Next, you begin a lengthy shopping list accompanied by a corresponding internal dialogue, “I have cilantro, don’t I?” You examine a dusty glass shaker with dull green leaves inside. “How long does cilantro keep?” you ask the shaker. Feeling overwhelmed by your jumble of a cupboard, you throw caution to the wind; stopping at no fewer than two crowded grocery stores to fulfill the now bedraggled recipe in your clenched fist and still unsure of tonight’s outcome.

Wouldn’t it be nice to go into your kitchen and find your gourmet meal ingredients laid out and ready for you to prepare? Enter, the Prep Kitchen.

The Prep Kitchen located at 491 US Route One in Freeport, Maine has been taking the legwork out of cooking for the last two years and its repeat customers attest to its common sense approach to modern meal preparation.

Menus are planned for the month, featuring entrees such as Curried Island Chicken or Shrimp in Wine Sauce over Spaghetti to serve up with appetizers like Spanikopita in Puff Pastry or Chicken Satay. Not sure about something you may not be able to pronounce to your friends? There are always mainstays like Barbeque Meatloaf and Not-So-Sloppy Joes to choose from. Items are priced by the serving which usually feeds two to three people.

Simply walk in the door, choose recipe cards for your meals, and find the shiny work station corresponding to the recipe card. All the raw ingredients are in the workstation, allowing you to control the meal for your own taste. When the ingredients are assembled for each part of your meal, simply close the container and place it in the freezer and move on. Detailed cooking instructions accompany each menu item. Within about an hour, even the first-timer can have meals for the week or month ready to go freezer-to-oven for as little as three to four dollars per serving; but why hurry? Dinner Diva (it’s on her card) Wendy Wren has created an inviting atmosphere that combines grab and go efficiency with the older traditions of the kitchen as a place of social gathering. Coffee and tea are available and there is no rush to push clients out the door. Make a date. Bring friends, music, and a bottle of your favorite wine and spend a couple relaxing hours creating healthy and affordable meals.

In an age when families struggle to find time to sit down to a meal, the concept of the Prep Kitchen has eased the burden for many. The meal options at the Prep Kitchen are varied, nutritious, and more affordable than attempting to buy and assemble ingredients in your own kitchen. No longer do couples have to stare across the room at each other and play the game of “What do you want for dinner?” The game where the question, if asked a sufficient number of times, will cause the phone to spontaneously dial the nearest pizza place.

For more information on The Prep Kitchen Food Salon, please visit their website PrepKitchenOnline.com
Special thanks to Doug McIntire for contributing this fine post. For more great writing by Doug, visit his WordPress Blog CDMcIntire.wordpress.com