Review of Home Chef (and why we gave up Blue Apron!)

Last summer, I posted my review of Blue Apron.  I’ve been REALLY enjoying Blue Apron, and ordering it nearly every week!, so when my friend TM recommended HomeChef instead, I hesitated.  Big time.

I had no issues with Blue Apron, but my hubby was not a big fan of all the veggies (especially the kale and collard greens that seem to come with every meal, LOL).  The price is nearly identical (about $60 for 2 person servings, per week).

Then when I took a step back, I would admit that the BA recipes can sometimes be a little complicated and take awhile (not fun on week nights!)  And our mutual complaint was that Blue Apron offers no choices, only vegetarian/meat/fish meals.  The 3 meals they choose are the 3 meals we would receive, so sometimes we would skip a week because 1 or 2 of the 3 didn’t look very appetizing to Javi.  Or I would eat triple servings when J didn’t want it, because I could usually divide the meal into 3 and still feel full (a nice perk!)

So back to HomeChef.  My friend said she loves their recipes, and they are faster and easier than BA.  Best of all, you have a choice from about 10 options, so you pick what looks best.  She sent me the referral link, which gets her $30 off and me $30 off my first order.  We tried it… and it was delish!  Here are the main differences I noticed:

1. Packaging.  Just like Blue Apron, HomeChef delivers in a big box that’s insulated, and has ice packs.  BUT the wonderful thing about HomeChef is the meals are bagged separately, whereas BA throws all the ingredients in the box, and you have to sift through them to find the right ones per recipe.  It sounds trivial, but I like how HC is more organized in this respect.  Plus, less chance for forgetting an ingredient or using one from another recipe.
2. Ease of Recipes.  HomeChef recipes are easier than Blue Apron, and typically take 30 minutes or less, whereas I think most of my BA recipes took 45 minutes or longer.  BA is just a bit more complicated.  Plus the recipe cards have little sections that say “Watch out! Parmesan cheese is used twice, here and here…” which is so helpful when in a hurry (for someone who usually misses things!)
3. Choices.  As mentioned above, HomeChef gives you some wonderful, glorious choices.  So if you’ve already eaten chicken 5 times this week, then you can order fish, steak, and pork.  Easy, convenient, fun.  
4. More choices.  In addition to the meals, you can order add-ons like fruit, breakfast, or even a 4^th or 5^th meal.  We haven’t taken advantage of these options yet, but certainly nice to know we could! 
5. Handy recipe book.  HomeChef sent a folder where all the recipes go, on our second shipment.

Of course, I have to mention the downside too.  In general, I thought the BA recipes had fresher ingredients, and more flavor.  My husband disagrees, and his vote goes to HomeChef all the way (hence, why we switched!)

Both are great for their own reasons, but we will ultimately stick with HomeChef because we enjoy choosing which meals to receive.

Tonight’s Sicilian herbed chicken with a balsamic glaze was DIVINE!  The garlicky green beans were good, and I really loved the tomatoes with mozzarella cheese! YUM!

If YOU would like to try HomeChef, comment below!  I have 3 free trials to share 🙂