Behind the Blue Apron: Like a Cooking Class in Your Home

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I understand that Blue Apron doesn't deliver outside the US, but I know that a similar service - Hello Fresh - does, so this seemed relevant. I got a coupon for $30 off my first order from Blue Apron, so I decided to give it a try. It turns out that my coupon wasn't anything special: anyone can get the same discount at https://www.blueapron.com/ if they're a first-time user. Anyway, it was a great way to try it out with minimal risk.

I saw them advertised not long ago, and I thought it sounded cool, but also figured it wasn't for me. If I had heard about this a few years ago, then absolutely I would have wanted to try it out. But, I figured I was past the point of having my hand held when I cook. So, it was with a mixture of dread and anticipation that I opened the box that arrived on Saturday. The "dread" was because I knew it would be expensive, and I wasn't wrong. Three meals for 2 have a base price of $60; with the discount, it's half that much. And, it's a subscription service, so they'll keep sending meals (and billing you) until you tell them to stop.

But, for now, I will let you know about my experiences. For starters, you have to commit to a plan before you know what you're getting. This isn't fun, but they do have a lot of different options. There do seem to be vegetarian options, but I'm not sure about vegan options. Also, shipments only show up on Friday or Saturday. I think they assume that everyone wants to have a romantic dinner on the weekend. In my case, the weekend is the only time I don't cook. Fortunately, everything was sealed to keep it fresh. And, all your meals for the week show up in the same box, so you will need to clear some room in your refrigerator.

Below, I show you the first meal I decided to make, the simple-sounding Meatballs and Tomato Sauce. But, these are no normal meatballs. I've laid out the contents of what was required for the meal:

I decided I would follow the recipe exactly. My goal was to see if what they sent me was as good as the price suggests, and to follow up with an assessment of any corrections I felt needed to be made. Following a recipe to the letter is a difficult thing for me, but I decided to do it as a fair assessment of the product. As you can see, the instructions are very specific and accompanied by pictures. It was at this point that the "cooking class in your home" analogy occurred to me. Just like a cooking class, you're provided exactly the right portions to make the recipe, and given detailed instructions. All you really need are a knife, a cutting board, and salt and pepper.

The end product ended up looking a lot like the picture:

I decided that my assessment should be based on certain key criteria, so here's how things turned out (on a scale from 1 to 10):

Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Ease of Preparation: 8 (nothing someone with a little experience can't handle)
Taste: 9 (cooking the meatballs in a pan, then making the sauce in the same pan, is a great technique to build flavor)
Wow Factor: 8 (these are Spanish meatballs on rice with asparagus with cilantro and lime...much cooler than I expected)
Likelihood to Make Again: 8
Value: 6 (the food is excellent, and a great value at $5/meal at the introductory rate, but the regular price of $10/meal is a bit steep)
Modifications Needed: None
Overall: 8

Ultimately, this meal did what a good cooking class does: it taught me a new recipe, and a new technique. I have 2 more meals in the box I received Saturday, and I will post the results of those when I get to them.

 

[Morning Glory]

When these schemes first started here I thought they seemed like a ridiculous idea - and probably a way to extract money from gullible victims. But I've come could to thinking they could be a good thing for folks who have never really cooked before. It could give them the confidence to go on and cook things on their own. Having said that they are certainly not for those on a tight budget.

I think the similar schemes here (Hello Fresh' and Gousto - there may be others) are not quite so expensive as your Blue Apron. Given that none of the ingredients are expensive then $10 would seem a lot! Did you compare how much it would cost to cook from scratch?

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

When these schemes first started here I thought they seemed like a ridiculous idea - and probably a way to extract money from gullible victims. But I've come could to thinking they could be a good thing for folks who have never really cooked before. It could give them the confidence to go on and cook things on their own. Having said that they are certainly not for those on a tight budget.

I think the similar schemes here (Hello Fresh' and Gousto - there may be others) are not quite so expensive as your Blue Apron. Given that none of the ingredients are expensive then $10 would seem a lot! Did you compare how much it would cost to cook from scratch?

I never thought to add up the comparative cost, but that's an excellent idea. Looking at what the above ingredients would cost separately, it would be at most $3 for the beef, $1 for the tomato can (if you could get it in such a tiny size), and maybe $2 for the other ingredients combined. That means $6 total cost - and probably closer to $5 if I shop around - for something that I'm paying $20 for regular price. I can't justify that on a regular basis. Of course, you could also consider the cost for the laminated recipe cards, and the fact that I don't have to spend the fuel costs to shop for the ingredients, and that I don't have to buy full amounts of things like eggs, asparagus, or cilantro. But, I'd use the rest of the eggs and asparagus in some other way, and cilantro is incredibly cheap. I think that maybe adds another $2 of value (I don't need pictures to make a recipe, and I don't even need the recipe when the internet offers up dozens of options for free).

Still, it's fun to try out, and I can see the benefit for people who - as you suggest - want to build their confidence.

 

[Morning Glory]

I quite like the idea of adding raisins to the meatballs. I can't say I've come across that before - it sounds a bit Middle Eastern. I suppose the other attraction for people is, as you say, they don't need to buy whole packets of things. This might well appeal to those who don't really cook. as they are not likely to have store-cupboard staple ingredients and they wouldn't know what to do with ingredients left over!

Aside from the asparagus which I would need to buy, I could make this recipe right now as I have all the ingredients!

 

[Cinisajoy]

Cilantro here is 38 cents a bunch. That looks like your standard 8 oz tomato sauce can. If you pay more than 50 cents you are getting ripped off.

Luckily it freezes well because you don't need much in any recipe.

Just out of curiosity, was there much waste packaging?

 

[Cinisajoy]

Just took another look at what you got. I don't even see $5 worth of groceries there.
The cost may be entirely regional too.
Is that a pound or a half pound of beef?

Your dinner looks fabulous. I have everything but the lime. I do have lime juice.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Just took another look at what you got. I don't even see $5 worth of groceries there.
The cost may be entirely regional too.
Is that a pound or a half pound of beef?

Your dinner looks fabulous. I have everything but the lime. I do have lime juice.

I was being extremely generous in saying it was $6 worth of groceries, based on expensive ground beef (current cost is up to $4/pound, and the package had 14 ounces). This is an interesting experiment that I am in no way going to continue mostly due to cost reasons. But, I have to admit, one of the things I miss most about the process is picking out my own groceries. This takes all the fun of going through dozens of bunches of asparagus to find the one that looks the best, though I'd guess this would be considered a selling point for many people.

 

[Cinisajoy]

I was being extremely generous in saying it was $6 worth of groceries, based on expensive ground beef (current cost is up to $4/pound, and the package had 14 ounces). This is an interesting experiment that I am in no way going to continue mostly due to cost reasons. But, I have to admit, one of the things I miss most about the process is picking out my own groceries. This takes all the fun of going through dozens of bunches of asparagus to find the one that looks the best, though I'd guess this would be considered a selling point for many people.

Our ground beef ranges anywhere from <$3 for the 73/27 in the chub packages you can't see to upwards of $6 for the 93/7. 85/15 is on sale quite frequently for $2.97 a pound.
I have looked at all of the home delivery dinner services and they didn't look worth it especially since most of them are sign up and we will then tell you what the menu is.

Oh and I do love asparagus, but I have after effects. So that asparagus would have been wasted and I can't say I have ever seen asparagus in a Mexican restaurant.

But yes, the convenience of not having to shop or think about what's for dinner will be the main draw for many people.
If it wasn't a money making proposition, there would not be so many of them.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Today's selection is Spiced Cod and Summer Squash Cakes. Last time, I didn't unpack the knickknacks bag so you could see the various little things, but this time I did.

The end result, as with my first effort, looks great:

Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving. I was particularly excited about the squash cakes, but the chopped dates that the recipe calls for make them taste...weird. If this had been a cohesive Moroccan dish with appropriate spices, then maybe it would have worked. The fish itself is terrific: fresh, flaky, and everything I want from cod. But the spices - which have a beautiful turmeric base - are a bit harsh. I honestly would have preferred the fish with just salt and pepper. Finally, there's a wilted arugula that was prepared in the leavings from the fish, which was really nice until the step came to add the malt vinegar. Arugula being already peppery, this really put it past where I would have wanted it. Finally, there's a vinegar/mayo dip which I think was intended for the fish. Instead, I'm using it to drown out the weirdness of the squash cakes.

After the first dish was so good, I was seriously tempted to keep on with the service, and maybe order once in a while. Now, I'm not sure sure.

Spiced Cod and Summer Squash Cakes

Ease of Preparation: 8 (nothing someone with a little experience can't handle)
Taste: 4 (every element had a problem of some kind)
Wow Factor: 5 (yes, it's got some things I haven't tried before...and won't try again. I suppose I can thank them for saving me the trouble of trying dates in squash cake again)
Likelihood to Make Again: 0
Value: 3 (when the food is great - like the meatball dish - I can overlook some things. But, not here)
Modifications Needed: I'm not sure where to start. Tomorrow, I think I'll turn this into something completely different, and maybe it won't be such a struggle choking it down. If I hadn't already made both servings, I would have skipped the dates, the malt vinegar, and the fish seasoning. This would have probably made for an excellent dish.
Overall: 4
Composite Score: 6 (both dishes combined)

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Come to think of it, this second dish was also like a cooking class: sometimes, the fancy pants chef tries something that maybe they like, but isn't exactly accessible. I've also gone to cooking classes like that: why yes, Chef, the lavender you've added to the dish is so....bold! Sometimes, I swear that chefs just try things because they want to find a new angle that hasn't been done before. I like to do that, too, but I'm not about to drop it on someone who's paying for it and expect them to like it.

 

[Morning Glory]

. I was particularly excited about the squash cakes, but the chopped dates that the recipe calls for make them taste...weird.

Dates with squash? Both are on the sweet scale so it would seem odd unless offset with salty/hot/sour tastes.

 

[Cinisajoy]

Dates with squash? Both are on the sweet scale so it would seem odd unless offset with salty/hot/sour tastes.

My thought was why would one want to date a squash.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

My thought was why would one want to date a squash.

I think I'd have to squash that date.

But, what do I do with the rest of a meal that I paid for but am not happy with? I considered scraping the spicy side from the fish and throwing the rest away, but decided to see if I could salvage the whole thing. I decided to remake this meal in the form that I thought it had when I first saw the recipe. When I glanced at the picture and saw fish and cakes, I thought fish cakes.

But, just mixing it all together wouldn't be more than a desperation move if I didn't have some sort of plan. I thought of the assertive date taste, and realized that sweet can be balanced with spicy...and I did note that the fish seasoning was overly spicy. Likewise, sweet and spicy can be balanced with acid...something like the overwhelming vinegar taste in the arugula. So, with science on my side, here's what I did:

After chopping everything up, I added elements that I'd have added if I were making a fish cake: Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, finely chopped dill and cilantro, hot sauce, olive oil mayo and breadcrumbs and an egg as a binder. I also mixed in a healthy dose of Ras el Hanout, to work with the Moroccan flavors that the dates and turmeric suggested. In retrospect, I should have skipped the mayo, since the squash cakes already made it too loose. The mix ended up being very wet, which made forming cakes difficult. But, I really liked the taste, and that was really the main thing I was trying to do. After forming the cakes, I covered them with panko breadcrumbs, and then put them in a pan on medium heat. I knew that I was cooking something that had already been cooked, and I was a bit concerned about overcooking the perfectly-cooked fish. As it turned out, the excessive moisture of the cakes kept things from drying out.

But, what about the taste? After my modifications, the fish cakes are…good. Not great, but also not bad. I then turned my attention to the aioli. It was originally just mayo, pepper, and too much vinegar. I mixed in olive oil mayo, finely chopped cilantro, and lemon juice so it would play with my new (re)creation. Finally, I steamed some asparagus to break up what was now a fairly heavy meal.

The final verdict? Not bad. I didn’t have to force myself to swallow any of it, like I did with the squash/date cakes. Salvaging what would have been a $20 meal for 2 original price doesn’t inspire confidence, but I do still eagerly await the final meal of the trio, a Korean style chicken dish.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I forgot: there was a third meal in the kit. I do have the details on my work Creative Cooking forum, so I can reproduce that here, maybe sometime tomorrow.

 

[ElizabethB]

The concept is interesting. I see the application for inexperienced cooks who want a home cooked meal but have little time but have extra $ to spend. I appreciate you evaluation. Like you, I would have a difficult time following a recipe exactly.