Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

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Schlich
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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by Schlich »

I agree the fish is pretty meh. The tandoori chicken was on point though holy cow that was one of my favorite meals in a long while. Skin and everything. Maybe we got different quality or cooked it differently.

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AWvsCBsteeeerike3
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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

Schlich wrote:I agree the fish is pretty meh. The tandoori chicken was on point though holy cow that was one of my favorite meals in a long while. Skin and everything. Maybe we got different quality or cooked it differently.
Perhaps. I'm a big Tikka masala fan and was expecting something more along those lines with some kick. Ended up with good smell but the flavor was meh. Had to add some hot seasoning. The rice was good though.

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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by Fat_Bulldog »

Learn how to cook.

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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by Michael »

AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote:But, I can't agree the cost is close to what you'd get at a grocery store.
Maybe it's because I live in a city where everything is expensive, but 60 dollars for 3 meals for 2 is completely reasonable. Even more so when you factor in time and traveling costs.
AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote: Moving on, it seemed like they were trying to save calories by limiting the amount of oil used in the frying process which is fine.
I understand this frustration. You can tell they cut corners to make things healthier. No question about it.
AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote: Perhaps. I'm a big Tikka masala fan and was expecting something more along those lines with some kick. Ended up with good smell but the flavor was meh. Had to add some hot seasoning. The rice was good though.
In my experience I think these services tend to over-season their meals. Lots of garlic, spices, peppers, etc. I suspect that's to hide the fact that the meals are fairly healthy.


That said, I don't really disagree with anything you've said. I'm sure folks who have more experience cooking will find some of their choices to be frustrating.

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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

Regarding the prices. That's definitely a good thought, Michael, and one I'd never considered.

I went ahead and priced out the last package that was a single pork roast, two catfish fillets, two chicken breasts, and someveggies. Not going to break the veggies down, but suffice it to say around here $10 gets you plenty of vegetables to replicate the meals. Catfish is about $8/lb so let's say $8 in catfish. One pound pork roast is $8. Two chicken breasts is about $5. A couple half cups of greek yogurt at $1/each brings it upto $33. They give you some seasonings and fresh mint/thyme/etc. Say another $5 for that. Around here, it'd be $40 plus seasonings which are fairly inexpensive if you have them and use them. At most, it'd be $45 or so. That's going to include quite a few leftover veggies. If you have the ability to use them, the price per meal goes down even further. If you have to buy stuff like vinegar, mayo, paprika, flour, etc for each meal, then the price would be a lot closer to what hello fresh/blue apron charges. But, at some point, you wouldn't have to buy all the knick knacks as most of them last.

All that to say, it's not outrageous markups. But, I feel somewhat wasteful spending an extra $15 or so, plus throwing away the ice packs and cooler material.

ETA: I love going to the grocery store. Easy way to waste 30 minutes walking around, eating samples, get a balloon for the kid, and kind of see what kind of stuff they have going on.

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Schlich
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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by Schlich »

AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote:
ETA: I love going to the grocery store. Easy way to waste 30 minutes walking around, eating samples, get a balloon for the kid, and kind of see what kind of stuff they have going on.
I feel like I need to learn to love it more. I enjoy it well enough, but i go so infrequently that it turns into this huge chore.

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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

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Fat_Bulldog wrote:Learn how to cook.
But cooking is hard...

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or not....

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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by thrill »

Michael wrote:I agree 3 meals can be tough. That's why I like Hello Fresh with their breakfast option. With breakfast I can make 3 meals on the weekend. Otherwise, it can be tough fitting in that 3rd meal during a weekday. I also think Blue Apron's meals take a little bit longer to prep.
I might give them a try. I quit Blue Apron because of the interminable prep time. It wasn't a big enough upgrade over my regular cooking to stick with it, but I did like cooking new things I'd never made before.

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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

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Re: Rave: Hello Fresh/Blue Apron

Post by Michael »

thrill wrote:
Michael wrote:I agree 3 meals can be tough. That's why I like Hello Fresh with their breakfast option. With breakfast I can make 3 meals on the weekend. Otherwise, it can be tough fitting in that 3rd meal during a weekday. I also think Blue Apron's meals take a little bit longer to prep.
I might give them a try. I quit Blue Apron because of the interminable prep time. It wasn't a big enough upgrade over my regular cooking to stick with it, but I did like cooking new things I'd never made before.
Small example, but typically BA sends a full bulb of garlic and you have to pull out the cloves. HF just sends the required cloves.

I also think HF does a better job of separating the recipes in their packaging, which saves time as well.

I don't want to oversell the differences, however. Both have prep.

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