Top Chef Meals Review: Why It Stands Out
In this Top Chef Meals review, we’ll take a closer look at this meal delivery service and what it can offer you. I’ll closely examine the company’s goals,, and the ordering process so that you can choose the best meal option for you.
Top Chef Meals is great for anyone who had a long and busy day at work, has been out running errands, or is overwhelmed with chores. It’s a great choice when you just don’t have time to prepare dinner, or you’re simply too tired to cook. It can meet the needs of challenging diet requirements or be a super healthy alternative to takeout options.
Top Chef Meals is a dependable meal delivery service that will keep you from worrying about dinner or those dietary requirements. Its menus can accommodate various types of diets and are easy to order.
What is Top Chef Meals?
Top Chef Meals delivery services prepare delicious ready-to-eat meals that meet your lifestyle and wellness needs. It scores high on diet friendliness. It offers a variety of meals, including vegetarian, kids meals, low-carb like keto and paleo, senior meals, renal-health sensitive, diabetic, low sodium, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Top Chef Meals recipes are carefully designed by their experienced chefs, and each customized meal is freshly cooked to order. After preparation, they’re flash-frozen and delivered to your home in a returnable foil-lined cooler bag with dry ice. The company prides itself on quality meals that don’t contain any artificial ingredients.
Top Chef Meals Pros & Cons
- No subscription is needed.
- Approximately 400 items on their menu.
- Options for breakfasts, lunches, sides, smoothies, soups, snacks, and desserts.
- Optimal customization options.
- The ordering process is simple.
- Top Chef Meals prices are relatively affordable.
- Kids and seniors meals.
- Meals for an array of dietary and health requirements.
- Foods are cooked and flash-frozen to retain freshness and nutrients.
- Convenient as you just need to reheat.
- The meals are fresh, healthy, and tasty.
- Discounts are offered to senior citizens and for larger orders.
- They don’t offer free shipping on all orders.
- The chefs prepare all the foods in the same vicinity, so there’s a chance of cross-contamination that makes it inapplicable for those with food allergies.
- There’re no complete vegan meals currently.
- The produce is local, but it isn’t always organic.
- There’s also not much information on sourcing their ingredients except for the produce.
Who is Top Chef Meals Good For?
High protein requirements – Top Chef Meals alternatives are suitable for those who want to eat a higher protein, lower carb diet.
Older adults – The meals are excellent for older adults who follow a diet appropriate for renal health, diabetes, low cholesterol, and sodium restrictions.
Kids – It has wholesome and premade meals for toddlers and kids. It’s an excellent choice for making sure your kid’s nutritional requirements are met for physical and mental development. I think parents can appreciate the easy meals when their lifestyles are busy.
Weight Loss and calorie-conscious – If you’re on a weight loss plan or calorie-conscious, calorie counting is super easy at Top Chef Meals.
Picky eaters – Are you or your kids picky eaters? Top Chef Meals recipes are appropriately customized to pick and choose from various dishes and fresh ingredients.
Vegetarians – Its meals are also suitable for vegetarians, and it has a variety of entrees, soups, and breakfasts to choose from.
Gluten or dairy intolerant – Customers can customize their meals to be gluten or dairy-free.
Who isn’t Top Chef Meals Good For?
Strictly vegan customers or those who have severe food allergies; food is prepared in the same facility, so there’s the risk of cross-contamination.
SeasonedThose looking for strictly organic ingredients as only a few organic ingredients are available.
If you are exploring healthy cooking on your own, then this may not be an option for you either, as the meals do come entirely prepared.
Patrons that prefer more significant food portions and need to have two meals to make up one one as they’re smaller than other alternatives
How Top Chef Meals Works
You browse through their menu, pick and customize your meals by choosing an entree, and select two customizable side dishes. Once you’ve added your meals to your cart and checked out, Top Chef Meals Meals’ food will be prepared by its professional chefs, flash-frozen, and shipped to you.
You Choose
We Cook
We Deliver
Top Chef Meals Website & App
Its website is very user-friendly, and easy to navigate among the various dietary requirements and meal options. I liked that some meals already have the calories displayed before adding them to the cart. However, this is only evident in low-carb options. There is a detail/customize button that you click on that will give you the breakdown of the meals’s macro nutritional values. You can also easily modify your cart by adding or taking out items, and there’s the option to customize your meals directly on the modify cart page.
Creating an account / Sign-up
You don’t need an account to order from the Top Chef Meals website. However,it’s advisable if you want to review your order and participate in special discounts. You sign-up with your email address and a password and fill in the necessary billing and shipping details. Personally, I would have liked the option of using any of my social media accounts as it saves the trouble of having another username and password to keep track of.
Top Chef Meals Plans and Meal Selection Options
Top Chef Meals offers a primary menu and a specialty one. The primary menu has the following, and the entrees come with two sides that you can choose from.
Seasonal Specials – 7 meal options
Chicken Entrees – 16 meal options
Seafood Entrees – 16 meal options
Pork Entrees – 7 meal options
Beef Entrees – 12 meal options
Turkey Entrees – 6 meal options
Vegetarian Entrees – 10 meal options
Breakfast – 13 meal options
Soups & Shakes – 6 meal options
Desserts and snacks – 15 meal options
Top Chef Meals Meal Types
Top Chef provides an extensive selection of healthy and delicious meals. Included options are:
Low carb
Keto
Low sodium
Paleo
Low-fat
Renal
Diabetic-friendly
Dairy-free
Gluten-free
Choosing Top Chef Meals Recipes
Top Chef Meals recipes include over 70 different entrees and over 300 side combinations. The brand pride itself encourages individuals to customize their meals according to their nutritional needs and taste preferences. You have the power to choose your favorite foods without the hassle of trying to please everyone at the dinner table when you’re cooking yourself. Their recipes are unique in that they cater for a wide selection of patrons with varying dietary requirements.
How Much Does Top Chef Meals Cost?
The brand requires no minimum order or subscription, but they offer 5% discounts on 21 meals and above.
|
Servings and Recipes/Week
|
Total Cost
|
|---|---|
|
Breakfast
1 people, 1 recipes per week |
$6.25/serving ($6.25 total + $19.99 shipping = $26.24/week)
|
|
Lunch/Dinner
1 people, 1 recipes per week |
$6.95/serving ($6.95 total + $19.99 shipping = $26.94/week)
|
|
Dessert
1 people, 1 recipes per week |
$3.50/serving ($3.5 total + $19.99 shipping = $23.49/week)
|
Shipping is also free depending on the zone , so there’s an additional cost of $19.95 per order. There are four-zone locations with a minimum number of meals ordered to qualify for free shipping.
Day 1 zone – 10+ meals
Day 2 zone – 12+ meals
Day 3 zone – 14+ meals
Day 4 zone – 18+ meals
If you use select air shipping, then any orders below 21 meals will be $32. Orders 21 and above will be $19 plus 5% off your order.
If you’re an adult who’s 60s years or older, you qualify for a 15% discount on your orders.
Diet Friendliness
Top Chef Meals menus are versatile in customizing the dietary needs of their patrons. It caters to the following dietary requirements.
Vegetarian – Meat-free diet that may contain dairy, eggs, and honey.
Renal diet meals – For those that have chronic kidney disease and need a renal compliant diet. Sodium is under 500mg, potassium is under 600mg, and phosphorus is under 200mg per meal.
Low carb – Meals contain fewer carbohydrates that are beneficial for many health reasons. It’s easier to lose weight and control blood sugar levels.
Low sodium – Low-sodium meals meet the American Heart Association of 500mg and less. It’s essential for heart health, fluid balance, and blood pressure regulation.
Low fat – Top Chef Meals low-fat meals are minimized to 13mg or less total fat and 5mg or less of saturated fat that benefits many health conditions and disease prevention.
Gluten-free – This diet helps celiac disease or other gluten intolerance illnesses, so it avoids products with grains containing gluten.
Dairy-free – These meals don’t contain any dairy products such as cheese, milk, and whey that help lactose-intolerant individuals.
Diabetic meals – These meals are aimed to control blood sugar levels. The diabetic diet is naturally rich in nutrients and low sugar, fat, carbohydrates, and calories.
Paleo – Their Paleo diet emphasizes more lean meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, healthy oils, and fats. It’s free from gluten, grain, and dairy.
Keto – A ketogenic diet is a moderate protein, low carb, and high-fat diet to get your body to burn fat quickly and lose weight. This diet also improves cholesterol, lowers blood sugar levels and blood pressure, lowers triglycerides, and reduces your appetite.
Kids meals – Meals are designed for your toddler and kids’ nutritional needs to cater to their physical and mental development at each stage of their life.
Add-Ons: Wine & More
The Top Chef Meals menu does have a little more than just breakfast, lunch/dinner, and desserts. They have their seasonal specials that change regularly just to keep things fresh and exciting.
Their other add-ons are for the health nuts who just want a quick breakfast smoothie that’s dairy-free, high in protein, boosts your energy, and keeps you hydrated. For those that want something comforting on chilly days, you have the option of a hearty soup to keep you warm.
The kids’ meals and senior meals are bonuses to their menu.
Top Chef Meals Customer Service
You can order meals via the online app with no hassles or delays. Customer support is available via email or phone call.
Top Chef Meals Cancellation Policy
If there are any returns, credits, or cancellations for any given reason other than quality, it’ll be done at their management team’s discretion. There is no return of meals because it’s a perishable product.
There are no cash refunds, but your Top Chef Meals website account will be credited. This is reviewed on a situational basis or if the meals were impaired, damaged, or spoiled during delivery. They have a 100% guarantee for product quality and good delivery conditions.
Top Chef Meals Alternatives
There are other brand alternatives to Top Chef Meals, including Home Chef, Sun Basket, and Hello Fresh.
|
Meal Kit
|
Price / Serving
|
Minimum order
|
Meal options
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sunbasket
|
$11.99
|
4 Servings
|
15-20
|
|
Home Chef
|
$6.99
|
4 Servings
|
2-6
|
|
HelloFresh
|
$7.49
|
4 Servings
|
2-5
|
Summary
We’re pretty impressed with Top Chef Meals’ processes and the array of choices catering to different customers’ dietary preferences, including senior citizens and kids. What’s great about this brand is the easy customization of your meals. Unlike other brands, it’s also flexible as there’s no need to subscribe, and there isn’t a minimum meal order.
The Top Chef Meals menu has over 400 freshly prepared meal items and ready to eat in 3 minutes or less. It’s good to last in the freezer for up to four months and up to four days in the fridge. It’s affordable and of excellent quality for the buck.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I Order from Top Chef Meals and Have It Delivered to Someone Else?
Absolutely! Top Chef Meals is dedicated to bringing customers convenience, and as such, will deliver the meals to your family and friends throughout the country.
Is Top Chef Meals Healthy?
Top Chef Meals are healthy and only use the freshest, locally sourced ingredients available. It’s high in protein, has flash-frozen meals that lock in their nutritional value, and is free from artificial ingredients and trans fa.
How Do I Prepare Top Chef Meals?
Top Chef Meals are delivered already perfectly prepared, along with heating instructions for both the oven and microwave.
Do Top Chef Meals Have Gluten-Free?
Yes, there are over 90 gluten-free entrees, desserts, shakes, and soups to choose from.
Is Top Chef Meals Organic?
Top Chef Meals use locally sourced ingredients when possible, free of antibiotics, chemicals, preservatives, and trans fat. However, only a few ingredients are organic.
