That’s what I was thinking - it’s really not for people who don’t like to cook, it’s for people who don’t like to/don’t have time to shop!!!
Sounds like meal prep is all still part of it.
Not sure I would go for it either. I like to know where my chicken, fish and beef are coming from. So do they just ship those items frozen to you? Not sure I like that idea either.
I’m not knocking it if that’s your thing. We all have our “thing” when it comes to cooking, not cooking, spending or not spending $$$ on food!
You definitely need to like cooking - and cleaning up! No one-pot meals here! The meats are actually labeled and seem to be well sourced. I made chicken tacos tonight with tomatillos and I have to say, I would never have bought tomatillos at the grocery. On the other hand, they were not that exciting to eat.
And nothing is frozen. It’s shipped next day air with lots of ice packs and insulating material. The packaging is kind of horrifyingly wasteful.
@jeannnemar - wow, I’m surprised you didn’t like it. My favorite place to get pizza is at a place that makes what they call a Crazy Chicken pizza - it has grilled chicken, green tomatillo sauce, fresh tomato, fresh cilantro and mozzarella cheese. I love the combination of chicken and tomatillo.
The tomatillos? They tasted fine but sort of bland.
I think it is for people who are inexperienced cooks, are interested in learning to cook, who like a lot of variety and who don’t have a pantry full of basics. Many of the meals would be quite expensive to prepare the first time if you had to buy full-sized bottles of the spices or condiments that are used in the recipes.
I’ve considered it with coupon deal, just as a change of pace. But not now… there is too much interesting produce at the farmer’s market.
H and I prefer eating out and having leftovers for another meal, which seems cheaper than thses prices. The services that serve Oahu have mixed reviews. There was a place by our home where you could go and pack your own stuff for your meals (including vs earnings), but again, it didn’t really appeal to me and they went out if business. It was main courses and you had to figure and provide your own side dishes. H and I figured dining out was cheaper and easier.
Nottelling has nailed the group that Blue Apron is looking for. There are a lot of millennials out there who like gourmet food and would like to learn too cook it - this is like a DIY gourmet cooking class with hands on instruction.
I think that’s why my friend likes it - her son and his GF fix the meals and feel pretty confident about it. Plus it’s ready when she gets home from work!
@walkinghome, that’s why I think it appeals to my D. She is single, has disposable income, likes to cook, appreciates the novelty of constantly changing food experiences and taste sensations, and loves the convenience of having it all come to her door. She says she’s learned tons about various types of cuisine, ingredients and how to prepare them. She also has the recipes for dishes she wishes to repeat in the future.
The packaging is indeed wasteful, however, save the study cardboard box it all comes in (which can be recycled in most areas). There is a bubble wrap liner inside each box, and two sizable frozen gel packs keep fresh meats, condiments and produce from spoilage. None of that packaging is recyclable, so if the idea of this fact bothers you, it’s probably best to avoid services like Blue Apron.
I tried a similar service, Plated. I got several free meals and paid for a couple. Even then, it was still more than I’d spend cooking from scratch myself. And the prep time for someone who doesn’t get home from work until 6 or later means it’s late and you’re exhausted by the time the food is ready. But…the food was delicious!
I think it sounds interesting. I am going to be laid up at home for a period of weeks and this could be a good diversion for me. If I can putter around a bit in the kitchen, I will prepare the meals. If I find I can’t even do that, H or one of the Ss can. None of them (H or Ss) has much cooking or food shopping experience, but they can all follow directions and might think it fun.
I thought I would revive this thread. I’m a decent cook but couldn’t be more sick of the things I make week after week and have decided to give both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh a try with their current (always?) new customer deals. It is expensive but less so than a restaurant. I think H and I tend to go out most nights we don’t have kids…because our at home food is boring and it is hard to get motivated.
It looks like each service is a little different. I like that with BA you can “look ahead” to the future menus. I am a little sad that it looks like my first meals will not be delivered until Dec 10. I actually got “hungry” looking at the menus. I did have to pick and choose recipes that didn’t too closely resemble something I already make because what’s the point of that? I think BA you choose 3 of 6 offered.
I hope to bring some of the new recipes into my wheelhouse and probably won’t do it for long. On the other hand, I can see us doing it one or two weeks a month if it cuts down on restaurants.
I joined Blue Apron about a year ago when some of my college friends recommended it. I was in a cooking rut. My family was sick of the same recipes all the time. We were eating out too much and/or leftover food was going bad in the fridge. I work full time as a lawyer and I don’t have time and don’t enjoy shopping and meal planning. I can come home after a long day and have all the ingredients ready for me to prepare a good, healthy meal. My husband even enjoys helping with the meal prep sometimes. I get the box for 2 and add an extra piece of chicken or more pasta, etc.to stretch it for 3 if my daughter is eating at home that night. Next year when my daughter is at college it will be great for 2 empty nesters.
DH and I have been cooking together for love and fun for over 30 years and finally have the kitchen of our dreams. We intend to spend much of our retirement in our kitchen building a community around our table and loving our friends through great food, drink, and easy conversation. Blue Apron? Nope, just my own apron and the love of my life spicing things up in the kitchen and elsewhere. 
@TempeMom, if your handle suggests your location, you are not far from us. We should have you over. 
I thought the Blue Apron menus had way too many carbs. We kept adding extra vegetables and salads. What they use for the middle eastern style spicing is a very strange mix that bears no resemblence whatsoever to anything authentic. I had to buy avocados to replace their avocados once because theirs were hard as rocks. That said, meals were pretty tasty. I got introduced to a lot of interesting new grains. I liked not having to shop. I hated the huge boxes - it seemed so wasteful! (Other companies have different systems for delivery.) Anyway, I enjoyed trying it out, but I didn’t keep it up.
I have not tried Blue Apron but tried Plated previously. I didn’t stick with it as I didn’t like having to choose from what was available that week - inevitably there was something I didn’t care for. Recently I have been using Chef’d and am much happier with it. The recipes are a bit more to my taste and you are able to order a la carte from a wide catalog of options. You can also select a plan that follows Weight Watchers or Atkins (and others) if I am recalling correctly. I got my Thanksgiving turkey from them as well - a recipe from the NY Times with really delicious dressing - brioche, mushrooms, bacon, leeks. Everything has been very high quality and the produce has been ready to use when received. Cheaper than a restaurant, no leftovers. Good for empty nesters.