Family Dinner With Blue Apron

Weeks ago, I was fortunate to be apart of a surprise getaway with friends of ours. There was a fun agenda planned, and each of us had a responsibility. My part was food and decorations, so of course I had to think on my feet and plan easy options that would either travel well, or that I could get upon arrival. Day one: the décor was easily sorted.

Day two: I knew that the surprise couple would be quite tired from their hike (which was an intentional distraction conjured by the friend who planned this getaway), and since the rest of us were helping out with other scheduled events those left behind would do the finishing touches on the prepping, and I’d cook a meal one of the days.

What To Expect:

Instead of heading to the grocer, Blue Apron was nice enough to send some gourmet family meals for us to try out. They provide seasonally motivated two-person meals at $59.94 (3 meals delivered per week), and family style meals (serves 4 each meal) at $69.92 delivered twice per week. There’s also a family option for four meals per week.

Every week you can choose what will be delivered to your doorstep with free-shipping, or you can skip the weeks you don’t want deliveries. It’s pretty simple. I usually don’t do home food deliveries these days, but I have used three different ones in the past in London and San Francisco for fresh delivered produce, and gourmet lunches.

Blue Apron worked great for this specific occasion. I was also impressed at the quality of the kits –the boxes were packed well, cold items carefully separated from produce with Nordic Ice packs, and thankfully included everything necessary to cook the meals. The only thing needed additionally was olive oil, salt, and pepper. With the step by step guide and recipe cards, anyone can prepare these pre-portioned meals, which can all be cooked within 35 minutes, but we got seafood which doesn’t take long. There’s also interactive videos to help you with cooking.

From the cooking novice to the seasoned chef, there really is something for everyone. You’re able to select your meals from a curated list for carnivores, and even vegetarians. We decided on the gourmet fish meal with yu choy and Romano beans, and then the tomato-basil fettuccine. I’ve partnered with Blue Apron, and they are offering two free meals with your first Blue Apron box for FT readers here.

The Dinners: 

My favourite was definitely the Thai Basil Salmon cooked to perfection. The French lentils cooked with coconut powder were also surprisingly wonderful.

Others at the table enjoyed the pasta, but that was my least favourite, as mozzarella is not my first choice of cheeses, especially melted …  I know, I’m weird about my cheeses. I also felt that I needed to add something: more herbs and spices to the pasta or a bit of sauce, but only two of us foodies felt that way. Fresh romaine for a Caesar salad also came with the pasta kit, so when I made the dressing, I added a touch of Dijon, and anchovy fillets for an authentic taste which was absolutely amazing.

Ratings: the pasta gets only 3.5/5 stars, and the salad 5/5 stars. The entire salmon meal gets 5/5 stars! Overall, both meal selections worked for us. Above all, it was a great time spent with friends.

I think this would be good for a couple like my brother and sister-in-law, since they have two little ones, and are busy professionals, but not for someone like me who travels often. Having easy-to-prepare and planned meals for the week would seem ideal if you’re up for the cooking challenge.

It also makes it fun if you want to cook together with your significant other, and if you’re as much as a gastronome as we are, then you might even try to outdo the other one in presentation and plating … but I digress.

Have you tried Blue Apron or any food delivery service before? 

The goods: Family meal packages-Courtesy of Blue Apron. For more information visit. www.BlueApron.com *All opinions expressed are my own.

Thinking about trying Blue Apron? Redeem here if you’d like 2-free meals. *Special thanks to Blue Apron for the scrumptious dinners and prompt service.