Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Etc. - Help with Meals

catsmeow1972, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2016

I had tried Blue Apron for about 3 months running. Most of the time pretty decent. I live alone and am not the worlds biggest eater so frequently I would get 3 servings per recipe. Here and there I would get 4 servings. I did see where some choices were carb heavy with rice/quinoa and the like. Except for the large amount of leftovers of that part that I would have, I liked that there were some obscure things (red quinoa, farro) that I got to try. i also like the number of different seasoning blends and such.

Timewise? Yes, rather time consuming for a single person, but fun. I like to cook anyway so...

I like the recipe cards that came with the box. I have kept a file of them for later usage. I've got them classed in to nah, wouldn't really make again, pretty good, may make again and yeah, I'd make it again no question.

Back on the seasonings thing, i learned what "gochuchang" is. Hot fermented chili paste! For the hot heads among us, definitely. I have found many a use for this stuff.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 26, 2016

I used Blue Apron for about a year ... and then switched to Home Chef about 6 months ago. I thought both were OK, but neither is perfect. (I don't expect perfection.)

1. Blue Apron was fun in that it's concept is that it is teaching you to cook and teaching you about ingredients from all over the world that you might never have tried before. I enjoyed those aspects, but felt is wasn't something I wanted forever because I wouldn't be using those ingredients if left on my own to cook a meal.

2. Blue Apron has fewer selections each week.

3. Blue Apron meals included a lot of grains, pasta, potatoes, etc. I have diabetes and my blood glucose had an issue with all those carbs. I also gained weight. However ... those meals froze well.

4. I am single and ordered the minimum 3 meals / 2 servings box. I usually got 3 servings out of each meal instead of 2, which made the price good. And since the meals froze well, that gave me a lot of meals.

5. I switched to Home Chef 6 months ago -- mostly because they have more selections to choose from -- and those selections include low carb meals (as well as low calorie, gluten free, no nuts, etc.) Home Chef provides more nutritional information on the selections and tries to accommodate people with special dietary needs.

6. Home Chef -- The low carb options usually consist of a meat with some kind of sauce ... and a vegetable or salad. Those sides don't always freeze well - certainly not the salads.

7. Home Chef -- I can't always get 3 servings out of a meal (advertized as 2 servings), but I often can.

8. Home Chef -- meals take less time to make. I can almost always make the meal in 30-45 minutes from start to finish. With Blue Apron, it was often closer to 1 hour.

9. Home Chef -- I have definitely learned some healthier recipes and learned to like some healthier foods. For example, last night my side dish was "artichokes au gratin" instead of "potatoes au gratin" -- a low carb option. It was good -- and a whole lot healthier than eating potatoes. The night before, I made a jambalya with finely chopped cauliflour instead of rice -- another healthier, low carb substitute.

So I am sticking with Home Chef for now.

ScientistSalarian · Sep 26, 2016

I've been using Blue Apron for a few months now, and on the whole I'm pretty satisfied. The recipes have generally been delicious (there have only been a couple that were "meh," and none that were actually bad) and take about a half hour to prepare, though that includes a fair amount of time cleaning and chopping veggies.

The price seems fair to me - $60/week for 3 meals works out to $10/meal between my boyfriend and I. I know that seems steep, but between Blue Apron and the gigantic (but cheap!) CSA box we get every other week our grocery shopping has been cut down to staples like coffee, yogurt, etc.

The only downside for me is the calorie count (anywhere from 550-800 per serving depending on the dish) and the fact that many of the options are a bit carb-heavy (white rice, flatbread, potatoes, etc.). I wouldn't say that the nutrition is unreasonable, but due to my own personal eating/food issues I'm sort of glad that it's only 3x/week.

rnsrgr8t · Sep 27, 2016

I have used Blue Apron and Home Chef. I currently use Home Chef. I have used one of them for over a year. I am a PNP and single. I do not work 12 hour shifts (thank goodness) but do work around 50 hours a week M-Fri so I am often tired when I get home from work (though not 12 hour shift tired).

I have the basics of cooking down but am not very imaginative and tend to get bored VERY quickly. Then I end up eating junk or take out b/c I am too tired to think about wanting to cook (and I tried doing the whole meal planning thing ahead of time, did not work for me).

I initially started with Blue Apron.

Pros: I loved that their recipes were very imaginative and I used ingredients I would have NEVER thought of.

Produce was very fresh and would last up to 10 days- case in point, my box for the week came at the start of a horrible bronchitis and I was so sick, was not cooking anything. Every thing was still good 8 days later (and meat had 10 day expiration on the package).

Portions were good, always had left overs. Definitely the 2 portions advertised

They have a great Facebook page and youtube channel. You tube gives instructional videos on techniques for prep and cooking (learned a lot). Each recipe each week gets a Facebook post so you could get good tips from other uses online on how to cook a recipe if they had done it ahead of you.

Price was reasonable.

Customer service was good the few times I had issues

Could deliver on Saturdays (when I would know I was home).

Easy to cancel with no penalty.

They have a IOS and Android App which made it easy to order meals.

CONS:

Was TOO much food for one person.

Not many choices (I agree with what PP have said). I did not always like the options I had so would have to cancel a week b/c one of the recipes I was not going to eat

Only option is for 3 meals a week, cannot do less than that.

I then switched to Home Chef and still use it

PROS:

The main reason I switched was b/c Home Chef gave you many more options for the week and I could pick as few as two meals a week. This was perfect for me and exactly what I was looking for.

Produce quality is good. Night QUITE as fresh as Blue Apron (I live near the Blue Apron distribution center and they use local produce which could explain it). Produce does NOT last up to 10 days like Blue Apron, but they do give you guidlines on each recipe how many days you have to cook it. Stay within their guidelines, you are fine.

Because I can pick just 2 meals- it is cheaper for me.

They also have an app as well which works well.

CONS (but they were not deal breakers for me)

They do not deliver on Saturdays. I picked Fridays. I was worried about the box sitting out all day in the heat. I will have to say, we had a horrendous summer (almost 100 degree heat) and my front door is in the direct sun all day. I had some nights I did not get home until after 10 pm, and everything in the box was still cold. They used a LOT of ice packs in the summer and I had no issues (I was really worried about it initially)

Meals are not as imaginative as Blue Apron and you do have to check the caloric content of the recipes before you order. They definitely have some VERY high caloric options (800-1000 calories a serving!!!) but there are plenty of healthy options to pick as well.

Their FB and Youtube channel do not really have much traffic. I do miss that about Blue Apron. I did like the option of discussing the recipes and how to cook them online but again, not a deal breaker.

I love these services. For a single person like I am, it works great and prevents me from eating junck and take out. I did not find the prep time that bad and it got quicker with practice. Definitely go on the Blue Apron you tube channel. They teach a LOT of tricks. Also important to have a good chef knife/tools etc, makes prep easy.

elizzyRN · Sep 27, 2016

I've been getting Blue Apron for 4 weeks now and I really enjoy it! I live by myself and the meals have all held up well to eat the second serving as leftovers later in the week. The directions are easy to follow and I've been using a lot of new-to-me ingredients. I have loved many of the meals and there has only been one so far that I really didn't care for. I've been eating much more produce and home cooked food and much less takeout since starting it last month. Two of my shifts each week are 12-hrs and I'm always too tired after a 12 to cook, even a BA meal, so I try to plan ahead and eat one of the leftover servings on those days. I would definitely recommend this service.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Sep 28, 2016

Back on the seasonings thing, i learned what "gochuchang" is. Hot fermented chili paste! For the hot heads among us, definitely. I have found many a use for this stuff.

Gochujang+H2O+garlic+a little soy sauce+a little sugar = best soup broth EVER!! :inlove:

gonzoRN, MSN, RN · Sep 30, 2016

I work 5-8s. My husband is/was the cook in our house. He loves it, I was always "meh", and never felt very imaginative. He went back to school full time, and I decided that I needed to pick up more of the cooking duties. I heard about these services, and decided to jump in. First, we tried Blue Apron. It was a great choice to get started. I liked 80% of the meals, I learned new stuff/techniques and tried new things. We had rotten corn one week and they comped us the entire week. So, yay! The main thing I didn't like was the selection of meals. Pretty thin compared to the other services, like others have said.

I decided to go with HelloFresh, and have been much happier. You have a much better choice of meals, and so far, I've loved all the meals I've done. I prefer the way HelloFresh packages their ingredients--everything for a meal in one box for example. With Blue Apron, they put some of the things in a little paper bag, vinegars etc would leak, and the paper bag would disintegrate from a) the leakage and b) the ice packs. So there's that.

I would love to try Marley Spoon and PeachDish, but Marley Spoon hasn't come to my area yet, and PeachDish charges 15$ shipping for my area. So, I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

Bottom line, this little project has gotten me excited about cooking again. I'm making stuff that I never would have even thought of, which is fun. I've learned some new techniques along the way, which is cool. And the husband is thrilled that he's getting cooked for, not the other way around.