Our Blue Apron Reviews for 2016
Blue Apron has become extremely popular over the last couple of years, so we decided it was time to give the program an honest, thorough review. I signed up a little over two weeks ago, and our first shipment of food arrived at my doorstep this past Friday. Below I'll detail how our first meal on the program went, and then we'll discuss all of the ins and outs of Blue Apron – How much does it cost? What plans are there to choose from? Do they accommodate vegetarians? Pretty much any question that we can think is going to covered, so keep reading to find out whether or not my family is happy with Blue Apron so far, and then you can decide if it is the right meal delivery program for you!
We Cook Our First Blue Apron Meal:
Our First Blue Apron Meal – Was it Good?
As I mentioned above, I came home the other afternoon to find a large box sitting at my front door, and I could tell it was our Blue Apron shipment because there was blue food clipart covering the box – needless to say, I was pretty excited! I had signed up for the meal delivery service after receiving a discount offer in our mailbox awhile back. My wife and I had been thinking about giving it a try for some time now – we recently had our second child, and as our family life becomes busier and more hectic, we are finding it harder and harder to fit in trips to the grocery store – on top of that, neither of us is a huge fan of grocery shopping, so it seems like we're always coming up with excuses not to go.
Blue Apron seemed like a good solution to this, as they send you EVERYTHING you need to prepare high quality, healthy meals. Plus, I really like the idea of trying new food every week, and sort of being forced to get out of my comfort zone a bit when it comes to cooking. I feel like I have about three meals in my repertoire lately – tacos, fish tacos, and this mandarin chicken salad recipe that we make all of the time. With Blue Apron we will be preparing a lot of meals that we wouldn't normally think of, and we don't have to scour the grocery store looking for all of the ingredients – it's a win-win, really.
Signing Up
Signing up for our first shipment of food was really easy. Everything is done online at BlueApron.com, and they make the registration process a breeze. My wife isn't a huge fan of red meat or pork, and they accommodate for this. I found this to be really nice component of the program – you can pretty much customize the type of meals that you want, even if you're vegetarian. We went with the seafood and veggie based meal option, although I think I will probably go back and add some poultry to the mix as well. That said, if you're a big meat eater, they definitely have menu options that should satisfy you. Just a quick glance, and they seemed to have all of the major meats covered – beef, pork, poultry, and of course they have fish and other seafoods as well.
The other part that I enjoyed about their online interface, was that it shows you the exact meals that will be coming your way during your first order, and then what they have planned for the month ahead as well. If there's a meal that you really don't want to eat, you can unselect it and they have other options to choose from – which might be welcome news for the picky eaters out there.
The Plan We Went With
For our initial order I opted to go with three meals for two people per week (they have larger plans, and I'll go into more detail about those below). This means my wife and I are covered, and then I thought we'd have a enough food that our 5 year old daughter could also give it a try.
If she really seems to be enjoying it, then we'll probably then we may increase our subscription, although the options are meals for a family of two, and then after that you have to order for for a family of 4. For us that will probably be too much food for the time being, as our other daughter is an infant so I'm guessing we'll stick with the plan we're on for the foreseeable future, but you never know. If we decide to increase things, I'll update this post!
Our First Blue Apron Delivery & Meal
The first three meals that were delivered were as follows:
- Crispy Catfish & with Yellow Curry & Bird's Eye Chile Sauce
- Mushroom & Fennel Fettuccine
- Carmalized Onion & Kale Quiches
I was most excited for the Crispy Catfish, so that was the first meal we decided to prepare, and the one we'll be reviewing. With that being said, let's take a look at how meal prep went, and then most importantly, was it any good?
EVERYTHING is Included
I already mentioned that all of the ingredients that you need for each meal are included, but they REALLY are – right down to the coconut flour you will need to bread the catfish. The core ingredients like kale, and fish are in their own bags or packaging and are easy to spot when you're taking everything out of the box. The other things that you will need like flour, sugar, ginger and more are included in what Blue Apron calls their “knick knacks” bag. For each meal there is a small brown knick knack bag that includes all of the other key ingredients that you will need. I sorted everything before diving in to meal prep, so I knew what all I would be dealing with.
Step-by-Step Meal Prep Instructions
Once you're ready to start cooking, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how easy they make things for you, at least I was! I don't have a ton of experience cooking gourmet meals, so it was nice to have everything laid out step-by-step, and accompanied by pictures. Without going overboard on the details, there are things like chopping (the kale, in this case), mincing, etc., involved, so there will be some work on your part. Personally, I find this fun, and it gives you a chance to play chef for an hour while you're preparing the meal for your family.
For the fried catfish meal I had top chop kale, mince ginger, peel a lime and mince the peel, bread the catfish, whip up some coconut milk for the yellow curry. It was all fun, and I even felt like I was learning about cooking during the process.
After that, I prepared the jasmine rice, and breaded and fried the catfish. Once that was finished the fish was put on a warm plate on a low setting in the oven to keep it warm, and then I started in on the curry and kale sauce, which took 7 or 8 minute total to cook.
In all, I would say it probably took me about an hour to prepare the meal from start to finish. I think it will probably go a little quicker as I get more comfortable with the meal prep, and making my way through the instructions. All in all, it was a very smooth process, and I really did enjoying preparing the meal.
How Did it Taste?
Wow, I know it's going to sound like I'm over-exaggerating here, but the Crispy Catfish with yellow curry, really was one of the BEST meals I have ever prepared. The curry tasted absolutely incredible, and my wife – who isn't normally a huge curry fan – felt the same way. We were both surprised, and blown away by how good the meal really was. I was expecting the food to be above average, but this particular meal absolutely exceed expectations.
On top of that, I would be lying if I didn't feel an extra amount of satisfaction knowing that I had cooked and prepared this amazing meal from start to finish. It really was the best meal I have ever personally cooked, and I feel comfortable saying almost anyone would find this meal appealing. The catfish had a very mild flavor, and paired amazingly well with the curry and kale sauce that covered the rice.
So, my final verdict would definitely be 5 out of 5 stars. I feel confident saying that this would have easily been a $30 or $40/per plate meal, and when you take advantage of Blue Apron's promotional offer, you get your first week of three meals for two for $28 for the week! AND we still have two more meals to make this week.
I'll detail the full price structure below, but if you're thinking about trying Blue Apron, you can get your first week of meals for an incredible deal. After that the price does increase, but it still seems to be fairly priced. As of now, I plan to continue on with our subscription for the foreseeable future. It really does make things so much easier, and I like knowing that we will be preparing 3 great meals every week, without any of the hassle of going to the grocery store.
I'll update you if things change, but this is the plan for now! I really can't think of many negatives with Blue Apron yet, but if I do, I'll be sure to add them to this post. I will say that the amount of food you get is perfect for 1 meal per person, but we really didn't have any leftovers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, as leftovers usually go to waste in our fridge. Of course, if you're worried about producing too much waste, etc., that's something to consider too as you'll be getting food delivered in a large box each week, and there's a fair amount of packaging involved. That said, they do have recommendations for how to recycle everything on their website, so if this is a concern for you, be sure to check that out.
Beyond that though, the food is fantastic, the ingredients are fresh, and it will save you trips to the grocery stores, which are all HUGE positives for me.
What's Inside Your First Shipment?
How Much Does Blue Apron Cost?
2-Person Plan
- Recipes per Week: 3 (Serves 2)
- Price Per Serving: $9.99
- Weekly total: $59.94 (First week is about half that with our discount code!)
- FREE Shipping & Cancel Any Time
- You Can Pause Your Service at Any Time (Like Thanksgiving, for example)
Family Plan (2 Recipes per Week)
- 2 Meals, Serves 4
- Price Per Serving: $8.74
- Weekly Total: $69.92 (First week is about half that with our discount code!)
- FREE Shipping & Cancel Any Time
- You Can Pause Your Service at Any Time
Family Plan (4 Recipes per Week)
- 4 Meals, Serves 4
- Price Per Serving: $8.74
- Weekly Total: $139.84
- FREE Shipping & Cancel Any Time
- You Can Pause Your Service at Any Time
Blue Apron Menu
They provide a full rundown of the meals you have to pick from each month on their website, so if you want to get a nice idea of the variety of foods they offer, I encourage you to check out their menu page. For most people, there will plenty of delicious meals to choose from, and I'm already looking forward to my next shipment of meals. There are some pretty amazing meals coming up for us this month: Cod Sandwiches, Crispy Chicken, and Seared Salmon are just a few that I'm looking forward to!
Final Thoughts
For anyone looking for an incredibly easy to way to make restaurant-quality meals at home, I would highly recommend Blue Apron. The meals are fantastic, the instruction are clear and easy to understand, and it saves you at least one trip to the grocery store every week! I plan to continue on with their 3 meal per week plan for the foreseeable future. I really can't see wanting to stop, but we'll see how long I enjoy playing chef three times per week – if most of them meals are as good as the first one I prepared, I'm guessing I will continue to enjoy it!
Resources:
Forbes – The Best Meal Delivery Kits
The post Blue Apron Reviews appeared first on The Diet Dynamo.
No comments:
Post a Comment