chgoeditor

That was my assumption, though my friend who called them to complain didn't mention that as an explanation.

I do believe I'd pay more simply because I can't buy exact quantities of certain items, and when I have to buy larger quantities of perishable items, there's a good chance the remainder doesn't get used before it goes bad.

For anyone curious about the business model, I'd highly recommend this week's Bloomberg article about Blue Apron. The company expects to go public later this year.


ETA: Re. the cost of ingredients, the zaatar chicken dish we both enjoyed is a good example. Online prices of smoked dulse (in the smallest available quantities) cost between $10 and $17. If zaatar is available in your local grocery, it's probably about $5, but otherwise I presume you'd have to pay more/drive further to order it or buy it locally. If you don't have a store selling bulk almonds, you're probably paying $5 to $8 for a bag. So there's $20, minimum, on just three ingredients. Granted, all three have decent shelf life, but if you didn't love the recipe, you're probably never going to use the dulse or zaatar again.

kipper

I'm up at 5 AM, and don't get home until after 6 PM. I generally want something ready in 30 minutes or less, so I can eat and have everything cleaned up by 7 PM. So, that means prep time really matters to me.
It is true. The carrier (UPS or FedEx, I forget which), leaves the box.

chgoeditor

We didn't like Sun Basket, which pre-preps stuff, but others do so you might give that a try. Also, a friend recommended Madison and Rayne, which is apparently local to Chicago right now, but mentioned that they also prep stuff for you. Worth keeping an eye on in case they expand their delivery region.

Has anyone tried Chefd?

kipper

I generally to Dream Dinners, because I have the flexibility of adding more of what I like/omitting what I don't like if I assemble them myself, but occasionally use Blue Apron or Plated if we go through those meals quickly. I'll have to look into Sun Basket.

gfunkdave

My mom started with Blue Apron and settled on Home Chef, which she likes a lot. She was texting me last night, saying she was drunk and cooking a Home Chef recipe...

When we move to a for-real house in effectively the suburbs next month, I will probably start one of the services for a few nights a week. Mr. Gfunk seems to be thinking we will want to get in the car, drive 15 mins, look for parking, and go to a restaurant 5x week like we do now (though we can walk now). Ain't gonna happen

kipper

LOL, drunk cooking...

Mary2e

I didn't try any of the companies listed above, but did try the Fresh Direct version and was decidedly underwhelmed. They started this as an adjunct to their grocery delivery business.

I ordered a pork meatball and leeks dish, and while tasty, it took an awful long time to put together - probably like about 30-40 minutes, plus the cook time.

We often don't get home until at least 6pm, and spending an hour getting dinner ready is just a bit too long for us.

It's easier for me to prepare a simple meal at home without too many ingredients that will be ready in about 30 minutes.

chgoeditor

Made this sweet chili lime shrimp with bok choy from yesterday's Home Chef delivery, and really enjoyed it. Fortunately, Mr. CE is out of town, so I get the second serving as leftovers! We've made a Mario Batali recipe that's similar, but I loved the addition of lime in this one.

kipper

That's my gripe with most of the companies.

Need

We have Blue Apron for over a year now. Some of the meal does take a long time to prep/cook (45+ min), but they are all pretty good. I never heard of Home Chef so we may give it a try too if it is similar. The prep'ing is the longest part of doing Blue Apron meal, but after we bought a chopper it became much easier.

We do the meal for 4 so only get 4 choices a week but any combo is possible unlike the meal for 2.

Have you tried Gobble? One of my coworker used to do Blue Apron but they just take too long for her. So she switched to Gobble. According to her it is like Blue Apron except there is no prep. They already chopped up everything for you so you just do the cooking part.

I tried to get my wife to try it but she likes the prep'ing part. I do wish that there is a little less prep'ing and cut down the time to like 20 to 25 min would be ideal.

chgoeditor

For those who find prep times frustrating, there are a few tools I'd recommend:

* An inexpensive mandoline is great for chopping onions and slicing some vegetables. I have a much earlier version of this, which I use almost daily.

* A microplane makes finely grating garlic and ginger a breeze, and is also great for zesting citrus fruit.

* Food choppers are perfect for items that need to be cut into pieces, but where the exact size of each item doesn't have to be precise. (I use it for herbs, jalepenos most frequently.) I like the Pampered Chef version because assembly is so easy, and it has a built-in thingymajig that holds whatever you're chopping.

Mary2e

I have all of those, and a whole lot more, and still found it too long to prepare. Plus, using them only gives us more to have to clean up afterwards.

I also felt a bit ridiculous opening a tiny little bag to get out a single clove of garlic when I have heads of it in the fridge Ditto for other staples I keep on hand. They actually sent me an egg. Really? Do people not have eggs?

The dish was far more complicated than I would normally prepare on a week night. I'm glad I didn't save it for after work and made it on a Sat night instead.

I'm really surprised these meal services are taking off as much as they are. IMHO, if you want to cook your meal, it's not that much to stock your pantry, and hit the grocery for weekly supplies. I actually use Fresh Direct to deliver my groceries weekly, so I just buy what I plan on cooking for the upcoming week. I already have a pantry full of spices and other condiments needed to cook.

That isn't a dig at those who enjoy picking out your meals and having them delivered. I'm just really surprised so many people are doing it.

Craig6z

I just yesterday realized that I'm in my tenth consecutive week of Blue Apron. During this time my prep techniques has been refined, and I'm actually using less utensils and bowls then when I started. Like a chef in a restaurant, you eventually find shortcuts as your skills improve. And I would have rated myself an above average cook, before starting with the delivery service. So far I have managed to prepare these meals with only one ancillary cooking "toy" purchase, and this cost $11: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F8CD8QW

No in fact, I often don't have a usable egg. Two days ago I went into my refridge to make an omelet, and the five eggs inside had a March 21 use by date. I can't recall the last time I went to the grocery store and spent more than about $125 in a single visit. Just my style, but I don't buy a lot of staples, and typically plan ahead 3 to 4 days.

I work from home when I'm not traveling, and feel a 45 to 55 minute prep time is right in my comfort zone. What is further expedient is I can orchestrate the process well due to the prep time estimate accuracy of the Blue Apron recipes. My wife will call me when she gets in her car at work, and I am precisely ready to serve 75% of the time when she walks in the door. In our household, the arrival time can be as early as 6pm, or as late as 9pm. The convenience of Blue Apron allows me to just get up from wherever I'm sitting and just start prepping with no advance stress when the phone rings.

As alluded to above, it is just not my style to be that organized about visiting the Grocery store. I use Vons' (i.e. Safeway's) delivery service a couple of time a year, but the process is frustrating. Seems like the amount of time it takes me to place an order, is twice as long as it would be to shop in the actual bricks and mortar store. And I hate to buy meat, produce, and dairy via portal, as it may not meet my quality standards or have enough remaining shelf life when it shows up (one of my mantras in life is always taste grapes before I put them in my cart).


People want convenience, but also look for freshness. Blue Apron and other services offer these benefits, and in most cases at attractive price points.

_________________________

Of course YMMV! :-:

chgoeditor

Blue Apron does send an entire head of garlic, but Home Chef and others seem to send you the aforementioned bag with one or two cloves of peeled garlic in it. I agree -- ridiculous to just send me a clove or two!

kipper

I may look into it.
I have all of those, but then it is just more dishes I need to wash.
I usually do Dream Dinners, so I have an idea about what I'll be cooking each week. I make a trip to the grocery store over the weekend, pick up veggies for my sides, and anything else I need, like eggs, etc.