

While this was easy enough to navigate as someone who has kitchen experience, I'm concerned that this kind of oversight could stress out a novice cook. My one complaint is that for the Chicken and Kale recipe, I was given chicken pieces instead of whole chicken breasts.

The instruction cards that came with the Blue Apron delivery were pretty clear and easy to follow. If you're looking for speedier options, I suggest Sun Basket, Home Chef and Gobble, all of which offer pre-prepped meals or oven ready options. The three recipes I received required between 25-40 minutes of active time, which is roughly the average across different services.

In terms of time spent on each recipe, Blue Apron falls in the middle of the road. They all required multiple dishes, but none of the techniques were particularly difficult. The recipes are basically on par with other meal kit delivery services, and are quite approachable. In terms of the difficulty level of the recipes, I'd rate Blue Apron a ⅘. Some of the competition have meals that verge into the $13-15 range, while others hover in the $7-8 range. After the price goes up to normal, each serving is $9.99 for a two person meal plan. The first three boxes are discounted by $20, meaning each serving is $6.66. In terms of cost, Blue Apron falls squarely in the "standard" category.
