Home Chef

What's in the box: Pre-portioned fresh ingredients and step-by-step recipe cards for the meals you chose that week, packed in an insulated box, plus any Extras you added.

Home Chef is a US meal kit service owned by Kroger, which completed its acquisition of the company in June 2018. Each week subscribers pick from a rotating menu that the site says includes over 35 meals and 18 Extras, and the site describes skipping a week as easy. The range goes beyond classic cook-from-scratch kits. There are Oven-Ready options for nights when you want less prep, menu groupings such as Easy-Prep, Fresh-Start and Family-Friendly, and a separate Family Plan. A Customize It tool lets you adjust some meals, for example by swapping the protein, which gives more flexibility than many rivals. Ingredients arrive pre-portioned in an insulated box with step-by-step recipes. Home Chef lists dinners starting at $7.99 per serving. Lunch, breakfast, desserts, snacks and drinks are priced separately, so the total can climb quickly if you add Extras. The sample dishes lean toward familiar, hearty American comfort food like steak with potatoes, creamy pastas and saucy chicken dishes. That suits many households but may feel repetitive to adventurous cooks. Like most meal kits, it creates more packaging than shopping for yourself, and the cost per serving is usually higher than cooking from grocery store ingredients. The company advertises a satisfaction guarantee, subject to its terms.