Discuss

2/10/2016 8:57:53 PM

Might as well discuss its competitors as well.

http://www.businessinsider.com/blue-apron-plated-hello-fresh-difference-2015-4

2/11/2016 3:23:56 AM

They all look like a pain seeing all the packaging and reading you have to deal with and really expensive for meals that don't look great. Maybe I'm missing some ingredients they expect you to have on hand or something. Seems easier to go to the store and make something more "complicated" that you'd enjoy, but that's from the suburbs where everyone is home by 6:00, we can make one major grocery run a week, and we have a full 30 mins to cook before we have to get the kids fed. I assume this is for urban food desert with no kids and no concept of how to cook anything types.

We do get a produce box that comes with really weird and seasonal stuff. It's inexpensive (relative to buying the same things retail) and it pushes you to be creative. I guess it's the opposite of Blue Apron.

2/11/2016 7:52:44 AM

We did Blue Apron on and off for about 7 or 8 months I think. It was actually pretty decent. We did it for several reasons.

1) We were both pretty busy. I was still working two jobs (day job and bartending three nights a week). She had her 8-5 and went to yoga most days after work. She would get out of yoga and either have to the grocery store or come back home and cook a meal that took a while (conversely, I would take the dog on a run a get a workout in). Basically, we normally started dinner around 8 pm and we were exhausted. This eliminated a lot of grocery shopping and time prepping for meals.

2) Costs. It seems like $20 for two is a lot, but it's not that much. It definitely beats going out, take out, delivery...at least for us. We could probably get a couple banh mis delivered from our local spot for under $20, but you don't want to do that often and you save a couple bucks versus getting a full meal. And my wife's recipes end up tallying up. I often did the grocery shopping on the way home to pick up stuff for dinner and it was just too high. I'm okay with eating a simple meat, starch, and veggie for dinner that can be cheap...but my wife comes from a family that had fancy meals on the regular. I chipped away at it, but basically Blue Apron was saving us money.

3) Healthy. Blue Apron meals are normally pretty light. They're not weight-watcher light...but they range in the 500-700 calorie area.

^ To your points...they include pretty much everything (at least Blue Apron does). You only have to have salt, pepper, and olive oil. When we started off, the packaging was ridiculous. We felt like we were chipping away at the earth from a trash standpoint, one delivery at a time. Towards the end, the packaging got a lot more eco-friendly and less cumbersome. I heard its gotten even better since then.

While we're pretty adventurous eaters, I imagine it lets other people experience a lot of different foods. They really do have a ton of variety. We probably went three or four months without getting even close to replicating a previous dish. They do seasonal stuff, so you definitely don't get bored.

Overall, everything tastes pretty good. The wife and I are both pretty good cooks, so our standards were high...and I would say they were pretty much met. We would run into a dud every now and then, but for the most part, the meals were pretty tasty.

We stopped doing it just because the whole process got old and we missed the meals and recipes we use to eat all the time. Overall I would say it was a positive experience, but probably not something we'll go back to.

Just to add...I recently found out a good friend of mine and his girlfriend are doing Blue Apron. Both of them are big time foodies that are servers at probably the nicest restaurant in town. He said they've been getting the recipes and just adding their own twists to it and are really enjoying it. He's one of the last people I would expect to do this (really, I can't imagine a "foodie" or food and beverage industry person to do Blue Apron), but even he likes it. So maybe they're getting even better as the company grows.

2/11/2016 8:11:24 AM

my wife ordered hello fresh. ugh. meals are really good, but she expects me to cook them when i get home with the kids in the afternoon and i ain't got no time for that. then gets pissy when dinner isn't ready when she gets home. i'd rather make something simple if i'm going to be cooking while at the same time responsible for my toddlers (and while i'm after-work cranky)

2/11/2016 8:16:40 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=644783

Update: I paid $1.29 each the other day for a bunch of cilantro and parsley.

[Edited on February 11, 2016 at 8:50 AM. Reason : and thyme was 99 cents]


[Edited on February 11, 2016 at 8:55 AM. Reason : damn I just noticed this shit is $10/meal/person ]

2/11/2016 8:47:50 AM

For example...

I had to pick up two quarts of chicken stock for a soup/stew we're making tonight. $3.29 per quart. Also had to get leeks, fennel bulb, kale, carrots, turkey kielbasa, and farro. Everything ran me about $25. We should have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, but my lunches are generally cheap anyways (sandwiches, smoothies, or protein bar).

Last night my wife wanted soup (but not the tomato soup we had in the cupboard). We ordered to-go from a local restaurant...5.50 soup, $6 app...tax and tip equaled about $14. I had tomato soup and grilled cheese at the house.

Regardless, $10 per person for meat/veggie/starch meal with variety is not a bad deal.

2/11/2016 9:12:39 AM

Quote :

"I had to pick up two quarts of chicken stock for a soup/stew we're making tonight. $3.29 per quart. "

This must be the same place that has $4/bunch cilantro

I'd highly recommend this over buying stock: http://www.betterthanbouillon.com/ - Good ingredients, much better flavor, way more economical.


[Edited on February 11, 2016 at 9:49 AM. Reason : I don't think the high cost of eating out justifies $10/meal/person for these services]

2/11/2016 9:46:33 AM

It was actually the cheapest stock they had. Lots of cheaper options for straight chicken broth...but I tend not to stray when my wife gives me a shopping list.

And I agree if you're looking at straight Blue Apron vs eating out...that's why I gave a ton of other reasons in my post.

2/11/2016 10:04:58 AM

Check that...chicken stock was 2.99...fennel was 5.29...baby leeks were 2.99. GD wife is pulling out semi-expensive recipes again. Harris Teeter grocery store btw...its not like I'm shopping at Whole Foods.

On the flip side, that tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich I had last night was fucking delicious.

[Edited on February 11, 2016 at 6:58 PM. Reason : .]

2/11/2016 6:57:33 PM

Quote :

"fennel was 5.29...baby leeks were 2.99. GD wife is pulling out semi-expensive recipes again"

Yah I was gonna say those are some pretty expensive raw ingredients.

Campbells tomato soup?

2/11/2016 7:24:46 PM

Amy's Tomato soup?? Someone recommended it to me years ago, it was tasty, so I stuck with it. Tomato soup and grilled cheese is like pizza to me...I could eat it every night, especially when its cold outside.

And yeah...those ingredients are examples of shit you get with Blue Apron. They really don't do just lettuce/tomato/carrots, etc, type stuff. Its not stuff that impresses us from a new/taste standpoint, but it is shit that I know we put into our more pricey recipes. So I think the value at $10/person really isn't that bad.

2/11/2016 7:42:53 PM

I just don't get it at all. Most urban areas offer grocery delivery now and recipes are a click away online. Youtube videos make cooking foolproof.

2/11/2016 8:52:47 PM

Blue apron more like BIG BLUE DICK

2/16/2016 10:31:06 PM

not that big in that pic, tbh

[Edited on February 16, 2016 at 10:36 PM. Reason : add another grower]

2/16/2016 10:35:51 PM

dr. manhattan can make his body as big as he wants

but his dick is always the same size in proportion to his body

so the question is

can he make just his dick bigger

2/17/2016 2:32:48 AM

Who gives a shit? We all the same size lying down.

2/17/2016 9:11:27 AM

Can we get back to jbrick83's $4 bunches of cilantro and parsley please???

2/17/2016 12:26:40 PM

Plated.com for the win. We did blueapron for about 4 months, and got tired of the kind of food (that use a lot of vinegar) and limited selections. We moved to plated, which has a lot of premium options. We spend more, but it is a lot better.

2/17/2016 12:31:15 PM

We get Blue Apron maybe every other week on average. I originally though it was too expensive, but the quality is good and I've come around to thinking it's worth it. Two people can barely go to Cookout for $20.

2/17/2016 12:46:39 PM

2/17/2016 12:51:12 PM

Why would you compare the costs to buyimg cooked food. You should be comparing it to the grocery store.

2/17/2016 4:58:51 PM

So weird. I just asked about this today. TWW knows.

2/17/2016 6:03:40 PM

Quote :

"$4 bunches of cilantro and parsley please???"

$1.99 on my last trip to the Teeter...

Although the pre-packaged stuff was $2.39...so almost!

2/17/2016 6:04:35 PM