June 23, 2023
Cold Brew Club Coffee Review
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Coffee & Tea Reviews
For our CookUnity reviews, we were given a sample. This post contains affiliate links and if you make a purchase we may be compensated. All opinions are our own.
Written By Alison Chew | Dietitian Verified by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
CookUnity delivers freshly made individual meals created from scratch by top chefs, some with Michelin Stars, and holistic nutritionists directly to your door.
Chefs use only high-quality ingredients sourced from trusted local farmers to create naturally healthy ready-to-eat meals.
All meals are non-GMO, organic when possible, include humanely-raised meat, and nothing artificial.
Plus, you can receive weekly advice from a dedicated holistic nutritionist to help design your eating journey, create new habits, and find the right meals for you!
The price of CookUnity meals starts at $11.09 per meal. In addition, CookUnity offers sides, treats, drinks, and breakfast items starting at $4.99.
You can choose to receive 4, 6, 8, 12, 0r 16 meals per week. Some meals have an additional fee for more premium ingredients like shrimp and the size of meals varies (we saw 400g to over 600g).
Yes! You must order at least 4 meals.
One! Each CookUnity meal is met to serve one adult.
Compared to takeout, CookUnity meals are relatively inexpensive, and compared to other prepared meal services, like Factor, CookUnity meal prices are in line with similar services.
As with most prepared meal services, the more meals you order the lower the price per meal. SHOP NOW >>
To cancel your CookUnity plan simply login to your online account, go to “My Plan” and select “Cancel.” You can also skip weeks at a time if you’re going to be away and don’t want to receive a box.
CookUnity ships to most states in the Continental US with the exception of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, and parts of Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and West Virginia.
Shipping is FREE!
Fresh! CookUnity meals arrive fresh and should be stored in the refrigerator.
CookUnity meals are good for between 4 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Each meal has an “eat by” date.
No! CookUnity does not use artificial or chemical preservatives and therefore meals have a shelf-life of between 4 to 7 days in the refrigerator.
Yes! CookUnity meals can be frozen, but they do recommend eating them before the “use-by” date on the label. You will need to thaw each meal completely in the refrigerator before heating it.
Yes! All CookUnity meals arrive pre-cooked and fresh (not frozen). All you have to do is heat and enjoy!
CookUnity meals can be heated in the microwave or in the oven. Heat times vary depending on the dish and heating method.
Each CookUnity meal comes in a container that is both microwave and oven safe.
We’ve tried CookUnity several times for our CookUnity Prepared Meals Review. See below for our latest Unboxing Video, with more on our YouTube Channel.
Plus, keep reading for an ongoing list of our CookUnity meal Favorites and Misses. SHOP NOW >>
Keep in mind when ordering that meals are shipped fresh, not frozen, and are designed to be eaten within 4-7 days.
Meals are super easy to make, just remove them from the fridge and follow the instructions on the packaging.
Meals can be heated in the microwave or conventional oven, with times varying depending upon the dish.
Our meals could be heated in under 5 min in the microwave. SHOP NOW >>
Red Chile Braised Short Rib Chilaquiles were a huge hit and tasted just like a plate of short rib nachos. It didn’t look good, but it tasted amazing!
Rosemary Chicken Thigh and Linguine were very filling, I couldn’t finish it all, and tasted amazing.
The chicken thigh was grilled with the bone in and tasted very moist and fresh. The linguine was in a buttery garlic sauce that filled the house with an amazing smell when in the microwave.
I would definitely order this again, but would only add half the sauce to the pasta as it was a bit oily for me.
Grilled Hanger Steak with Asparagus was moist and tender, which is amazing considering we microwaved it and I was sure that it would end up tough, and the Mojo sauce was delicious.
The sides were nice and rounded out the dish.
BBQ Chicken with Mac and Cheese was not the healthiest meal we’ve tried, but it certainly was one of the tastiest.
The chicken was a full leg and thigh with a wonderful bbq sauce and a hearty helping of mac and cheese. SHOP NOW >>
Roasted Broccoli side tasted great and could easily serve 3 as a side dish. I think it was worth the $4.99.
Pork Carnitas Burrito Bowl was very tasty, especially the salsa, and good portion size.
Tangy Parmesan Tilapia was my second favorite dish of the four we ordered.
The broccoli and cauliflower were great and the parmesan sauce complimented the fish nicely. This time I used half the sauce and it was not too oily.
Gochujang Baby Back Ribs are one of our favorites!
They are Korean-style ribs served with garlic fried rice and cheese street corn. This meal tastes great and is very filling. SHOP NOW >>
Salmon Ginger Cakes were delicious and filling. There were two large salmon cakes on top of a vinegar slaw with a large portion of rice.
The sauce was a siracha mayo, I think, with scallions, that wasn’t spicy at all, but added a nice creaminess to the dish.
Shrimp and Herbed Cauliflower Rice Bowl tasted way better than it looked coming out of the fridge.
I loved the medium-sized shrimp (though we wanted more!), they were firm and not rubbery out of the microwave, but the garlic, cheese, and herb sauce with sun-dried tomatoes stole the show!
I recommend mixing the cauliflower rice into the sauce and eating it together with the shrimp. Yum! SHOP NOW >>
Pat’s Beef Shortribs Bourgonionge was very good. The shortribs were melt-in-your-mouth and full of flavor.
The mashed potatoes, carrots, and beans rounded out the dish and made for a filling dinner.
This Premium meal was an additional $5.99, totaling over $18, and while that would be a great deal at a restaurant I’m not sure if this portion size was worth it.
Lion’s Head Meatballs were very tasty. This Protein-only dish featured 9 Chinese-style pork meatballs and a very flavorful dipping sauce.
Priced at the same price as a meal, my keto-leaning husband was happy to have this 2-serving protein as a meal with some added veggies.
TIP: If you want to mix and match sides and proteins, proteins are 2-servings and count as 1 meal in your 4 meal minimum. Add 4 proteins (8 servings) and some sides to create your perfect meals all week long!
Key Lime Cheesecake was SO good. It had a super smooth cheesecake texture, with a very light graham cracker crumble on the bottom and on the top. The key lime flavor wasn’t overpowering and it was the perfect summer treat.
At 7 oz it was listed as a single serving, but it would be perfect for 2 people.
And for $5.99 I would definitely order this sweet treat again.
And while we really enjoyed most of the meals we’ve tried from CookUnity, there have been some misses. We wouldn’t order these meals again.
Shrimp Curry with Spicy Tomato Sauce tasted really good and had a nice kick of spice, but the shrimp were rubbery. I recommend heating any meal with shrimp for the lowest time in the microwave.
Grilled Pork Chop with Bacon Gremolata: Of the four dishes in our order, the pork was my least favorite. It was too thick and I didn’t care for the cabbage on the side. I did like the grilled taste and the gremolata sauce, though.
Hot Honey Fried Chicken: This one I’m torn on. The mashed potatoes tasted great, but the “hot honey” wasn’t spicy at all and was a bit too sweet for me. The chicken was ok and decent portion size, but this dish didn’t wow me.
Side of Brussels Sprouts with Dill Sauce was just ok and we didn’t love the dill sauce. The dish also needed salt.
Side of Broccoli is hit or miss in terms of size. One week we received a full package and the next week we received half as much.
Stir-Fried Beef tasted great, but there wasn’t enough beef. We would love less rice and more beef and egg.
Las delicias Triple Chocolate Brownie add-on was heavenly, but for the portion size, it was a little overpriced at $4.99. SHOP NOW >>
-Order what you can comfortably eat in 5-7 days from delivery to cut back on food waste
-Change your delivery day to see the menu change
-When heating in the microwave start with the minimum time so that you don’t overcook your meal (this is especially true with shrimp meals)
-Be careful with the sauce; you may need to remove it before heating and we recommend using half and then adding more as needed
-Try mixing the side of rice/beans/veggies into the main entree compartment and sauce. They usually taste great together!
On average, the weekly CookUnity menu features over 200 choices with meals that fit most dietary needs including:
New menus are posted every Friday for the upcoming two weeks. You can easily use the filters to find dishes that meet your preferences.
As noted above, the menu will change depending on the delivery day you select. I recommend playing around with this as you may find better options on different days.
Check out a sample menu below!
CookUnity delivers freshly made individual meals created from scratch by top chefs, some with Michelin Stars, and holistic nutritionists directly to your door. Chefs use only high-quality ingredients sourced from trusted local farmers to create naturally healthy ready-to-eat meals.
All meals are non-GMO, organic when possible, include humanely-raised meat, and nothing artificial. Plus, you can receive weekly advice from a dedicated holistic nutritionist to help find the right meals for you!
There are so many things to love about CookUnity! From their wide selection of weekly meals (over 200!) to their thoughtful environmentally-friendly packaging, they deliver what they promise. Fresh, healthy-ish meals that taste great.
The only drawback is that, at least for now, CookUnity does not deliver to the entire United States, but is expanding rapidly so check back often. And while some addons are tasty and worth the cost like the roasted broccoli, we found that the desserts are not a great value for the portion size.
Compared to other prepared meal services that we have reviewed, CookUnity meals are most like restaurant meals and feel more like going out to a nice dinner or getting quality takeout. They also feel less processed and cookie-cutter than other services like Factor or Freshly.
These meals are perfect for days when you don’t want to cook, they make for a quick and easy lunch or dinner for adults or older kids alike, and their diverse menu meets the needs of seniors and those with dietary restrictions. SHOP NOW >>
Looking for more prepared meal services? Check out our Prepared Meals directory >>
| This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy. | |
|---|---|
 | Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease. |
