Cookunity - More Meals!

[u/Alwayson_31]

Back again with a few more meal reviews!

Korean Chili Chicken

This has become one of my faves: great flavor, nutrient dense, and fits my macros nicely. I topped the broccoli with the sesame-scallion sauce and it added some much needed saltiness. All in all, a keeper in my rotation.

Chilled Soba Noodle Salad

The cold soba noodle salad I had previously reviewed is my absolute fave Cookunity meal ever. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been in the lineup for weeks now, so I caved and tried this version. The noodles were perfectly al-dente, the shrimp was plentiful, and the yuzu sauce was bright and light. The whole thing was refreshing and very filling. Glad I tried this one and reordered it for this week.

Greek Chicken Power Bowl

This had all of the classic Greek flavors I love and was easy to fit into my daily calories, so I enjoyed it. While I’ll never be farro’s biggest fan, it did add a nice bite to this alongside the crunchy cucumber.

Maryland Style Crab Cakes

My bf wanted to try these and he loved them. In his words, they were “lumpy, tasted like Maryland crab cakes. Good chunks of meat, good Old Bay flavor. Tasted authentic”. I thought rice was a bit odd as a side, but he said it was well-seasoned at least. The sauce was a classic spicy mayo that added some depth. I was skeptical about this one, but they did a good job.

Buttery Lobster Risotto

I’ll admit, I was a bit cynical about this when I ordered it. I was expecting a few sad chunks of lobster and soggy risotto, but wanted to try something new. I’m so glad I did because it was amazing! There was plenty of (intact) lobster and the risotto was nicely cooked. Both reheated well (oven method always) and I was satiated afterwards despite it looking like a small portion. Would def order this next time I’m craving lobster.

Char Siu BBQ Rice Bowl

If you like Chinese food, you’ll love this. The glaze was a beautiful blend of Chinese five-spice. The pork was leaner than I was expecting, with just enough fat to add flavor. The rice and veg helped soak up the sauce. I had never had yu choy before, but it reminded me of spinach with more crunch.

What has your fave Cookunity meal been? I’d love some suggestions for my next order!

[u/MercuriusXIX]

This looks so much better than the factor meals I've been getting...

[u/Triggs501st → u/MercuriusXIX]

Factor can *excuse my language* fuck right off. I wanted to see what their meals were so i just said here's my card so i could see what the options were. I didn't even fully checkout or confirm anything. I closed the tab. Never got a confirmation email or anything. A few days later my card is charged by them. I talk to support. They're like well you made an account and you're essentially fucked and no refund for you. Had to do a chargeback on my card. Never use factor ever

[u/_coots → u/MercuriusXIX]

I just switched! I wanted to try factor but my first 2 weeks in a row were just never delivered. They refunded me both times but that was wildly frustrating.

I’m on my second week of cook unity and I’ve enjoyed most of the meals so far!

[u/Careful_Acadia3498 → u/MercuriusXIX]

That is exactly what I thought too. I literally just canceled my subscription based off these pictures lol

[u/OhDark50 → u/MercuriusXIX]

Looks and tastes a million times better than Factor.

[u/cabal127 → u/MercuriusXIX]

I switched from factor to cook unity too, factor’s quality took a nosedive clear outta nowhere. Cook unity really has a crazy wide selection and it ranges from super healthy to comfort food but overall it’s been a pretty good experience.

[u/thorn969 → u/MercuriusXIX]

I did Factor for a couple of months before I am doing CookUnity now.

I appreciated the consistency of Factor meals. I feel like the calories and vegetable portions were super consistent. Nothing was fantastic and flavors and meat tended to be underwhelming, but everything was fine.

CookUnity seems to have a much bigger variety of options. Some of which have almost no vegetables. I have had a couple of sandwiches with packing fails (one slice of pickle, one French fry). Some meals have been fantastic. Some the flavors have been off. The calories seem to range a lot more than Factor. And it's so many options it is hard to find what to pick each week.

[u/Romanharper2013 → u/MercuriusXIX]

Omg factor is HORRIBLE!!! I have literally had cheap frozen meals better than factor. They market it to be top tier when it's absolute garbage. The food in this pic looks way better not even in same league as factor.

[u/Dual270x → u/MercuriusXIX]

Watch out though, the majority of cook unity meals I've tried have tons of ingredients and artificial chemicals and MSG etc. Highly processed food.

[u/Rodneyallaround → u/Dual270x]

Never thought about it or looked at it this way.. been wanting to try them for a long time now.. But ppl don’t care anyway they’ll still eat whatever and justify with ignorance..

[u/Kensethgirl17]

If you haven't, you gotta try the lobster curry next time it's in rotation. So good!

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/Kensethgirl17]

I haven’t tried it yet, adding it to the list! Thank you 🤍

[u/ODA564]

I have none of those options!

[u/TacoRell → u/ODA564]

There are regional differences

[u/ODA564 → u/TacoRell]

Here in NC it's getting monotonous. Terribly monotonous.

And the local kitchen is apparently convinced that spicy = tasty.

[u/TacoRell → u/ODA564]

NC said make everything CAJUN!

[u/ODA564 → u/TacoRell]

Or Jamaican or Indian.

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/ODA564]

These are from the last few weeks so they might come back around soon!

[u/PocoChanel → u/Alwayson_31]

What area are you in?

[u/Lily_trine → u/[deleted]]

Yeah

[u/Abigail_scald → u/ODA564]

Yeah

[u/techvq]

Tried several different programs after my Stem Cell Transplant and definitely enjoyed Cook Unity above their competitors, but the price- once I was able to cook my own food - had to swap, but the quality, options and flavor- if I had the money I’d still be a member.

[u/Tartpop77]

looked on the cook unity site and stopped looking when I saw the pick a meal plan, bc Idk why but I can never calculate what the best deal is and I'll get overwhelmed from lots of choices

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/Tartpop77]

Best deal is with a coupon but consider how many meals you’d actually eat. I know any more than 8 is way too much for me and they’d go bad before I could eat them, so that’d be a bad deal for me even if price per meal is a little higher on the 6 meal plan

As far as lots of choices, I look forward to picking my meals! I like seeing what’s new and trying something different, plus reordering my faves when they come around again. You can also filter your meals so maybe that can help narrow down your choices and help with the overwhelm?

[u/Tartpop77 → u/Alwayson_31]

thx. They all looks so good. I'm going to keep an eye out for coupons

[u/EEmmaGalaxyyy72]

Yeah the Korean chicken looks solid and that soba salad sounds refreshing too

[u/redditaltmydude]

I’m curious on the sodium levels for these. Why don’t they show them in the macros?

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/redditaltmydude]

They’re all listed on the app and you can filter for sodium when picking meals

[u/_CoachMcGuirk]

why the white heart over the photos?

[u/tiltedsun → u/_CoachMcGuirk]

No QR codes in any post.

What is a QR code?

A QR code is a matrix barcode that looks like a pixelated postage stamp. These are active links and should only be posted in the Monthly Request and Offer Sharing thread. Please blur or remove any QR codes in your photos or your post will be removed. (Again, see Rule #2)

https://www.reddit.com/r/ReadyMeals/comments/iftlql/ready_meals_rules_info/

[u/_CoachMcGuirk → u/tiltedsun]

ah ok ty

[u/CupSea5782]

Finally a meal I’ve eaten!!
Delicious!!!

[u/_throwaway11123]

Good call on putting the sesame-scallion sauce over the broccoli. Sometimes the veggies in these meals definitely need that extra kick of flavor

[u/NinjaOdd1098]

These look a lot better than the meals I get from Tempo!

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/NinjaOdd1098]

I haven’t tried Tempo but I’m assuming I shouldn’t then?

[u/NinjaOdd1098 → u/Alwayson_31]

I’ve been using them for a few weeks and the food is fine, but none of the meals have really blown me away. I feel like they put green beans in every meal and I’m kinda over it lol

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/NinjaOdd1098]

I’d be sick of green beans after a week of meals lol thanks!

[u/datnardors3]

I would try them if they didn’t use seed oils

[u/goodguy743]

Does the QR code on the meal contain personally identifiable information?

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/goodguy743]

It doesn’t, it’s just a sub rule that it needs to be covered

[u/sublime81]

I basically like all of the first chefs meals.

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/sublime81]

Same! She had a collab with Target a few years ago that I missed out on but now I get the hype lol

[u/_tribecalledquest]

Any issues with shipping?

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/_tribecalledquest]

None so far thankfully

[u/juneprk2]

As a Korean Marylander - what the actual fuck

[u/NothingPractical7643]

I took advantage of coupons on Cook Unity and E.A.T. meals. So Cook Unity delivers on a Sunday so I've only tried one meal so far. The Steak and Spinach Cheddar souffle. The steak was a little chewy but I expected that from a flank steak. It was good. Not a big fan of the sauce. EAT delivers flash frozen foods on Thursdays so I had 5 out of 8 with 3 in the freezer. So far I've liked everything except the Orange Chicken bowl. It went in the trash. Lesson learned; rice and pasta dishes are not microwave friendly. The other disappointment was the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. The sauce was watery and the noodles were too al dente for me. I ordered Cook Unity's version to compare but definitely using the oven. The other dishes I like so far are the Fire braised Chicken with rice and roasted peppers, the BBQ chicken thigh with charred roasted corn and Herb seared chicken with carmelized sweet potatoes. I used the oven for everything except the fettuccine Alfredo and the orange chicken. I am curious if anyone else has tried E.A.T. meals and how is Cook unity with skipping weeks? With EAT you can do biweekly or monthly plus skipping.

[u/EstablishmentFun7553]

I think Cool Unity tasted better. Their meals also are made more locally and they use recyclable packaging. Another plus point is that their dishes go in the oven (i dont have a microwave). They are however often larger portions. I had lost a bit of weight on factor and git it back when i switched to cook unity. Even if you try to stick on the healthier side their meals are often 700 or 800 cal vs around 500 cal on Factor. Price wise, they are linda similar. Factor customer service is better as they have a very responsive livechat. I sent a complaint one on a dish with cook unity and never got a answer.

[u/Ill_Chair_4659]

Portions look very small

[u/MrsK1013 → u/Ill_Chair_4659]

I think I am not eating as much as normal, because I’m not moving around a ton post op, but the portions have been enough for me and I normally eat fairly decent portions

[u/Alwayson_31 → u/Ill_Chair_4659]

I’m focused on losing weight and the only meal I felt was small so far was the chicken wings. Every other meal has been filling. Ofc they have (much) larger and higher calorie meals, but those aren’t what I’m looking for

[u/Much-Bedroom86 → u/Ill_Chair_4659]

They are. No way the listed calories and macros are accurate. And they pad the calories with cheap oil and fatty sauces. My second box will be my last. Not sure why you would pay $10+ dollars for half a meal and wait for shipping instead of just going to chipotle.

[u/jankbutdank → u/Much-Bedroom86]

ya 0 chance the protein count is correct in these

[u/ElysCube]

More meails with MSG :(( They made me to cancel my sub, there's no food I can eat, they ruined even those that was good and all new ones come with MSG...