We already mentioned prioritizing what may spoil sooner, but we also want to reduce additional waste in our kitchen. That means substituting and adding ingredients for what we have on hand and getting creative with our scraps. For example, we love to make broth or stock and are known for packing as many mixed vegetables as possible into a dish.

How many people are helping? What is their skill level and age? We love new volunteers and don’t want them to have a stressful experience, so we adjust the meals based on who and how many people will be making it. Some meals involve a lot of prep, so the more hands helping peel, chop, slice, the more complex meals we can create.

Who we are cooking for is incredibly important. Are we cooking for younger kids or older adults? What time of year is it? In July, we made sure our recipients could reheat the meals we distributed without heating their whole house. Sometimes meals need to be freezable- other times, we need a meal that can work for more than one group. While we have favorite recipes, we frequently cook; creating variety in our meals also makes healthy and happy people!

The kitchen also has to be flexible and creative when it comes to the time we have to cook. That includes utilizing our equipment wisely. Our volunteers may use our six-burner stove, ten rack oven, multiple electric pressure cookers, induction burners, rice cooker & food dehydrators all in one day!