CookUnity is the first ever chef-to-you delivery service, designed specifically for those wanting to eat well but who may be faced with time or schedule challenges!
In the whirlwind of a hectic schedule (we all know what it’s like to be juggling multiple things!), I stumbled upon Cook Unity – a meal delivery service promising gourmet meals delivered right to my front doorstep.
Intrigued, I explored their lengthy menu and ordered myself a variety of dishes from a range of cuisine types, excited to break free from my usual dinner routine (that was starting to feel quite lackluster!).
The neatly packaged meals arrived at my front door every week, each one a delight. From the freshness of ingredients to the perfect-sized portions, it was clear these were crafted by skilled chefs, and with care!
The convenience of enjoying restaurant-quality meals at home was a game-changer for me and my life.
As someone who has struggled with portion control in the past, it has been a great opportunity for me to get a grasp on this, and enjoy the right amount of food.
This article will discuss CookUnity in more detail to help give you an insight into the entire process and whether the service might be suitable for you and your life!
How Does CookUnity Meal Delivery Service Work?
According to CookUnity themselves, they have provided the first service that connects everyday people to an excellent team of private chefs in New York.
CookUnity works with a team of over 50 chefs across a variety of top restaurants – some of which are even Michelin-starred!
These chefs work hard to design and create healthy, easy-to-heat meals with wholesome and nutritious ingredients to help save you time and look after your body.
You can create an account for CookUnity online on their website, which then allows you to browse their extensive online menu and decide how many meals you would like prepared for you each week.
CookUnity uploads its menu ideas two weeks in advance of the arrival date of the food, which allows you to decide in advance and plan accordingly.
Each and every meal they have created online includes nutritional information and other facts, making it easy to understand the macro breakdown of the meal – particularly important if you are calorie-counting.
Once you have created the account, you can tailor your subscription specifically to your dietary requirements, preferences, and schedule. These alterations include:
- The delivery day & time
- Taste preferences
- Dietary restrictions.
Once you have tailored your own subscription, CookUnity will automatically generate new suggestions for different things to try each week with each new delivery.
Every meal you have provides the opportunity to give it a rating. As you continue to try and rate new meals, the algorithm adjusts accordingly with new suggestions that are even more specific to you and your taste.
The other alternative is that you can entirely choose from the range yourself, which CookUnity has made very easy to do!
Your entire CookUnity subscription can be managed from either the website, calling customer service, or their app – it’s all down to your personal preference.
You have until 5:00 pm three days before your delivery to either skip or change out your meals for the week, as well as reschedule the date and time of your food delivery box.
Every meal prepared by CookUnity is designed and packaged to allow up to seven days keeping in the fridge while remaining fresh and flavorsome.
With an active CookUnity subscription, all customers are given access to a nutrition team – offering expert advice and guidance to help you with your nutrition and health journey.
If you have any questions you can access this time through the website, app, or by giving CookUnity a phone call.
What to Expect
So, you’re intrigued about the CookUnity delivery service and the process. Let’s discuss further what you can expect from the meals, subscription, and the CookUnity team themselves!
Menu Options
As part of the preferences tab on your CookUnity subscription, you have the opportunity to select the diet you follow (for example, no restrictions or vegetarian), the meals that you prefer, ingredients that you are either allergic to or will not eat, and meal categories that you dislike.
These filters allow for only meals that fit these criteria to show, so you can select meals that you will enjoy and can eat.
Depending on what region you are in, the sample menu does change – so jump on the CookUnity website to enter your zip code and view the sample menu specific to your area!
These sample menus allow you to filter by main ingredient, as well as restrictions such as gluten-free or low-carb.
Examples of meals include:
- Creamy lobster green curry with forbidden rice and eggplant
- BBQ chicken with gooey mac n’ cheese
- Dragon bowl with grilled chicken, brown rice, and spicy tahini
- Spicy rigatoni alla vodka with crispy basil breadcrumbs
- Wild mushroom bibimbap with steamed rice and cucumber kimchi.
These are a few examples taken off of the current sample menu; however, it is important to keep in mind that you can tailor your own bespoke weekly menu by selecting your favorite dishes.
The best part: if there is a meal that you absolutely love, you can reorder again and again as long as it is still on the menu!
Product packaging and delivery timeline
When it comes to delivery day, you will receive a large box on your front doorstep carefully packed with your chosen meals.
The box will contain insulation materials such as gel packs and an insulated bag to help keep your meals chilled in transport.
The delivery has been carefully designed to ensure you receive your meals right, every single time.
Currently, CookUnity delivers across the United States to the following states:
- Maryland
- New York
- New Jersey
- San Diego
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Washington DC
- Delaware
- Connecticut.
The delivery process has been designed so that you are not required to be at home to receive or sign for your meals, and will be kept in the loop with tracking information through text messages.
The drop-off options are as follows: leave at my door, deliver to the door, or leave with the doorman – catering for a variety of different living situations.
Each meal will come individually sealed with atmosphere packaging, to ensure it is fresh when it arrives on your door.
Each meal package contains:
- Full nutritional information including macro-breakdown
- Expiration date
- Heating directions
- Plating directions.
None of the CookUnity meals are frozen but are instead delivered chilled to keep for as long as possible.
CookUnity suggests using the oven to heat your meals wherever possible to provide the best serving potential!
Following the included plating suggestions allows you to breathe in the experience of a restaurant-quality meal from the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule.
A new addition to CookUnity customization is choosing a life-stage or lifestyle description such as new parents, seniors, families, and athletes. This helps tailor your meals to you and your lifestyle.
Customer support and returns policy
CookUnity offers a quality guarantee for all of their meals, so if you receive a meal that doesn’t live up to your expectations for any reason, you can contact their customer service team for either a full or a partial refund (depending on the situation)! They do require proof via photographic evidence of the meals.
Unfortunately, you cannot cancel the order after it has been charged. If the delivery has not yet been sent, you can skip, reschedule, or change the meals – all of which can be done through your website or app login.
How Much Does It Cost?
CookUnity currently offers four, six, eight, twelve, and sixteen meal-per-week package options that operate under a tiered pricing model. The more meals you order weekly, the less the cost is per meal!
Package | Pricing |
|---|---|
Four Meals | $13.59 per meal |
Eight Meals | $11.69 per meal |
Sixteen Meals | $11.09 per meal |
For more information regarding pricing specific to your situation, head to the CookUnity website and log in through your customer portal which will allow you to view a breakdown of the full pricing for your bespoke delivery.
Discounts or promotions
If you want to give CookUnity a trial, there is 50% off the first week for all new customers that sign up available online – allowing you to save money on your first order and give the CookUnity delivery a go.
Let’s Talk About the Pros and Cons of CookUnity
Now that we have evaluated CookUnity in its entirety, let’s highlight some of the pros and cons that are associated with this subscription:
Pros:
- Access to a range of skilled private chefs to create your meals. Without access to a significant budget, where else can you have meals custom-made for you by a private chef and delivered to your door?
- Delivery to your door, on your own schedule. Regardless of whether you are home or not, the CookUnity delivery will be left in a safe location (of your choosing) so you don’t even need to leave the house to prepare for dinner!
- Subscription tailored to you, your taste preference, and your dietary requirements. It can be hard to find meal kits and recipes that are specific to your dietary restrictions, taste preferences, and lifestyle, but CookUnity has this all covered!
- Easy to manage subscription plans via the website, app, or customer service team
- Access to new meals, new recipes, and encouragement to try new things. We all know the feeling of lacking the inspiration to make dinner or try new recipes, but don’t worry – CookUnity will inspire you!
- Full access to the CookUnity nutritionist team.
Cons:
- Not currently available across every state of the US – not yet, anyway!
- Can be more expensive than cooking at home. Being a premium meal kit delivery service, it can become more expensive than cooking at home yourself
- Packaging waste. Meal kits typically come with quite a bit of packaging in order to keep the meals chilled and separate.
- Limited control over portion control. There is little to no control over the portion of each meal.
My Personal Experience with CookUnity
As outlined above, CookUnity is a service that has absolutely changed the game for me and my work-life balance.
Gone are the days of struggling for meal inspiration, wasting hours after work creating meals, and missing out on time with friends or much-needed relaxation.
CookUnity allows me to enjoy my dinner every night; with my menu tailor-made to my ingredient preferences, I feel like I get to enjoy a restaurant meal made specifically for me from the comfort of my own home!
I am very impressed with the CookUnity service and see it as a no-brainer if it’s within your budget.
You will never be bored with dinner again, and can use it as a tool to reach your health goals without having to stress about what to eat!
CookUnity