Trying Blue Apron
Most of you have probably heard of the company Blue Apron, but if you have not here is a little background information...
Blue Apron is a meal delivery service company that ships weekly pre-portioned meals to subscribers around the states. As of last year the company has begun to ship ~8 million meals per month. Impressive right? However, it would seem that there are polarized opinions about this food delivery service. People either love it or hate it. So there was nothing for me to do by try it for myself! And thus began my journey with blue apron...
You start the process by making an account, selecting your meals from a menu of 9 or so options, and then wait for them to be shipped to you. When the box arrived, I was a bit intimidated by the size and all its components. Despite its daunting appearance I was excited to get cooking and try the meals I selected.
I chose the Spicy Tomato & Olive Pasta, Taiwanese-Style Chicken, and Seared Cod & Creme Fraiche Sauce. Out of all these meals I ended up only cooking the Pasta and Chicken because the Cod I received was not to my liking. Here are my brief thoughts on the actual food prep as well as meals:
- The directions are NOT user-friendly...AT ALL. I feel as though more of our time was spent reading and understanding the order of the instructions rather than on actual cooking
- Spicy is a term Blue Apron uses lightly. I know I have a high spice threshold, but even my friends I cooked with thought it lacked "ka-bam!"
- Blue Apron customer service is sub-par to communicate with...nuff said here.
- The naming conventions shouldn't be taken to seriously. This point is a little petty of me, but I was cooking the chicken dish with my Taiwanese friend and we were offended by the naming because it was not Taiwanese Style in the slightest.
- How much do you care about choosing your food? If you are particular about the cuts of meat/protein you are eating this might not be the shopping method for you. I personally care about the cut, look, etc of my meat and found that Blue Apron was not to my personal liking.
All of that being said, I wasn't going to base my entire opinion on 2 dining experiences, but three strikes and you're out. I met up with another set of friends to make to more meals (all at once) as an attempt to increase my Blue Apron exposure. It was just like my personal experience = lack luster.
I'd like to take a minute to throw out a disclaimer. I am a somewhat picky eater, and I am passionate about the way that I cook, the ingredients I use, and how food is experienced. For some this might be the way to go, but I do not see myself using Blue Apron in the future.
Have you used Blue Apron, or a service similar to it in the past? What was your impression and experience like? Please let me know in the comments below!