/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>11105583
kind of, but the physical waste/garbage it produces is pretty disgusting

>>11105583
It might be if you don't like shopping or if you're not good at meal planning, but it's obviously significantly more expensive than buying everything yourself.
>>11105605
This. I got a few free shipments through work once and it's pretty convenient, but I agree, so much waste.

I think they're actually doing meal kits in grocery stores too and there are other alternative services to blue apron nowadays.

>>11105605
>>11105618
Is $50 a week on food bad? I just moved out on my own and don't really know how to cook or buy food well like that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDMfDwDUxKE

>>11105640
Wait, its only 6 meals? I thought this would cover like breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

>>11105629
It depends on what you're eating, but no, I don't think $50/wk $200/mo is bad. But it will cost you more than that in these services to actually eat 3 times a day.

It's kind of a neat novelty, but I don't think it's all that great personally.

Can I still sign up, take my 3 free meals and then cancel?
Because last I checked, they're hemorrhaging money just trying to retain customers, most are too smart to keep paying for overpriced assembled recipes that aren't actually CONVENIENT if you're a first time cook

>>11105651
>>11105629
it's literally six meals for $50. it is a complete ripoff

>>11105583
No
No

>>11105789
That's less than $10 per meal, stop being poor

>>11105889
You get poor because you eat like that

>>11105889
>$50 for six meals
>of cold groceries you still have to cook yourself
>still have to buy groceries for the other five days of the week
didn't think this one through did you brainlet

giant waste of money
also consider the fact that people who don't have the skill and wherewithal to grocery shop plan and cook meals probably don't have the equipment required to cook any of this shit properly

>>11105904
>have to cook yourself
Yes, that's kinda the point
>still have to buy groceries for the other five days of the week
Huh? Are you a NEET or something? Blue Apron is for dinner at home during the week. Breakfast and lunch you get at a restaurant near work, and weekends are for the full assburgers shopping trips to fucking Flushing and Jackson Heights and Bay Ridge to buy obscure shit and hover over the stove all day. The whole point is that you don't have to spend a ton of time doing shopping for a bunch of different meals during the week, it all shows up in a box, and it may not be your #1 choice of what to eat, but it's pretty good, it's convenient, and it's not that expensive.

>>11105583
I've only ever done those food services when someone gave me a half-off coupon. It's not bad, but the portions are small and the price is high. The best part is that they send you the recipes, so I just keep them and make them whenever I want at a fraction of the price.

>>11105583
Yes I've tried it, and no it isn't worth it. Some of the dishes they serve a pretty good, but not really worth the money.

>>11105952
>a ton of time doing shopping for a bunch of different meals during the week
you do realize people spend maybe an hour or two per week grocery shopping?

instacart and freshdirect are much more popular, successful, and profitable than blue apron. especially in New York. keep purporting your flyover's depiction of city living retard

>>11105958
>the portions are small
How obese are you?

>"HEY FAT BOY......Eat this"

>>11105966
>instacart and fresh direct
Those are fine if you only eat iceberg lettuce, 80/20 ground round, horizon milk, and shit like that. If I'm going to eat bland wh*teoid food then I might as well just do BA and skip over the illusion of choice, since none of the major grocery delivery services actually offer real choices
>flyover
Says the flyover who eats a flyover diet

i genuinely don't know how blue apron stays in business.

>>11105974
>ass hair
dropped

>>11105952
holy shill
no one is buying this crap, deal with it and come up with a better business

>>11105985
they're another jewish startup through wework that'll be sold to a large corporation and rebranded

>>11105981
>since none of the major grocery delivery services actually offer real choices

>>11106017
I don't know one person who uses the service besides the shills who get sponsored by them

>>11106025
>it thinks the actual selection is the same as what you see in the store
The in-store options at the best of those stores is barely adequate and the online selection is maybe 1/2 of what you get in stores, but how would you know, they designed the inventory for people like you, not people like me. Your fridge is probably full of nonfat skim milk flavored yogurt, la croix brand sugar-free soda, 80/20 ground round, kraft singles, and apple-kale juice. Of course you'd think it was amazing.

>>11105985
shilling
I have several "free meal" coupons and pamphlets from them lying around from Amazon orders. They just throw them in there in hopes that someone will fall for the bullshit.

I'm thinking of trying it. Anybody got a promo code?

>>11106063
Have you ever been to a grocery store?

>>11106108
try "goodgoy"

>>11106063
>the in store options at Whole Foods and Fairway Market, the two largest grocery stores in Manhattan, are barely adequate and a delivery service that has the grocery stores pack their in-store items in a bag for a courier to drop off to you is 1/2 of what is actually available
I hope your internship is unpaid and that you haven't completed a marketing class yet. you're actually a bad shill.

>has a 2 star rating from consumeraffairs

that's a yikes from me

I could see it being fun for the average housewife who needs to spice up her mundane existence.

>>11106157
You're really desperate to seem right, aren't you.

>>11105981
80/20 isn't ground round you retard, round is 85/15. 80/20 is ground chuck, you turbosperg

>>11106344
Is that so. Sorry my diet doesn't consist entirely of hamburger helper and ground beef from Insta Cart, I buy ground beef maybe once a year.

>>11106344
I'm not the guy you're talking to, but I just hope you know that not all the fat in a hamburger is directly from the steak that they ground to make it. Often times they will throw fat from other trimmed parts into the hamburger to increase its overall fat percentage (similar to making sausage)

>>11105966
I live in New York and why would you ever overpay when you get more food at Whole Foods two blocks away for the same $50? It makes no sense in a city where everything is so close and there's so many grocery options. It would make more sense for a "flyover" to get meal kits.

>>11106391
that’s the point. no one uses blue apron, the guys a shill. he was mentioning outer boroughs in previous posts to imply it’s something new yorkers use

>>11106529
There are at least 5 other people in my building who use BA, and several people I know at work use it as well.

You can easily google the financials, this isn't some vaporware fantasy.

Not this shit isn't worth it.

You can 'pirate' blue apron by looking up what they send out and how much and buying it cheaper at a store.

It's only retards who never learned how to cook or just didn't have competent parents.

I've tried alternative meal delivery services but not blue apron. *relatively* small portions but that's because I don't do breakfast and lunch is a sometimes thing so I eat alot at night. the new idea gimmick is worse than clicking random on AllRecipes. the follow along instructions arent really necessary for anyone with more than a highschool cooking class. the delivery is unnecessary if you have to go shopping for literally anything else (protip: you do). the environmental impact is disgusting. it's a novelty and if you aren't a bored mom trying to impress your kids or somehow actually that stressed for time (in which case I assume you'll have enough money to do something better than fucking blue apron), it's really not worth it.
>>11106063
ive never seen a wilder projection than this.

>>11105875
This

>>11105583
I use it. I had a deal where first 2 deliveries were 25 dollars off. I was stuck in a rut when it came to cooking for myself, as in I was tired of the same old stuff I would make. There was a week where nothing looked appealing so I cancelled for the week. I do have to say that dealing with box, ice packs, insulated liner is a pain. I would say short term it is okay.

>>11106575
>you can "pirate" movies by looking up the plot and then re-enacting the whole movie using your own actors and cameras
>>11106577
In your mind, what does that even mean?

>>11107889
>then re-enacting the whole movie using your own actors and cameras
lolwhut? you know that you still have to cook your blue apron delivery, right?

>>11107895
The point of BA is that it's delivered, the food is somewhat wholesome, and you literally just open the box, maybe wave the knife around, throw it in the pan, and eat.

It is a substitute for GrubHub and stuff like that, by making a side trip to the grocery store you've defeated the whole purpose. Trying to re-enact bland wh*teoid BA "recipes" via the grocery store is hardly any better than you neckbeards who sperg out about how to replicate Szechuan Sauce from McDonalds, it's pathetic and insane, how the fuck did that thought even enter your mind?

>>11107900
>how the fuck did that thought even enter your mind?
I agree all that silly shit was stupid.

My criticism was limited to your poor analogy. It implied that you didn't have to do any work for blue apron, which is silly because you still have to cook the food.

Dumber still is trying to emulate blue apron's recipes though. Why bother? What's wrong with just going grocery shopping and cooking whatever looks good to you based on freshness, season, and price? It's hardly time consuming. I spend an hour on it every two weeks.

>>11107900
>>11107908
I saved recipe cards that i liked and some meals share common ingredients, so it is easy to recreate them.

>>11107908
The "work" that BA avoids is making a separate journey to the grocery store on the way home from work, especially when the "good" store like Fairway or Whole Foods isn't directly adjacent to your work stop or your home stop. The fact that you're cooking it is feature, not a bug - it's an upgrade from delivery where the food is soggy and gross when it gets to you.

I get it that a lot of people think using a chef knife and turning knobs on a stove is advanced challenging stuff that could be offputting. For a functional adult it's something that's done without thinking.

>I spend an hour on it every two weeks.

Sounds like you eat a lot of packaged and preserved foods. Most vegetables don't last nearly that long, even milk goes bad quicker than that. I spend about 2 hours hunting down food at a retail and farmer's market level every week, and that's AFTER factoring in Blue Apron.

>>11107908
>What's wrong with just going grocery shopping and cooking whatever looks good to you based on freshness, season, and price?
Millenials. that's what's wrong.

-Don't like supermarkets because of muh anxiety
-Aren't aware of what growing seasons are, but can tell you exactly when the next DLC for their favorite video game will be released.
-They don't understand how to evaluate freshness of groceries. They're pretty good at texting though.
-Price is odd. For some reason they can do pHd level math in their heads to figure out which micro-transactions give them the most efficient use of money for their phone games, but evaluating the cost of something actually important, like food, remains a foreign concept to them.

I blame their parents for failing to teach them basic life skills.

>>11107921
If you happen to have them and you like the recipes then sure, that makes sense I guess.

But it's not like you can't find equivalent or better recipes elsewhere.

>>11107923
>Sounds like you eat a lot of packaged and preserved foods.
Very little, actually. I cook nearly everything from scratch.
Meat and veggies keeps ages in the fridge if your temperature is properly set (i.e. below 3C). right know I've got some carrots and celery that are both 3+ weeks old but are in great shape. I've had some garlic chives in there for nearly 6 weeks and a few of them are just starting to go limp but the majority of the bundle is A-OK. I also make use of a freezer. and don't forget that when you cook food you are resetting the clock on it going bad. Cook a big batch of something, eat some now, portion and freeze the rest for a quick easy meal later.

You are right that milk doesn't last that long. I usually grab an extra gallon when I gas up my work truck, but since I'm already at the gas station for fuel I figure it's not worth mentioning snagging a gallon while I'm there.

>>11107928
>Millenials
I'm 40.
>muh anxiety
Yes "anxiety", sorry for wanting to go straight home when work is over, and not deal with the produce section that's more crowded than the inside of the 6 train, waiting my turn for 5 minutes just to poke at a heap of vegetables, oops sorry, oops, was that your elbow, hey no worries, can i get through, sorry can I get through here? repeat for every single food item, and then wait in line for 20 minutes just to check out.
>They don't understand how to evaluate freshness of groceries
>phone games
Projection like mad, why don't you explain what "DLC" is for this 40 year old boomer, I could use a laugh.

>>11107942
>carrots, turnips, celery, potatoes
Yeah, look, that's winter food. I'm talking about summer produce that goes bad within a day or 2 of getting home from the greenmarket.
>if your temperature is properly set
Doesn't really matter with late summer stuff that's picked and brought to market at the peak of freshness, what you're describing is cellar vegetables, the kind of thing meant to get you through the winter.

>one person has spent 48 hours shilling for a delivery service that’s never made a profit
yikes

>>11107937
True, but to be honest i would never have thought of seeking out some of the type of recipes presented by BA on my own. I like that I have been exposed to different things, so yes, now I feel like I can look elsewhere

>>11107943
>I'm 40.
Cool. Sounds like I'm not talking about you then, doesn't it?

> sorry for wanting to go straight home when work is over
that does sound unpleasant. I don't "want" to put up with that hassle either. But it's better than overpaying for shitty delivery services. It's a lot like brushing your teeth, really. It's unpleasant, but it's something you do as a fucking adult.

>>why don't you explain what "DLC" is for this 40 year old boomer, I could use a laugh.
coming from a 39 year old boomer:
"DLC" means "downloadable content". Companies produce games (often times for free), but to get extras you have to pay for it, and then that content gets downloaded to your phone, computer, or whatever else. It's an addiction draining the wallets of many people worse than any drug habit. It's just like the old dope dealer's gambit, really: I'll give you a little for free, and if you want more you gotta pay.

anyway, what's wrong with taking one day to shop every few weeks? It's not like you have to go every single day?

>>11107946
>>garlic chives are cellar vegetables
Dear lord the idiocy is high.

As for the stuff that goes bad fast, that's fine, you can still eat it, just eat it on the first few days after you buy it. If you need it to keep longer then cook it and save as leftovers or otherwise process it first (i.e. kimchi).

>>11107957
>anyway, what's wrong with taking one day to shop every few weeks?
Not enough fresh food
>It's not like you have to go every single day?
Not literally every single day (other than for certain things like fresh mozzarella, fresh bread, fresh pasta, most fish, etc). But every 2 weeks isn't going to cut it unless you're a ham planet that lives off frozen garbage, assuming you can even carry 2 weeks worth of food in one trip, which is highly dubious unless you're one of those people who carries around the folding shopping carts, like the 90 year old chinese women.

>>11107961
>cherry picks the one thing that he threw in to go "NO U"
Ok
>If you need it to keep longer then cook it and save as leftovers or otherwise process it first
I sometimes do, but I don't have space for a fucking fermentorium in my apartment, or a home canning rig or any of that nonsense. So it has to be within reason. Maybe if I lived in a 5,000 square foot house on the prairie, not in a 5th floor prewar walkup

>>11107963
>Not enough fresh food
Why? Do you not have a fridge or freezer?

>>Mozz
Are you really eating that every day? Once every couple weeks is fine with me.

>>Fresh pasta
make it yourself
>>Fresh bread
freezer
>>Most fish
Agreed, fish don't keep all that well, but are you really eating fish daily?

I fucking hate frozen foods and most processed foods yet find it no problem to shop once every couple of weeks.

>>carry 2 weeks of food
who needs to carry it? it's called a car, anon. though if you live in a big city where you don't have one then yeah, that's a complication. though in that case isn't it a lot less effort to go to the market in the first place?

>>11107972
>Do you not have a fridge or freezer?
Do you have one of those magical fridges that has nitrogen injectors to keep everything at optimal freshness?
>Are you really eating that every day?
I'm giving examples, there are a lot of things that I eat on a regular basis that are not suitable for long term storage.
>make it yourself
Why? Are you eating that every day?
>bread in the freezer
Lol, no. Defeats the whole purpose of buying fresh bread.
>but are you really eating fish daily?
It's an example, are you really unable to imagine wanting variety in your diet?
>it's called a car, anon
I haven't owned a car since the 1990s, my panniers can hold about 25 pounds each but in practice I tend not to go over 25 pounds total since food goes bad, and the bike just gets unwieldy at that point
>isn't it a lot less effort to go to the market in the first place?
I don't know what that's supposed to mean, you still need to go inside, get the food, check out, and take it home.

>>11107967
>>cherry picks the one thing that he threw in to go "NO U"
>Ok
the point is that there are few if any veggies that go bad as fast as you claim they do, unless you are dealing with shitty markets that are selling things that have already been sitting out for many days.

>> I don't have space for a fucking fermentorium in my apartment, or a home canning rig or any of that nonsense.
Hyperbole much? You can ferment in a plain 'ol jar. A home canning rig? I didn't say anything about home canning, but a pressure cooker is no bigger than a stockpot, and can double as one. You don't need a fucking mansion for either.

>>11107992
>many days
It takes about 1 day of open air in the full heat of summer to shave significant time off the shelf life of produce, I guess you've never actually been to a farmer's market
>Hyperbole much?
No? On /ck/ everything is either drive-thru eating in your car every day, or fucking amish farming/canning your own food/even the booze must be homemade out of your very own home-grown sugarcane. Anything in between gets jumped on by the crazies, as we're seeing here.
>a pressure cooker is no bigger than a stockpot
They make different size pressure cookers and different size stock pots, most people don't have anything larger than a 6 or 8 qt pressure cooker which is not suitable for canning an entire harvest. A pressure cooker is for stock, since you can't buy decent stock even at a fairly good store.

>>11105968
Slightly larger than normal. But I work evening shifts, so when I cook I make large portions and have the leftovers for several nights.

>>11107985
>Do you have one of those magical fridges that has nitrogen injectors to keep everything at optimal freshness?
Nope. It seems silly to be talking about "optimal" freshness in a meal delivery thread. The stuff they're delivering you is hardly optimal. If your standards are that high then kudos to you, but I don't think blue apron is going to help you either, you need a local organic garden.

>> there are a lot of things that I eat on a regular basis that are not suitable for long term storage.
Can you give more than two examples? Because only the fish and the mozz you mentioned qualify.

>>Why? Are you eating that every day?
Why? It's better, cheaper, and avoids storage problems. Am I eating it every day? No.

>>Lol, no. Defeats the whole purpose of buying fresh bread.
Bread freezes extremely well with minimal loss of quality. Again, if your standards are so high that you don't want frozen bread that's great--but I don't think you'd be satisfied with delivery then.
>>It's an example, are you really unable to imagine wanting variety in your diet?
I have en extremely varied diet, yet have no problem sustaining it by shopping only once every two weeks. That's why I find your stance puzzling--it doesn't match my experience. Eat the foods which go bad fastest first, then eat the things that keep longer. There's no problem here.

>>I haven't owned a car since the 1990s
yeah, that's going to make your situation quite different then. you might have mentioned that from the getgo.

>>>isn't it a lot less effort to go to the market in the first place?
I don't know what that's supposed to mean, you still need to go inside, get the food, check out, and take it home.
I meant that if you live in an urban area I can't imagine it being much of a big deal to shop more often. What's bad about going inside, getting food, and taking it home? How can that possibly be problematic?

>>11107889
>what does that even mean?
That meal delivery services are for the uber lazy on par with bachelor's picking up frozen meals but cost twice as much. shouldn't be a viable business model

>>11107998
>It takes about 1 day of open air in the full heat of summer to shave significant time off the shelf life of produce
Sure, do you think that problem doesn't exist for Blue Apron, etc?

>>I guess you've never actually been to a farmer's market
I shop at one every two weeks.

>most people don't have anything larger than a 6 or 8 qt pressure cooker which is not suitable for canning an entire harvest
who said anything about canning a whole harvest? We're talking about making veggies last 2 weeks, not fucking prepping a fallout shelter.

>>A pressure cooker is for stock, since you can't buy decent stock even at a fairly good store.
Agreed. Make it, freeze it, thaw when needed.

>>11108014
>shouldn't be a viable business model
you underestimate human laziness.

>>11108024
I wholly understand human laziness. But when youre making a mess in the kitchen its not hard to double your soup or a tray of pasta and freeze an ice cream pail or a second pan full. Hell, even picking up a pack of frozen burritos is cheaper. I'm not arguing people are lazy im just saying there's better ways to go about it

>>11108012
>The stuff they're delivering you is hardly optimal
It's not optimal but it's at least as good qualitywise and conditionwise as the stuff at a decent grocery store, minus the annoyance of black friday style shopping just to get food
>Can you give more than two examples?
No, because you're just going to say "oh that doesn't count" or "oh that's just some obscure hipster shit that nobody eats". The fact is, some foods don't keep so great
>so high that you don't want frozen bread that's great--but I don't think you'd be satisfied with delivery then.
I don't get BA for the bread, the point is everything is compromises, you've chosen some, I've chosen some. You're just getting butthurt because you think food that gets delivered should be pre-cooked, because to you cooking is a huge chore.
>Eat the foods which go bad fastest first, then eat the things that keep longer. There's no problem here.
Or, hey, maybe buy food more often?
>yeah, that's going to make your situation quite different then. you might have mentioned that from the getgo.
Why? If I did you would have just been like "stupid hipster, how do you know if someone doesn't have a car, don't worry they'll tell you". See also: can you give more than two examples.
>I meant that if you live in an urban area I can't imagine it being much of a big deal to shop more often.
It depends what you mean by "more often". Several times a week, particularly at lunch hour or other off peak times, for something I want that I didn't want to autistically pre-plan, sure. But the idea of doing 2 weeks of shopping all at once, or making it a nightly pre-dinner routine, is too much.

Why does it bother you so much that some people have a different routine than you?

>>11108020
Blue Apron has giant refrigerated warehouses, the food is in better preserved condition than even an air conditioned grocery produce section when it arrives.
> We're talking about making veggies last 2 weeks, not fucking prepping a fallout shelter.
Oh ok let me just prepare orange marmalade and kimchi every 2 weeks, that totally makes sense.

>>11105583
I have tried it w. a free trial. It is pretty good. It is not even close to worth what they charge.

>>11108042
>It's not optimal but it's at least as good qualitywise and conditionwise as the stuff at a decent grocery store, minus the annoyance of black friday style shopping just to get food
So it's the same as keeping good produce in your fridge then?

>>The fact is, some foods don't keep so great
I'm not denying that. I'm just having a hard time believing that you eat so many of them in a given period that it makes shopping once a week or every two weeks impractical. It's especially confusing since you seem to be OK with delivery-tier ingredients, which are certainly not super-fresh high end stuff.

>>You're just getting butthurt because you think food that gets delivered should be pre-cooked, because to you cooking is a huge chore.
How'd you get that impression? I love cooking. I just don't see what advantage this service is giving you compared to shopping for yourself.
>>Or, hey, maybe buy food more often?
you seem to not want to do that.

>>Why? (muh lack of car)
So it would have been perfectly clear that you had fairly unusual restrictions forced upon your living situation and we wouldn't have wasted time arguing about it.
>> If I did you would have just been like "stupid hipster,
I would not have said that, no. Though you're right that someone probably would have.

>>Why does it bother you so much that some people have a different routine than you?
It doesn't bother me that people have different routines. What's bothering me is that you are making statements that aren't internally consistent. It's triggering me.

For example, you claim that you don't want to store food in the fridge because it goes bad too fast and you want super fresh ingredients. But then you're seemingly OK with blue apron which fails to deliver ingredients of that quality.

If you don't like shopping then just say "I don't like to shop" or "I prefer delivery". But the specific reasons you give don't check out logically.

>>11108046
>the food is in better preserved condition than even an air conditioned grocery produce section when it arrives.

maybe it works better for you for some reason but when my GF tried it the produce we got was on par with the shit sold by walmart. it wasn't spoiled but it sure as hell wasn't anything super fresh or high end. it was no different than shopping at the local supermarket then chucking it in the fridge for a week.

>>Oh ok let me just prepare orange marmalade and kimchi every 2 weeks, that totally makes sense.
no need to make orange marmalade, we're talking about preventing leftovers from going bad before you can use them. oranges keep for weeks so there's no problem here. Not to mention the fact that marmalade is made from bitter oranges who have no other purpose. you wouldn't make marmalade from leftover eating or juicing oranges. And as for kimchi? Easy as fuck. Chuck leftover cabbage, etc, in a jar and salt it. You don't even have to turn the stove on, it takes less time than frying an egg.

>>11108077
>So it's the same as keeping good produce in your fridge then?
No, because it doesn't sit out at any point. The cold chain is maintained until it's in your kitchen and you're opening the box with your Sebenza SERE Operator Recon Alphadog Recoil Tanto
>you seem to be OK with delivery-tier ingredients, which are certainly not super-fresh high end stuff.
What I'm trying to help you understand is that unless you're a full time NEET, you're likely to be making compromises somewhere anyway, some of the time. BA is supposed to make midweek meal acquisition less annoying while maintaining a reasonably high standard of eating compared to delivery and staying significantly cheaper than going to a restaurant of decent quality
>I just don't see what advantage this service is giving you compared to shopping for yourself.
Many advantages have already been given
>you seem to not want to do that.
I would avoid it if I could, and in fact I do, with Blue Apron. But Plan B is not "rent a van and shop at Costco every 6 weeks like a doomsday prepper", Plan B is to go back to stopping at Eataly or Fairway more frequently (I still do frequently)
> fairly unusual restrictions
There is nothing unusual about not having a car
> forced upon your living situation
This is just your weird cagerism talking now, speaking of wasting time arguing
> making statements that aren't internally consistent.
They are not consistent with your goals and values, that doesn't mean they aren't internally consistent.
>But then you're seemingly OK with blue apron which fails to deliver ingredients of that quality.
You're just changing definitions here at random, BA is not at the same standard as greenmarket produce consumed the day of, but it's better than week old greenmarket produce, and it's at least as good as, if not better than, grocery store produce.
>If you don't like shopping
I neither like nor dislike "shopping" in the absolute sense, there are many times and contexts for shopping.

>>11108106
>The cold chain is maintained until it's in your kitchen
I was about to ask why that was any different than shopping at the supermarket but then I remembered your bike situation prevents you from using a cooler when you shop.

>> you're likely to be making compromises somewhere anyway, some of the time
Sure. It just sounded to me like you were refusing to make a compromise to use your fridge but were perfectly OK making the exact same compromise in produce quality via BA.

>>> forced upon your living situation
This is just your weird cagerism talking now, speaking of wasting time arguing
no offense was intended.

>>They are not consistent with your goals and values, that doesn't mean they aren't internally consistent.
I haven't stated my goals. And the only values I've stated are enjoying cooking. We're not talking about me, we're talking about you.

>>BA is not at the same standard as greenmarket produce consumed the day of, but it's better than week old greenmarket produce, and it's at least as good as, if not better than, grocery store produce.
Here's where our experiences differ, and where I think my confusion is coming from. In my (admittedly limited) experience with BA, it was no different than week-old supermarket produce. Perhaps a little worse. It sounds like they've either improved things greatly, or perhaps you live a lot close to their warehouse than I do and therefore there is less harm done in shipping. If BA is delivering you high quality produce then your decision makes sense. That's just not my experience with BA.

It is hard to not sound like a shill but I think BA is good for
>those that, like me, stuck in a cooking rut (short time use)
>those who want to explore new things and be spoonfed with ideas/recipes (short time use)
>first time cooks, like people who moved out for first time and live on their own (short time use)
>those with difficulty going shopping

If you get only vegan options.... I dunno, sounds like a waste of money.

It is interesting to see the amount of food given for 6 portions. Once you get some deliveries and find out what you like, you can just cancel and shop for the ingredients for those 6 portions a week for way cheaper (excluding long term things like salt, pepper, sauces, vinegar etc.).

You do get, I think, decent portions consisting of meat, vegetables and grains.

Cons:
>packaging can be bulky and a pain to deal with
>your produce might be crushed by other produce
>some pre measured ingredients, like a soft cheese used in one meal, is sold at larger amounts, if that makes sense.

Not going to mention price as a con, it is a service you are paying for. It wont be for everyone, but worth giving it a try if you have promo codes.

>>11108209
I think it makes sense for people who have issues with shopping, and perhaps for noobs too (like you said, temporary). But otherwise I disagree.

If you want to force yourself out a rut or get some different experience you don't need BA for that. Just google a random recipe, flip through a cookbook blindly, or throw darts at a list of recipes. No need to pay BA prices just to force you to try a new dish.

I'd add a few more cons in there as well:
-you're stuck with the ingredients you happen to get, rather than being able to select exactly what steak, potato, etc, you get from the market.
-you're stuck with the exact recipe list they give you. It's not very friendly if you want to tweak the recipe or make substitutions for medical issues or for personal preference.
And price most certainly is a "con", just as having the products show up at your doorstep is a "pro".

>>11108240
>for noobs

There are pros and cons to that too. On one hand it's nice because you have an easy-to-follow set of instructions and all the ingredients you need right there. That makes things easy for noobs. But OTOH it does a lot of the work for you, so you don't learn anything about budgeting, how to choose ingredients at the market, how prices and quality fluctuate according to season, and so on.

Might be handy for an absolute beginner, but you need to take off the training wheels at some point.

>>11108240
>If you want to force yourself out a rut or get some different experience you don't need BA for that. [...] No need to pay BA prices just to force you to try a new dish.
Had a promo code and it got me back into cooking. Again, short term. There are like 10 dishes you can choose from (7 if you discount vegan options, which again I feel is a waste) a week and some weeks I canceled because nothing sounded appealing (no charge).

>I'd add a few more cons in there as well:
>-you're stuck with the ingredients you happen to get, rather than being able to select exactly what steak, potato, etc, you get from the market.
I think the types used are part of the recipe. On the other hand I agree. I would rather have a chicken thigh than a breast, for example.
>-you're stuck with the exact recipe list they give you. It's not very friendly if you want to tweak the recipe or make substitutions for medical issues or for personal preference.
I can see that. I actually skipped out on a part because I did not like X

>>11108269
>you don't learn anything about budgeting,
pretty sure that once the training wheels com off, the budget for food compared to the service wont be an issue.
>how to choose ingredients at the market,
they got pictures and names of the ingredients. Never heard of a persian cucumber before, not sure if I can find it at my local store.
>how prices and quality fluctuate according to season
That might be an issue. I got into BA a few weeks ago, so they are using summer products. Not sure what is offered in other seasons.

>>11108282
>Had a promo code and it got me back into cooking. Again, short term.
Sounds like it worked well for you. I'm not knocking that. My point was that you could have use a different means to get out of the rut. BA happened to do that instead, but it's not like it has some unique special property that you cannot find elsewhere.

>>I think the types used are part of the recipe.
I didn't mean the type. I meant the exact piece of meat or veg you pick up. For example, if we're talking steaks then some are better marbled than others. Some have more waste to trim off than others. when you buy a steak at the market you can pick the exact one you want, rather than being stuck with whatever random one you get. Same with produce. Say you need a potato--if you're at the market you can look at a bunch of potatoes and pick one that doesn't have any bruises or damage to it, and has a nice even shape that's easy to peel. If you get a random one from BA it might be damaged or a weird lumpy shape.

>> I would rather have a chicken thigh than a breast, for example.
that wasn't the point I was trying to make, but I agree completely. you can make those sorts of tweaks when you shop for yourself too.

>>11108320
>My point was that you could have use a different means to get out of the rut
Absolutely. I could have gone to a cooking class.

>I didn't mean the type. I meant the exact piece of meat or veg you pick up.[...] If you get a random one from BA it might be damaged or a weird lumpy shape
Ok, I get you mean now. And yes, I had a damaged red bell pepper (got another one when out getting TP, but still). Mentioned it as a con. But other than that, the quality seems decent.

I am just on the mind set of it being a short term thing that I can turn off/on. Not trying to argue that BA is the worlds best thing.

>>11105583
Use my code BABISH to get $10 off your first order

>>11108352
no joke, I would not be suprised if, like master chef and bob's burgers, their is a babbish inspired dish

>>11108317
>pretty sure that once the training wheels com off, the budget for food compared to the service wont be an issue.
Agreed, I was emphasizing the point that the wheels do need to come off at some point!

>>they got pictures and names of the ingredients. Never heard of a persian cucumber before, not sure if I can find it at my local store.
That's not quite what I meant. I meant: given a pile of persian cucumbers at the store, how do you pick a good one? What sort of features should you be looking for to determine if the one you're thinking of buying is good and fresh or if it's under-ripe, over-ripe, etc.

>> I got into BA a few weeks ago, so they are using summer products. Not sure what is offered in other seasons.
I'm sure they are too, if for no other reason than making their budget work. Clearly it would be uneconomical for them to be using expensive out-of-season ingredients. But part of learning to cook for yourself is learning what to make at what time of year based on prices and quality. A lot of younger people are used to the fact that you can walk into a supermarket and see nearly everything at all times of the year. But it doesn't occur to them that while you can buy tomatoes in January, they don't taste very good and they're also expensive. When I teach people to cook we walk through the supermarket and look at all the produce. I explain why we're choosing certain dishes because their ingredients are good quality and low price right now because of the season. BA kinda does this by default, but they don't explain why.

>>11105923
>don't have the equipment required to cook any of this shit properly
Thats just silly

>>11105952
>Breakfast and lunch you get at a restaurant near work

>>11105583
>Has anyone ever tried blue apron?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA FUCK NO!!!!!
>Is it actually worth it?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA FUCK NO!!!!

>>11107985
>Do you have one of those magical fridges that has nitrogen injectors to keep everything at optimal freshness?
>he thinks blue apron is going to be "fresh"

>>11108371
>That's not quite what I meant. I meant: given a pile of persian cucumbers at the store, how do you pick a good one? What sort of features should you be looking for to determine if the one you're thinking of buying is good and fresh or if it's under-ripe, over-ripe, etc.
Sorry for missing the point. My guess is online research... but i think it is something you really learn from experience.

>When I teach people to cook we walk through the supermarket and look at all the produce. I explain why we're choosing certain dishes because their ingredients are good quality and low price right now because of the season.
That's pretty cool

>>11108371
I am >>11108460

I got confused by BA's term of "sweet pepper".. it was written on a plastic wrapper, but the picture under the ingredients showcased a orange pepper, not a trio that i got

the entire concept is fucking retarded. it literally takes 30 minutes or less to make a list and go to the fucking grocery. people have been going to markets for thousands of fucking years. just go to fucking god damned grocery and pick out the shit you fucking need. go home and put it in the god damned fridge. jesus tap dancing christ, it's not hard. no, your time isnt worth that much. you would just be sitting on your ass watching trap porn anyhow. just go to the fucking store. it goes shopping and cooking your own food, then u can step up and have a live in cook who does it all. there shouldn't be an in between. fuck.

>>11107889
Pirating movies like that was an entire plot to a jack black film.

>>11109472
Calm down