But I worried about the relative paucity of weekly options compared to other meal kits in Blue Apron's price range. There were only 20 meal kit options, of which multiple were 15-minute recipes with pre-cooked noodles. For ingredients you'd use less commonly, a meal kit can reduce waste and spoilage, and maybe even compete on price for an individual meal. Remember, you owe nothing to the recipe: Meal kit services hire lovely recipe developers, of course. Meal kits can teach you a lot about how to make a good meal, and shake you out of tired culinary routines.