Blue Apron started in the summer of 2012 and quickly has become one of the premier meal kit delivery services nationwide. Every month they deliver more than 3 million meals across the United States. Blue Apron ensures with the ingredients they provide for their meals, that they are of the highest quality and from farmers who practise responsible farming and ranching. Regenerative practises of the food suppliers are important to Blue Apron. They want the best quality produce from farmers who minimize the use of fertilizers, pesticides and carbon emissions.
So why is this service called Blue Apron? When chefs are learning to cook they wear blue aprons. This is a tradition that is followed around the world and the people at Blue Apron hope to inspire their community in a lifelong journey of learning to cook (and love doing it).
Along with the regular Blue Apron meal kit delivery service, this company also offer a similar service called Blue Apron Wine, and a online store called Blue Apron Market which sells prep tools, cookware, and cookbooks.
How It Works
The first thing you need to do is create a free account at BlueApron.com. Once you enter your email address and zip code you then pick from the 2-Person Plan or Family Plan. After you have chosen a plan you then select your dietary preferences. This includes if you are a vegetarian or not, and what type of protein you don't eat. This includes Beef, Poultry, Fish, Lamb, Pork, and Shellfish. You then select your delivery preferences which includes your address type (residential or business), and your delivery day. The final screen before your payment information is your full name and address along with a phone number. You may also enter special delivery instructions here. These special instructions allows you to specify leaving your package with a neighbour, or at the back door, etc. You just need to be as clear as possible.
Every week Blue Apron creates 6 menus to suit a variety of dietary preferences. This includes vegetarian, pescetarian (eats fish and not meat), and people who love meat and fish. Based on your preferences Blue Apron will select which of their menus best fit what you eat. You can change your dietary preferences at any time from your account settings on the Blue Apron website. Every week on your selected delivery day Blue Apron will ship to you all the ingredients you need in the proportions the recipe requires along with a color recipe card which has step-by-step instructions. The only things Blue Apron assume you have in your kitchen is salt, pepper and olive oil. Each meal takes about 30 minutes to prepare and cook and is designed to be well-balanced and healthy. The recipe cards include the calorie count for the meal listed under the ingredients.
Blue Apron App
Blue Apron has an app available for the iPhone. With the app you can look up recipes, watch how-to videos, and find information on the ingredients Blue Apron sends you. Their entire recipe collection is available from the app where when you are finished cooking a particular recipe you can upload photo's of your master piece and share it with friends.
Subscribers of Blue Apron can also manager their accounts and customize their menu's for upcoming weeks via the Blue Apron iPhone app.
Costs & Plans
Blue Apron offers 2 plan types, the "2-Person Plan" and the "Family Plan". Both have free shipping and both allow you to skip weeks if needed (put your subscription on hold due to vacations, etc.). Subscriptions also can be cancelled anytime. All you need to do is visit your account page on Blue Apron to manage all aspects of your subscription. Cancellations and skipping of weeks must be done 6 days before your next meals delivery.
2-Person Plan
With this plan you will get 3 recipes a week. Blue Apron creates six new recipes every week and with this package you will receive three of them based on what you specified as your dietary preferences. These seasonally inspired meals
| # of People | Meals Per Person | Weekly Cost | Per Meal Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | $59.94 | $9.99 |
Family Plan
This family oriented plan is for 4 people and gives you the option of having 2 or 4 recipes and pre-portioned ingredients sent each week. These recipes are kid friendly and are designed to be served family style. Every week Blue Apron creates 4 new family plan recipes. If you choose the 2 recipes a week option then your menu will be customized based on your dietary preferences. If you selected 4 meals then you will receive all recipes for that week in 2 deliveries. The deliveries can either come together or you can space them out depending on what is best for your schedule.
| # of People | Meals Per Person | Weekly Cost | Per Meal Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | $71.92 | $8.99 |
| 4 | 4 | $143.84 | $8.99 |
* Prices based on a weekly subscription. Prices can increase/decrease depending on subscription length. All prices in USD unless specified other wise. Costs and features offered last checked July 04, 2016.
Delivery
Blue Apron delivers their meal kits for free and nationwide to the contiguous United States from Tuesday to Friday. Select location do have the option of deliveries on any day except Sunday. Your food is delivered in refrigerated boxes that have insulated liners and ice packs to ensure your ingredients stay fresh the entire day, this way you don't have to be home when the meal kits are delivered. Each week when your delivery ships, Blue Apron will send you an email with the shipping information along with a link so you can track your delivery. In certain areas, you can also provide additional delivery instructions to Blue Apron for your package. For example you can have it left with a neighbour or a doorman.
Blue Apron Wine
A monthly wine delivery service which pairs nicely with Blue Apron dinners. Receive six premium wines every month for $10 a bottle. Includes red and white wines (usually 3 of each) in 500ml bottles which is ideal for two people to share. Included with each bottle is a printed card which tells you about the wine, who made it and where. It also explains what type of meals pair ideally with the wine. This service is designed to allow people to explore different varieties of wines and wine regions.
Blue Apron Market
At the Market you will find for sale high quality kitchen knives and prep tools along with cookware, wine glasses and cookbooks. You can also stock your pantry with a selection of seasoning, salts, peppers, and olive oils.
Customer Service
The support portal at Blue Apron includes a search-able FAQ of articles that answer questions related to meals, account management, membership and plans, shipping and delivery, wine, and the Market. You can also contact Blue Apron support via an online contact form, email and a toll free phone number from Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm (EST). Blue Apron also offers an email newsletter will you will be kept up to date with the latest news and recipes. You can also follow Blue Apron on social media through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Disclaimer: While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of our information at Review Chatter we shall not be held responsible for any discrepancy. There is a possibility that the information provided here is outdated or wrong, please check with the companies website directly for the most recent information. As always you should read your terms of service before purchasing any product online or signing up to any online service.
