It’s been interesting to see how home meal kit companies have tried to expand beyond their subscription models these last few days. These days its not uncommon to find dishes from these companies on regular grocery shelves, rather than through the mail. Case in point, this chili from Home Chef. I found this at Kroger and have to admit I didn’t know the brand did one off dishes like this in stores.
Cooking: In case you’re looking all over this one for the instructions don’t bother, they’re hidden inside under the lid, kinda annoying. Scroll down the page to see them in full. Basically you just need to microwave or stove top heat.
Taste and texture: It’s all rather unoffensive. There’s no assertive central flavor, and certainly no detectable spice. It’s also very watery, and needs some thickening. It needs more spice, more acid, more vibrance. Mercifully it doesn’t stray into using sugar as the central pillar of taste.
Overall: On it’s own it’s all very pedestrian. Not poor, just bland. Using this as a base to add in our own flair is probably the best use of this one. Some lime, cilantro and hot sauce would go a good deal of the way to amping this one up quite a bit. Frankly though, at that point, why not just make your own?
Home Chef Beef Chili With Beans nutrition and cooking
Is Home Chef Beef Chili With Beans any good?
There’s nothing particularly offensive, or indeed craveable here. This is very average pre-made chili that you’ll more than likely want to build on with your own flavor additions.
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!