I tried Blue Apron a couple of times but didn’t really like the limited menu choices and I wasn’t thrilled with the results of the recipes I did try. And even though it was convenient to not have to worry about shopping or meal planning, the prep was more involved than I typically care to do on a week night. Some of the produce ingredients were less than pristine. It was no cheaper than decent, fairly healthy take-out and a lot less tasty.
H is the chief (ok, pretty much only) cook in our house now that we are empty nesters. We started Blue Apron a few months ago as he was tired of getting home and having to think about what to cook. So far it’s been good. Some of the meals have been really wonderful , some not so much but nothing we wouldn’t eat.
I guess my son fits the demographics of the Blue Apron group. He has cooked for company, from an appetizer to dessert.
I accepted the free box deal from my millennial daughter who was enjoying Blue Apron with her fiance. I didn’t think I’d like it – I’m not much for cooking and she had forewarned me about the prep time. Much to my surprise, I’m really enjoying the Blue Apron recipes. My D discovered a love of Poblano peppers. I have discovered that I’m partial to recipes with hoisin sauce and sambal oelek – not something I had formerly stocked in my kitchen!
But I kinda cheat…
Instead of buying the boxes, I print out the recipes that sound interesting and buy the ingredients. You can go to their web site, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “Cookbook”. Browse the recipes, and download a PDF when you see something you want to try. You do not need a Blue Apron account to do this. Some of their recipes have things I can’t find locally, or a special mixture of spices that I’m not sure I could re-create, but there are still a lot of good ones. And sometimes I’ll google the unavailable ingredient (tatsoi) and find a reasonable substitute (bok choy).
I highly recommend:
Orange Chicken (with Honeynut Squash and rice) – the chicken was fine, and the squash/rice was delightful!
Spicy Hoisin Chicken Stir-Fry (with Baby Bok Choy and sesame-ginger cucumber salad)
Hoisin & Shiitake Burgers
Creamy Lemon Linguine (with caramelized onion, chard & walnuts)
Acorn Squash, Brussel Sprout & Farro Salad (with crispy Pepitas and cranberry agrodolce)
I also really liked one of the cod recipes with pickled grapes & summer succotash.
And my friends highly recommend:
Stir-Fried Beef & Brocolli (with garlic rice and pickled Delicata squash)
Italian Wedding Soup
Crispy Salmon (with orzo, green bean & cucumber salad)
I started Blue Apron 3 weeks ago. So far, I have really enjoyed all of the dishes, but my kids have not. They’re picky, so I knew it was a gamble, but I thought they might try. It’s a LOT of work and usually multiple pans, so if you’re looking for simple, this isn’t it. Also the packaging is rather excessive. All the little bottles! My husband is starting a job in another state next month, so I will cancel then. It doesn’t make sense in any way to continue for just me.
I find it too time-consuming and expensive, but then I don’t enjoy cooking. I just use simple, whole foods and cook them in the fastest/easiest way possible, with as little prep as possible. Eating healthy is important to me, but it has to fit well within my life, and having to spend an hour on dinner prep just wouldn’t work for me. Luckily, most veggies and proteins can be boiled/sauteed/cooked in the oven very quickly.
We have just had the free offer and enjoyed it. I won’t be subscribing as I can cook and shop easily. I did like their recipes and none of the meals were a dud. I really enjoyed the Italian wedding soup and my husband enjoyed the catfish and the gourmet cheeseburgers. It gave our dinners a little pizazz!