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Blue Apron Review
Blue Apron Review
October 28, 2019 / Nadav Shemer
Blue Apron Review
October 28, 2019 / Nadav Shemer

How Does Blue Apron Work?

Blue Apron is a meal delivery service dedicated to the idea that prepared meals should be enjoyed to the fullest. With Blue Apron you don’t only get access to meal kits stocked with fresh, seasonal, pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. You also get access to delicious, pairing-sized wines selected to complement your Blue Apron meals. And you can add other fun products such as cheese boards and kitchen essentials at any time. All up, Blue Apron offers a wider variety of features than most other meal delivery companies.

What Does Blue Apron Offer?

When you register, you’ll be asked to choose from two types of subscription plan: a two-person plan or a family plan serving four people. You’ll also have a choice of 2 or 3 recipes per week (or 4 recipes per week for the family plan only).

All the plans are completely customizable. Each week, you get to choose from a menu of 8 meals. Blue Apron accommodates a variety of dietary preferences. The weekly menu is typically broken down into 3-4 meat/chicken meals, 1 fish/seafood meal, and 3-4 vegetarian meals. If you’re vegetarian, pescatarian, or you just prefer not to eat red meat, pork, fish, or shellfish, there are always enough options to choose from.

What type of meals are we talking about? In the week we wrote this review, Blue Apron was offering the following combination of meals: 3 x chicken (seared chicken & goat cheese sauce with mashed potatoes & carrot-pepper agrodolce; hoisin & honey-glazed chicken thighs with crispy rice cakes & spicy mayo; and creamy chipotle chicken with cilantro rice and cotija cheese); 1 x pork (pork meatball Italian wedding soup with ditali pasta and rosemary); 1 x fish (parmesan & panko-crusted cod with roasted squash and garlic kale; and 3 x vegetarian (crispy pan-fried ramen with soft-boiled eggs; poblano & black bean tortas with sweet potatoes & tomatillo sour cream; and stuffed delicata squash with farro, mushrooms & Shishito peppers).

With Blue Apron, you can arrange your weekly selections up to 4 weeks in advance from a choice of 32 recipes (4 weeks x 8 recipes). You can also skip weeks and then return to your subscription at any time. There are no commitments or contracts with Blue Apron, so you can use it one week and not use it another – it’s really up to you.

What’s on the Menu?

As we previously mentioned, Blue Apron has options to suit meat eaters, pescatarians, vegetarians, and people who avoid specific types of meat or fish. All the dishes come with pre-portioned ingredients sourced straight from a network of hundreds of family-run farms that employ sustainable farming practices.

As we previously mentioned, Blue Apron has options to suit meat eaters, pescatarians, vegetarians, and people who avoid specific types of meat or fish. All the dishes come with pre-portioned ingredients sourced straight from a network of hundreds of family-run farms that employ sustainable farming practices.

We took a good look at Blue Apron’s menu and found some fantastic meat, fish, and vegetarian meal options.

In the meat/chicken category, we really like the look of Blue Apron’s Korean-style fire chicken with rice cakes & boy choy. Who needs to go out for an expensive Korean dinner when you can prepare one at home in just 35 minutes? This spin on buldak (Korean for “fire chicken”) uses just one pan to prepare tender chicken and chewy rice cakes with a spicy, authentic gochugang (chili paste) sauce.

Pictured: Korean-Style Fire Chicken with Rice Cakes & Bok Choy

Turning to fish, how could we not mention the spiced salmon & garlic yogurt with crispy chickpea & farro salad? There’s a lot packed into this meal and yet it takes only 35 minutes to prepare and costs you only 630 calories. This is Blue Apron’s own version of a Middle Eastern-style fish meal, complete with saffron, mint, cumin, and other tasty herbs and spices. The yogurt adds extra taste and the farro salad provides a good dose of nutrition.

Pictured: Spiced Salmon & Garlic Yogurt with Crispy Chickpea & Farro Salad

There’s plenty here for vegetarians too, and our favorite is undoubtedly the crispy potato & kale hash with baked eggs & hot sauce. This meal combines 8 simple ingredients into a truly delicious meal. It contains red potatoes, kale, sweet peppers, scallions, garlic, pasture-raised eggs, white cheddar cheese, and a tablespoon of hot sauce to top it all off.

Pictured: Crispy Potato & Kale Hash with Baked Eggs & Hot Sauce

What’s It Gonna Cost Me?

Blue Apron is in the mid-range for pricing, with a price per serving that isn’t drastically different to those of its competitors. The cost per serving is $9.99 and shipping is free, which works out to a weekly total of $48-60 for the two-person plan and $72-$120 for the family plan. The cost stays the same no matter which items you select from the menu.

We mentioned that Blue Apron offers additional features like wines and cheeses. The standard wine plan is 6 x 500 mL wines (2/3 of standard-sized wine bottle) for $65.99/month including shipping. Other great offers include a seasonal cheese collection, serving 4-6 people, for $79.99, a cheese knife mini set of 4 for $34.99, and a cheese board from Brooklyn Slate Co. for $35.00.

Shipping

Blue Apron’s meal plans cost around the same as other companies but it works out slightly less when you take into account the fact that shipping is free. Blue Apron delivers to all 48 continental states. Unfortunately, it doesn’t ship to Hawaii, Alaska, or any U.S. territories. The free shipping is one of the big advantages to Blue Apron although it’s worth noting that you must order at least 2 meals per week to qualify.

Getting Your Box

All meals arrive in recyclable ice packs and packaging that ensure ingredients stay fresh even if you’re not at home. Blue Apron does advise that you collect your order from your doorstep as soon as possible in order to avoid spoiling perishable products. To help you, Blue Apron sends out an email notification when it ships your orders – complete with a tracking number so you can follow its progress to your door.

Help & Support

Blue Apron provides support during regular business hours at (646) 891-4349 and contact@blueapron.com. For commonly asked questions, refer to the Help Center & FAQ page on Blue Apron’s website. Blue Apron also has an app – compatible with iOS and Android phones and tablets – that lets you update and track orders.

So, What’s for Dinner?

If you’re looking for a prepared meal kit with added excitement, then you may want to check out Blue Apron. With Blue Apron, you get a choice from 8 delicious meals each week, plus a range of wines and cheeses from participating vineyards and farms. Blue Apron is a great service for anyone looking to do some gourmet cooking without any hassles.

By Nadav Shemer
Nadav Shemer specializes in business, tech, and energy, with a background in financial journalism, hi-tech and startups. Nadav writes for www.bestmealkitdelivery.com. He enjoys writing about the latest innovations in financial services and products.
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