Not great for families. Meal prep does NOT take 30 minutes--as PPs noted, it can take upward of 45 minutes, and I consider myself a fairly experienced home cook. This includes taking everything out of the packaging, washing all the ingredients, chopping, etc.

Also, the amount of pans required for cooking meals can mean that you have 4 burners on at the same time. There is no break, really, in the meal prep. You're always doing something.

The nice thing about Blue Apron is that the meals are tasty, you don't have to shop, and the ingredients generally high quality. I think the meals would be fun for couples who want to spend a "date night" cooking in.

Unfortunately, the recipe developers aren't thinking about the larger context of family cooking. With young kids, it's really hard to spend 45 minutes straight in the kitchen with all four burners on; a huge pile of plastic, boxes, wrappers, etc., that needs to be broken down and put into the recycling bin; and a load of dishes at the end of the night that needs to be washed. I also have a ridiculous amount of Nordic Ice in the freezer that I will never use.

I'll chime in. We starting using it about 2 months ago and have been happy with the quality of the food and the recipes. They are some of the best meals I've ever made. However, like others have said, it definitely doesn't save time. Many of the meals are full-on active cooking for at least 45 minutes, and I just don't have that amount of time to cook on a weekday. Tomorrow will be my last delivery for a while. I'm going to try Let's Dish next.

Blue Apron is not for people with not much time on their hands. I also tried it as well, the food choices were not foods I normally eat. I tend to eat low carb + high fat + lots of veges, so their macros are off for me.

That said, I thought that the meals were generally good and I'm glad I tried. Apart from the macros, my problem was this - the food took way too long to prepare. I think that it would suit people with time, but who are not at all inclined to plan meals or come up with recipes.

I also found the prices to be comparable to takeout in DC. So personally, I would rather get takeout and do zero work.

We are only on our 5th week, but so far so good. I don't mind that the prep can be long. It is relaxing for me to prepare food, and our kitchen is near the living area where kids are playing, so I'm not missing out on anything. I didn't care for the quality of the salmon (farm raised), so I'll skip a week when another salmon recipe appears.

It is fun and new. I suspect I'll skip more weeks as the new-ness wears off.

Agree that the recipes were interesting but with 3 kids and an AP I need FAST not just pre-packaged. It was not a cost savings and the packaging waste was appalling.

I find that Blue Apron is nice because it gives me a break from having to plan a meal for every night. We don't get it every week; I choose weeks where the menu options look really good, or when I know that I won't have time to do a full grocery run. Sometimes you just get tired of thinking of something to cook every night.

It's also nice because there are some interesting ethnic recipes, so it's a way to try something new. Also, my husband isn't a great cook, but is willing to follow their step-by-step instructions.

I dislike the sheer amount of packing materials, but I do like that their meat has always been of good quality.

I must be way too old to be even in this demographic

get on pinterest or use your recipes and go to the grocery store


I guess there is a business model for everything