Chefs Plate vs. Fresh Prep Comparison and Prices (+9 Features of Each)
Imagine coming home after a long day at work, craving a delicious meal but lacking the motivation to cook from scratch. This is where meal kit delivery services like Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep come in. They offer both convenience and culinary delight.
This detailed comparison article will explore both services. We will delve into their unique features, pricing, and value. You may be a busy professional seeking gourmet meals at your fingertips. Or, you may be a novice chef looking to expand your culinary horizons. This analysis will reveal which service is best at fresh ingredient delivery.
In the end, we will give you our opinions on which of these two may be the better choice based on first-hand experiences.
So, grab a seat at the virtual dining table. We will dissect 9 key features of each contender to help you choose wisely for your next food adventure.
Chefs Plate vs. Fresh Prep Comparison
In the table below, we have shown you the main features and advantages of Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep. We have also mentioned the delivery areas of these brands, along with the prices of the meal kits offered here. You can easily choose between Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep by taking a look at the following table.
| Feature | Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Delivery areas | Ontario,British Columbia,Alberta,Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island,New Brunswick,Nova Scotia, Manitoba | Western Canada |
| Price range | $72 to $144 per week | $10 to $13 per serving |
| Price per plate | $9.99 per plate | $10.50 per plate |
| Difficulty levels | Easy,Intermediate,Expert | Easy,Intermediate,Expert |
| Avg. cooking time | 15 – 30 minutes per meal | Less than 30 minutes per meal |
| Avg. calorie count | 300-400 calories per serving | 500-800 calories per serving |
| Supporting material | Recipe cards,Nutritional facts, and meal descriptions | Meal description,Nutritional facts, and recipe cards |
| Recipes supported | Vegetarian,Meat & Vegetables,Family Friendly,Spicy,Balanced,Speedy,Desserts,Sides | Vegetarian,Pescatarian,Pork,Lamb,Plant-protein |
| No. of choices | 23 per week | 10 per week |
| Introductory deal | $2.99 per meal in first box | $13.5 for first week |
| Avg. shelf life | 1-2 days for seafood,4 – 5 days for meat and vegetables | 4 days after arrival |
Types of Plans: Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep
| Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Two-person plan 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 meals per week, $9.99 per serving + $6.00 shipping | Two-Person meals 2 or 3 or 4 recipes per week from $13.50 per serving |
| Four-person plan 2 or 3 or 4 meals per week, $8.99 per serving + free shipping | Family plan 2 or 3 or 4 recipes per week from $12.25 per serving |
In Chefs Plate, the user can mainly choose from two types of plans, based on their needs and requirements for the week. In Chefs Plate, the user can choose from many recipe types. They can also meet dietary needs, such as for meat and even plants. Chefs Plate can also easily cover all types of dietary requirements and nutritional needs of the user.
Fresh Prep also offers the two-person plan and a family plan for the user to choose from depending on their preferences. In Fresh Prep, the options offered for the user contain pork, plant-based dishes, chicken, seafood and even many more. Most of the recipes in Fresh Prep can be cooked within a short span of time with very simple cooking skills.
Winner: Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep win the Types of Plans segment.
Types of Ingredients: Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep
| Ingredient type | Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Produce | Farm-fresh ingredients | Farm-fresh produce |
| Meat, eggs, fish | Hormone-free and antibiotic-free meat, poultry and seafood | Hormone-free,Antibiotic-free |
| Other ingredients | Seasonings,Spice mixes | Seasonings, Spices |
Both Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep clearly state that they always do not use organic ingredients for their meal kits. This can be disappointing for those who only want to eat non-GMO and completely organic ingredients during the week. However, both Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep get their ingredients from local farms and partners. These use only safe farming practices.
Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep use meat and poultry in their meal kits. The meat and poultry are antibiotic-free and hormone-free. They are from sustainable sources, as is the seafood. The meal kits in Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep both come with high quality spices and seasonings to be used in the cooking process by the customer.
Winner: Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep win the Types of Ingredients segment.
Add-Ons: Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep
| Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Additional meals | Baked goods,Juices,Breakfast items,Kids lunches,Protein,Salads |
The add-on menu in Chefs Plate is pretty limited and the user cannot find any extra items apart from the main meal kits. This can be quite sad for the user. Most other meal kit delivery services offer a wide variety of add-ons. These include sides, snacks, desserts, and even drinks.
In Fresh Prep, the add-on menu offers some very interesting items. In this add-on menu, the user can find a lot of baked goods along with breakfast items, which are basically grab-and-go. Fresh Prep also provides kids lunches, which can be perfect for busy school mornings. Furthermore, a number of salads and sides can also be found on this menu.
Chefs Plate vs. Fresh Prep Winner: Fresh Prep wins the Add-ons segment.
Comparison Price: Chefs Plate vs. Fresh Prep
| Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| three different food subscription box options$8.99 to $9.99 for | two and four-person packages available$10.99 to $13.99 |
The pricing per serving for Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep is compared in the search results. Chefs Plate offers three food subscription box options. All boxes have a similar price. Shipping is free if you order more than two recipes for more than two people. The pricing per serving is very low, at $8.99 to $9.99. Fresh Prep has two and four-person packages available, with pricing per serving ranging from $10.99 to $13.99.
Chefs Plate has an introductory deal of $2.99 per meal in first box. On the other hand, the Fresh Prep introductory deal is on weekly service, $13.5 for first week.
Winner: Chefs Plate win the prices and price per offering
Packaging of Meal kit: Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep
| Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Meal kit box Paper bags Kit bagsCool-pouches | Meal box,Cold packs,Grab & Pour cups, Recipe cards |
| Fully recyclable | Zero-waste,Fully recyclable |
Chefs Plate meal kits come in cardboard boxes, which can be simply flattened and placed in a curbside recycling bin. The individual ingredients of the meal kits from Chefs Plate come in paper bags and kit bags to keep them nice and fresh. Chefs Plate also provides plenty of information about the recycling process for its meal kits on its platform.
At Fresh Prep, the packaging of the meal kits is both effective and easily recyclable. Fresh Prep has gone the extra mile and designed grab and pour cups for the ingredients, which are easy to use and even easier to reuse and recycle. Fresh Prep, states that the packaging is designed to use zero waste, and is therefore a very eco-friendly platform.
Winner: Fresh Prep wins the Packaging of Meal kit segment.
Customer Support: Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep
| Feature | Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Chat support | + | – |
| Email support | + | + |
| Phone support | + | + |
| Availability | All days of the week | All days of the week |
In Chefs Plate, customer support can be reached in a number of ways. The easiest way to get in touch with customer support here is through the live chat feature. Apart from the live chat, users can reach out to customer support through emails and even phone support.
In Fresh Prep, customer support can be reached through emails and phone support. However, the service has no chat support. This can disappoint those who prefer texting to other communication. Both Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep can be reached on any day of the week.
Winner: Chefs Plate wins the Customer Support segment.
Sample Meals: Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep
| Sample | Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Sample 1 | Name: Thai-Inspired Beef Bowls with quick-pickled carrots, Preparation time: 30 minsSpice level: Spicy Difficulty: Easy | Name: Crispy Baja Fish Tacos with Avocado, Salsa & Creamy Cabbage Slaw, Preparation time: 30 min, Spice level: Medium Difficulty: Expert |
| Sample 2 | Name: Spanako-Pizzas with puff pastry & tomato-cucumber salad Preparation time: 40 mins, Spice level: Mild, Difficulty: Medium | Name: Double Cheese Smash Burgers with Special Burger Sauce & Classic Slaw, Preparation time: 30 mins, Spice level: Mild, Difficulty: Easy |
| Sampl. 3 | Name: Curried Beef & Golden Rice with creamy cilantro sauce, Preparation time: 15 mins, Spice level: Medium, Difficulty: Easy | Name: Black Pepper Top Sirloin Steak, Preparation time: 25 mins, Spice level: Medium Difficulty: Easy |
The menu at Chefs Plate has a wide range of options, and both local and foreign cuisines have inspired the dishes. The recipes on Chefs Plate are pretty easy to prepare, and the average cooking time of the meals here is around 15 minutes. Even very amateur chefs can easily cook the recipes on Chefs Plate.
In Fresh Prep, the menu is also pretty large and offers lots of options for the user to choose from. In this menu, the user can find different types of proteins, but plant-based proteins may be hard to find here. The meals in Fresh Prep require about 30 minutes on average to cook, and there are both easy and difficult recipes here.
Winner: Chefs Plate wins the Sample Meals segment.
App rating: Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep
| Platform | Chefs Plate | Fresh Prep |
| Google Play Store | Not available | Rating not available |
| Apple App Store | Not available | Not available |
| TWP Rating | 4/5 | 3.5/5 |
Final Verdict: Chefs Plate wins this showdown with its large menu and its great customer satisfaction.
Chefs Plate has a menu with many options for the user to choose from. With its fresh ingredients, it’s no wonder that this meal kit delivery service is one of the most popular ones in Canada now. Despite its limited delivery radius, Chefs Plate has also gained a permanent niche in the meal kit industry.
In Fresh Prep, the menu is definitely very wholesome and comes with a lot of variety in meals. The recipes in Fresh Prep are easy to cook with. But, they may lack variety in ingredients. This can be a letdown for those with strict diets. Fresh Prep also offers a number of great add-ons that can be useful for the entire household.
Between Chefs Plate and Fresh Prep, the former option takes the crown. While Fresh Prep is certainly a very useful meal kit delivery service, the recipes may be a little difficult and longer to cook with. Chefs Plate easily takes the crown in this battle of meal kit delivery services in Canada today.
Methodology
We spoke to testers and real users. We also reviewed the websites of each service. We did primary research on social media. And, we checked out user reviews on several social media sites. We have also used the reviews presented by current users of these services on their respective Google and Apple apps.
We are currently conducting our own internal review, and we will update this page with videos and pictures of our experiences. If they differ greatly from what our external reviewers said, we will update this post. Then, you can see both views and choose the best provider based on the above information.
We used these types of criteria to assess these meal delivery services. They are the simplicity of the recipes, the variety of meals, the inclusiveness of diets and cuisines, and the supporting material.
We have also considered the packaging’s sustainability and recyclability. Lastly, we have also considered the delivery services and customer service of these platforms.
Frequently asked questions: “Chefs Plate vs Fresh Prep”
Can I freeze Chefs Plate meals?
Yes, you can freeze Chefs Plate meals or even meal kits. Many of the ingredients on Chefs Plate need to be frozen as soon as possible to preserve their freshness and their taste. Once you cook the meals, you can refrigerate the leftovers and freeze them if you want to further extend their shelf-lives.
Can you choose meals from Fresh Prep?
Yes, you can choose meals and recipes from Fresh Prep. To do so, you can go to your Fresh Prep account and swap your recipes for the ones that you want. Fresh Prep has a large menu and also offers filters through which you can easily choose the options that you want.
