Blue Apron is the beloved national meal delivery service. Chances are, its probably one of the first meal delivery services you heard about, its brand recognition reaching far and wide.
(Click here to read our full Blue Apron review.)
Perhaps less under the radar was The Blue Apron Cookbook: 165 Essential Recipes for a Lifetime of Home Cooking released on Harper Wave in 2017.
“We really see [The Blue Apron Cookbook] as the new culinary bible,” said Karen Rinaldi, Harper Wave's senior v-p and publisher. The Blue Apron Cookbook intends to be a guide for novice cooks who wanna learn the basic kitchen techniques – as well as cater to home chefs with more experience under their belt.
Culinary Education
For those who don't know, Blue Apron is a meal kit delivery subscription service. The term "blue apron" comes from the color of the apron that newbie chefs all over the world wear while in training. Subscribers get a weekly delivery of meal kits containing all the ingredients in the right quantities together with recipe cards with easy-to-follow instructions.
The question is whether or not Blue Apron customers would be interested in buying the book since they already receive recipe cards with each delivery. Isn't a cookbook just a compilation of what they already have in terms of recipes?
The truth of the matter is that this is more than just a cookbook. Blue Apron has made this a book that's more about culinary education for aspiring home chefs all over the country – both at basic and intermediate levels.
The book has over 700 photos, including detailed images for each step of the cooking procedure of a recipe. The photos also help illustrate different cooking techniques that emerging home cooks should learn to master. What's the difference between chopping and dicing? That and much more is explained in the Blue Apron Cookbook!
For Home Chefs on All Levels
It can thus be said that the book is less focused on what to cook and more on how to cook – and can serve as a complement to the recipe cards received in a meal kit delivery. The chapters are arranged in a logical order starting with the simpler recipes and then building from there toward more advanced creations.
The Blue Apron Cookbook is designed to instill confidence in taking your cooking to the next level, regardless of where you're starting from. Yes – even more experienced home chefs will appreciate how the book is going at lengths to describe different techniques in a new way and how they can transform a familiar recipe into another by some simple tricks.
Modern Meets Traditional
Besides mastering classic skills that top chefs have perfectioned for centuries, people are hungry to learn about the latest flavors and cooking trends. The Blue Apron Cookbook: 165 Essential Recipes for a Lifetime of Home Cooking elegantly balances the two by taking the pulse on today's culinary landscape together with the aforementioned techniques and recipes.
The Mission of Blue Apron
Blue Apron is on a mission to build a better food system. There's a lot that goes into growing and distributing food that's complicated to know for the end user.
Blue Apron partners with farmers to make sure their subscribers get the highest-quality ingredients. They contribute to the creation of a food distribution system that delivers ingredients at a better value, with an emphasis on local and sustainable products. The change might not happen overnight – but this company is here to help make it happen.
They also encourage to use seasonal produce whenever possible – something that's reflected in the recipes.
If you're looking for providing healthy, sustainably sourced food on the table, you'll be happy to discover that Blue Apron has a health profile. The recipes are designed with getting your macros right in mind.
Besides, cooking will never get old. The essential recipes and lessons you'll learn from the cookbook from this meal delivery service are skills you can benefit from for a lifetime!
Critics of the book have stated that some of the recipes require a lot of time, making them less suitable to whip up a weekday dinner – and more for when you have plenty of time to embark on new culinary adventures.
Who Should Buy the Blue Apron Cookbook?
The Blue Apron Cookbook is suitable for anyone wanting to increase their kitchen competencies.
Beginners will appreciate the effort of the Blue Apron culinary team in explaining even basic cooking techniques and the essential recipes and lessons, while chefs on all levels will fall for the easy-to-make delicious and original recipes organized around essential meals.
In short, this cookbook is for anyone seeking to (re)discover the joy of cooking!
