Home Chef or EveryPlate for beginner cooks?
If you are new to cooking, Home Chef is the better choice for most beginners, mainly because it offers more meal formats, clear recipe instructions, and easy-prep options. EveryPlate is also beginner-friendly and costs less, but its recipes often require more hands-on prep. Choose Home Chef if you want more guidance and flexibility; choose EveryPlate if keeping the price low matters most.
Home Chef vs. EveryPlate for Beginner Cooks?
Both Home Chef and EveryPlate are meal-kit services designed to make cooking at home easier. You receive pre-portioned ingredients and recipe instructions, so you do not have to plan an entire dinner from scratch.
The main difference is how much choice and flexibility you get.
Home Chef has classic meal kits, Express meals, Oven-Ready options, and Heat & Eat meals. Its current menu also includes recipes that take around 15–20 minutes as well as meals that take 40–50 minutes.
EveryPlate focuses more on simple, low-cost meals. Its current menu advertises 35+ weekly recipes, and most meals require you to handle the cooking and prep yourself.
| Category | Home Chef | EveryPlate |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner friendly | Excellent | Very good |
| Recipe variety | Higher | Good |
| Prep choices | More | Fewer |
| Simple cooking | Yes | Yes |
| Hands-on prep | Varies by meal | Usually required |
| Quick meals | Strong selection | Available |
| Customization | Yes, on eligible meals | Limited |
| Budget | Higher | Lower |
| Best for | Beginners who want flexibility | Beginners on a tight budget |
Why Home Chef Is Better for Most Beginner Cooks
Home Chef has an advantage that matters when you are still learning: you can choose how much cooking you want to do.
Its current menu includes classic meal kits, Express meals, and other easier formats. Home Chef describes Express meals as easy-prep meals that come together in under 30 minutes, while its Heat & Eat options can be ready in minutes.
That means you do not have to start with a complicated recipe.
You can begin with a simple meal, learn basic skills, and gradually move toward recipes that require more steps.
Home Chef recipe instructions are beginner-friendly
A beginner usually needs more than a list of ingredients. You also need to know:
- What to do first
- How much oil or seasoning to use
- When to add each ingredient
- How long to cook something
- What the finished food should look like
Home Chef provides step-by-step recipe cards and lets customers filter meals by factors such as cook time, meal type, dietary preference, and spice level.
That makes it easier to avoid choosing a recipe that is beyond your current skill level.
Home Chef lets you control the difficulty
This is one of the biggest reasons I would recommend Home Chef to a first-time cook.
You can start with an easy meal and later try something more involved. The current Home Chef menu includes meals in different time ranges, from quick 15–20 minute recipes to recipes that take 40–50 minutes.
For a beginner, that creates a natural learning path:
Easy meal → basic meal kit → more advanced recipe
You do not have to jump into a difficult dinner on your first week.
Where EveryPlate Makes Sense for Beginners
EveryPlate is not difficult to cook. In fact, its simple recipes can be a good way to learn basic kitchen skills.
Its main advantage is that the recipes tend to be straightforward and the service focuses heavily on keeping meal-kit costs down. EveryPlate currently promotes 35+ weekly recipes and describes its meals as easy to cook.
That can work well if you are learning skills such as:
- Chopping vegetables
- Measuring ingredients
- Browning ground meat
- Cooking rice
- Roasting vegetables
- Making simple sauces
- Following recipe steps
The trade-off is that you generally have to do more of the prep yourself.
A recent WIRED review found that EveryPlate recipes commonly take about 20–45 minutes and noted that some instructions can be quite brief.
For someone who wants to learn by doing, that is not necessarily bad. But someone who feels nervous in the kitchen may prefer Home Chef’s wider range of easier formats.
Home Chef vs. EveryPlate: Which Is Easier to Cook?
For a complete beginner, I would give Home Chef the edge.
The reason is not that EveryPlate recipes are hard. It is because Home Chef gives you more ways to reduce the workload.
For example, Home Chef currently offers:
- Classic meal kits
- Express recipes
- Oven-Ready meals
- Heat & Eat meals
- Recipes with different cooking times
- Filters for cook time and meal type
EveryPlate is more consistent in its basic meal-kit format. That can actually be useful if you want to practice cooking regularly, but it gives you fewer ways to avoid prep when you are tired or short on time.
Winner for easiest overall experience: Home Chef.
Which One Teaches You More About Cooking?
This depends on what you mean by “learn.”
If you want to learn basic cooking skills through hands-on practice, EveryPlate can be a good teacher.
You may spend more time chopping, measuring, sautéing, roasting, and preparing simple sides. Because the recipes are relatively straightforward, you can repeat those skills from week to week.
Home Chef can teach you those skills too, but its easier meal formats can reduce the amount of work you need to do.
So there is an interesting split:
Best for learning basic hands-on skills: EveryPlate
Best for learning while keeping things easy: Home Chef
What About Recipe Variety?
Home Chef has the stronger variety.
Its current website lists 35+ weekly choices and includes different types of meals, from classic recipes to Express and Heat & Eat options.
EveryPlate also offers 35+ weekly recipes, according to its current site, but the overall cooking experience is more focused on simple meal kits.
For beginners, variety matters because you may not know what kind of cooking you enjoy yet.
You might discover that you like:
- Pasta
- Stir-fries
- Tacos
- One-pan meals
- Rice bowls
- Roasted chicken
- Vegetarian dishes
Home Chef makes it easier to experiment with different cooking styles and levels of effort.
Which Is Better for a Beginner on a Budget?
EveryPlate wins if price is your main concern.
Current third-party comparisons generally place EveryPlate below Home Chef on base meal cost, although exact prices depend on the plan, promotions, and current menu. EveryPlate’s own site currently markets meals at under $7 and promotes weekly deals.
That lower price can make EveryPlate appealing when you are learning to cook and do not want to spend too much on a meal-kit subscription.
But remember that the cheapest meal kit is not automatically the best value.
If paying a little more for easier preparation means you actually cook the meals instead of ordering takeout, Home Chef may be the better value for you.
A Beginner Example: Which Would I Pick?
Imagine someone who has barely cooked before.
They know how to make scrambled eggs and pasta but are not comfortable cooking meat, chopping vegetables, or following multi-step recipes.
For that person, I would start with Home Chef.
I would choose an Express or another easy-prep recipe first. After a few meals, I would move to standard meal kits and gradually try recipes with more steps.
Now imagine a college student who already knows basic kitchen skills but wants to spend as little as possible.
For that person, EveryPlate may make more sense. The simpler recipes provide regular cooking practice without paying as much for extra flexibility.
The right choice depends less on whether you are technically a beginner and more on how comfortable you are with hands-on cooking.
One Home Chef Feature Beginners May Appreciate
Home Chef’s Customize It feature can be useful if you like a recipe but prefer a different protein.
For eligible meals, Home Chef lets you change the protein from the available choices. The company says customization is limited to select meals and that vegetables and sides cannot generally be changed through this feature.
For a beginner, this can remove one common problem:
“This recipe looks easy, but I don’t like that meat.”
You may be able to select another available protein instead.
EveryPlate does not offer the same level of protein customization.
What Should a First-Time Cook Look for in Either Service?
Do not simply choose the meal with the best-looking photo.
Before ordering, check the recipe details.
Look for:
- Short cook time — Around 15–30 minutes is a good starting point.
- Few cooking methods — One-pan or one-pot recipes are easier to manage.
- Familiar ingredients — You will have less to learn at once.
- Clear instructions — This matters more than fancy recipes.
- Limited prep — Too much chopping can make a first meal stressful.
- Simple protein — Chicken, ground meat, or beans can be easier starting points than more delicate ingredients.
You should also read the recipe before cooking. A recipe listed as 20 minutes can take longer if you are new to chopping or measuring.
Home Chef or EveryPlate: The Final Choice
If your main question is “Which meal kit should a beginner cook choose?”, I would pick Home Chef for most people.
Its wider range of meal formats lets you start with easier recipes and move toward more traditional cooking as your confidence grows. Its current menu also provides filters for cook time and meal type, which makes choosing an appropriate recipe easier.
Choose EveryPlate instead if your biggest concern is keeping your food budget low and you are comfortable doing more of the preparation yourself.
A simple rule works well:
New to cooking and nervous about it? Choose Home Chef.
New to cooking but comfortable practicing and want to save money? Choose EveryPlate.
The best beginner meal kit is ultimately the one that helps you cook often enough to build confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Home Chef or EveryPlate easier for someone who cannot cook?
Home Chef is generally easier because it offers more low-prep formats and lets you filter meals by cook time and meal type. EveryPlate is still beginner-friendly, but most meals involve more hands-on preparation.
Is EveryPlate good for learning how to cook?
Yes. EveryPlate can be useful for beginners who want hands-on practice with basic cooking skills. Its simpler recipes can help you learn tasks such as chopping, sautéing, roasting, and following recipe steps.
Should I choose Home Chef if I am completely new to cooking?
Yes, Home Chef is the safer starting point if you feel unsure in the kitchen. Start with one of its easier, shorter recipes rather than choosing a complicated meal simply because it looks interesting.
The Bottom Line
Home Chef is the better overall pick for beginner cooks, while EveryPlate is the better choice for beginners who care most about saving money.
My practical tip: whichever service you choose, start with the easiest recipes available. Learn a few basic skills first, then move to longer and more involved meals as you become comfortable.
