As a busy professional and parent, I’m constantly facing the dinner dilemma – how to feed my family fresh, nutritious meals when my schedule is already bursting. I’ve tried every meal delivery kit service aiming to make dinnertime easier. Read on for my epic battle between leading contenders Blue Apron versus Home Chef after personally testing both services.
At a Glance: Blue Apron vs Home Chef
Blue Apron delivers creative recipes and responsibly sourced ingredients to whip up global-inspired meals at home. Their offerings cater more to adventurous foodies looking to expand their culinary skills.
Home Chef focuses on maximum flexibility and variety for busy families. Their menus encompass everything from quick weeknight dinners to impressive date-night dishes with plenty of customization.
Both services succeed in taking meal planning and grocery shopping off your plate so you can enjoy home cooking without the hassle. So which comes out ahead in this food fight? Read on for my complete inside look at each meal delivery service.
Diving Into the Details: How Do They Work?
Functionally, Blue Apron and Home Chef work very similarly when it comes to meal kits. Both offer flexible weekly delivery so you can customize or pause orders as needed. Their basic process goes like this:
- Take a preference quiz to tailor recommendations to your diet
- Browse this week’s menus and select meals
- Pre-portioned ingredients and easy recipes arrive at your door
- Follow the recipes to cook meals in around 30-45 minutes
Easy-peasy, right? But a few key differences give one service an edge…
More Choice and Flexibility: Point to Home Chef
Home Chef simply offers more variety across their menus including exclusive meals, doubling options for larger families, quick oven-ready options, add-on proteins, sides and snacks, even breakfast and dessert choices.
Their huge array of 20+ weekly meals splits into categories like Calorie Smart, Carb Smart, Veggie, Quick and Easy, Oven Ready so you can really customize to your needs.
Blue Apron’s roughly 8-10 weekly meals don’t cater to special diets outside their single Vegetarian offering. Their recipes can’t be tailored as much, but do allow adjusting protein preferences.
Verdict: Home Chef wins out with more choices and flexibility.
Pricing Showdown: Who Offers More Value?
Both brands price meals competitively, but costs per serving depend highly on order size and specific menu selections. Here’s a peek at common pricing for each:
|| Blue Apron | Home Chef |
|-|—————-|—————|
| 2 Servings | $8.99-$10.99 per serving | $8.49-$9.95 per serving
| 4 Servings | $7.49-$8.99 per serving | $6.99-$7.95 per serving
Based on their published price ranges, Blue Apron delivers a very slight price advantage – but only around $1 per serving.
Of course, final pricing varies weekly since recipes rotate. And Home Chef tempts you with plenty of add-ons like quick oven meals, breakfasts, desserts and a la carte proteins.
Verdict: Draw – the math gives Blue Apron the tiniest edge, but Home Chef offers more optional convenience upgrades.
Getting Down to Ingredients: Sourcing and Quality
Fresh, responsibly-sourced ingredients importantly determine the flavor and goodness of every bite. Here’s an inside look at how Blue Apron and Home Chef compare when it comes to food quality.
Blue Apron Leads in Transparency and Mission
Blue Apron highlights partnerships with over 250 small family farms and specialty food makers committed to sustainable practices. Their published standards scrutinize and audit suppliers in areas like:
- Responsible production methods
- Fair labor practices
- Animal welfare
- Water conservation
- Reducing food waste
All seafood earns Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Best Choice” sustainable rating. Blue Apron even collaborates with non-profits like Fair Trade USA to promote ethical sourcing.
Home Chef Focuses on Taste and Reliability
Home Chef mentions sourcing from “best-in-class” vendors to find high-quality ingredients but shares little about actual producers or supply standards beyond basic food safety.
They focus less on mission and more on delivering reliable quality through tried-and-true partners. Their menus regularly feature common premium names like Shady Brook Farms and True Made Foods.
Verdict: Blue Apron Takes the Cake on Ingredient Transparency and Ethics
For eco-conscious eaters like me, Blue Apron’s traceability and supply chain ethics are big perks. Their published partnerships also suggest reliable taste.
That said, I’ve enjoyed delicious meals from both companies. Home Chef in particular works with well-known brands that contribute consistency. So flavor and freshness win high marks all around – but only Blue Apron offers full ingredient transparency.
Meal Comparo: Favorite Dishes
Enough talk – how do these meal kits stack up when it comes to actual food? I cooked up a storm putting both services to the test the past year. Here are some of my all-time faves:
**Blue Apron***
1. Carolina-Style Smoky BBQ Chicken – The tangy barbecue sauce takes this comfort food up a notch. Served with a fresh corn, tomato and arugula salad plus roasted sweet potato wedges. ~35 min prep
2. Summer Squash & Ricotta Flatbreads – How gorgeous do these look straight from the oven? Zucchini, ricotta and mozzarella served on crispy flatbreads for perfect picnic fare. ~30 min prep
3. Portuguese Cod & Pepper Stew – Hearty chunks of cod swim in a stew filled with peppers, onions and potatoes. Served with crusty bread, it’s a hug in a bowl! ~35 min prep
**Home Chef***
1. Bleu Cheese and Apple Wagyu Burger – Hands down the juiciest, most mouthwatering burger I’ve ever made thanks to the tender Wagyu beef. Cranberry mayo, spinach and melty bleu cheese put it over the top. ~30 min prep
2. Parmesan Pork Medallions – Pork tenderloin gets crusted in crispy Parmesan and panko topping served with Dijon-mushroom sauce, green beans and herb roasted potatoes. Fancy restaurant quality meal in 30 minutes! ~30 min prep
3. Shrimp Boil Foil Packs – Perfect for summer grilling, these foil packs stuffed with corn, potatoes, sausage and huge shrimp steam right on the grill. We devoured them picnic-style outside in minutes! ~25 min prep
Verdict: Both Services Deliver Delicious, Quality Meals
From the recipes I’ve tested, both Blue Apron and Home Chef excel in providing satisfying meals across a range of cuisines and dietary needs. They take care of balancing flavors, textures and nutrition so even cooking novices can put out tasty plates.
If I had to choose one winner, I’d give Blue Apron the edge for unique flavor combinations and visually stunning meals. But Home Chef offers more comfort food crowd-pleasers my family happily scarfs up. Luckily you can’t go wrong with either when it comes great-tasting meal kits to your door!
Ordering and Delivery: How Smooth Is the Process?
At the heart of the matter, meal kits need to deliver convenience above all. You’re already crunched for time – you can’t be struggling with subscriptions or waiting endlessly for your order. Here’s the inside scoop on reliability:
Kitchen Math with Home Chef
Home Chef makes ordering incredibly smooth with an intuitive site and app saving all your preferences once set. I breeze through choosing meals in under 5 minutes now.
Their delivery arrived within my selected 3-day window 100% on time, packaged securely with ice packs and insulation. Resealable recipe cards and ingredients all clearly labeled for foolproof cooking.
Only once an issue receiving ground turkey nearly expired – but CS rapidly shipped a replacement free of charge.
Blue Apron Delivers Simplicity
Easy online account management lets you swap meals, skip or cancel Blue Apron orders with no hassle. I typically stick to my favorites now but trying new recipes is fun.
From wine pairings to tableau photos walking through prep, their recipe cards really excel in guiding first-timers through elegant dishes. STEP-BY-STEP!
Delivery reliably shows up 1-2 days after processing. Blue Apron ships more limited ingredients kept simple. I’ve rarely had problems except some wilting greens in summer – easily remedied by priority meal planning.
Verdict: Home Chef Edges Ahead Based on My Experience
Both services ultimately deliver the convenience promised with meal kits. But my own order history gives Home Chef a slight lead when it comes to consistently timely delivery and order accuracy. Their interface also makes meal planning even simpler for this busy bee.
Last Call: Which Service Comes Out on Top?
While both brands serve up convenience and quality with pre-portioned meals dropped at your door, in this battle Blue Apron vs Home Chef, I proclaim Home Chef the winner by a honey mustard drizzle!
The deciding factors? More meal variety including dietary preference options, cheaper pricing for larger families, and slightly smoother ordering through delivery left me most satisfied as a customer.
That said, Blue Apron still shines for unique recipes and ethically-sourced ingredients not found elsewhere. At the end of the day, you can’t make a bad choice between these leading meal delivery services – both will have tasty dinners on the table in no time!
No matter which you choose, I hope my personal insights help you skip the shopping and messy kitchen chaos so you can sit down to happier homemade mealtimes. Now if you‘ll excuse me, I have a Bleu Cheese Wagyu Burger calling my name!
