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About CookUnity
CookUnity offers restaurant-worthy meals in a convenient, subscription-based plan. Connecting skilled chefs to everyday consumers, the service serves up high-end dishes for an affordable price.
Fully cooked and packed in recyclable and compostable materials, CookUnity chefs use local, sustainable, and organic ingredients. After whipping together creative dishes in the service’s certified kitchens, they send them right to you.
The first of its kind, the service has received a lot of attention for its fast-growing business, landing features in The New Yorker, Tech Crunch, and CNet. So far, CookUnity has garnered an Instagram following of 34k.
Looking for something a little classier than your average meal delivery? This one may just fit the bill. To be sure, we invite you to read this CookUnity review. Here, we’ll give you a rundown of the company and how its service works, reveal customer feedback, and more, to help you in your final decision.
Overview of CookUnity
Everyone dreams of having a personal chef, but not many can afford it. CookUnity acts as a marketplace of sorts, offering a wide menu of high-end meals cooked by the chefs you’d find at Michelin Star spots and your favorite bustling eateries—just for a much more digestible price than a home cook.
Founded in 2015 by Mateo Marietti, the idea for CookUnity came to him after seeing the limited options available for meal delivery services on the market. It seemed like customers always had to choose between low prices and sufficient variety, and though all options were convenient, nothing was exceptional.
The New York-based service was born to bring the taste back to meal delivery services, partnering with trained chefs across the US that offered an inspired take on convenient dishes. Today, you can find CookUnity kitchens in major cities like Austin, LA, and Atlanta.
Ready to find out more about how the service works? We’ll get to that next. But first, this CookUnity review will shine some light on its pros and cons.
Pros
- Over 300 recipes per week
- Offers a range of meals including vegan, keto, under 600 cal
- Uses recyclable and compostable packaging
- Pause, skip, or cancel anytime
- 40% off for new members
- Do not need to be home to receive your order
- Free shipping
Cons
- Only ships to some US locations
This service delivers complex tasting meals but makes the process really simple for customers. The next section of this CookUnity review will tell you everything you need to know.
How CookUnity Works
CookUnity provides delicious, high-class meals to busy folks looking for a quick, satisfying bite. A convenient service would be as successful if it didn’t have plans that matched, and in this section of our CookUnity review, we’ll take you through its simple four-step ordering process.
Step 1: Tell them what you like
Let CookUnity know what kinds of proteins you prefer and if you have any wellness goals. This is where you’ll designate if you avoid certain meats, or meat altogether, as well as if you’re looking to lose weight, build muscle, or simply want to eat good food.
This step is always where you’ll get to set how many meals will be delivered each week. Don’t worry, you can switch up your amount any time, and if you need to add more than what’s here, simply place an additional order.
Meal plans start at four per week ($13.50/meal) and go all the way up to 16 ($10.50/dish). The more meals you order, the lower each one costs.
Step 2: Pick your meals
Browse through over 300 meals per week. You’ll find your preferences at the top of the page, with all of the other options underneath. Feel free to add on a cheat meal once per week or choose a vegetarian option for Meatless Mondays are your thing.
The menus are posted two weeks in advance. So, you have plenty of time to plan for the upcoming week and add meals for that mid-week games night with friends you just scheduled next week.
Step 3: Heat and eat
Your meals will arrive fresh in an insulated bag, they’re good for seven days in the fridge—you don’t need to freeze them and they have never been frozen.
When it comes to heating, you’ll have two options:
- The Fast Way
- The Chef’s Way
The Chef’s Way may involve more steps, like heating sauces in a pan and warming meats in the oven. On the other hand, The Fast Way is simply tossing it in the microwave.
Step 4: Look forward to next week!
In the week before your next delivery, CookUnity will send you a reminder about picking your meals. If you don’t pick any, they’ll simply whip up whatever fits your preferences and send it your way.
If you find it’s time to take a quick pause, you can skip a week or pause your subscription for up to eight weeks. Be aware that there is a cutoff time for order modification, so be sure to get yours in to avoid unwanted deliveries. Although would another week’s worth of mouth-watering food really hurt?
Why Choose CookUnity?
CookUnity is the first meal delivery service to ever connect high-end chefs with hungry customers in a subscription-based platform. The taste of top-tier meals made by skilled professionals is a cut above your average meal delivery service that, while appreciated, just can’t compare.
On top of serving up high-end food, CookUnity sources its ingredients from local, sustainable, or organic farms, and packages its meals in compostable, post-consumer recycled, and recyclable containers.
Who Can Become A CookUnity Chef?
Not just anyone can become a CookUnity chef, you’ll need to submit an application first. If your credentials are approved, you’ll be invited to cook in one of their kitchens in New York, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, or Austin.
CookUnity Food Review
The folks at CookUnity believe in perfectly balancing a dish with nutrition and flavor. With versatile chefs, the service offers over 300 meals each week ranging from vegan to keto to simply delicious.
Below, we’ve included a few menu options that caught our eye when browsing that we believe show the incredible variety the brand serves up.
Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
By Chef Ruben Garcia
Light but bursting with vibrant flavors, the creaminess and sweetness of the squash contrast against crispy cabbage slaw, savory black beans, and the Mexican flair of guacamole. Vegan and gluten-free, this meal makes a great choice for Meatless Mondays or Friday night dinner with friends—don’t forget the Margaritas!
For our health-conscious friends, you’ll find 580 calories in each flavorful serving. This includes an impressive 24g of protein and 21g of fiber!
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
By Chefs Larry and Marc Forgione
A top-selling dish at acclaimed NYC spot, An American Place, this is a simple dish packed with rich flavors. Slowly braised, the tender short ribs come with a side of whipped sweet potatoes and bacon Brussels sprouts—the perfect date night meal.
Each serving of this high-fat and delicious meal provides 750 calories.
Glazed Sheet Pan Chicken
By Chef Andres Mendez
This juicy chicken thigh is roasted to perfection and glazed with a rich brown sugar and date-based sauce. It sits atop butternut squash and granny smith apples smothered in a sweet and savory blend of cinnamon, sugar, ground black pepper, and dijon mustard.
This paleo-friendly dish clocks in at 850 calories. The best part? It provides an astounding 48g of protein.
Who Is CookUnity For?
With this service, you’re getting bigger, bolder flavors than you would from average meal delivery, meaning they’re a great pick for anyone who wants to enjoy more advanced tastes.
Its meals are all pre-cooked, so all you need to do is heat and eat. So, these dishes are perfect for busy adults or just anyone who wants to enjoy a delicious, high-end meal a couple of times per week.
We will note though, that there aren’t a ton of kid-friendly options on its menu. We did spot a crispy chicken tender meal and turkey burger, but overall, the service offers a more grown-up taste profile.
Comparison: CookUnity vs. Freshly
It’s one thing to eat, and another thing entirely to eat a meal prepared by chefs. When ordering from a meal delivery service, you don’t just want something to fill a hole, you want something that’s going to satisfy a craving and soothe your soul.
Like our featured brand, Freshly meals are prepared by chefs, but while CookUnity shows you which chef made your meal, the competitor does not.
Everything about Freshly is pretty similar to our featured service, just a little less upscale. For example, even though its containers are recyclable, they’re made from plastic, whereas CookUnity uses compostable and recycled materials.
Offering plan options with 4-10 meals per week, Freshly prices vary between $9-$12 and you’ll get to pick from its menu with tons of home-cooked options. That’s another thing that makes the quality come in just under our featured service whose prices range between $10-14.
Just by looking at the meals and the types of options available, you can see the difference. Even though we’re sure they’re still super tasty, it’s just quite the pasta and rice-heavy menu.
At the end of the day, these two services have very different vibes. One isn’t essentially better than the other, it’s a matter of what you’re looking for.
CookUnity: What Do Customers Think?
CookUnity is technically like ordering from your favorite restaurant, only the meals are less expensive, you have greater variety, and you can get food from multiple different chefs at once. It’s actually a pretty sweet setup, but one we’re going to need a little feedback for to get an idea of the taste, quality, and portion size of the dishes.
In this section of our CookUnity review, you’ll find a selection of comments and ratings plucked from a few different sites around the web. To get started, we rounded up several of this week’s dishes, their scores, and reviews, and sorted them into a neat little list below:
- Mushroom Crusted Chicken Thigh: an average of 4.1/5 stars from 190 ratings
- Red Wine Short Ribs: an average of 4.5/5 stars from 1,393 ratings
- Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos: an average of 4.1/5 stars from 542 ratings
- Moroccan Chickpea Tagine: an average of 4.4/5 stars from 723 ratings
- Salmon Ginger Cakes: an average of 4.4/5 stars from 806 ratings
We decided to take a closer look at the Red Wine Short Ribs because they come from chefs who operate a pretty high-class restaurant.
The comments were all really positive with customers noting the “magnificent” size of the ribs. One CookUnity review that mentioned the taste of the whole dish read, “The whipped sweet potatoes souffléd great texture and flavor, Brussel sprouts tender and well seasoned, with the crown prince of short rib.”
It’s really cool that the service has a mix of meals that include high-class picks like this one. But, they’re offered for the same price as simpler dishes like Vegan Chili.
In hopes of finding out more about the quality and taste of a variety of the service’s meals, we turned to a CookUnity review on Foodbox HQ that awarded it 4.7/5 stars.
Of the quality, the review stated, “CookUnity meals tend to be more high-end than many of the other pre-made meal delivery services I’ve tried in the past. These aren’t simple meat and veggie” dishes. There’s something elevated to them, and this sets them apart.
About the taste, it continued, “when you actually dig in, you can taste the difference. Whatever it is, these meals are some of the best tasting we’ve had from a pre-made meal delivery service.”
So far, it looks like the taste and quality of the service’s meals are amazing, and they’re definitely more advanced in flavor and technique than other meal delivery options.
Finally, we headed over to Trustpilot to check out what else customers had to say about CookUnity. The site showed us an overall score of 3.9/5 stars from 150 members and the following snapshot:
- Excellent: 44%
- Great: 25%
- Average: 13%
- Poor: 8%
- Bad: 10%
A flight attendant who wrote about the usefulness of the service said, “The ability to change the day of the week for deliveries, being able to choose meals that fit my specific dietary needs…has made it so easy for me to be able to stick to my health and fitness goals.” That’s a good point whether you’re a flight attendant or a busy dad with four kids.
From what we found in this section of our CookUnity review, the service is loved by many for its delicious flavors, menu variety, and dependable deliveries.
Is CookUnity Worth It?
If you’re looking for something a little higher-end than your average meal delivery kit, CookUnity may be the right way to go. With meals made by real chefs, many of which are accomplished and own their own restaurants, the meals you’ll get will be the equivalent of going to your favorite restaurant, only, you’ll be responsible for heating them up.
You can set your preferences, pause when needed, and alter your order at any time, giving you complete control over what you eat and how often. As for the price, expect to pay what you would for a basic takeout meal. With all things considered, we believe CookUnity is totally worth the buy.
CookUnity Promotions & Discounts
CookUnity meals are made by chefs, some Michelin Star, and yet, the price per dish rivals that over other, basic food services. The more meals you buy with this one, the lower the price of each dish.
During this CookUnity review, we noticed that the brand is offering a 40% discount on first-time orders, too.
Where to Buy CookUnity
This service is an online marketplace of sorts, connecting real chefs to customers across the USA. To make this simple, it can be accessed through CookUnity.com.
FAQ
Who Started CookUnity?
Mateo Marietti started up CookUnity.
Does CookUnity Provide Nutritional Information?
Yes! The company is super transparent about what’s in every dish. When selecting your recipe for the week, you’ll be able to see every last ingredient that goes into the dish, its complete nutritional profile (calories, fat, carbs, etc.), along with helpful tags, like “High-fat” or “Low-Carb” to make picking dishes simple.
When your food arrives, it will be packed in individual containers marked with the calories and a QR code that when scanned, pulls up all of that same information again.
Is CookUnity Organic?
CookUnity uses organic produce when possible, but its team prioritizes sourcing from local farmers which may not be all organic.
Is CookUnity Food Considered Healthy?
It depends on the recipe, but for the most part, its fresh, local, and when possible, organic meals are a nutritious balance of clean proteins, veggies, and grains. CookUnity also gives users the option to set diet preferences, including Keto, Whole 30, Vegan, and under 600 cal.
What Type of Packaging Does CookUnity Use?
Recycled, compostable, and recyclable. Based on where you live, you’ll get different packaging, and the service uses a mix of paper bags, paper boxes, and compostable and recyclable containers.
Your order may arrive in an insulated resealable bag, which you can either reuse or give back to CookUnity at the time of your next delivery.
What Do I Need To Know Before I Sign Up For My Weekly Meal Plan With CookUnity?
First and foremost, the service only delivers to certain locations in the US, although it’s working on expanding. Servicing most of Southern and North Eastern America, to find out if they deliver to your location, check out the Delivery Map.
When you sign up for CookUnity, you’ll receive meals weekly, but you can always pause or skip if you need a little break. Otherwise, the number of meals you chose at the start of your plan will continue to be delivered to your door until you cancel your subscription.
Deliveries will happen the same day each week, so if your first order arrived on a Wednesday, you can count on your next batch of meals to be dropped off the same day each consecutive week.
You have a few options when it comes to delivery which you can set up in your account preferences:
- Leave with your doorman
- Deliver to your door
- Leave at your door (contactless)
Each week, 3-6 days before delivery, you’ll get a text from CookUnity reminding you to make any changes to your order. If you don’t modify your order or add meals, the service will use the preferences you set at the time of sign-up to craft a menu for you.
Tracking links are provided for Southern California and Northeast customers. LA & NY will receive SMS notifications when orders are about to head out.
How to Contact CookUnity
If you need any other information that wasn’t included in this CookUnity review, reach out to the brand through:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: +1 (347) 835-5020
If you are looking for more ways to get meals delivered to your home, here are a few other options to consider:
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