CookUnity Review

There's nothing like enjoying a high quality, expertly crafted meal in a restaurant. Because while cooking at home can be fun, let's face it: The prep and cleanup can be a turn-off. Not to mention the fact that most of us aren't trained chefs, so it's usually missing that je ne sais quois.

But since rising costs are forcing a lot of us to forego regular restaurant trips, restaurant-level alternatives are in high demand. Enter CookUnity: A chef collective that sends high quality, fresh meals right to your door.

We've tested countless meal kit delivery services, so we're always excited to try out a new one (especially when it requires zero cooking). We tested this unique meal delivery service to see how easy the site is to navigate, how personalized your meals can be, and, of course, whether the meals were any good. Read on for our full CookUnity review.

What is CookUnity?

Unlike other pre-made meal delivery services, CookUnity puts the unique talent of chefs at the core of its brand. Every meal that's offered to subscribers (which is a lot—well over 300 in any given week) has been carefully curated by a culinary artist.

Subscribers can choose to receive anywhere from four to sixteen meals per week, which ranges in price from $10.39 to $12.69 per meal. And you can either choose meals yourself—from an exhaustive menu filled with a range of options—or let CookUnity select for you, based on diet goals, restrictions, and preferences.

All meals arrive fresh to your door, packaged in sustainable packaging and with best-by dates. The packaging also includes the name and photo of the chef who curated each meal, along with easy (read: microwave) instructions and alternative chef instructions (which typically involve preheating the oven or pulling out a skillet).

What I like about CookUnity

The variety of meals feels endless

I've tested my fair share of meal kit delivery services, but no menu has compared to CookUnity's.

As I type this, there are 369 meal options to browse for the following week. It genuinely feels like this service has something for everyone: From plant-based to nut-free to internationally inspired, you'll never feel like you're running out of options—no matter what you're in the mood for.

And I've never found the options to be overwhelming. There are plenty of ways to filter your search when faced with the mountainous menu. You can widdle down the list by seeking out gluten-free, keto, or vegan options, or any meals under 600 calories.

Beyond that, you can even search by protein type, ethnicity (think Mexican, African, or Mediterranean), or by featured chef (once you become familiar with them).

Or you can just do what I did: Spend way too much time scrolling through hundreds of meal options while your mouth waters, before reluctantly narrowing down the dozens that catch your eye.

All meals I tried were delicious

You might be thinking: Quantity doesn't mean quality, right? If there are that many options, they can't be that good.

Wrong.

I tried seven meals from CookUnity, and they were all delicious. (One had faulty packaging that had to be thrown out, but customer service easily refunded that price to my account.) Here's what I tried:

• Sesame-ginger tofu poke bowl
• Lime-miso sauteed shrimp and broccoli
• Roasted eggplant parmesan with broccoli rabe & roasted peppers
• Sesame salmon with sauteed bok choy
• Pan fried tilapia with sauteed asparagus
• Lemon grilled chicken with arugula walnut pesto over sweet potatoes and quinoa
• Grilled tagliata steak with arugula salad

Most meals could be popped into the oven for a few minutes to warm up, but others required some extra TLC on the stovetop. I warmed each according to chef instructions for optimal results—and I didn't regret it. Each meal tasted restaurant-worthy, sans the stress of getting dressed (and paying) for a restaurant experience.

You can modify your plan according to your diet

Another unique factor in your CookUnity subscription is the option to personalize your account according to your needs.

By going into the preferences section, you can tell CookUnity a little bit about yourself and your eating habits. There's a place to log dietary restrictions (like vegan and keto), allergies, preferred proteins, and categories to avoid. You can even log any foods you might not like, choosing from an exhaustive list of ingredients.

CookUnity can also be a tool in your lifestyle or fitness goals; you can inform the algorithm if you're interested in weight loss, muscle gain, diabetes management, or overall wellness.

Doing this obviously modifies the meal suggestions that CookUnity provides in any given week, but it also personalizes your menu search by moving any meals you may not be interested in to the bottom of the list.

What I don't like

Some portions are small

While I was never dissatisfied by the flavors of CookUnity meals, the portions were (sometimes) a different story.

The eggplant parmesan meal, for example, was veggie-heavy with no real source of carbs or protein. Needless to say, I got hungry pretty quickly afterwards. Same went for the salmon meal: With a decently skinny piece of salmon and only a few pieces of bok choy to accompany it, I wasn't satisfied for very long.

That said, other portions felt enormous in comparison. The chicken dish was almost too much to finish, with a whopping 68 grams of protein and 73 grams of carbohydrates in the singular serving.

Since there are (literally) too many cooks in the kitchen, each CookUnity meal will feel different from the last. But once you get familiar with the featured chefs and variety of portions, you can find what works best for you.

It's not available everywhere…yet

CookUnity has expanded greatly since its inception as a New York-based food delivery service. But it still isn't available for all residents of the U.S. You'll have to enter your zip code in the delivery map section of the site to be sure the service is available in your area.

Should you subscribe to CookUnity?

Yes, if it's in your budget!

If you love the idea of high quality meals without the stress of cooking or rising restaurant bills, CookUnity is a fantastic choice. You'll never be bored with the hundreds of recipes available to discover, and you can even achieve some health or dietary goals along the way.

Starting at at least $10.39 per serving, you'll be paying more than traditional meal kits for the convenience of fresh, pre-made meals. But given that these costs are on par with similar delivery services—and curated by real-world chefs—we think it's worth the plunge if it's in your budget.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.