Saturday, January 21, 2017

My Blue Apron Life

Awhile back I blogged that I was using Blue Apron meals.  I still am.  I do not get a delivery every week, but average about two per month.  I like being able to cancel deliveries if I have other plans or do not like the food choices for the week.

Since the holidays are over, I've been getting weekly deliveries.  Along with some added salads, I end up having enough food for the week, since meals are for two and I am not a big eater.

I have no real complaints about the service.  When I found I was missing an item in my delivery, Blue Apron gave me a credit.  A generous credit.  The other time I contacted them it was to inquire why I had to have a Facebook account to comment on their website.

Their answer?  "Good question."  Apparently, the tips section is run by Facebook and I refuse to be a member.  I thanked them for their response and added the following comment:  "Seems like many of your customers have the IQ of a turnip".

I know I should not read message boards and usually avoid them,  but this area is supposed to be for 'tips' about preparing the meal.  Instead it is like a complaint board for idiots.  For example, here are some of the frequent comments I see:

'I hate kale.  Why are you always sending this?'
'I am allergic to dairy, mushrooms, avocados...whatever.  What can I do?'
'They said to leave the fond in the pan.  What is fond?'
'There was only enough chicken for one person' (They sent two six ounce boneless chicken breasts)
'We need more greens.  How about including a salad'.
'I don't like spicy food, but it doesn't taste good without seasoning.'
'I don't want beef but they keep sending it'. (you can say no beef when you sign up, I did).
Not enough potatoes for two people.' (Usually 9-10 ounces are sent along with an ounce of butter.)

My response, if I could make one:  Choose a different meal that does not contain kale, dairy, whatever you don't like, or leave it out.  Go to the grocer's.  Find a different service.  Why are you getting this service if all you do is complain about it???

And some of the tips from home cooks are useless.  No way should anyone marinate pork chops ALL DAY in a citrus marinade.  They will turn to mush.  Creminis mushrooms are NOT young shiitakes.  (portobellos)  And the suggestions to lengthen or shorten oven cooking times is much more likely to be the fault of the individual's heat settings on their ovens rather than an error on the part of Blue Apron.  But I am guessing based on comments that they have no idea how to calibrate an oven.

All of that being said, I enjoy the service and I'm sticking with it for now.  I just need to treat the tips from users as humor. My son tried another service and said the produce was not nearly as good a Blue Apron.  That is a big factor for me cause I don't need an entire bunch of celery just to use one stalk.  Here are pics of two meals from the past weeks:


This was a spinach and mushroom stromboli.  I have really enjoyed their vegetarian options.  I ended up getting four meals out of it by adding a salad.  And I only used half of the cheese they sent.  Thought it was a bit much.
This was Indonesian-spiced salmon.  The sauce on top had red onion with a coconut milk base.  The grain is cracked freekeh, which I had never eaten before.  I quite enjoyed it.  Not crazy about the radish and red onion side salad which I served over greens - that I bought all by myself at the grocer's.

I still have meals to give away if you wish to try it out.  Just know that if you think you only want to try it and then cancel you have to do it as soon as your meal is sent.  They require seven days notice.  If you are interested, send me an email.


15 comments:

  1. These comments are funny! I had a good laugh because I thought to myself why didn't they mark down what they don't want? People love to complain though. The cheese looks plentiful in the picture so I can't imagine having more .

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    1. There are six options and you can pick three of them. If I don't find three I like, I skip the week.

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  2. People really do love to complain. If you can't cook, don't use these services; either order pizza or buy a frozen meal.

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    1. They also complain about the time involved in preparing. I love your suggestions.

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  3. Those meals look delicious. I can see the appeal of this service but Judy and I both travel so much it would not be practical.

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    1. If my choice were between traveling and Blue Apron, I would definitely pick traveling. I actually delayed starting because I was out of the country early last year.

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  4. I always wondered about a service like this for bringing in "tasty" meals to one's household. Right now three out of seven dinner meals a week involve other family members other than the two of us. If that dwindles down, I might give Blue Apron or similar a try.

    betty

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    1. I've actually served my son and daughter-in-law dinner from the meals for two just by adding a salad, more pasta, veggies, etc. But I am not a newbie cook, so I think that helps. I'll probably stick with it as long as the quality holds up. I really like being able to skip several weeks in a row, if need be.

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  5. Not being able to get Blue Apron here, I was going to try another one (name escapes me). Their meals look good too, but for us, delivery is a problem Can't seem to match up when we are available and they can deliver.

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    1. FedEx delivers here. I judt wish they would ring the bell when they do instead of just leaving the box on the porch.

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    2. That's my problem you cannot leave it on the porch of an apartment building.

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  6. Thanks for the reminder! My husband and I want to start the service again after stopping for travel and the holidays. Other than the recycling issues, we loved the food and the new tastes and combinations it introduced to us. Maybe not for every night, but it provides a nice respite from planning and shopping.

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    1. I hate having to throw the ice packets and 'space wrap' in the trash. I tried letting the gel melt in the garden, but it leaves a goopy mess.

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  7. Sounds delicious. I have wanted to try them. Are they expensive? Now that only Harley and I are home (and she's gone 3 days+ a week) it might pay me to look into these. The Stromboli looks delicious!!

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    1. The cost is $59.94 a week for three meals for two people. There are six choices and you can pick three, though usually a choice of certain vegetarian meals eliminates some other meals, those with certain meats. My free meals offer is for a week of meals and all I need to do is send them your email address and they will contact you. Send me an email if you are interested.

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