The Blue Apron site is easy to navigate, you don't have to guess where to go and they shepherd you through the sign-up process quickly and easily. They do have an add-on wine service where they'll send you bottles of wine to pair with each of your meals. I didn't opt for this since I'm not a wine drinker, so I can't speak to the quality or brands of wine they would ship. They have two plans, a two-person that ships three meals a week for $59.94 / week ($9.99 / meal) or a family (four-person) plan that ships two meals a week for $69.92 / week ($8.74 / meal). I selected the family plan so there would be left-overs that are easily reheatable for a quick meal later in the week.
Unlike Hello Fresh which shipped out almost immediately, Blue Apron took a couple weeks to ship the first box. That's fine, I waited. The day arrived when I got home from work and saw the box by the front door. Picked it up and brought it inside. The box was in good condition, nothing was leaking and there were no foul smells emanating from it. Off to a good start. Opened it up and right on top were the recipe cards and extra cards on spices as well as an ad for their wine service. Everything was securely packed with the produce on top and the meats with ice packs on the bottom separated by a cardboard divider. I was impressed with the egg holder and the eggs were intact when opened. The produce looked fresh and both produce and meats were sustainable, non-GMO and organic. The one complaint I have with these services is what do you do with all the ice packs? I've saved a couple, so now I have a variety of sizes, great for the myriad of bumps and bruises that occur with the kiddo. But what do you do with the rest? Mine just went out with the trash. Put everything in the fridge and disassembled the box.
I tried the Pesto Shrimp & Gnocchi with roasted broccoli first. My son helped cooked which is rare. He made me promise not to burn the broccoli and add more garlic. What can I say, he's a kid after my own heart in regards to using garlic when cooking (proud mom, lol). We got everything chopped up and ready to go. The directions we not as clear as some recipes, I had to re-read everything multiple times to ensure I completed all the steps. This really slowed down the process, especially when putting on / taking off my "cheaters" to read. Ah the woes of getting old... Finally got everything cooked up and plated. It looked nice, smelled good while cooking but the flavor fell flat. It was ok. My son and I ate it, but wouldn't cook this recipe again on our own. One of the steps I didn't do was add salt at every step, literally. Add a veggie, put in salt. Add the next ingredient, put in salt, add a spoonful of this, put in salt. It appeared to be an excessive amount of salt, but this could, in part, have added to the bland flavor.
Next up was Pimento Cheeseburgers roasted Carrots & Parsnips. I was excited for this recipe, 1. who doesn't love a good burger, 2. who doesn't love pimento cheese spread and 3. who doesn't love roasted parsnips? Ok well, I know a lot of you may be going "ooh gross" to a couple of these items, I'm sorry, that you don't like these things. Just kidding, burgers aren't for everyone 😉. This recipe was clearer than the other, but again, I've read easier-to-follow recipe cards. The pimento spread was easy to make and it was tasty. The burgers are cooked in a frying pan, if the weather had cooperated I would have grilled them instead. The recipe for the burgers was pretty bland (in my opinion), beef, salt & pepper. I did use more salt than the last recipe and felt like I was using way too much. Anyway, the pimento spread on the burger was a great addition, I will definitely be trying this one again on my own.
Here is the list of recipes that I tried over the next few weeks:
- Cod & Tomato Stew - not looking forward to this one
- Moroccan Spiced Lamb & Beef Tagine - delicious if you like this flavor palate are aren't afraid of carbs (has both brown rice and potatoes)
- Chicken & Rice Casserole - boring, boring, boring, no matter how much salt I added
- Catfish Katsu & Yakiniku Sauce - the radishes marinated in the sauce & sauteed cabbage make this dish
- Roasted Pork with Apple Walnut Farro Salad - liked the Farro salad, the rest was bland
- Pimento Cheeseburgers - good combination, boring burger
- Pesto Shrimp & Gnocchi - an ok recipe, again not for the carb-adverse
- And one recipe I totally forgot, obviously not that memorable.
Pros & Cons: Overall the service was good I didn't have to call Customer Service, the shipment always arrived on-time and without damage to the box or contents with the exception of the arugula in the Tagine. The price is a bit more than Hello Fresh, but not by much. The recipes could be easier to read and follow and have more flavor with less salt. The "knick-knack" bags that held the smaller liquids, spice packets, butter, etc were a neat touch and it also included nutritional information, great for those who are watching / recording what they eat. I would recommend this service as long as you're not sensitive to salt and aren't looking for super spicy or flavorful dishes. Some of the prep work does take longer than indicated on the card, especially if you're not a professional.
If you've had experience with this service or any others, please feel free to leave your recommendations and feedback, we'd love to hear it.
