Disclosure: This is not a compensated or sponsored post. I was provided the product for review purposes only. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away. How time has just flown by these past months, it was just August and now the leaves are falling and we are heady straight into the holiday season.
In the past few years we have seen a boom in meal delivery services. These services provide families with pre made kits so that they have all the ingredients to make a great meal at home. Well the latest company to get into this business is the New York Times.
This past summer, the iconic newspaper started to create a custom ingredient delivery service that works in correlation with their NYT Cooking section. In partnership with meal delivery startup Chef’d, the New York Times will make it easier on readers to try out their catalogue of recipes. The company’s Cooking section is one of its most popular ones and has tons of recipes. This way all you have to do is pick a recipe, order it and they’ll make it easy on you, delivering the ingredients and instructions you need to your door in 48 hours.
You can imagine that I was super excited to try it out.
Unlike other meal delivery services, Chef’d doesn’t offer a subscription. Their unique catalog of meals also sets them apart from competitors — the majority of the recipes come from well-known chefs and brands, which lends credibility to their unique offerings. It’s as simple as choosing whichever recipe makes you hungriest, and telling them when you’d like it dropped on your doorstep.
Deliveries arrive in large, well-packed, cheerful orange boxes. Great care is taken to nestle ingredients within the insulated case, which is divided into two compartments. Produce/pantry items are packaged together on the top level, and proteins are packed directly on the ice packs on the lower level. Everything arrived cold, with ice packs firmly frozen.
It’s really hard to narrow down my favorite details of this service! The sheer variety is just wonderful, and actually made it very hard to choose what to order. I also really appreciated the quality of ingredients, many of which I don’t think I could even buy where I live.
Although the amount of packaging is a little jarring, it was really convenient to have just the right amount of each ingredient to cook with. In some cases, however, they even sent more than I needed, which I am not complaining about.
I love the idea of ordering Chef’d for a date night in, or for inviting friends over to cook something out of the ordinary. Honestly, though, all the recipes came together so quickly that making them as weeknight dinners was a breeze. If you want to treat your family to a special meal, this is a great option for sourcing interesting, quality ingredients. Really, if you’re eager for the convenience of meal kit delivery but are bored by more generic offerings, look to Chef’d.
I really can’t say enough good things about Chef’d. From the time the boxes were delivered to the time dinner hit the table, I was pleased. The quality and variety of ingredients aren’t easy to match where I live, and you just can’t beat the convenience of having everything delivered to your door.
I appreciated is that Chef’d makes a big effort to provide lots of detail with their recipes. On the recipe cards, you’ll find wine and beer pairings, required equipment, allergens, ingredient intelligence , what you’ll need from your pantry (limited to oil, salt, and pepper), and plating instructions. They even will email you helpful tips related to the recipes you ordered to make sure nothing was unclear, and offer a phone number for help on the inside of each box. Clearly, Chef’d is doing everything in their power to make preparing and eating your meal the wonderful experience that it deserves to be.
I got to make the following
Brioche Stuffing, Roasted Cornish Game Hens, Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Branded Pumpkin Pie.
Chef’d features over 80 well-known chefs, respected brands and content partners,
providing consumers with unparalleled choice, flexibility, convenience and customization.
Choice
- Unlike subscription services, Chef’d gives consumers the ability to choose the meals they want, when they want them.
- Chef’d offers more than 250 recipes in 2-and-4-person servings created by well-known chefs, culinary experts and leaders in nutrition, including Chef Fabio Viviani and Tone it Up.
- Chef’d also partners with many well-known and highly-respected brands such as Weight Watchers, Beyond Meat and Men’s Health to deliver meal options for a wide range of tastes, skill levels and lifestyles.
Flexibility
- Unlike subscription services, Chef’d does not require a minimum number of meals to be purchased per week, and is the only service that allows you to reorder your favorite meals as many times as you’d like, any time you like.
- Consumers order Chef’d only when they want to, and have it delivered when they choose.
Convenience
- The Chef’d website and convenient app make it easy for consumers to order the meals they want, when they want them.
- All meal kits come with pre-measured ingredients, step-by-step directions and estimated cooking times. Recipe cards include photos, and the website features video tips.
- Delivery within 1-2 days from online order date, Tuesday-Saturday.
Customization
- Chef’d meals range from gourmet to family-friendly, indulgent to lighter fare, and quick & easy to chef-in-the-making.
- Meals include meat, seafood and pastas, as well as lifestyle choices like gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. Chef’d makes it easy to reorder your favorite meal and can provide customized suggestions based on order history and lifestyle preferences.
This Thanksgiving, you can save yourself time in the kitchen and get a delicious feast brought to you exclusively by NYT Cooking and Chef’d.
Enjoy a classic Thanksgiving recipe from NYT Cooking’s archives, complete with fresh, pre-portioned ingredients, step-by-step recipe cards, and priceless preparation tips delivered right to your door.
Preparing for a gathering of 8-12 people? Choose the Family Feast option, featuring our Simple Roast Turkey, Two-Way Stuffing, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Classic Mashed Potatoes, Kale Salad, Classic Cranberry Sauce, Apple Pie, and Brandied Pumpkin Pie.
If you’re feeding a smaller crowd, the Small Gathering option for 4-6 people features Cornish Game Hens, Two-Way Stuffing, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Brandied Pumpkin Pie.
You will also have the option to order our Thanksgiving entrees, sides and desserts á la carte, giving you the ability to make your own meal package from the available Thanksgiving recipes.
Quantities are limited. Order by Thursday, November 17th at 11am PST to have your Thanksgiving Feast delivered on Tuesday, November 22nd or Wednesday, November 23rd, depending on your location.
Delivery is available in the continental U.S. with individual dishes starting at $14.
The full Thanksgiving collection can be found here.
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