This Is The Best Food Delivery Service Since Fresh N Lean Closed

When Fresh N Lean went bankrupt in July, it sparked a seismic shift in the fast-food hierarchy. Fresh N Lean was our favorite fast-food service for several years, but some apparently shady financial backing caused the healthy subscription service to suddenly shut down.

Don’t worry, hungry readers looking for tasty treats to fill their fridge, there’s a second trick waiting in the wings and Food Union The best ready-made meal delivery service of 2024 has taken its place on the throne

After trying dozens of ready meal delivery services available and I liked most of them — I decided to try CookUnity last year. As you might expect from a service that features recipes from a range of chefs, each with a unique culinary background, CookUnity’s meals, which start at around $11 a portion, were equally diverse.

Overall, I found the quality of CookUnity’s meals to be extremely high and the ordering platform easy to use. It’s one of the tastiest subscriptions I’ve tried, and it’s on this editor’s list of the best meal delivery services of 2024.

Here’s a rundown of how CookUnity works and what I liked and didn’t like about it. CookUnity is currently available in most of the continental US, including all of the areas and zip codes highlighted on this map.

CookUnity pricing

Number of meals per week	Price per meal	Weekly price
4	$13.59	$54.36
6	$12.29	$73.74
8	$11.69	$93.52
12	$11.19	$134.28
16	$11.09	$177.48

How does CookUnity work?

This is a meal subscription service, so you choose four, six, eight, 12, or 16. You can always add, pause, or skip deliveries or change your plan at any time, but remember that if you don’t, the meals will keep coming and you’ll be charged for them. The meals are delivered chilled with ice to keep them that way, but never frozenYou can easily freeze most of them if you can’t get them out by the date suggested on the box, but I would argue that some will freeze better than others.

Each of CookUnity’s ready-made meals has a chef’s name on it, meaning that the chef created the recipe you’re eating at your dinner table or kitchen counter. Some of the newer names include Einat Admony (Taïm, Balaboosta), John DeLucie (Waverly Inn, Lumaca), and Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Jean-Georges).

You can choose your meals from a rotating menu of over 150 meals each week, or you can let CookUnity decide for you and be amazed when you open the box. When choosing meals, you can sort using filters for specific diet plans, including vegan and vegetarian, keto, low-calorie, Whole30-friendly, gluten-free, and more. You can also see full nutritional information and ingredient lists, as well as reviews from others, before you add anything to your cart.

CookUnity will initially choose a delivery day, but you can change this as needed and also schedule within a specific time frame to ensure someone is home to put the food in the fridge.

When the meals arrive, they come with simple reheating instructions on the side of the box, usually with both a chef’s suggestion and a quick reheat option — which usually means using the microwave. Spoiler alert: You’ll want to follow the chef’s suggestion, even if it means spraying a nonstick pan with water or using a small piece of aluminum foil.

What I ate and how I liked it

I selected six meals and tried them all fresh a few days after my arrival. None of them seemed particularly good candidates for freezing, unlike some other services I’ve tried, some of which seem designed for that. Overall, I found the quality to be very high, and while some were better than others, I didn’t like any of them.

Chicken tinga tacos with cilantro and guacamole: The pulled chicken that came in these tacos was incredibly tender and had a smoky, slightly spicy flavor. The corn tortillas weren’t the freshest but they didn’t completely ruin the dish.

Vegetarian crepes with cheddar cheeseThis was another lovely dish with the spinach and mushrooms bursting through the crisp crepe. It could have used a bit more flavour and it did soften a bit when reheated but overall it was an enjoyable lunch and quite filling too.

Lamb kebab with baked potatoes, hummus and pickles:Super tender lamb, full of flavours like mint and garlic. The sweet potatoes were also extremely well cooked with the edges just starting to brown. This might be my favourite and it reheated particularly well as the fat from the lamb re-browned the kebab from the inside out.

Tofu with hemp seeds and sweet potato puree: The tofu was soft, even a little tasteless, and the sweet potatoes were creamy and nicely seasoned. It was served with a bright parsley sauce that may have been the best part.

Miso cod with sautéed vegetables: The cod was fresh but the vegetables were a bit boring I think. This was definitely a smaller portion than the rest, which is fine for someone trying to cut carbs or calories but not enough to fill me up.

Beef bulgogi ramenA solid dish with the noodles cooked just right and the tender beef sauté infused with plenty of sour kimchi flavor. It wasn’t the best bulgogi I’ve had, but it wasn’t the worst either.

How much does CookUnity cost?

This service is on par with other high-end meal delivery services, with meals ranging from $11 to $13 depending on how many meals you order per week. Others in the same category, like some of our top picks Pete’s Paleo is more expensive at $12-15 per meal. However, there are also cheaper options available, such as Mosaic Foods, where you can get family meals for as little as $6 per serving when you order them.

What is CookUnity’s shipping cost?

You’ll pay a flat fee of $10 for all orders through CookUnity. This is pretty standard, but some services, like Fresh N Lean, will waive the fee if you order enough food.

Who is CookUnity good for?

This meal delivery service has a wide variety of options, so for someone with a curious palate who likes to try new foods, I would say this is one of the best. The food is literally all over the place, with dozens of world cuisines represented, but the quality is consistent, and all the dishes I tried were at least solid or better.

This is a good meal delivery service if you’re trying to stick to a specific eating plan, as there are plenty of healthy, low-carb, vegan, and paleo options.

If you’re interested in the celebrity chef scene and want to brag to your friends about having Jean-Georges’ pizza for dinner last night, CookUnity is another great option. And yes, the French-born, James Beard Award-winning chef does have a pizza recipe on his CookUnity menu. Go figure.

Who is CookUnity not good for?

It’s probably not a great choice for families because the portions aren’t very large and can get expensive if you’re ordering for three or four people. It’s also not ideal if you have a very unpredictable schedule because I don’t find freshly prepared food to be great for freezing and it’s definitely best consumed within a few days of delivery.

Final decision on CookUnity

I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the high hit rate of this food service. I was worried that the service itself would be inconsistent, considering how many real cooks were in the kitchen, as they collected recipes from dozens of chefs. In practice, however, every dish was well-prepared with good flavor, and I didn’t encounter a single real bad thing. The cod was the only dish I wished had a larger portion, but overall, each lunch or dinner was satisfying.

The most exciting thing about CookUnity is the sheer volume of dining options to choose from, all from chefs with different backgrounds, culinary styles, and levels of fame. As a true restaurant enthusiast, I find CookUnity to be not only a delicious way to fill my stomach without cooking, but also a fun way to learn about new chef personalities and restaurants when I’m traveling to a new city or looking for a place to eat out locally.

Since you can pause or cancel your subscription at any time, I recommend giving it a try and see how it works out. You I like.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or your health goals.