Meal exchange with neighbors

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nicnae

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
2
Location
near tampa florida
I just wanted to know if anyone out there has done this.

There are a group of us 7 women that are neighbors that
are in a home with just two persons.

We are going to (hopefully) start cooking meals or preparing them and
exchanging.

example: i cook 14 servings of say lasagna, and in return I receive
13 servings of some other "entree".............

we would do this once a month.

It would save us time and money in the kitchen!!

However, I wanted to know if anyone does this and what recipes are good and whether are not the food should be cooked or not beforehand, etc...

I read about this once for families in one of those mags like good housekeeping years ago.

let me know if anyone knows any more about this to help me.

thanks
 
Welcome to DC Nicnae...

To be brief..I think that the answers to most of your questions should be worked out in advance among you ladies..Set your own ground rules so there will be no misunderstandings later.

As to recipes etc...you have come to the right place...there is a lot of recipes here and lots of help...

Enjoy your stay.......
 
:chef:Hi nicnae

I've not heard of that method, however, here's one that works for me: (info starts on posting #4)
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f17/does-anyone-do-freezer-cooking-17865.html?highlight=freezer

If you do go the route you're planning, though, I'd suggest that all meals be ready to go into the freezer, none of them being cooked. Another thought - make sure all gals are on the same page as far as packaging the meals. Could you imagine if everyone brought over a pan the size of a full lasagna? Some freezers may not have that much available space.
 
I saw a program on TV about this 2-3 months ago. The key to making it work is in the initial planning, according to them. Things like:

You all need to sit down and discuss likes and dislikes, food allergies, etc.

Are you preparing microwaveable heat-n-eat meals or meals that need to be cooked in the oven? This will have some impact on packaging.

With those items worked out ... then you can start menu planning.

You're no longer cooking for 2 - you're cooking for 14 people! You may need to pick up some new cookware to handle the volume. I would suggest checking out a restaurant supply store ... for example, you can get a full size 4-inch deep Stainless Steel pan for about $17 which will hold 15 approx. 4"x4" servings of lasagana. Do measure the inside of your oven to see what size pans you can use before buying them! A full size pan woud fit in my old gas oven - but will not fit in my new electric oven.

Here are some Freezer Meal sites that will give you info on what will and will not freeze well, and more recipes than you can shake a stick at! Many things can be fully cooked before freezing - just walk down the "TV Dinner" frozen food aisle of your grocery store and look at the variety available.
 
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