Editor's choice
CrateChef
#2nd Best choice
Culinarie Kit
#3rd Best Choice
CHEFTRUNK
Gordon Ramsey doesn't serve Michelin-starred meals made with sub-par ingredients. Likewise, the late, great Anthony Bourdain wouldn't deign to grace a plate with anything less than the best of the best.
As a serious home chef, you're probably just as dedicated and picky when it comes to sourcing the finest artisan ingredients. Whether you're cooking for the family or regularly dishing up three-course meals to anyone in a five-mile radius, producing great food is often a matter of having great ingredients.
A chef subscription box is one of the best ways to get your hot little chef-like hands on some of the most unique and desirable foodstuffs. Each month a box of delivered foods will land on your doorstep promising a gateway to culinary adventures. Share your goodies or keep them to yourself, it's all gravy (or jus) either way!
Let's take a look at the three best chef-curated subscription boxes, starting with our favorite, CrateChef.
Our Top Chef Subscription Box Services
1. CrateChef (Editor's Choice)
CrateChef is a food delivery service with a difference.
Each of the company's subscription boxes contains foods, a gadget, and sometimes even a cookbook selected by a different culinary expert each month.
The food boxes only contain goods that are non-perishable, meaning you can cook with the ingredients when you're ready.
We like the input of a different chef each month, it's kind of like receiving a gift from a famous cook in each box.
In addition, you'll receive exclusive new recipes that offer suggestions for using your ingredients alongside basic pantry staples.
Home cooking never tasted so great!
PROS
Cons
2. Culinarie Kit
- Best match for: Vegan gift-giving (to yourself or a loved one).
Any gift recipient will be happy to find a beautiful subscription box from Culinarie Kit on their doorstep.
The company also offers up several distinct choices: quarterly subscription boxes, vegan gift boxes, and one-off gourmand and terra boxes.
In case you're wondering what a terra subscription box is, it's a selection of artisan ingredients inspired by the earth we walk on every day.
Each Culinarie Kit box, be it a subscription or a present, contains delicious foodstuffs curated by the company. Your first box should also contain Culinarie Kit's secret and exclusive spice blend.
This stuff is not some basic-bro Colonel Sanders' 11 secret herbs and spices rubbish either, it's a taste extravaganza.
PROS
Cons
3. CHEFTRUNK
- Best match for: Putting your best cooking foot forward monthly.
The brainchild of chef Kevin, a pastry chef with experience in some of the nation's leading restaurants, CHEFTRUNK aims to turn your home kitchen into a culinary experience every month.
The company's subscription boxes contain three to four exciting new ingredients alongside recipes and a mystery gadget.
Beloved by food bloggers and customers alike, CHEFTRUNK sources some really unique and unusual artisan products to expand your skills in the kitchen and your recipes knowledge.
We like the inclusion of a gadget too, because like true food junkies we know you can never have enough gadgets in the kitchen!
PROS
Cons
Why Choose a Food Service Delivery?
If you're buying for yourself, choosing one of the best subscription options above is the ideal way to boost your kitchen knowledge and cook with unique foodstuffs. Each ingredient in the boxes we reviewed is chef-selected and can help you take your dishes from wow to wowsers.
And if you're buying for a home cook you know, it makes for an unusual gift that goes above and beyond a boring gift card or a staid bunch of flowers. Your recipient can enjoy transforming their home kitchen into a professional-level kitchen with special recipes, tips and tricks, and top-shelf ingredients.
The Difference Between Meal Kits and Home Chef Subscriptions
The companies we've reviewed provide chef-selected ingredients and some include ideas for recipes, tips and tricks, and gadgets. These gourmet ingredients are designed to be used when you feel like it, or bit by bit.
In contrast, meal kits are more prescriptive, they contain everything a cook needs to create one meal or several meals. Meal kits are great when it comes to reducing food waste and helping home cooks who are a bit wobbly in the kitchen find their feet. But they leave little room for invention and for cooks comfortable in their skill set, meal kits are a bit boring.
What Kind of Foods Are In a Chef-Curated Box?
Here are a few examples of the eclectic and delicious artisan foods and products you might find on your doorstep in a chef-curated box:
- Middle-eastern Za'atar spice mix
- Mochi flour
- Bourbon-infused maple syrup
- Gnocchi rollers
- Aged balsamic vinegar
- Black truffle sea salt
- Chef home recipe tips
Food for Thought
Our pick of the chef-curates boxes goes to CrateChef. The company delivers on several key factors: the number of ingredients in each box, product quality, recipes, and tips.
We also love that each month a different chef chooses the contents, which keeps things fresh and interesting. Buy a box for yourself or for a foodie loved one, you can't go wrong here. The only thing left to say is be ready , steady... cook!
CrateChef
Our #1 Recommendation