Review: Blue Apron – Gives You Another Reason To Stay At Home

It started off with movies being in your mailbox several times a week. Harry’s brought us razors. Naturebox gave us snacks. And now complete meals can be delivered to your door thanks to Blue Apron. If there’s hardware you need to prepare these meals, there’s a good chance Amazon has you covered so you never have to leave the house.

Blue Apron hopes to make cooking at home fun AND more importantly economical. While 60 dollars a week might seem a lot compared the 8 bucks you spend on Netflix, it turns out there’s one huge difference to consider: you need food to survive. Heck, fast food isn’t even cheap anymore. I spent nearly 20 bucks at a Carl’s Jr the other day for just my wife and I. So when you look at the pricing of Blue Apron running about 10 bucks a person, it’s pretty hard to call a rip off. Obviously, one could eat for less by purchasing the same ingredients at your local market, but who wants to leave home when you have a nice box delivered to your door?

Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t point out how Blue Apron makes cooking at home fun: everyone loves unboxing a package! And what creates more joy than a large box containing a bunch of ingredients JUST for one meal (multiple servings of course). It actually makes me wonder how Blue Apron makes any money considering the ingredients are so well packaged: the box weighs a considerable amount and contains the appropriate cooling supplies to help keep your veggies and meat fresh while you rush home after a long day at work.

Blue Apron box

can added for perspective

So let’s talk about the ingredients. So far, they’ve given us recipes that include items that really aren’t too foreign for anyone living close to a supermarket. You could see this as a double edge sword for Blue Apron: why would you keep subscribing if you could easily reproduce the great meals they orchestrate? I suppose Blue Apron’s other selling point is that they’ll empower you to cook things you never would have considering making. I’m signed up for the chicken/vegetarian plan, but I PRAY that they never send me a dish involving mushroom.

If you’re wondering about the quality of ingredients, take comfort in knowing Blue Apron doesn’t ship cheap, nearly expired produce you might find at a 99 cents store. The calzone ingredients Blue Apron provided included fresh mozzarella and basil. I’ve NEVER seen basil sold for less than 4 dollars.

And portion size? Do the recipes really provide sustenance or will you have to supplement your meal with extra sides? I found the portions to be perfectly generous and I can say that without hesitation as a person that stands 6’2” with nearly insatiable cravings for potatoes, rice, pasta, and pretty much every filling side. But if you really feel like there’s an undeniable void you must fill after your meal, you can help yourself to a dessert of your heart’s desire as this is not included yet.

Blue Apron

It was just dinner for one that night but you can see there’s tons of rice leftovers

Robert Rodriguez taught me a very important lesson through his cooking video segments seen on DVD bonus features: you’re going to eat for the rest of your life, so you might as well learn how to cook. He may have worded it a little differently (I’m trying to keep this post PG), but you get the point.

Blue Apron

yes… I really did make that

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About Mark Azali

A simple search on google will help you understand what Mark Azali is all about. He loves talking with random people at conventions, Google Plus, and twitter. Besides entertainment, he has an unusual obsession with starchy foods. Follow him and discover just how crazy he is: @notjohnlee (Yes. That's a reference to The Replacement Killers)

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