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Sunday, February 9th
Top Chef Meals is a meal delivery service designed with health in mind. The recipes here are dietitian-developed to manage medical diagnoses like diabetes, renal failure, high cholesterol, and weight management. Top Chef Meals has been around for decades and offers consistent service without a subscription.
No minimum or maximum requirements
Unlike other meal delivery services on our list, Top Chef Meals has no minimum or maximum purchase requirement. However, if you'd like free shipping (and who doesn't?), you will need to buy anywhere from 15 to 21 meals to qualify based on your zip code. Since the meals are flash frozen, you can buy in bulk and store some in the freezer. Unfortunately, those on or near the west coast only qualify for discounted $19.95 shipping since the food is shipped by air for freshness.
From $9.95 to $14.95
There are no major discounts available on your first orders from Top Chef Meals, but you will receive 5% off your first order if you purchase a minimum of 21 meals. If you're a senior, you will always get 10% off, but that cannot be combined with the introductory offer. Meal prices vary from $9.95 for something like chicken teriyaki to $14.95 for filet mignon. The menu is divided into categories like seasonal specials, seafood entrees, chicken entrees, turkey entrees, beef entrees, vegetarian entrees, breakfasts, soups, and desserts. Many meals allow you to customize your sides. You can also specify if you want low sodium, diabetic, gluten-free, dairy-free, or low fat meals. There doesn't seem to be a good search feature, however.
Opt-in for friendly reminders to reorder
While this is not a subscription-based service, Top Chef Meals has an option for you to sign up for reorder reminders, either weekly, every other week or every four weeks. This gives you one of the perks of subscription-based meals without the commitment.
Ingredients done right
Top Chef Meals is dedicated to sourcing local, high-quality ingredients. They've been in the food business far longer than most meal delivery services and have long-standing relationships with their suppliers. Their foods also do not include artificial ingredients, preservatives, trans fats, or high fructose corn syrup. They also make sure their meat is antibiotic- and hormone-free. They don't source organic, but do say they aim for the best seasonal products.
No guaranteed delivery dates, but 100% quality guarantee
Delivery days and times are not guaranteed by Top Chef Meals, but they do give approximate times and dates your shipment should be expected on their zone delivery schedule map. They ship exclusively via FedEx, which is one of the most dependable shipping companies in the U.S., and FedEx offers great tracking options for people who need to stay on top of their deliveries. Top Chef Meals has an active kitchen and makes meals fresh during the five-day work week, so if you need a meal rushed for some reason, you can call and make arrangements with them. If you live near Manhattan, you can actually pick up your meals at their commissary for free or have them delivered same-day by courier. Top Chef Meals delivers food flash frozen, and they offer a 100% quality guarantee, replacing or refunding any damaged, spoiled, or inedible foods as a result of shipping or delivery.
Guaranteed freshness and tried-and-true packaging
Since Top Chef Meals have been in business for a very long time, they have developed some tried and true packaging that includes cardboard, jute, and plastic bags, as well as dry ice and/or gel packs to maintain freshness and quality during transit.
Fantastic reviews
While the website lacks personality and flash, and the photos of meals are not impressive, Top Chef Meals has great customer ratings. With over 5,000 positive reviews we found from people who've used the service, many for years, that's pretty impressive. We've also heard high praises about customer service at Top Chef Meals, too. We feel like Top Chef Meals would be a low-risk meal delivery service to try.
Best for seniors or those with medical issues
We are so thrilled that there is a meal delivery service out there for people with special medical diets, and we love that Top Chef Meals is willing to give seniors a forever discount of 10%. This meal delivery option also has low-sodium options, whereas most meal delivery services are actually high in sodium. The problems that come into play with Top Chef Meals are the flip side of being around for a long time, like having a website and order process reminiscent of the early 2000s or even before. They don't seem to be interested in updating their menus for recent trends, and shipping is confusing. Rather than having everyone pay the same flat rate, they are stuck in a zone model that is not up to date with the rest of the meal delivery industry. Top Chef Meals provides healthy and flavorful meals for those with medically-regulated diets, but they don't come in as one of our top options for the average household.
Like us, our food choices are distinctive and individual. The booming prepared meal delivery services industry is a reflection of that. Choosing a meal kit from all the choices available depends on a lot of factors - the most important of which is the reason why you are looking for an easier way to nourish yourself in the first place.
Perhaps you are dealing with a chronic illness that can be helped by altering your diet. Maybe you need to take a break from cooking because you are going through significant changes in your life. It is possible that your young family is too busy with extracurricular activities, playdates, and obligations to find time for menu planning and grocery shopping.
Perhaps you are a senior who needs a fully prepared meal solution. Maybe you are just tired of takeout and food waste and only want the food you know you will cook. Or you're a rotten cook who wants to learn how to prepare a meal that isn't too dry or undercooked. Meal delivery services can help you and your family's mental and physical health, regardless of your circumstances or motivations.
A meal delivery service can alleviate the burden of preparing entirely different menus for you and your loved ones in cases where families have multiple dietary restrictions. So if you need a diet to deal with the effects of menopause but your partner is weightlifting and needs a high protein diet, a meal delivery service can cover that. You only receive the food you actually eat with these services because everything is pre-portioned. Some kits even do the prep work of chopping, slicing, and cooking grains for you.
Meal delivery services typically keep things simple while still ensuring that your food is tasty and satisfying. Some are kits that take just five or six steps to prepare. There are others who promise 30-minute meal prep time. If you are interested in learning how to cook but are short on time, a meal kit subscription could be a good option. You can even learn new cooking techniques from the gourmet meals that some services provide (sometimes for an upgraded price, but it is worth it). In no time at all, you will be able to confidently claim the title of "home chef." And, for individuals who are mindful of their budget, there are companies that specialize in delivering affordable home-cooked meals.
If you are concerned about the environment, you can find a number of meal delivery options that adhere strictly to regulations regarding responsible fishing and provide only the healthiest ingredients in their prepared meals. Although not certified organic, many businesses are now buying from local farms that follow rigorous standards for the humane treatment of animals and for healthy, delicious produce.
There are meal delivery services that will teach you new skills but will also require you to do some prep work, and there are other services that will deliver meals that only require 15 minutes to make. Incredibly detailed recipe cards and easy-to-follow instructions are provided by most brands, making meal preparation accessible to even the youngest family members. Some people find the recipes on these cards to be so useful that they opt to keep them for when they want to make the same dish on their own.
Our mouths watered while researching today's most popular meal delivery options. Before you choose your ideal service, there are a few things we think are important:
To give you the most worry-free experience with choosing a meal delivery service, the experts at Top Consumer Reviews have spent hours looking at every aspect and facet of the most popular companies on the market today. We hope this helps you find a solution to creating healthy, delicious mealtimes - where you can create loving memories around the common, everyday act of providing a hot, home cooked meal with joy.
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