My first encounter with Blue Apron was on Instagram when one of my best friends and her husband moved to Baltimore and immediately started posting pictures of beautiful food with #BlueApron. I thought that they must have found a great restaurant in their new city and was excited to try it on my first visit. Then, I started seeing other people using the hashtag and naively assumed that they must all be traveling through Maryland. Finally, my comical misunderstanding was revealed when–over a dinner out with the girls–another friend began praising Blue Apron for making her a better cook and subsequently explained it to me and even offered me a free trial week.

Part large-scale CSA/part at-home cooking school, this online meal planning and delivery service provides subscribers with a weekly box of fresh (often organic and always mindfully sourced) ingredients accompanied by delicious step-by-step recipes that are perfectly proportioned–down to the pat of butter needed to finish a pan sauce–almost foolproof.