“What is the benefit of these “meal subscriptions” over making a quick stop at Whole Foods or other grocery and picking up some sushi and a salad or other freshly prepared meal?”
I agree. I don’t see the point of a Blue Apron if I still have to do the assembly/cooking. Why not just buy a prepared meal?
Years ago they had those places where you would go and cook /assemble all your meals for a week. I don’t get that either. It’s no more expensive to buy the finished product than the pre-chopped ingredients where you have to do the work.
The difference is that if you don’t have a Whole Foods near you, or unsure of the freshness or ingredients in your local grocery prepared foods, it is a viable alternative. Plus the satisfaction of cooking your own fresh dinner and getting the accolades of your spouse, you don’t feel like you’re cheating with take out
Munchery can be very good or very bad. Steaks/chicken breast dishes generally not great. Rather buy & grill my own. But some of their offerings have been outstanding and cheaper (economies of scale) than I could have made it for on my own. I’ve tried a couple of the cook-it-yourself options; one was okay; the other was fantastic. Both were very easy to put together with nice fresh ingredients. The 15-minute start to finish estimate was correct in both cases.
" I don’t see the point of a Blue Apron if I still have to do the assembly/cooking. Why not just buy a prepared meal?"
Because, as noted by many people upthread, part of the appeal is that it helps you to learn to cook. It is like buying a cooking lesson in a box. If that is your goal, then buying a prepared meal does not further it very well.
“The difference is that if you don’t have a Whole Foods near you, or unsure of the freshness or ingredients in your local grocery prepared foods, it is a viable alternative.”
Don’t all your grocery stores offer the same kinds of prepared foods as WF?
Honestly I wouldn’t think twice about the freshness of ingredients at any decent grocery store. It’s in their best interest to have them be good, not bad.
I think the issue @Pizzagirl is that you don’t like to cook. I do like cooking, but I am not so fond of menu planning and shopping. I get around shopping by going with dh once a week and then having him fill in everything we forgot on his way home from work. But I am always having to make substitutions because I forget to get everything I am supposed to for a recipe.
I’m very intrigued by Blue Apron. The variety of menus, not having to shop, the ability to adjust seasonings to one’s taste (I can’t do a lot of heat), and not having to buy ingredients that go to waste are all appealing elements, but H doesn’t have a wide range of tastes–a meat and potatoes kind of guy–so I don’t think it would go over well here. I’ve found the prepared foods at supermarkets to be disappointing (and at Whole Foods so overpriced), so I never buy them. Guess I just keep on shopping and cooking…
" I don’t see the point of a Blue Apron if I still have to do the assembly/cooking. Why not just buy a prepared meal?"
I’ve been thinking of using them for a short time in order to teach my High School sons how to cook. I think it might be easier to have everything right there for them to use. My college son is a crock pot/grill guy because that’s really all I taught him.
Personally, @MichiganGeorgia, I think it would be more productive to teach your sons to cook the “old-fashioned” way, making a list, shopping, prep and cooking. They are good skills to have and more friendly to the budget most college students/career starters will have. Just my 2 cents.
Cooking skills are a good way to impress romantic interests. Works for my son.
@doschicos - worked for DH too… Unfortunately I do most of the cooking now and that’s why DS is a crock pot guy because that’s how I do a lot of our meals…
I got my son Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Each recipe is set up like a shopping list at the beginning. I think that would be good for someone who wanted to learn how to cook.
I think if a person wants to learn to cook there are so many free online resources and we can always supplement with details about their favorite dishes. This is how our kids figured out his to cook.
So far, neither of my kids have mentioned any interest in any of these services. S and D like to cook a good-sized meal and save leftovers for future meals. The also enjoy eating out. I prefer either buying what I feel like eating and making it at home or dining out or takeout.
I live in an apartment building where there is not a convenient relatively inexpensive grocery store within a 15 minute drive. There is one all-organic very expensive store nearby, and a Whole Paycheck several blocks away, but parking is kind of a hassle there. Have to head more toward the burbs for reasonable prices. Some people in my building use Blue Apron, and I can see if they work full time why they might do so. I am a little jealous of their boxes when I get my mail.
We were given six Blue Apron meals from a friend. They were terrific and we continued getting meals about once a month. Lately the offerings are less to our taste. I have enjoyed using new ingredients but I often find I like one or two of the weekly items but rarely all three. I agree with many others, we eat more vegetables in a meal than what is offered. Worth a try to experiment.
Do any of these meal plans allow you to split the deliveries? I would find it interesting if I could send S and DIL a meal a week in Seattle and H and I get one a week in Portland.
Re splitting the delivery: I don’t think so. Although I have’t looked into that particular issue, their business model is to be very, very inflexible. My daughter is splitting the two-person plan with a friend and they wanted to order double one week and they couldn’t do it.
My D and her fiance were gifted meals from Blue Apron and they love it. They’re learning cooking techniques, so it’s serving am educational and entertainment value in addition to providing food. They gifted me 6 free meals and I was initially underwhelmed, but I think I chose a bad week. Thought I’d love the butternut squash chili, but I love butternut squash and felt that it’s deliciousness was hidden in the chili. I have yet to cancel my account – I’ve just been skipping deliveries. I tried some recipes that looked enticing and loved them. (The acorn squash stuffed with farro and brussel sprout salad is a big hit.) This surprised me greatly, since I really don’t like to cook and the Blue Apron meals typically take me 45 minutes to an hour to make.
This past week, I chose to receive a delivery – all 3 meals had at least one ingredient that I was unable to find locally. All 3 meals were very good to great. One problem: I was missing the “knick knacks” for one of the meals. Emailed Blue Apron’s customer service and was credited $19.99 within 24 hours with a lovely apology letter. (I had improvised from my pantry, and the result was quite tasty though I’m sure it wasn’t the intended effect.)
I’ll probably print a bunch of recipes from the web site and maybe take one more order before I cancel. Sure wish I could find fresh lemon and/or beet fettucine somewhere local…
