5 ms·

"Teach a man to fish." I've learned a lot of good recipes from services like Blue Apron. Having the ingredients prepped the first time you embark on a new rec

by ben174 9y ago

"Teach a man to fish." I've learned a lot of good recipes from services like Blue Apron. Having the ingredients prepped the first time you embark on a new recipe makes it way more approachable.

emodendroket 9y ago
It seems like if that is the draw a lot of people are going to cancel their subscriptions once they feel a bit more comfortable and have a basic repertory.
- empath75 9y ago
  Literally everyone I know who has used it does exactly that, including me.
- jklein11 9y ago
  My cynical answer to that is: They may have considered that... and not cared. Their job was to pump up the number of subscriptions, sell Wall Street on their growth metrics, and then cash out in an IPO. Blue Apron truly doesn't feel like a company built to be around for a long time.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
wil421 9y ago
Why not use books, cooking shows, or YouTube? I learned off reading books and watching shows. They will tell you what ingredients you need and where it’s possible to find them. Even most chefs start as prep cooks chopping vegetables. Start with watching how to cut an onion and start making dishes with onions. If people are only buying blue apron to learn then what happens when all their customers can cook for themselves.
- occams_chainsaw 9y ago
  "Having the ingredients prepped the first time you embark on a new recipe makes it way more approachable"
  - wil421 9y ago
    How are they prepped beforehand? I just watched several unboxing videos and everything is whole. Poatoes, fennel, bok choy, limes, onions and even herbs were all whole. There is literally no difference than grocery shopping except theirs is in a box and mine is in a bag.
    - ben174 9y ago
      To a degree. Often things are portioned so there is less measuring.
    - sdotsen 9y ago
      For me it's going to the store and getting all the ingredients. Either I can't find it (obscure ones) or they come in bulk and I can't consume all of it after making the meals. I don't use any of these meal prep services, but I know people who do and they love it.
      - wil421 9y ago
        Those extra ingredients leave you with a stocked pantry. Finding the obscure ones are where the fun, especially at H Mart.
        emodendroket 9y ago
        Hmm, that's true, but not if it all rots before you think of something else to do with it. But honestly it's basically canceled out between the cost and environmental impact of the packaging.
        occams_chainsaw 9y ago
        and going to the mall and searching through stores for that thing you need is so much fun, why do people bother with amazon? ain't nobody got time for that week after week. well, i don't anyway
sbov 9y ago
I kinda do the reverse. When I'm at the store, I buy a couple random things. Then I go online to find a recipe. If I can't find something, at the end of the day, pretty much any piece of food seasoned and grilled will taste good.
- emodendroket 9y ago
  I think there are a few Web sites made with this use in mind.
- RileyJames 9y ago
  This is exactly how I cook as well. It’s not always a great result, but it’s never terrible. And it seems to be trending positively.
- mercer 9y ago
  For some reason I never thought of doing this. Although I suppose you don't buy entirely random things, right? Any advice for someone like me who doesn't cook much?
  - Frondo 9y ago
    I didn't cook, but then I started learning how, and the way was.. actually, I thought of things I liked to eat out at restaurants, and decided to try to make them at home. Fast forward a year, and I can now cook almost everything more to my tastes than any restaurant serves. The one exception is dim sum, which I tried a few times and decided it was far too much effort for far too little food. Very fiddly, you need a lot of patience. But just, what do you like? Look up a recipe on the internet, go buy those ingredients, and it's gonna suck at first, but practice, practice, practice! (And now, turns out cooking is sexy. Nice side-effect to discover for having been out of the game for a while.)
  - bluedino 9y ago
    >> Although I suppose you don't buy entirely random things, right? I do this often. "What is this odd ingredient/vegetable?" Look up a recipe and buy it. >> Any advice for someone like me who doesn't cook much? Start by cooking whatever you're used to eating. And keep it as simple as possible.

by ben174 9y ago

"Teach a man to fish." I've learned a lot of good recipes from services like Blue Apron. Having the ingredients prepped the first time you embark on a new recipe makes it way more approachable.

emodendroket 9y ago

It seems like if that is the draw a lot of people are going to cancel their subscriptions once they feel a bit more comfortable and have a basic repertory.

empath75 9y ago
Literally everyone I know who has used it does exactly that, including me.
jklein11 9y ago
My cynical answer to that is: They may have considered that... and not cared. Their job was to pump up the number of subscriptions, sell Wall Street on their growth metrics, and then cash out in an IPO. Blue Apron truly doesn't feel like a company built to be around for a long time.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

wil421 9y ago

Why not use books, cooking shows, or YouTube? I learned off reading books and watching shows. They will tell you what ingredients you need and where it’s possible to find them. Even most chefs start as prep cooks chopping vegetables. Start with watching how to cut an onion and start making dishes with onions. If people are only buying blue apron to learn then what happens when all their customers can cook for themselves.

occams_chainsaw 9y ago
"Having the ingredients prepped the first time you embark on a new recipe makes it way more approachable"
- wil421 9y ago
  How are they prepped beforehand? I just watched several unboxing videos and everything is whole. Poatoes, fennel, bok choy, limes, onions and even herbs were all whole. There is literally no difference than grocery shopping except theirs is in a box and mine is in a bag.
  - ben174 9y ago
    To a degree. Often things are portioned so there is less measuring.
  - sdotsen 9y ago
    For me it's going to the store and getting all the ingredients. Either I can't find it (obscure ones) or they come in bulk and I can't consume all of it after making the meals. I don't use any of these meal prep services, but I know people who do and they love it.
    - wil421 9y ago
      Those extra ingredients leave you with a stocked pantry. Finding the obscure ones are where the fun, especially at H Mart.
      - emodendroket 9y ago
        Hmm, that's true, but not if it all rots before you think of something else to do with it. But honestly it's basically canceled out between the cost and environmental impact of the packaging.
      - occams_chainsaw 9y ago
        and going to the mall and searching through stores for that thing you need is so much fun, why do people bother with amazon? ain't nobody got time for that week after week. well, i don't anyway

sbov 9y ago

I kinda do the reverse. When I'm at the store, I buy a couple random things. Then I go online to find a recipe. If I can't find something, at the end of the day, pretty much any piece of food seasoned and grilled will taste good.

emodendroket 9y ago
I think there are a few Web sites made with this use in mind.
RileyJames 9y ago
This is exactly how I cook as well. It’s not always a great result, but it’s never terrible. And it seems to be trending positively.
mercer 9y ago
For some reason I never thought of doing this. Although I suppose you don't buy entirely random things, right? Any advice for someone like me who doesn't cook much?
- Frondo 9y ago
  I didn't cook, but then I started learning how, and the way was.. actually, I thought of things I liked to eat out at restaurants, and decided to try to make them at home. Fast forward a year, and I can now cook almost everything more to my tastes than any restaurant serves. The one exception is dim sum, which I tried a few times and decided it was far too much effort for far too little food. Very fiddly, you need a lot of patience. But just, what do you like? Look up a recipe on the internet, go buy those ingredients, and it's gonna suck at first, but practice, practice, practice! (And now, turns out cooking is sexy. Nice side-effect to discover for having been out of the game for a while.)
- bluedino 9y ago
  >> Although I suppose you don't buy entirely random things, right? I do this often. "What is this odd ingredient/vegetable?" Look up a recipe and buy it. >> Any advice for someone like me who doesn't cook much? Start by cooking whatever you're used to eating. And keep it as simple as possible.