Now I am no Chef Boyardee but I have a few kitchen tricks that I know, so I decided to give it a try. The only thing they assume you have (besides the needed utensils) is salt, pepper and olive oil, everything else comes in the box!
Having completed my first week of meals, I thought I would give you a sneak peek at what I had cooking up in the kitchen and the opening of my first box!
The meats in the box come sandwiched between two big ice packs and everything is in a freezer bag to keep the ingredients cool during shipping. I opted for the Saturday delivery so most likely I'd be home when it arrived, you know living in the desert and all. You do have the option to pick your day of delivery, I think it's Wednesday-Sunday to pick from.
Here's all the ingredients measured out and labeled for each meal. Inside the box (not shown) are cardstock pages with the recipes and how to prepare them. I didn't take many during pictures but here are my first week of finished products!
Dukkah-Spiced Salmon with Spring Vegetables & Oyster Mushroom Ragout
First off this meal was my first attempt at cooking salmon and I think I did ok. This recipe took the longest to prepare because there was a lot of googling of how to prepare these random 'spring vegetables'! Celery Root and Fennel bulb with fronds were not previously part of my vocabulary but they are now and I just might be able to remember how to prepare them.
Sirloin Tip Steaks with new potato, asparagus and radish hash
This meal was much easier to prepare as far as cutting the vegetables, and I had heard of all of them which helps. The only skill yet to master here is the art of the medium well done steak. Following the directions and checking with the meat thermometer when I went to cut them they were still quite pink and a little bloody yet, so I decided to err on the side of caution and threw them back on the skillet for a bit more done finish.
Laotian Larb Gai with sticky rice, peanuts and mint
This was by far the easiest as far as cutting all the vegetables and it was quite tasty and might even be my favorite of the three. I did have a bit of a learning curve here with cooking the rice. When preparing two different things on the stove top it's important to know which dish is on which heat setting, it can be quite confusing....
the vegetables are looking good on that medium high heat
uh oh, the rice was accidently sent on high instead of low to simmer :(
RIP sticky rice
Overall I was able to get one serving of rice saved from the heat, the rest was stuck to the bottom of my pot. Always something to learn in the kitchen right?!
My opinion of Blue Apron so far is great! The meals do take a bit of prep time if you aren't familiar with fennel and how to cut it lol. I like that everything is pre-measured so there is not waste. The price is very reasonable considering everything you get. It would be better suited for someone who can use both servings at once. I was under the assumption that I would fix the two servings and save one for lunch or dinner the next day, but that's just not happening. The food is much better fresh and sometimes you just don't want the same thing back to back, especially when they are quite exotic to your palate that is used to pizza.
The complexity of the meals hasn't scared me off, and I like that you have the option to skip a week if you are on vacation or just don't like what they have scheduled. My work schedule has changed for the next 5 weeks so I won't be getting home until 8:30 which really isn't ideal for preparing a 'fancy' meal.
For me it was a good thing to try, but I don't think it has the long term likeability. I wish there was an option for just a single serving and I'd be totally in! If you decide to give it a try they do have family serving options as well. Let me know if you give it a try and how it went!
bon appétit!
