A Review of Blue Apron

Like many who cook at home, my greatest struggle lies with meal planning. Do I have all the ingredients I need? Did I thaw the meat in time? So when I had the opportunity to try out Blue Apron, a home-delivery meal kit program, I decided to give it a spin.

When you set up an account online with Blue Apron, you can set your preferences. For example, I chose not to have any seafood in my deliveries. You can select from a two-person plan with three meals per week, or a family plan with two or four meals per week. You may also decide on your weekly delivery date.

Meal ingredients arrived in a well-packed box in a thermal bag with two large ice packs. All items were packaged in plastic or paper bags or paperboard boxes, all of which are recyclable. Blue Apron strongly encouraged recycling of all the materials.

Each recipe included a colorful sheet with detailed instructions and photos. While the ingredients were provided in small bottles and plastic bags, the recipe cards included the exact measurements in case you choose to make the meals again on your own. The first dishes to grace our kitchen were Sweet Corn Dinali Pasta, BBQ Sloppy Joes, Spicy Hoisin Chicken Stir Fry and Seared Chicken with Caramelized Vegetables.

I was a little disappointed that one of the chicken dishes called for chicken thighs, which were a little fatty so I had to trim away a good bit of the actual meat. Thankfully the other chicken recipe included good quality chicken breasts. Some of the herbs and vegetables were a little dated by the time I cooked the meals – the basil and thyme were a bit dry and the scallions had wilted somewhat. The corn cob was definitely nearing its expiration, though in all fairness that was the last of the three initial kits I cooked.

The barbecue sauce with the sloppy joes was absolutely delicious – that was our favorite of the four meals. The hoisin sauce for the chicken stir fry was quite tasty as well. The sweet corn pasta dish turned out better than I expected, though I would question its fortitude to serve it as a main course. We actually ate it as a side dish. I normally would not buy or cook some of the items Blue Apron sent (hello bok choy, fennel) but I think the point is to help home cooks branch out with some different recipes. Aren’t we all guilty of serving the same old items over and over?

Blue Apron offers the option to skip a delivery; for example, if you were going out of town for a week you can halt your meal program. Because all of the ingredients are fresh, the meals need to be cooked right away. Potentially some of the meals could be prepped and frozen for later consumption.

The cost is reasonable and one of the least expensive of the home delivery programs – meals are estimated at about $9 per serving. Certainly you can feed a family for less than that but if you are going to put a price on planning, convenience and delivery, here it is.

If I could change anything about the service, I wish there were more weekly menu options as Blue Apron offers six recipes per week. Since I eliminated seafood from my program, I was left with few choices. Others who decide against beef or pork will be in the same boat.

Overall we enjoyed the meals and I certainly liked the convenience of the kits. When I shopped for groceries I had only to purchase the basics (bread, milk, fruit) with no worries about dinners, at least for the one week. I have not decided if I will continue with the program; I may opt in for certain weeks depending on the meal selections available. As someone who aspires to plan and create good meals for my family, I do appreciate having some unique recipes to shake up my kitchen and give some “food for thought.”