JChef Review: Everything You Need to Know
When you’re looking for a food service delivery service, you want to make sure you pick a brand that lives up to its promises. JChef is an online kosher meal delivery service that operates all over the United States. They offer different meal plans and weekly meal options, with something that suits everyone.
JChef offers delicious and easy-to-prepare Kosher meals made with high-quality ingredients. It’s a brand that suits an individual or a family with a busy lifestyle, as all their meals can be cooked within 30 minutes or less. Busy professionals, as well as stay-at-home parents, students and those living alone, choose JChef for their creative recipes, great variation and overall price, and we’re going to cover everything you need to know about the brand in this JChef review.
What is JChef?
If you’re looking for a meal service that offers kosher food – JChef is an option worth looking into. JChef ships food kits with recipes all over the United States to allow you to cook your own delicious kosher meals at home. All recipes are designed for a busy household and take 30 minutes (or less) to prepare with the ingredients included in the meal kit.
To help you decide whether JChef is right for you, we’ve compiled all the necessary information in this JChef review.
JChef Pros & Cons
Every food brand has its pros and cons, and what you want to look for is a product where the pros outweigh the cons. In the case of JChef – it’s known for being one of the top choices for someone following a kosher diet.
- Strictly Kosher
- Flexible Meal Plans
- Quick Preparation Times
- Quality Kosher Ingredients
- Shabbat Meal Plan Available
- Generous Servings
- Few Vegetarian Options
- Above-Average Price
Who is JChef Good For?
It’s important to determine if JChef is right for you before you order, which is why we’re going to have a look at the brand’s target audience, along with who can benefit from ordering JChef meals.
People Following a Kosher Diet – When you’re kosher, it can be difficult to find a meal service that offers variation, nutritional food, and timely deliveries, but JChef provides you with an easy way to make kosher food at home
Busy Professionals – Not everyone has the time to cook while leading a busy lifestyle, but that shouldn’t mean you should have to resort to fast food and unhealthy options. JChef offers a quality option for busy kosher professionals
Families– JChef may not be the cheapest option out there, but their large portions are often enough to feed a small family, which makes it an excellent option for a tired mom and dad who don’t want to come up with recipes or have time to run to the store for groceries
Who Isn’t JChef Good For?
No meal service company is right for everyone, and JChef might not be the ideal option if you’re on a vegetarian diet. They do offer a few vegetarian meals, but the selection is somewhat limited as most of the recipes are meat-based.
Also, if you’re not kosher or not generally a fan of kosher food, then this meal service is definitely not for you. All their recipes are kosher and designed to cater to those who are strictly on this diet.
How JChef Works?
The first step is to choose the meals and recipes you are interested in. JChef offers several different options including (but not limited to) salads, salmon, pasta dishes, and meat, and if you have another favorite you can’t find on their elaborate menu – contact them, as they might agree to add it for you.
Choose Your Favorite
We Deliver Your Box
Cook Like A Top Chef!
JChef Website and App
To purchase from JChef you use their website, which offers a quick and easy solution. The website works great both on a computer and when using a cellphone or a tablet, something that facilitates use no matter where you are. The company doesn’t have a phone app at this point, but the mobile version of their website makes up for it.
Creating an account / Sign-up
It takes only a minute or two to sign up with JChef. When you get to the website you click on “Get Started,” and you will then be asked to pick the meal plan you are interested in. After you make your choice you will be able you sign up and make an account. You can sign up with your Facebook or Google account or with your email address.
JChef Meal Plans and Meal Selection Options
Something that’s important to look at is the meal plans a brand offers, to make sure you can find one that is tailored to your needs. JChef offers three different types of meal plans, but the frequency and recipes can be modified according to your preferences. Below are the meal selection options and meal plans offered by JChef.
Classic Box:2 or 3 recipes, one box per week
Family Box:2 or 3 recipes, one box per week
Shabbat Box:6 or 12 recipes, one box per week
Family Plan:5 meals and 4 servings, 1 box per week
JChef Meal Types
Everything sold by JChef is kosher, and meals are generally designed to be suitable for lunch or dinner, rather than breakfast. Most buyers appear to use these meal plans when cooking dinner, especially those with families.
Choosing JChef Recipes
You may not find hundreds of recipes to choose from when ordering your food through JChef, but their list is still quite impressive! There are enough versions and varieties on there to make sure you don’t get bored, and the company welcomes you to contact them with suggestions if you have a favorite kosher meal that isn’t on the list.
How Much Does JChef Cost?
The price of a meal plan depends on the meal plan you choose, but also how many recipes you want it to include. For example: If you get the Classic Box with two recipes, you pay $17.99 per serving, but if you get the same box with three recipes, then you’ll instead pay $16.99 per serving.
The Family Box works the same and you get a box with two recipes for $16.99 per serving and three recipes for $15.99. The Shabbat Box costs $14.99 per serving when you buy a box with 6 recipes and $13.99 for the 12-recipe box.
Let’s have a closer look at how the price changes depending on how many recipes you want your box to include. We’ll be using the Classic Box for this example.
Servings and Recipes/Week
|
Total Cost
|
---|---|
4 people and 2 servings
4 people, 2 recipes per week |
$17.99/serving ($143.92 total + $14 shipping = $157.92/week)
|
6 people and 3 servings
6 people, 3 recipes per week |
$16.99/serving ($305.82 total + $14 shipping = $319.82/week)
|
Diet Friendliness
Since this is a brand that focuses on providing kosher food, there isn’t much of a selection for other diets or dietary needs. That said, the company has shown flexibility and ability to adapt to the needs of the customer, and reaching out to customer service is likely to result in a solution that suits you.
Add-Ons: Wine & More
On the JChef website, it’s made clear that they don’t offer any add-ons such as drinks, flavor mixes, and similar at this point, and that their service is 100% focused on providing delicious and nutritious kosher food that’s easy to cook.
Each meal plan is sent out with a kit containing everything you need to cook, and the rest will need to be purchased separately from another source.
JChef Customer Service
Whenever you review a product or think about purchasing a product or contracting a service, one of the most important things is that there is reliable customer service. When something goes wrong, you need to know where to turn.
JChef has a live chat option on their website where you often get replies from the founder himself! It’s easy to use and very accessible, and even though it states on the website that it can take a couple of hours to get a reply – we tested it out and heard back within a few minutes.
It’s nice to see a company that cares about its customers, and that supplies direct and informative answers to questions. When speaking to customer service, we asked for clarification on a few of the processes as well as shipping costs and more, and received satisfactory help with a pleasant and friendly tone.
The easiest way to get in touch is with the live chat, but you can also call customer service, or reach out through social media like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Responsiveness – Very helpful
How can you get in touch?-Live chat, phone, and social media
JChef Cancellation Policy
When you sign up for a meal plan with JChef, you’re informed right away that you’re free to cancel the service at any time. It’s the kind of company that seemingly wants to keep customers happy, and it’s stated multiple times that you’re not obligated to anything after your first purchase. You can cancel the subscription as needed.
You can also choose how often you want to receive meal boxes, and this can be changed at any time as well. If you feel you want to take a two-week pause – take a two-week pause, or let them know that you would like a longer pause! The other option is to cancel the subscription.
When you want to cancel or make changes to the frequency of your deliveries, you can easily contact JChef through your account on the website. Expect a quick reply and fast resolution, and even if you do cancel your subscription – you’re free to come back whenever you want.
JChef Alternatives
It’s true that JChef isn’t the only meal delivery service available, but it’s one of the few that offer 100% kosher food. The fact that they offer something extra to cater to a specific group of people, the slightly higher price is both understandable and should be expected.
We’ve chosen to compare the brand with other popular meal plans and delivery services to give you a better idea of what to expect. Every meal plan company is different, in the type of food they offer, prices and food quality, but this should give you a basic idea.
Meal Kit
|
Price / Serving
|
Minimum order
|
Meal options
|
|
---|---|---|---|---|
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JChef
|
$16.99
|
8 Servings
|
2-12
|
|
Sunbasket
|
$11.99
|
4 Servings
|
15-20
|
|
Home Chef
|
$6.99
|
4 Servings
|
2-6
|
|
HelloFresh
|
$7.49
|
4 Servings
|
2-5
|
Final Verdict
If you’re kosher, JChef offers one of the best options on the market in terms of variety, flavor, and more, and their meal plans make a good investment for someone who wants to eat delicious food without having to put in too much effort.
All meals take less than 30 minutes to prepare, and while the price is somewhat elevated compared to other meal services, you get food that can feed a whole family. JChef is the kind of brand that can easily convince you to stop ordering takeout and start cooking at home, thanks to the easy-to-follow recipes and delicious dishes.
Cooking for yourself and your family shouldn’t have to be difficult just because you’re kosher, and JChef has stepped in on the market to make sure anyone can cook the kosher food they want. JChef adapts their recipes to your preferences and can provide you with suitable recipes both for beginners and those with more advanced cooking skills.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is JChef Worth the Price?
It’s true that JChef offers meals that are somewhat more expensive than the products sold by other brands, but they also send out very generous portions. Looking at it that way, you get plenty of food for the money paid, and the quality ingredients further demonstrate that this is a product worth paying for.
Is JChef Healthy
How healthy the meals are depends on the recipes you choose, but JChef offers quality food items that you’ll use to cook your own food, which can certainly be considered healthy eating. There’s no processed foods or pre-cooked food involved, and everything will be made – by you – in the comfort of your home.
Does JChef Deliver Every Day?
Yes, and you can even get your meals shipped to you with FedEx overnight shipping so that you never have to find yourself without something to cook for dinner. You can expect a shipping fee of between $14-$17 per box and timely deliveries, and you can program your deliveries for the weekday of your choice.
Does JChef Have Gluten Free?
If you have specific dietary needs or requirements, your best option is to reach out to the company and ask them directly. JChef does offer a variety of products to tailor to everyone’s needs, and they can help you put together a meal plan that works for you. All meals are kosher, but not all kosher meals are gluten-free.
Is JChef Organic?
Some food products and produce sent out by JChef might be organic, but all their products are not at this point. If you’re interested in which products you can expect to be organic – your best bet is to contact customer service for assistance. The company is known for using high-quality food products but not necessarily organic.