Here's What It's Really Like Cooking With Blue Apron — The NYC Food Startup That's Worth Half-A-Billion Dollars

Blue Apron — the New York City-based startup that's a godsend for wannabe cooks that hate schlepping out to the grocery store — raised $50 million at a $500 million valuation in April. 

Here's the basic idea: People who are strapped for time but want to make their own home-cooked food can sign up to receive three meals a week that will come in either two, four, or six-person portions.

Big boxes of pre-measured ingredients will arrive once a week, with simple recipe cards that will instruct customers how to cook three fresh, out-of-the-ordinary meals that supposedly only take around 35 minutes to prepare. Each week, the company lists six recipes to choose from that suit a wide range of different tastes, catering to vegetarians as well as meat lovers. The most basic plan costs $60 a week, or roughly $10 per person per meal. 

Matt Salzberg, cofounder and CEO, told Business Insider that the goal is to get people cooking things they wouldn't ordinarily. He describes a recent menu item that customers loved: A spare-rib burger on a pretzel roll with a cheddar and hops sauce.

"You likely wouldn't even know where to get those ingredients on your own, or it would be way too expensive to buy for them for just one meal," he said. "Executing a dish like that would be nearly impossible, but doing it with us is a 30-minute endeavor."

Because Blue Apron is a subscription service, the team knows exactly how much food to order each week, which minimizes waste and lets it negotiate with suppliers to keep costs down. It currently ships about 600,000 meals a month, and although Salzberg declined to reveal any specific financials, he said that the company makes a "healthy margin" on each subscription because of the efficiencies in Blue Apron's supply chain. 

"People literally write us love letters on a daily basis that say we've changed their lives, that we've saved their marriages, that they're so thankful that we exist because of the fun that they're having," he said. "They're eating healthier and they're learning to cook." 

As a twenty-something with very little cooking experience and a strong aversion to crowded New York City supermarkets, I decided to give the service a try. 

My Blue Apron box was waiting in front of my apartment door when I got home.

I got home kind of late, but because Blue Apron packs its food in refrigerated bags, everything was still cold.

The bag was teeming with fresh-looking veggies and exciting ingredients.