Skilling up in the kitchen takes a shitload of time and, let’s be honest, a lot of expense. Building a varied and deep spice rack alone will likely take years. Then there’s the waste involved in spending cash on a big ticket food item and using it maybe once, with the leftovers just sitting there (we’re looking at you, dusty bottle of Marsala wine). Who wants to drop their cash on that?
The good news is that cracks are starting to form in how we think about our food. We’re demanding better answers about sourcing, waste, and price. At the same time, food delivery services are rethinking how we buy and cook our food. This confluence of consumer and business awakening may just help with us save money, put a dent in climate change, and up our skills as a bad-asses in the kitchen all at once. Plus, y’know, it tastes good.
Blue Apron is one of the new “disrupters” to the on-demand food scene. The brand’s philosophy is pretty straightforward — to get you healthy, exciting, tasty food in the most direct way possible. To achieve this aim, they operate by four principles: “developing better standards for higher quality ingredients, supporting regenerative farming practices to replenish our land, eliminating the middleman to deliver fresher food, and reducing food waste to create better value.” Those philosophies are hard to argue with, especially given the current waste in the food industry, the shocking state of factory farming, plus the environmental cost of transporting our food.
All that may seem really overwhelming when, at the end of that day, we just want to cook a great meal. We each only have so many hours in the day, so knowing that we’re getting sustainable food from a transparent source that’s at least trying to make things clearer is a step in the right direction. Blue Apron sources their food directly from farmers in as many cases as it can. That cuts out the transport and markups that come from our food going from farmers to wholesalers to food distributors and then to our local supermarkets. More direct access also means less transport (read: emissions) and waste.
When you sign up for Blue Apron you pick a meal plan that fits your dietary needs. Then you wait for all the ingredients to arrive at your door step. Each box contains exactly what you need for the meals from your plan, eliminating waste or excess ingredients that’ll get lonely sitting on your kitchen shelves for the next 20 years. Their entry point is a kit that includes three meals for two people and costs 60 bucks — or $10 per meal. How many of us can go out and eat three times in a week (that’s not fast food) for less than 60 bucks … for two people? On top of which, you’ll be eating relatively healthy food that you know is more sustainable.
There’s a catch here. Blue Apron does already assume you have the kitchen gear to cook their food. So you can never go wrong spending a little cash on a cast iron skillet and microplane. Otherwise, the boxes aren’t going to require you snag a sous vide or a nitro tank. Even the most basic of kitchens can turn out a decent meal from Blue Apron’s box.
At the end of the day, food delivery systems are giving us an option to make better food choices at a price point that’s not exorbitant. We’re saving time, money, and resources. Companies like Blue Apron are leading the charge toward a sustainable future — while giving you the chance to learn some seriously bad-ass recipes and hone those kitchen skills. And those kitchen skills stay with you the rest of your life, and will always pay dividends.
Want $30 off of your first delivery UPROXX fans? Visit Blue Apron HERE to sign up.
More recipes from Blue Apron:
