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CookUnity review 2024: How good is the popular chef-made meal delivery service this year?
So good that it's our No.1 pick for the best gourmet-style prepared meal delivery service.
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If part of your 2024 mindset involves prioritizing — and simplifying — healthier eating, you might want to try a prepared meal delivery service. But with so many to choose from, how do you pick? No worries. We're already on it. We tested many of the most popular meal services on the market, and in the category of chef-made prepared meals there's a clear winner: CookUnity.
Not familiar? CookUnity delivers top-quality microwavable meals, with many options for different types of cuisine and dietary preferences: Asian, Italian, Latin American, omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, gluten-free, low-carb, keto and others.
CookUnity works with some of the country’s top award-winning chefs including Jose Garces, Esther Choi, Ludo Lefebvre and Fabio Viviani. A portion of every meal purchased goes directly back to the chef who made it, so by choosing CookUnity you are supporting entrepreneurs and making it possible for them to be compensated fairly for their craft and do what they love best — share great food.
The fully prepared meals provided by CookUnity start at roughly $11 apiece, with an additional shipping charge that varies by location. Let's learn more about this service's features, and then we'll get into the specifics of why we rate CookUnity as a top prepared-meal delivery service.
Price: $11-$13.50 per meal | Weekly menu options: 100+ | Diet choices: low-carb, keto, Mediterranean, gluten-free, pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan | Taste: 10/10
CookUnity delivers chef-crafted meals inspired by a variety of global flavors to your home in a way that none of the other meal delivery services do. This is seriously good food. We tried omnivore, pescatarian and plant-based dishes in categories like American, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, West African and more, and there wasn't a single dud in the bunch. I was so impressed with the high-quality shrimp and fish dishes in particular, as those are notoriously challenging to reheat without turning into cardboard.
Prices start at $11 per meal, and a box of 12 meals costs about $135, including shipping, which varies depending on your location.
There are more than 100 new dishes to choose from each week that you can filter by paleo, vegetarian, vegan, keto and Mediterranean, if you wish. In addition, you can filter by dairy-free, low-sodium, low-carb, less than 600 calories and gluten-free meals. The weekly menus also feature breakfast options, snacks, dips, dressings, desserts and pressed juices. You can order up to 16 meals per week and most meals we tried were microwavable and ready in under four minutes.
These were the most delicious meals we tried. The quality of fresh, high-quality ingredients and diversity of flavors were remarkable. Another perk: CookUnity meal trays are industrially compostable, so if you have access to an industrial compost bin or organization, you can recycle them there. Otherwise, you can clean and recycle your trays with other paper materials. Learn more about their sustainability here.
- 60+ chefs who offer ever-changing flavorful menu options
- Our testers were blown away by the meals and flavors
- Even the pickiest eater will find new favorites
- Pricey
What's the story behind CookUnity?
Founded in 2015 by entrepreneur Mateo Marietti, CookUnity is a first-of-its-kind chef marketplace offering people across the country direct access to great food crafted by professional chefs and delivered fresh. CookUnity sets itself apart from traditional meal kits by delivering chef-made meals with hundreds of options for food enthusiasts — so you don't need to choose between convenience, quality and variety. The meals are fresh, never frozen, and ready to eat in about two minutes.
How did we test CookUnity's prepared meal delivery service?
I ate CookUnity meals with my family and friends — some of whom have asked me for recommendations for better meal services. I’ve been eating for a living for many years now: I have a degree from the French Culinary Institute and have worked for various food publications. I’m also a mom with an active teen and tween, for whom I cook daily.
I evaluated CookUnity based on the following criteria:
Subscription price, because everyone has different budgets.
Ease of use, because you’re getting a meal to make your life easier, so you don’t want anything too complicated or time-consuming.
Menu choices, because you want a good variety of flavors and ingredients.
Taste, because above all you want your meals to be yummy!
Packaging: Is there too much? Does this service put excess waste into the world?
I considered feedback from other on-staff meal testers for a variety of opinions (we got reviews from a family of five, a family with both an infant and a tween, and a family of three with vegetarians and vegans). I also evaluated info from Facebook groups devoted to discussing meal kits, plus expert advice from Jaclyn London, a registered dietitian based in New York City.
If you want to read our reviews on a range of fully prepared meal delivery services, click here.
The CookUnity meals I tried and how I liked them
I tried a bunch of meals, including Coconut Hanger Steak with Couscous and Corn and Arugula Salad, Adobe Chicken Quinoa Kale Enchiladas, Pappardelle with Pork Ragu, Salmon Madras Curry and Fable Mushroom Vegan Lasagna. The steak dish was pretty tasty even after microwaving, which I find can make meat tough. I didn't love the couscous, which was a bit mushy and bland, but the corn salad was a nice fresh component. The enchiladas on a bed of rice and beans did not look pretty ... but this Jose Garces meal was creamy and delicious with tons of flavor and texture, and perfect on a cold day.
CookUnity meals cost almost as much as takeout, so you'll want to consider if it makes sense for you. The meals are made with high-quality ingredients and conceived by chefs with chops, so most of the ones I tried were well-seasoned and highly satisfying. I like that you can filter the weekly menu by protein or dietary preference.
What can you expect from a CookUnity meal?
You won't waste time and energy stressing about what to cook or when to shop — just open the fridge, pull out a meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner and heat it up in the microwave. When you're ready to place a CookUnity order, you can browse the whole weekly menu or filter meals by dietary restriction or preference: type of cuisine, gluten-free, keto, plant-based or vegetarian, low-carb and more. You can choose your delivery day and even add extras like breakfast foods, snacks and cold-pressed juices.
What if you're nervous about trying CookUnity?
CookUnity offers major discounts to first-time customers, making it very affordable to try before you commit (or don’t). Take advantage of its offers, and mark your calendar with an alert for the date by which you must cancel the subscription.
What if I need to skip a week?
You can skip a week or cancel if your needs change.
Where can I find the CookUnity nutritional information?
Each meal has a sleeve with the ingredients, nutrition and allergen info printed on it. You can also scan the QR code on the sleeve for detailed info. Any time you click on an individual meal's photo on the CookUnity website, you’ll be able to view the chef, meal description, ingredients and nutrition information.
Is CookUnity a meal delivery service for weight loss?
Not specifically, but CookUnity meals can help you meet your nutrition-related goals.
How long do CookUnity meals last?
The meals are prepared without artificial or chemical preservatives, and have a refrigerated shelf life of about 4-7 days. Every meal has a “use by” date on the label.
Can I freeze CookUnity meals?
Yes, feel free to freeze meals before their “Enjoy Before” dates. Just be sure to thaw them completely in the fridge before heating.
How do CookUnity ingredients stay fresh during shipping?
CookUnity packs and ships its meals with ice packs and liners that will maintain the temperature necessary to ensure your food is fresh when it arrives.
Can I recycle the CookUnity packaging?
Yes. You'll find lots of info about recycling its different forms of packaging on the CookUnity site.
The final verdict on CookUnity
Ultimately, CookUnity meals are great to have in the fridge when you know that you won't have the time or energy to think dinner through and will likely turn to grabbing Chinese food instead. I would order them again when I anticipate a particularly busy week with lots of responsibilities to juggle.
Price: $11-$13.50 per meal | Weekly menu options: 100+ | Diet choices: Paleo, keto, Mediterranean, gluten-free, pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan | Taste: 10/10
CookUnity delivers chef-crafted meals inspired by a variety of global flavors to your home in a way that none of the other meal delivery services do. This is seriously good food. We tried omnivore, pescatarian and plant-based dishes in categories like American, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, West African and more, and there wasn't a single dud in the bunch. I was so impressed with the high-quality shrimp and fish dishes in particular, as those are notoriously challenging to reheat without turning into cardboard.
The price for these meals starts at $11 per meal, and a box of 12 meals costs about $135, including shipping, which varies depending on your location.
There are more than 40 new dishes to choose from each week that you can filter by paleo, vegetarian, vegan, keto and Mediterranean, if you wish. In addition, you can filter by dairy-free, low-sodium, low-carb, less than 600 calories and gluten-free meals. The weekly menus also feature breakfast options, snacks, dips, dressings, desserts and pressed juices. You can order up to 16 meals per week and most meals we tried were microwavable and ready in under four minutes.
These were the most delicious meals we tried. The quality of fresh, high-quality ingredients and diversity of flavors were remarkable. Another perk: CookUnity meal trays are industrially compostable, so if you have access to an industrial compost bin or organization, you can recycle them there. Otherwise, you can clean and recycle your trays with other paper materials. Learn more about their sustainability here.
- 60+ chefs who offer ever-changing flavorful menu options
- Our testers were blown away by the meals and flavors
- Even the pickiest eater will find new favorites
- Pricey
We received complimentary samples of some meal delivery services and purchased others ourselves and reviewed all with the same criteria.
