Meal delivery service - our son loves (likes) to cook

C

colleenmomof2

Well-known member
Our older son works a lot. He doesn't always eat well but usually has something substantial for lunch. He loves to "cook" and eat good things but hates the planning, shopping, preparation and clean-up smileys/wink.gif This fall he made the decision that he was going to do more cooking and settled on Blue Apron meal delivery service. I've cooked and eaten "Blue Apron" with him several times since and I have been very impressed. On Thursday, we made veggie calzones that were incredibly tasty - kale, tons of mozz, sprinkles of parm, ricotta, golden raisins, sliced garlic, spices and an excellent tomato sauce for inside the calzone and on the side. It took the 2 of us about 30 minutes to prep and build the calzones and another 18 or so for them to cook - perfectly. It's only him eating so the minimum plan of 6 meals is hard to achieve within each weekly delivery, but he is getting the hang of it and is very, very pleased. The pricing is spot on - in my opinion - for the quality and ingenuity of the meals. He's definitely eating better smileys/wink.gif Colleen

 
A favorable review with pix

from a current subscriber - still receiving meals - at the kitchn. Check out her box. The salmon filet and fresh produce look amazing!

Funny, I found her cons to be the very reasons why Blue Apron is so appealing to son and me -
1) Packaging: wonderful, pre-portioned, high quality, unique ingredients, in small quantities, from top notch purveyors, you don't have to go all over town to find or buy in large quantities you'll never use up.
2) Price "high" for some of the meals: trying to make "no-leftovers" is very hard. I love, love, love the fact that Blue Apron does just that. Portion control! And yes, the portions are always generous! I'm tired of eating turkey chili for a week smileys/wink.gif And for what you get, the price is "cheap" compared to comparable meals eaten at a restaurant - if you really want to cook it yourself. Con-you have to cook, Pro-you don't have to go out!
3) No choice (aside from vegetarian/not): keeps Blue Apron costs down (smart) and "forces" subscribers to try something other than their favorite foods. I would easily order and "recycle" menus with ingredients I "can't eat" - assuming that this happened infrequently.
4) Not creative: I totally disagree here!!!!! In her box she received salmon ("coated with ground fennel seed"), turkey chili ("with its jalapeño kick and bright lime flavor won a spot in my regular recipe rotation"), and ginger beef. Definitely creative ingredients, preparation, and combinations to me. Colleen

http://www.thekitchn.com/blue-apron-product-review-198855

 
Interesting. i might also mention that many supermarkets deli/chef section have

great meal deals. Our Harris Teeters have a "meat" and 3--choose one of their entree selections (salmon, meat loaf, grilled chix, etc.) and 3 sides for $6.99. One day a week they have a roast prime rib for $8.99. Maybe there is such near him if he wanted to try that.
There are also excellent frozen meals.

 
He's tried that. Has an amazing market 1/2 mile away.

Hi Charley! He doesn't want to stop/shop/plan. He loves that the ingredients "arrive" so he can cook. I get it smileys/wink.gif Certainly this service will not work for people who want their food prepared - either carry-out or frozen. And he "eats out" every weekday at lunch with co-workers so he really wants to cook/make his own dinners. Colleen

 
Wonderful that he enjoys cooking and knows he doesn't like (have time for) the shopping / cleanup.

You must be happy that you have instilled in him the value / fun of cooking! Kudos! Sounds like they found the perfect target audience for the service!

 
He's a very, very cool guy! Still has the clean-up, tho smileys/wink.gif

Emptying and filling the dishwasher and dealing with the recyclable components of the packaging are still a bottleneck for him. When I saw the "recycling-staging-area," I suggested a large black trash bag but he said, "Oh, mother." smileys/wink.gif Colleen

 
Target audience - me, too! Love to cook but hate to plan and shop! Yuk!

Love to eat!!!!! Like to try new foods and recipes! Appreciate excellent ingredients and creative preparations! Take directions well smileys/wink.gif Soon as we get caught up on our travels, I'm ready to start. 6 weekly innovative meals will be perfect for Dh and I. Sold! Over 2016, I've committed to emptying our freezers. With occasional dining out and the Blue Apron, I may never "grocery shop" again. smileys/smile.gif Colleen

 
LOL - Grocery shopping is my *favorite* kind of shopping...

I'd rather grocery shop than clothes/house shop any day. But I *TOTALLY* get that it's not like that for most and think it is awesome that there are great prepared and delivery options available. You go girl!

 
I used to love grocery shopping too, but the stores are so huge now and they keep

moving things around. One store here has apple juices all over the store, in different places. I go back for a favorite and it is gone, never to be seen again as no one in the store knows of it or where it is. Drives me crazy. Most of my shopping is done at the perimeter of the store, so I do not become familiar with the middle aisles. Most of my shopping there is for tomato products, stocks and broth, condiments and cereal. The stores seem to be going with their own brands and discontinuing some major brands and I hate that. I want my San Marzano Tomatoes, or Cento brand. I want what I know and trust.
I end up going to the health food store for some things, and this store for that and another store for this. Thanks goodness, I do not do that often.

 
Good Morning Colleen. Blue Apron was discussed at neighbors last night. Apparently

quite a few families in my town use it. Some people use it instead of doing take out, some are "scheduled" on a weekly basis to make weekly cooking easier, some are once/mo to celebrate a special occasion, some people use it because they thought they were in a "rut" with their cooking, and wanted an efficient way to try new cooking / recipes, it was an interesting discussion.

Linked is an article that you may enjoy that was also referenced last night

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2015/10/14/inside-blue-apron-and-the-meal-kit-rush/#2715e4857a0bec541697af99

 
Great article. That and consumers now spending more in restaurants than grocery stores may explain

why grocery stores are offering more and more prepared foods. At least in my neck of the woods. The packaged cut vegetables and fruits take up more and more space all the time as does the already marinated meats, shredded cheese and even pre-boiled eggs, lol. The next few years should be interesting.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-14/americans-spending-on-dining-out-just-overtook-grocery-sales-for-the-first-time-ever

 
I do not buy any of that prepared food. The few I have tried are not that good, but It

may get better if the demand is there. My neighborhood grocery store puts out a calendar every year. In the back there is an entire page of coupons for each month. This month, I got a free, prepared batch of chicken enchiladas, enough for 4 it looks like. They are made right there in the store. In December it was 10.00 off on a prime rib roast. But they jacked the price of the roast up to 12.99 a lb. while our local meat market had them on sale for 7.99 a pound, and they tied it with string and seasoned it for you if you wanted. Gotta watch what you are getting. This month it was free, so that is worth it.

 
My mom and I were just discussing this last week.... Our Shop Rite went under major

renovations, it is now HUGE! Juice bar, health area, gluten free area, organic area, toxin free, clothing displays, you name it.... Seriously....It's like going to many small stores in one big place. I kind of like it, as the produce is fresh, high turnover, etc. Also the aisles are so wide! Love having space. BUT, it is not an easy, in/out type place. They literally have people stationed every other aisle with headsets to ask / answer customers questions.

My mom is so turned off, she went back to her old small grocery store, where she knows each aisle.

 
Agree, I don't buy it either, but many do and I believe it's future of meals at home.

I don't have children and a job that leaves little time for food prep. I understand when there's a time crunch and a family has to be fed. In that case, I guess it works.

 
I really found it disappointing on several levels.

A friend had been getting it and was happy because her husband started cooking with these packages. She gifted me a free week.
1. I had to give them my credit card to start and it was HELL trying to stop it. Although there is a button on their website to stop deliveries, Blue Apron did not acknowledge 3 attempts. I had to write them separately and threaten to publicize this scam if they didn't end my account. I had a response in two hours.
2. The packaging is unbearably wasteful, with simply everything packaged in plastic, even a single strand of parsley. I see now that you can mail the stuff back to them.
3. I have a soy allergy. You have to read very carefully through the next week's menu if you need to avoid one of the three meals coming your way.
4. And don't ever be late if you want to skip a week!
5. The portions tended to the small side for amount of money you pay. I know this would help me lose weight, though. smileys/smile.gif
6. You still have to chop, mince, sear, pan-fry, or whatever. And clean up.
7. I did write my notes on their blog page but my review was mysteriously "disappeared" after one day. The favorable reviews were kept up. That told me a lot about their ethics.

On the plus side, if you have the money, there is a nice variety of unusual foods and ethnic meals.

 
Never tried it but I bet I would agree with every one of your statements... just not for me.. smileys/wink.gif

 
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