Home Chef or EveryPlate for first-time users?
If you’re ordering a meal kit for the first time, Home Chef is usually the easier choice for beginners, especially if you want clearer recipes, more meal styles, and options that reduce prep. EveryPlate is the better first pick if keeping the price low matters most. Both can help you cook at home without planning every dinner yourself, but they suit different kinds of beginners.
Home Chef vs. EveryPlate at a Glance
| Factor | Home Chef | EveryPlate |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | First-time users who want guidance and flexibility | First-time users focused on saving money |
| Beginner experience | Very beginner-friendly | Beginner-friendly, but more basic |
| Recipe instructions | Detailed, step-by-step | Simple and easy to follow |
| Meal variety | More varied | More basic choices |
| Prep options | Meal kits, Oven-Ready, Express, Heat & Eat and more | Mostly straightforward meal kits |
| Customization | Strong customization options | More limited |
| Typical price | Starts around $7.99/serving; standard meals often cost more | Around $6–$7/serving based on current listings |
| Shipping | Varies by order | Typically an additional box shipping charge |
| Best reason to choose it | Easier learning experience | Lower grocery-style meal-kit cost |
Current Home Chef menus list meals starting at $7.99 per serving, with family meals starting at $6.99 per serving. EveryPlate is positioned as a lower-cost service, with recent reviews listing regular meals around $6–$7 per serving plus shipping. Prices and promotions can change, so check the checkout price before ordering.
Which Is Easier for a First-Time Cook?
Home Chef has the edge for most beginners.
Home Chef provides pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes. Its current lineup also includes different preparation styles, such as Oven-Ready meals, Express recipes, and other lower-prep options. That gives a new cook more ways to start without jumping straight into complicated recipes.
Home Chef has also been specifically praised for beginner-friendly recipe cards. WIRED’s review described it as a strong choice for beginner cooks because of its detailed instructions and pre-portioned ingredients.
EveryPlate is also approachable, but its recipes tend to be more basic. That can actually be helpful if you are nervous about cooking. You are less likely to face a recipe with many unusual techniques or ingredients.
The trade-off is that some EveryPlate recipes may expect you to have basic pantry items such as oil, butter, flour, or sugar.
What if You Have Almost No Cooking Experience?
Choose Home Chef if words such as sear, mince, roast, or reduce are new to you.
Its detailed recipe format gives you more guidance as you work through each step.
Choose EveryPlate if you know basic kitchen tasks but mainly want someone else to plan dinner and measure most of the ingredients.
Which One Is Better for Learning to Cook?
Home Chef is the stronger choice if your goal is to learn basic cooking skills while making dinner.
You can learn things such as:
- How to season meat
- How to chop vegetables
- How to cook pasta and rice
- How to brown meat
- How to make a simple sauce
- How to manage several cooking steps
- How to judge when food is done
That does not mean EveryPlate is a poor learning tool. Its simpler recipes can be useful when you want to practice without feeling overwhelmed.
A good first meal-kit experience should leave you thinking, “I could make this again.” Home Chef’s detailed recipes can make that easier for a new cook.
Which Is Better If You Want the Cheapest First Experience?
EveryPlate usually wins on price.
That is one of its main advantages. Recent reviews put EveryPlate’s regular pricing around $6–$7 per serving, while Home Chef currently advertises meals starting at $7.99 per serving, with standard meals often higher depending on the menu and order size. Shipping and premium meal choices can change the final total.
For a first-time user, this matters because you may not know whether you will actually enjoy meal-kit delivery.
If your thinking is:
“I just want to try a meal kit without spending too much.”
EveryPlate makes more sense.
If your thinking is:
“I am willing to pay a little more if it makes cooking easier.”
Home Chef is worth considering.
Which Has Better Meal Choices for Beginners?
Home Chef has the advantage in variety.
Its current menu includes classic meal kits alongside options such as Oven-Ready, Express, and other quick-prep meals. Home Chef also offers customization on many recipes, allowing users to swap proteins or make other changes.
EveryPlate takes a simpler approach. WIRED’s 2026 review described its menu as having fewer choices but said that simplicity can be a strength. Recent listings show roughly 35 weekly options, depending on the week.
For a beginner, too much choice can sometimes be a problem.
If you want to browse many types of food, Home Chef is more appealing.
If you would rather pick from a smaller group of familiar meals, EveryPlate can feel less complicated.
Which Is Better for People Who Are Nervous About Cooking?
Home Chef is the safer pick.
The biggest issue for a new cook is often not the food itself. It is uncertainty.
You may wonder:
- How small should I chop this?
- How hot should the pan be?
- When is the chicken done?
- What should I do first?
- What happens if I am slower than the recipe says?
Clear instructions can reduce that stress.
EveryPlate can still work well, but some recipes are more stripped down. WIRED noted that some EveryPlate instructions can be quite basic.
Home Chef vs. EveryPlate for a First Box
Your first box should not be a test of how adventurous you are.
Instead, pick meals that match your current skill level.
For a first Home Chef order, look for:
- Express meals
- Easy-prep meals
- Oven-Ready meals
- Familiar proteins such as chicken
- Recipes with fewer cooking steps
Home Chef currently offers several preparation formats designed to reduce prep time, including Oven-Ready and recipes that come together in about 30 minutes or less.
For EveryPlate, start with a familiar recipe rather than one containing several unfamiliar ingredients.
For example, a beginner who already knows how to cook chicken and rice may have an easier first experience with a simple chicken-and-rice meal than with a complicated pasta dish requiring several separate steps.
Two Realistic First-Time Scenarios
Scenario 1: A college student learning to cook
Imagine a student who normally eats takeout and has only basic kitchen skills.
The main goal is not gourmet food. It is learning how to make dinner without feeling lost.
Home Chef would probably be the better starting point because its detailed instructions and different prep styles can make the transition easier.
If the student becomes comfortable with meal kits, they can later choose more involved recipes.
Scenario 2: A beginner on a tight food budget
Now imagine someone who already knows basic cooking but hates meal planning.
They mainly want inexpensive ingredients delivered with a recipe.
EveryPlate may be the better fit.
The lower regular serving price can make it easier to test meal-kit delivery without committing as much money to the experiment.
What First-Time Users Often Get Wrong
The biggest mistake is choosing a meal based only on the picture.
A meal can look delicious but still be frustrating if it requires techniques you have never used.
Before selecting your first meals, check:
- The listed cooking time
- The number of preparation steps
- Required kitchen tools
- Pantry ingredients you must provide
- Protein options
- Dietary labels
- Whether the meal requires chopping or other prep
Also remember that the printed cooking time is not always the amount of time a beginner will need. A 30-minute recipe may take longer when you are still learning where everything is and how each cooking step works.
Which Should You Choose?
The simplest answer is:
Choose Home Chef if you are completely new to meal kits or cooking. Choose EveryPlate if you already know basic cooking skills and your main goal is to spend less.
| If your priority is… | Better choice |
|---|---|
| First meal-kit experience | Home Chef |
| Learning basic cooking | Home Chef |
| Detailed instructions | Home Chef |
| More prep choices | Home Chef |
| More customization | Home Chef |
| Lower regular price | EveryPlate |
| Simple, familiar meals | EveryPlate |
| Keeping the first test inexpensive | EveryPlate |
| Fewer choices to sort through | EveryPlate |
Home Chef’s current offering is especially useful for beginners because it lets you choose between traditional meal kits and easier formats instead of forcing every new cook into the same cooking process.
Is Home Chef Worth Paying More for as a Beginner?
It can be.
The extra cost makes more sense if you value instruction, variety, customization, and easier preparation options.
It makes less sense if you are comfortable cooking basic meals and mainly want inexpensive ingredients with a recipe.
Think about what you are actually paying for. With Home Chef, part of the value is convenience and flexibility. With EveryPlate, the main appeal is keeping the meal-kit bill lower.
Neither choice is automatically better for everyone.
Is EveryPlate Too Basic for a First-Time User?
No.
In fact, its simplicity can help a beginner.
EveryPlate focuses on straightforward meals rather than trying to turn every dinner into a cooking project. Recent testing by WIRED found the meals tasty and filling while noting that the service has fewer options and some less-detailed instructions.
The key question is whether you need more instruction or simply less meal-planning work.
If you need more instruction, Home Chef has the advantage.
If you just want an inexpensive recipe and pre-portioned ingredients, EveryPlate can be a good starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Home Chef or EveryPlate better for complete beginners?
Home Chef is generally the better choice for a complete beginner because it offers detailed recipes and several easier preparation formats. EveryPlate can still work well if you already understand basic cooking terms and techniques.
Is EveryPlate cheaper than Home Chef?
Usually, yes. EveryPlate is designed as a budget-focused meal-kit service, while Home Chef’s current menu starts at a higher per-serving price, although exact costs depend on the plan, meals, shipping, and current promotions.
Should I try Home Chef or EveryPlate first?
If you have little or no cooking experience, start with Home Chef and choose an easy-prep or Oven-Ready meal. If you are already comfortable making basic dinners and mainly want to reduce your food budget and meal-planning work, EveryPlate is the better first test.
The Bottom Line
For most first-time meal-kit users, Home Chef is the stronger starting point because it gives beginners more guidance and more ways to control the cooking experience. EveryPlate is the better choice when price is the deciding factor.
One practical tip: do not choose the most exciting recipe for your first box. Pick two or three meals that look easy and familiar. A simple first experience gives you a much better idea of whether meal kits fit your routine.
