My Week with Blue Apron: Are the Recipes as Good as They Say?

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blue apron shipping box

What’s Up, Hungry People!

Recently, I plunged into the world of meal kits with a week-long trial of Blue Apron. It was an unexpected twist for a gal like me who thrives on spontaneity in the kitchen. So why did I do it? Well, life threw a double whammy at me: student loans and a hefty vet bill. Oh, and an empty fridge. My family seems to love the service, so I figured, why not give Blue Apron a go? I made a solemn promise to myself to stick to each recipe, no improvisation, to truly understand what the fuss was all about.

blue apron ingredients

When my Blue Apron box finally showed up, it was like Christmas morning, complete with ice packs galore to keep everything nice and cool. Now, I was genuinely impressed with the ingredient quality. But, let’s talk about that single slice of bacon, shall we? It felt like they had considered portion control, maybe a little too much. My inner chef doubted that one bacon slice would make much of an impact in any dish. But hey, I pledged allegiance to the recipes, remember? On my Blue Apron menu for the week were adobo chicken with bok choy and jasmine rice, triple pork mazemen with roasted garlic and pea tips, and seared salmon with a spinach-walnut pesto.

Triple Pork Marzemen with Roasted Garlic & Pea Tips

blue apron pork mazemen

Let’s Cook! The kickoff to my Blue Apron week was the triple pork mazemen. Initially, I was thrilled to step out of my creative bubble and try someone else’s concoction. But, I gotta say, the suggested cooking temperatures had me scratching my head. It seemed as if the flavors just weren’t popping, despite the diligent seasoning reminders in the instructions. What did shine, though, was the dish’s simplicity and the minimal cleanup afterward.

blue apron pork recipe

Read my full breakdown of the pork marzemen recipe here. Check out the recipe on Blue Apron.

Adobo-Style Chicken with Bok Choy and Jasmine Rice

blue apron adobo chicken

Out of all the week’s offerings, this dish had me buzzing the most. I mean, who doesn’t love the vibrant flavors of Filipino cuisine? But, yet again, I had some issues with the cooking temperatures. Specifically, the bok choy came out a bit overdone. Also, I found the vinegar in the dish overpowering, to the point where the leftovers stayed in the fridge longer than they should’ve.

blue apron chicken dish

Read my play-by-play of the adobo chicken recipe. Check out the recipe on Blue Apron.

Seared Salmon & Spinach Walnut Pesto with Purple Potato & Red Onion Hash

blue apron pesto salmon

Last on the roster was the salmon and spinach-walnut pesto dish. Honestly, my expectations had dimmed by then, based on the previous days. But surprise, surprise, the pesto was the star! It worked wonders alongside the salmon. However, I did take issue with the cooking instructions for the purple potatoes; they ended up undercooked. And let me tell you, they were generous with the red onion, like overly so.

blue apron salmon dish

Read my full experience with the seared salmon here. Check out the recipe on Blue Apron.


So, would I, a culinary tinkerer, go back for round two with Blue Apron? Hmm, it’s a tough call. But for someone who’s just dipping their toes into the world of cooking, or for those with a jam-packed schedule, it’s definitely worth giving a shot. If I do decide to give it another go, you can bet I’ll be scrutinizing the upcoming week’s menu a little more closely!