means a lot of comfort foods and dishes that are familiar to American diets. You won't see a ton of unfamiliar flavors either, with lots of classic dinner recipes, including burgers with potatoes, baked chicken or pork tenderloin with vegetables and a savory sauce, pasta dishes, teriyaki steak and peppers over rice or chicken tacos. That's not to say you won't find some more creative menu items, such as prosciutto and butternut chowder or bruschetta and shrimp risotto. Home Chef's garlic bruschetta and shrimp risotto meal was the most complicated recipe we tested. David Watsky/CNET Home Chef offers premium meals it refers to as the "culinary collection," but they are priced differently (more on that below). A good many of Home Chef's seafood options, such as crusted ahi tuna and pan-seared mahi-mahi, fall into the premium meal category, as do higher-end cuts of beef. In sticking with the theme of flexibility, you can pop one of these premium meals into your weekly order anytime (at a cost) if you're feeling fancy. Below is an overview of Home Chef's meal categories. Culinary Collection: Premium meal kits with higher-quality ingredients. Premium meal kits with higher-quality ingredients. Express: Ready in 15 minutes or less. Ready in 15 minutes or less. Fast & Fresh: Oven-ready meals that require almost no prep. Oven-ready meals that require almost no prep. Oven-Ready: Meals that arrive in an oven-ready tray. Meals that arrive in an oven-ready tray. Family: Dishes that are only available in 4 or more servings. Dishes that are only available in 4 or more servings. Plus: Include premium ingredients and recipes. Each meal comes packaged in its own bag. Anna Gragert/CNET Read more: Purple Carrot Review: Healthy Plant-Based Cooking Made Simple How easy are Home Chef meal kits to prepare? The meals we tried were easy to prepare, which is one of the calling cards for the meal kit service. Home Chef has quick-fire meals using fresh, pre-portioned ingredients that take just 15 minutes or so to make. There are also some more complicated dinner projects that can take as long as 45 minutes. It's completely up to you which type of meals you'd like to have sent, but beware: If you let Home Chef choose your meals, you might get some of the 45-minute meals in your box. The ingredients for cheesy keto bell peppers stuffed with pork and tomato sauce were simple. David Watsky/CNET Our Flex Editor received two simple meals to try out, including a baked chicken dish and burgers with carrots and fries. They were both extremely easy to prepare and tasty and she had no qualms about the quality of the meat or produce. In fact, it was even her first time making burgers, and she considered it a success. Because the simple chicken dish was a one-pan meal, it allowed for plenty of time to clean up any small messes that were made during the preparation while the dish was baking in the oven. She appreciated how seamless the recipes were. For example, she made the tomato topping for the chicken while the veggies were baking, so there was no wasted time in between steps. Sheet pan tomato salsa chicken with roasted butternut squashlotes was simple to prepare. Corin Cesaric/CNET If you want something even simpler though, there is also a category of oven-ready meals that only require assembling the fresh ingredients in an aluminum baking tray (provided) and popping it into the oven with almost no chopping or prep. These are about as quick and easy as meal kits get, but your bragging rights for a home-cooked meal stay firmly intact. Some meals labeled express plus take only 20 or 30 minutes to prepare and those labeled family meals can be assembled simply in one pot and are designed to feed up to six people. Honey sriracha chicken: One of Home Chef's 15-minute, oven-ready meals that was assembled and ready to be baked. David Watsky/CNET Support materials Each meal kit comes with a comprehensive description, nutritional facts, prep time and a recipe card with ingredients and directions. It was especially nice to have a section on the recipe card that detailed what ingredients would be used more than once so you are away beforehand of what you might need to preserve. The recipe card features a nice, big, glossy image so you can visualize the dish and know what to aim for, plus photos for each step of the process. There's also a Home Chef mobile app that's helpful and easy to use. All Home Chef recipes can be found online in a pinch. The instructions for each dish I made were easy enough to follow but, at times, a bit wordy. Home Chef tends to give even more information than the average home chef will need, perhaps with true beginners in mind. Our wellness editor does wish that Home Chef provided more information on where the produce and other ingredients come from, or at least what they are made of. For instance, when making the elotes quesadillas, in order to see what is in the chipotle crema, she had to look at the nutrition facts online. Home Chef Home Chef allows you to swap easily proteins Home Chef's big claim to fame is that its meal kits and plans are highly customizable to suit you or your family's rhythm. You can swap or upgrade the protein in most of the weekly meals. If a meal includes a "customize it" button, that means you can jump in and swap the chicken for pork, for instance. Some proteins, like salmon, steak and plant-based proteins, trigger an up-charge of $3 or $4 per portion. After 15 minutes in the oven, the honey sriracha chicken was incredibly tender and the vegetables kept their snap. David Watsky/CNET Who is Home Chef good for? We'd suggest Home Chef for anyone who is trying to learn to cook from scratch or lighten their meal-planning or grocery-shopping load. Because many of Home Chef's meals are fast and easy to prepare and can feed up to six people, this is one of the best meal kit services for families or people who are new to cooking. It's also good for people who are fairly specific about what they like to cook and eat since you can make so many changes and swaps. Because Home Chef makes it so easy to skip weeks -- and won't charge you for skipping -- it's great for those who travel or have unpredictable schedules. One-pan meals save plenty of precious evening time. Corin Cesaric/CNET Is Home Chef good for vegetarians and vegans? Our wellness editor, a vegetarian of 20 years who often eats plant-based, tried three vegetarian meals from Home Chef. While they were tasty, the meals were all on the more indulgent side with plenty of cream and cheese. As a result, this would not be a good fit for vegans, as Home Chef does not offer vegan recipes. She also doesn't think that Home Chef would be a good choice for vegetarians looking for healthier, non-comfort food options. Home Chef's nutrition facts can be found online. Home Chef Is Home Chef healthy? Though Home Chef does offer calorie-conscious, carb-conscious and vegetarian meals, based on the three vegetarian meals that she tried, our wellness editor wouldn't say that Home Chef is healthy. She wishes that her recipes had less cream, cheese and pasta with more of a focus on healthy grains and produce. However, this all depends on what recipes you get and your own dietary preferences. As a result, she recommends checking the nutrition facts for each recipe online. How much does Home Chef cost? Some recipes are better deals than others. This meal kit breaks down to about $20 through Home Chef. If you were to buy the necessary ingredients at the store, it would be less than $10. David Watsky/CNET Home Chef's meal kits are purchased per kit and you can order as many as six per week. The per-serving price is $10 for nearly every plan except for the smallest -- two meal kits with two servings each -- which clocks in at $12 per serving. This puts Home Chef right in the middle when compared with other services. Home Chef is a few bucks more expensive per meal than Blue Apron and EveryPlate, but cheaper than premium services like Sunbasket and Green Chef. However, if you sign up today, you receive 30% off your first order, which brings the price down to $7 per serving, plus free shipping (which is originally $11 per delivery, one of the more expensive surcharges of any meal kit service) and the service offers frequent discounts and promotions that could bring the price of your box down. What I cooked and how it went The three of us cooked 11 Home Chef recipes in total. Ingredients arrived fresh and intact with no spills or spoilage. Most of the meals I made were sufficient and some were better than that. But a few proved to be a bit clunky or overly simple and not worth the cost, especially considering you can buy the same ingredients for about 50% less (I did the math). Here's a full breakdown. One-pot pork chili con carne with bacon bits: This pork chili seemed overly simple at first but turned out to be one of the best of the bunch. Let's just say I will be adding bacon to my chili from here on out. Home Chef's pork chili with bacon and sour cream was a winner for me. David Watsky/CNET Sweet potato bowl with poblano pepper and cilantro-lime rice: This recipe was very clunky and definitely not worth the per-serving price. The poblano was far too big. I only added three-quarters of it after dicing and the finished dish was still way too hot, even for a spice lover like me. My Mexican-style sweet potato bowl with poblano peppers and cilantro rice. David Watsky/CNET Moo shu pork tacos: This recipe was a super-fun, quick and easy meal kit to execute. It took less than 20 minutes and the flavors were balanced and interesting, thanks to the toasted sesame oil and spicy sriracha. You'll need little more than a skillet and a chef's knife to make Home Chef's moo shu tacos. David Watsky/CNET Keto-friendly pork stuffed peppers: I liked these low-carb Italian-style peppers just fine but, again, with such simple ingredients, it's hard to stomach paying $10 to $12 per serving. The Italian stuffed peppers were super simple, requiring very little effort. David Watsky/CNET Honey sriracha chicken with crispy wontons was an oven-ready meal, meaning all I really had to do was assemble the chicken breast, precut vegetables and edamame in a baking tray (provided) and cook for 20 minutes. The temperature and timing were on point and the chicken came out tender, while the vegetables kept their snap. Bruschetta shrimp risotto: This recipe was the most complicated Home Chef meal kit I cooked. Risotto famously requires a bit more attention than most dishes, but it was still fairly easy to make and a delicious meal in the end. I might have wanted a bit more detailed instruction on tending to the risotto, especially if I were a beginner learning the ropes of the rice dish. Home Chef offers some more challenging recipes, including this rich shrimp bruschetta risotto. Home Chef Minecraft mushroom fields beef burger with truffle potato and carrot "torch" fries: This recipe was our Flex Editor's introduction into burger making and she was thoroughly pleased with how they turned out. Of course, you can't go wrong with pairing a burger with fries, but the carrots were a nice addition. The kit provided enough beef for four burgers and the produce and ingredients were all fresh. Although it was a fairly simple meal, the simple mushroom sauce helped fancy it up and added a tasty flavor. This meal was simple, but the easy-to-make mushroom sauce helped dress it up. Corin Cesaric/CNET Sheet pan tomato salsa chicken with roasted butternut squashlotes: This meal was even more simple than the burgers since it was a one-pan meal that required minimal prep and dishes, making it an ideal weeknight dinner for a busy household. The chicken had a tasty flavor, but the cutlets were quite thin in comparison to the photo of the meal provided by Home Chef, so it wasn't the most filling dinner. This easy chicken dish took less than 30 minutes to prepare and cook. Corin Cesaric/CNET Vegetarian Home Chef recipes Mexican-style elotes quesadillas: While our wellness editor found this recipe simple to make in about 35 minutes and delicious, it was on the more indulgent side. Though each serving was 610 calories, it did contain 71% of the daily value of salt and 80% of the daily value of saturated fat. As a result, our wellness editor went light on the salt, cheese and crema. She also added pinto beans for more variety and fiber. Home Chef's Mexican-style elotes quesadillas took about 35 minutes to prepare. Anna Gragert/CNET Cozy gnocchi soup: Again, while tasty, this recipe was on the heavier side with a cream sauce base, Parmesan cheese and gnocchi. Our wellness editor had trouble finishing the dish because it was so filling. It also contained 80% of the daily value of sodium, so she was careful not to add extra salt during the cooking process. The cozy gnocchi soup was very filling. Anna Gragert/CNET Cheesy basked spinach rigatoni: Like the other two vegetarian meals, this was on the heavier side with the cream sauce base, butter, Swiss cheese and a French roll. It was tasty, but after two other indulgent meals, our wellness editor wanted something a bit lighter and more produce-forward. The cheesy baked rigatoni was served with a side of garlic bread. Anna Gragert/CNET Home Chef packaging and environmental friendliness In a previous study, Home Chef received the worst green score of four major meal kit services that were tested for plastic waste in packaging. Each recipe is housed in its own plastic bag, and there are numerous small plastic bags and containers within them. Besides the excessive plastic associated with each meal, most of the rest of the packaging is recyclable, including the boxes, insulation sheets and ice packs. Some plastic is necessary for meal kits to work, but Home Chef uses more than the average service. David Watsky/CNET Our wellness editor thought that Home Chef could do a better job packaging its ingredients, since some of the same ingredients were repackaged two or three times for one recipe. Personally, she also found the binder to be a waste because it's not something she needs in her kitchen and would have preferred the recipe cards on their own. (However, if you plan to stick with Home Chef for a long time, she acknowledges that the binder could be nice to have on hand.) Similar to other meal kits she's tested, she wishes there was more biodegradable or compostable packing, or a method of sending the ice packs back for reuse. Unfortunately, the same ingredients were repackaged two or three times. Anna Gragert/CNET Our editors' experiences compared Editor Name Cooking experience Food preference CNET role Key opinions on Home Chef David Watsky Experienced chef and meal kit expert Gluten-free CNET's Kitchen & Home Tech Senior Editor - User-friendly service struck a fair balance with consistently good meal kits that were unpretentious and easy to prepare. - Found many recipes clunky and not worth the $10-$12 per serving cost. - Appreciated the ability to swap proteins and skip weeks. - Overall, Home Chef may not be worth the price compared to other services like Blue Apron. Corin Cesaric Novice cook Meat and veggies, plus plant-based options CNET's Health & Home Flex Editor - Found the ease and quickness refreshing. - Had no concerns about the quality of the meat or produce. Anna Gragert An experienced home cook Vegetarian, health-conscious CNET's Health & Wellness Editor - Not the best meal kit service for vegetarians or vegans. - Meals were tasty but on the indulgent side and not as healthy as preferred. - Prefers more accessible information on ingredient sourcing and less plastic packaging. The final verdict on Home Chef This user-friendly service struck a fair balance with consistently good meal kits that were unpretentious and easy to prepare. I appreciate the ability to change proteins in nearly any recipe and I'm sure families with picky eaters will, too. In the end, many of the meal kits I prepared just felt unrefined and some of the recipes were a bit clunky. I could let that slide if Home Chef meal kits cost less than they do, but at $10 to $12 a serving, many of the meals I made just didn't seem worth the price. However, in our most recent tests, Flex Editor Corin Cesaric, who is a self-proclaimed amateur cook, found the easiness and quickness of her two meals refreshing. As for Anna Gragert, our wellness editor and a vegetarian of 20 years, she found that Home Chef isn't the best meal kit service for vegetarians or vegans. Compare that with Blue Apron, another meal kit service I've tested, which offers high-end recipes such as bistro steaks and roasted trout, for a cheaper price per serving than Home Chef when you factor in shipping. Blue Apron and other meal kit services don't allow for as much customization as Home Chef. If that's important for you and the crew you're feeding, Home Chef could be the right fit to make your dinner routine a snap.

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