Tagged with food

Solving Dinner with Blue Apron

It was really difficult to come up with a title to this post that wasn’t like one of those “We tried Blue Apron, here’s what happened” ads.

I had seen those ads scattered around the web, but never clicked on one. Soon after, I started to hear their ads on Star Talk Live, which at least make me curious — mostly because they explained the service better than clickbait. Finally, it was this The Verge article that made me seriously consider subscribing for the first time.

Blue Apron seems to market themselves towards inexperienced cooks, or those who are too busy to shop for groceries on a regular basis. I don’t really fall into either of those groups — while there are many times that I wish I had planned my meals in advance, I quite enjoy grocery shopping.

The wine pairings were enough of a nudge (along with the pre-planned meals) to finally give the service a go. Here are my thoughts.

The Service

For those who aren’t familiar with Blue Apron, it’s a fairly simple proposition: each week you are sent the ingredients for three recipes, with each recipe serving two people (there is also a family plan). You can customize which day of the week you want the delivery, and you can tailor the recipes based on your dietary preferences — for example, vegetarian or no seafood. If you don’t want a delivery for a particular week, you can cancel it a minimum of six days in advance. I worry that this long lead time might become an issue down the road, but so far it hasn’t been a problem.

Other than that, Blue Apron doesn’t require any additional input. You can just let it go, and each week you will get three recipes and the ingredients to make them. If you’re a control freak (like me), you can log in to the website and preview upcoming recipes and make slight tweaks to what you want to receive.

I say “slight tweaks”, because even though you are given the option of six recipes, there are only certain combinations you are allowed to do. My theory is that this is to keep things simple for those packing the weekly boxes (i.e., your selections have to fall into one of the pre-defined “dietary preference plans” they offer). There’s also the tendency for recipes to change slightly — for example, the Oktoberfest Pork Chops we got last week were originally supposed to be Schnitzel Pork Chops. Blue Apron says that this happens because they want to use the freshest ingredients possible; but, whatever the case, it can be disappointing.

blue-apron-combinations

The ingredients come in a surprisingly compact box; but, it’s a rather heavy box due to two large ice packs — any meat or seafood in your shipment is sandwiched between them, with everything else piled on top. It can be a little overwhelming to unload, as nothing is sorted except for little bags of “miscellaneous” ingredients for each recipe. It’s as if you went on an exuberant trip to the grocery store and didn’t remember what you got. Luckily, everything starts to make sense once you start cooking the recipes, and realize which ingredients go with which recipes.

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The wine is a separate service, and you have even less control over it. If you sign up for it, you choose whether you want to receive reds, whites or a mix, and what address you want to receive them. (Since an adult has to sign for the wine shipment, they recommend providing a separate business address for the wine deliveries.) At the start of each month, for an extra $65, you receive six 500mL bottles of wine (slightly less than a 750mL bottle you would find in the supermarket). You don’t have any control over the varieties, but you receive a detailed information card about each wine, explaining where the grapes were grown, who produced the wine, what flavors you can expect, and what recipes in upcoming Blue Apron shipments pair well with it. All in all, it’s a great way to expand your horizons if you’re overwhelmed by or new to wine.

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Verdict: If your schedule is consistent enough to support a delivery once a week, Blue Apron is reliable and easy. But, skipping and customizing meals requires advanced notice.

The Recipes

IMG_2218Packaged along with your shipment of raw ingredients are several large, glossy, full-page cards: one highlights some of the ingredients in that week’s box; the rest detail each recipe, how long it takes to make, and roughly how many calories it is per serving. The steps to make it have clear instructions and pictures — they even bold the ingredients used in that step, so you’re prepared.

Overall, the recipes are varied enough to keep things interesting, but follow a familiar theme so it’s not too jarring to move from one recipe to another. For example, in the first week, there was a salmon with a farro salad, chicken with a jasmine rice, and lamb sausage with French lentils. Each one had a protein on a bed of some sort of starch, and vegetables mixed in. Very different flavor profiles, but similar components.

IMG_2236It’s good that Blue Apron has this overlap so that new cooks can get confident with certain skills. But if their goal is to target new cooks, they need to bolster their library of tutorial videos. Instructions like “core and chop the head of cabbage” may be self-explanatory to some folks, but if you haven’t done a lot of cooking in the past, it may be rather mysterious. As of writing this, there is no video for how to core and chop a cabbage, so you’re on your own if you need an explanation. It’s also worth noting that the estimated prep and cook times are going to vary wildly if you’re not an expert in the kitchen.

That said, if you don’t mind investing some effort in learning to cook (or expanding your horizons in what you cook), then Blue Apron has a lot to offer. Each recipe highlights the elements of a successful meal — in particular, I’m impressed with how they balance sweet, salty and acidic. Most of the recipes I’ve tried so far have vinegar or lemon juice, which really help bring a recipe’s flavors to life.

While I haven’t encountered any new cooking techniques for myself, it has been nice to have (balanced, tasty) meals planned out.

Verdict: Blue Apron requires an investment in cooking; so, if you don’t already cook, or have no interest in improving your skills in the kitchen, then you should look elsewhere. But, if you’re willing to take the plunge, you will be rewarded.

The Ingredients

Blue Apron touts their ingredients as being fresher than the supermarket. So far, I’d say that’s only partially true.

On the one hand, Blue Apron works with several small farms and food producers, which allows them to get exactly the product they’re looking for.

On the other hand, Blue Apron is based in New York, which means most of the suppliers it sources from seem to be around the northeast. But I live in Texas. So how fresh are the ingredients by the time they get down to me?

Most of what arrives on my doorstep is at least similar to what I could get at the supermarket — the meats are high quality, the pantry items are fresh, and the hardy produce is in good shape. But more fragile produce — like fine herbs, or sensitive leafy vegetables — are often half-wilted or on the verge of reaching the Green Slime stage. I feel that Blue Apron could work harder at sourcing ingredients closer to their distribution centers — or, at the least, package their sensitive produce so it can better withstand the journey.

On a more positive note, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to use ingredients that I haven’t cooked with before. Farro, dried hops and beets are just a few of the things that I either haven’t cooked with before, or haven’t cooked in a long time. This gets to the heart of why I wanted to try Blue Apron in the first place — an opportunity to get new recipe ideas, and work with ingredients I don’t normally consider.

I do wish that Blue Apron included more spices in their shipments. If a recipe’s core flavor profile comes from spices, then it’ll be included — for example, a curry is going to include the unique spices that form that dish. But if it’s just a protein seared in a pan, then the only instruction is to use salt and pepper. I’ve taken liberties with a couple recipes to season the protein with some additional spices that I have on hand, but a new cook might miss out on this important method of layering flavors.

Verdict: Ingredients are varied, unique, and usually fresh. Some produce items arrive on the brink of going bad, but so far that hasn’t prevented me from actually making the recipe. An improvement in sourcing ingredients would be a welcome change.

Overall

I’ll be sticking with Blue Apron for now, just because it makes planning meals during the week so much easier. And at $60/week for the two-person plan, it’s about what I would spend at the supermarket anyway. The only thing that might make me reconsider in future is if the long advanced notice for skipping a week or changing meal options becomes a hassle.

As for the wine, that’s even more of an unknown. It’s fairly expensive at an additional $60/month; while I do feel you get your money’s worth (six 500mL bottles), it’s a monthly expense that may not make sense if the quality doesn’t remain consistent.

I think the best endorsement I can give is that I’m genuinely looking forward to some of the upcoming meals; ultimately, that will be what keeps me hooked on Blue Apron.

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Re-Introducing ProjectNom

ProjectNom Screencap
The original idea for ProjectNom was born about four years ago. At that time, my method of storing recipes involved a pile of printed recipes. As I picked up this pile — a pile with no organization, rhyme or reason — I wondered if there was a better way.

A better way to organize recipes, especially those found online.

A better way to cook those recipes, without having to resort to paper.

A better way to surface those recipes later when it came time to plan a meal.

The options at the time were rather limited. They were all locked to a certain platform, blissfully ignorant of the web. Importing recipes was a pain, and cooking directly from the software wasn’t a primary feature.

I built the first version of ProjectNom quickly, mostly because I wanted to get my own recipe mess under control as soon as possible. What I ended up with was a solid proof of concept, but the accelerated development time forced cracks in the infrastructure. The result was difficult to maintain and difficult to extend — classic hallmarks of such a rushed effort.

This year, I decided to finally give ProjectNom the professional treatment it deserved — or at least, the best treatment a one-person development team could deliver. Specifically, there were a few aspects I wanted to improve over the original “proof of concept”:

  • True responsive design. I used Bootstrap for the original ProjectNom, but a combination of my inexperience with modern front-end development combined with early-version Bootstrap limitations resulted in a lack of finesse, especially on smaller devices.
  • Easier importing. The first version of ProjectNom made importing recipes as easy as selecting text. While that was better than typing it in from scratch, it was still a hassle.
  • Sharing. Part of the fun of cooking is sharing the recipes you find. Having a way to do this in the same place that you store your recipes only makes sense.
  • Technical foundation. The original ProjectNom was difficult to maintain and improve upon.

This work started in January. Eight months later, I’m proud to finally reveal the complete rewrite of ProjectNom.

  • True responsive design. While I’m still not an expert in front-end development, the new ProjectNom is truly responsive across a variety of devices. If it has a relatively modern browser, it’ll look good. Some pages — namely editing a recipe — are more usable on devices with larger screens, but they’ll still render intelligently.
  • Easier importing. The new ProjectNom can quickly import recipes from known sites in one click. At launch, the following sites are supported: Food Network, Epicurious, Serious Eats, Bon Appetit & AllRecipes. The best part is that adding new sites is relatively easy, so please send along suggestions for any site not on this list! In the meantime, the traditional import functionality can be used — just select the text you want and click “import”.
  • Sharing. Invite your friends to join ProjectNom, add them to your list of friends, and then share your recipes! It’s that easy. You can even import the recipe directly into your collection for easy access.
  • Technical foundation. This could be an entire post in itself (and probably will be at some point) so I won’t go into too much detail here. But suffice it to say: the new ProjectNom is better organized for maintenance and expansion. One example: an API layer to keep the back-end concerns separate from the front-end.

There are bound to be bugs in this first version, but I’m committed to getting them ironed out. If you find anything amiss, please let me know either here in a comment, or at support@projectnom.com. I also welcome any feature ideas — I want to keep improving ProjectNom until it’s the ultimate recipe management solution across all platforms and all devices.

And on that note, I wanted to end with some musings on the state of recipe tech in general. Recipe web sites have improved greatly since I first started working on ProjectNom, but they’re still distinct silos of information. So even if a website lets you save recipes into a personal “recipe box”, you still have to remember which site has the recipe you’re looking for.

It’s also interesting to me that a lot of recipe management tools available today are locked to a particular platform. To be clear, they’re great apps — but if you’re not tied exclusively to Apple or Microsoft devices, then you suddenly lose access to your recipe collection. I certainly see the allure of staying on one platform — recipes are complex beasts, and it helps to harness the power of a specific platform to get the best experience. I certainly haven’t ruled out the possibility of creating platform-specific interfaces to ProjectNom. But the ability to access a recipe from any device at any time is a critical feature, and should never be compromised.

With ProjectNom, you can rest assured that it never will.

Now get out there and start cooking!

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Gin Tasting

It occurred to me and @FlatFootFox the other day that we’ve accumulated several brands of gin. It started with a local variety for Gin and Tonics, then slowly expanded as we stumbled upon rare bottles, or received the occasional generous gift.

When different gins are mixed into cocktails, it’s possible to find subtle variations in flavor; but, it can be difficult to isolate which differences are from the gin, and which are due to the other mixers and their ratios. While they all have the unmistakable foundation of juniper, they don’t contain it in equal measure — and each has a different take on what the supporting aromatics should be. How do these variations affect the straight, raw flavors in the final product?

Here are some tasting notes after trying about half an ounce of each gin, served neat. I’m not an expert taster, so I apologize if these descriptions are tragically basic. What I do hope to convey, though, is just how much variation there is when it comes to a supposedly-simple bottle of gin.

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Recipe: Chickpea and Potato Curry

Curry is like chili. There are so many variations, that it can be difficult to master. In fact, one could argue that curry is even more difficult due to the sheer number of variations – from the “traditional” Indian curry, to the coconut-infused Thai curries, to Chicken Tikka Masala, England’s most popular dish. And of course, within those broad categories are many, many styles and techniques.

I had trouble with chili for a while, but I eventually came across a recipe that I really like. It’s not traditional in any way, but it’s the recipe I turn to when I’m looking for a hearty bowl of spicy comfort.

Curry has consistently eluded me, though. I’ve come close several times – Cooks’ Illustrated recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala is excellent, albeit a bit of work.

This recipe was definitely a winner, though. Perfect? Not quite yet. But like my go-to chili recipe, it hit all the right notes. This recipe was the inspiration, but I made a lot of changes. For example, I toast the chickpeas along with the spices first, to help develop their flavor more. I also add whole garlic, and expand the spice palette. I apologize if this recipe sounds like an advertisement for Penzey’s – it is my favorite place for purchasing spices, and their curry mixes are top notch. If you follow the links, you can see what each blend contains. Enjoy!

IngredientsChickpea and Potato Curry
2 tbsp olive oil
2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp Penzey’s Hot Curry Powder
1/2 tbsp Penzey’s Tandoori Seasoning
1 yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt

6-10 small white new potatoes, quartered
4 cups unsalted chicken stock (I use one 32oz container of Kitchen Basics)
1 15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 tbsp Penzey’s Hot Curry Powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add chickpeas, curry powder and tandoori seasoning. Stir to coat, then let the chickpeas and spices toast in the oil. Stir occasionally to prevent burning and to make sure all the spice and all the chickpeas get a nice crisp to them. (This develops the flavors of both the chickpeas and the spices. In fact, if you can use some whole spices for this step, it may be even better.) When they look about ready, add the onion, garlic and salt, and stir to coat. Cook until onions are slightly softened.

2. In a large pot, add the chicken stock, potatoes and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer, and add the spices, as well as the chickpea mixture when it’s done.

3. Simmer vigorously for at least 30 minutes – but 45 minutes to an hour would be better. The potatoes should be soft, and the cooking liquid should have reduced so it’s a bit thicker. Turn down the heat if the liquid is reducing too quickly.

4. Season with salt and/or pepper to taste. Serve with basmati rice.

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Burger King Delivery: Review

About a month ago, we (me and @ndoto) passed a Burger King that had a large banner out front: Now Hiring Delivery Drivers. Delivery drivers? Local restaurants have had a type of local delivery before, using a service called “Waiter on the Way” – but delivery direct from Burger King? This was new, and something I had never heard about previously. Then, last week we received the following postcard in the mail:

Photo Nov 13, 7 45 10 PM

Needless to say, we were curious. So, we decided to give it a try Saturday night.

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Portion Control

A recent HuffPost Food article said the following:

And since we are at it , why do we have the "small" soft drinks at the soda fountain look like large pitchers who could serve 3 very thirsty giants? Why are we always served more than we need? Extra butter, more potatoes, super size me.[…] Time to portion control our appetite it’ll do us better than diet pills and miracle diets. I’m for one ready to take the challenge. Are you with me? Let’s portion control, America!

There is definitely a valid point here. Portions in America – and, increasingly, the rest of the Western world – are much too large. But have you ever noticed that the things that come in large portions are also the things that are most damaging in large quantities? Soda, bread, pasta, potatoes, ground meats – stuff that’s processed, and thus cheap. Perhaps one notable exception is the salad bar, but even that isn’t as cheap as the processed alternatives (if it’s a good salad bar, anyway).

In other words, no one would be complaining about portion control if we had a plate full of vegetables, providing us a wealth of vitamins, minerals and fiber relative to the calories we’d be taking in. But instead, our meals are so skewed toward empty calories that we have to take vitamin supplements.

Portion control is important, sure, and it’s a good first step. But portion balance is also key – or we may end up getting even less of the nutrients we need to stay healthy.

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An English Pub Burger

In certain parts of the United States (the parts that don’t know what “English” means, apparently), McDonalds is testing a new burger called the English Pub Burger. As could probably be surmised, the sandwich is anything but English.

According to marketing materials, the burger consists of “1/3 lb of 100 percent Angus beef, hickory-smoked bacon, white cheddar and American cheese, grilled onions, tangy steak sauce and smokey Dijon mustard sauce all housed on an artisan roll.”
Huffington Post Food

At least the beef is from a Scottish breed of cow, and Scotland is part of Great Britain. But American cheese? Dijon (french) mustard?

Okay, I probably shouldn’t pick on McDonalds. They’re not exactly known for upholding high culinary art. I’m sure this sandwich is very tasty, if you ignore the name. But I thought I’d take the opportunity to brainstorm a true English pub burger.

Coming up with a burger, or any dish that sums up a country, is difficult. Every country has different regions, which possess different culinary styles, and different local ingredients at their disposal. So lets narrow down the field a bit, and consider a burger with McDonalds’ original framework.
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How-To: Chili Fries with Beer Cheese Sauce

It probably sounds strange to have chili fries for dinner, but that’s only because restaurant culture says that chili fries are an appetizer or side dish. But really, a hearty chili paired with a side of fries is a satisfying meal in itself.

This is more of a how-to, because the components of this meal are pretty straightforward. I just had never thought of putting them together quite like this. The chili here is my usual go-to chili: Rachael Ray’s Turkey Chipotle Chili with Pepper Jack Cheese Corn Cake Toppers (without the corn cakes). It’s a relatively fancy chili, not something you’d use to top fries with. I also like that it’s a turkey-based chili – it’s slightly less fatty than beef, so it gives that extra wiggle room on the cheese sauce. The only change I made to the recipe was making the sauce slightly thicker – I used only a cup of the chicken stock. I figured this would work better when combined with the fries and cheese sauce.

Because I made the cheese sauce from scratch, I decided to take a shortcut on the fries, by just using frozen fries from the supermarket. (I also had a couple of half-bags leftover, so this was an excuse to use them up.) If you had the time, though, I think it would be excellent to oven-roast your own potato wedges for this.

And that leaves the cheese sauce. Normally for chili-cheese fries you get an over-processed, Velveeta-style cheese sauce that oozes over the chili like a fatty, yellow lava flow. Instead of that, I decided to make a cheese sauce from scratch, pulling elements from both chili (cumin, chili powder) and fondue (beer). The recipe for the sauce is after the break.

In assembling this, I put some fries on the bottom, drizzled a bit of the cheese sauce on top, then a healthy serving of the chili, and then a bit more cheese sauce on top of that. Eat with a knife and fork. It was awesome.

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Introducing Project Nom

A long time ago, back when the internet was still assembling itself, there was a service called Prodigy. I used Prodigy more than I’d like to admit, usually for things that weren’t especially productive. One of the few exceptions to this was when I wanted to find a new recipe for an appetizer.

There were distinct silos of information on the Prodigy service, similar to AOL’s keywords. If I remember correctly, the food section had a small selection of recipes, but nothing terribly impressive. The main draw were the message boards, where people were actively swapping their favorite appetizers, entrees and desserts.

After creating a new topic on the board, someone replied with a recipe that sounded perfect, so I printed it out. There was no other way to save it, really — besides, it was the only practical way to cook the recipe. I didn’t want to run between the kitchen and study whenever I needed to refer to the instructions.

Many years later, technology has improved considerably. Message boards are no longer the focus, but, if you have the time, you can find just about any recipe you want. But one thing remains the same: if you want to preserve your recipe, the best method is to print it out.

Oh, sure, there are websites that let you bookmark your favorite recipes in a virtual recipe box. Food Network has one. Epicurious has one. I’m sure there are others, too. But since when was it a good idea to have three recipe boxes in your kitchen, with recipes randomly distributed between them?

And what about cooking them? Are you supposed to drag your laptop into the kitchen while you cook? I’ve tried that, and it’s not practical — if for no other reason than it takes up a lot of counter space.

There have been some software solutions over the years. The best right now are locked onto Apple’s OS X/iOS platforms. That’s fine and dandy if you’ve bought into that ecosystem, but most people haven’t.

No, the best solution for an omnipresent need ("what do I want to eat?") is an omnipresent platform. All that time ago, Prodigy had the right idea. But now that technology has evolved, it’s time to evolve those original ideas.

That is the goal of Project Nom.

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Recipe: Swordfish with Spicy Tomato Salsa

When trying to be more healthy, the rolodex in my mind instantly turns to fish. Vegetarian is always goswordfishod, of course, but fish has additional nutritional benefits that always end up winning out.

I decided to try something that had its roots in some traditional flavors, but mixed up just enough to create something unique.

The recipe is very simple too.  It’s a swordfish steak, marinated in lime juice.  If you don’t like swordfish, you could probably use any firm, white fish such as haddock. If you don’t like fish, chicken would be your best alternative, but that also makes it a completely different dish. :) On a second run through of the recipe, I tried swapping the lime juice marinade for balsamic vinegar. The result was pretty good, but the lime juice imparted a better flavor.

Which makes sense, because the salsa on top of the fish has lime juice. I’m not sure if “salsa” is the best name for it – it carries implications that don’t match what this is. “Salad” doesn’t work either, for the same reason.  But, “salsa” was the closest, so I’m sticking with that.

It has both cooked red onion, and raw – cooked for sweetness, raw for the relatively mild but pungent onion flavor. I also used both a red and a green jalapeno – one with the seeds for spiciness, one with no seeds just for the flavor.

All of this is served on a bed of green beans. I picked up a bag of frozen haricots verts, dropped them in a saute pan with 1/4 cup water, let them steam for 4 minutes or so, then let the water evaporate.  Drizzling on some olive oil, I let the outsides crisp up and caramelize a bit, before sprinkling with salt and pepper.

The detailed recipe for the swordfish follows.

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