Skip to main content

Blue Apron Adventure + Pressed Chicken Tortas {Review}


Last week a good friend offered me a voucher to try Blue Apron. All I knew: it's an ingredient delivery service. But, the first week was free, so I agreed. I signed up for the two-meal family delivery. There is also an option for a three-meal, two person delivery.

Yesterday I received the box with ingredients for two dinners with four servings per dinner. "A great recipe is composed of incredible ingredients" read a cardboard insert in my package.


While I certainly agree with the sentiment - and find their one-use packaging visually appealing (read "super cute") - there is a lot of packaging and plastic in that box. Most is recyclable; some looked compostable. But it's a lot of packaging. A lot.


I received ingredients and slick, glossy recipe sheets for Pressed Chicken Tortas and Shepherd's Pie. Because I had a meeting at school last night, I didn't get a chance to try either. So, I woke up this morning and made the chicken tortas for lunches.

I wish they included the ingredients of the 'Chicken Tortas Spice Blend' so we could make it again on our own. But, I suppose, that's not really the point. They want you to go back and order ingredients from their online store.


Okay. Here we go on a Blue Apron adventure, making Pressed Chicken Tortas. 

Step One: Season and cook the chicken.


Step Two: Layer your torta.


Step Three: Press the tortas.


Step Four: Enjoy!


Pros 
  • It's convenient. Everything for two dinners is delivered straight to your doorstep.
  • It's almost effortless. Everything is packaged in the necessary measurements that are needed for the recipe.
  • It's easy. The photographic instructions make the dishes easy to complete even if you aren't well-versed in the kitchen.
  • The dinners are complete. When I write "everything is included", I do mean everything. The delivery yesterday included the pat of butter and 1 T of Worcestershire sauce (in a tiny little plastic bottle) you needed to complete one of the dishes.
  • It's fun. The choices of meals, as I looked at future week deliveries, seem inviting, especially to someone who is just beginning to really cook. The selections might get people to try dishes and recipes they wouldn't normally tackle.

Cons
  • There are a few cons, including ingredient selection. For example, the one tomato that came with the box for the Pressed Chicken Tortas recipe was fine. It was red and it was round. But it wasn't perfectly ripe. It was slightly firm and a little bit mealy. I prefer ugly tomatoes that ooze summer sweetness. So, the tomato was visually appealing, but not the one I would have selected if I were at the market myself. And I would have opted for a whole wheat bread if I were buying the ingredients myself.
  • There's not enough for leftovers. I usually pack dinner leftovers for our next day's lunches. But the ingredients provided just enough for the one meal.
  • I already talked about the packaging. The amount of packaging is off-putting to me.
  • But the objection that puts the nail in the coffin for me: It's expensive. The two-meal family delivery plan costs just under $70 for the two meals. When I write "just under", I mean $69.92. Odd total. There was an option for three two-person meals for just under $60. I usually budget between $175 and $200 for twenty meals and snacks*, not including our CSA box. That means that these two meals, at $35 per dinner, cost nearly double the amount of what I normally spend on food. Back in April, I wrote a post about $15 dinners for four. In case you don't want to click and read that post, I concluded that just the main dish was do-able for $15, but to get a full meal, including salad, dessert, and wine, you're looking at between $30 and $40. So, Blue Apron is in the ballpark for price, but without the dessert and the wine.
*Twenty meals because I usually cook every meal - breakfast, lunch, and dinner - for my family at home. Lunch is to-go for school and work, but I pack it. And I left off one meal, instead of the twenty-one meals in a week, because we might grab one breakfast out, usually bagels.

Conclusion
I definitely see the appeal of a service such as this. And I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to try it, but I won't be a subscriber. I know there are other companies to try. But I think I would have the same objections.

Have you tried one of these ingredient-dinner delivery services.
What did you think?

Comments

  1. I think these types of things are perfect for people who are novice cooks and need detailed instructions and follow recipes to a T so need all the ingredients for which it calls but I think after a bit they will outgrow it and start using recipes more as a guide than a law written in stone

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce