Cooking for a Community Fridge

[patti]

11 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

@patti do you have a restaurant depot near you?  Where are you buying your supplies? (not the food, the paper goods like the styrofoam containers?)

 

No restaurant depot, but a couple of restaurant supply stores. I have bought from each of those, but also found good prices on deli containers on Amazon (with careful looking), and I usually get the styrofoam three compartment and one compartment plates from Costco or Sam’s. I’ve priced things at Webstaurant, but the shipping costs don’t make sense for what I’m currently buying. I would love to know of other sources.

[YvetteMT]

4 hours ago, patti said:

 

No restaurant depot, but a couple of restaurant supply stores. I have bought from each of those, but also found good prices on deli containers on Amazon (with careful looking), and I usually get the styrofoam three compartment and one compartment plates from Costco or Sam’s. I’ve priced things at Webstaurant, but the shipping costs don’t make sense for what I’m currently buying. I would love to know of other sources.

I know my local Chefstore has containers like the ones you are using. 

[JeanneCake]

@patti, there's a restaurant depot in Baton Rouge and one in New Orleans. How far away are you from one of those locations? 

 

Do you have a Gordon Food Service cash and carry near you?

 

What kind of container is the most useful for you? Can you give me the manufacturer and/or item number ?

[JeanneCake]

Restaurantdepot.com has the 9x9 3compartment hinged styrofoam containers for .11 each, the case pack is 150 units for about $19.  

 

The church could possibly get a membership to Restaurant depot and even if its an hour away I would encourage them to get a membership.  They can buy the containers and let people (like you) use them to fill the community fridge. And possibly even get competitive pricing on bulk items like cans of beans, veggies, pasta.

 

I'm tempted to buy a case and ship them to you....

[JeanneCake]

@patti do you know Emaco Foodservice in Lafayette?   In the world of food service, there are broadliner distributors  (like Sysco, Gordon FoodService) and smaller ones that usually service a local area.  From what I can find, Emaco seems to be a smaller distributor (in terms of distance serviced) with strong ties to the community.  That company might allow for cash-and-carry sales, or they might be willing to let the church buy on behalf of those filling the fridge.

 

[patti]

18 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

Restaurantdepot.com has the 9x9 3compartment hinged styrofoam containers for .11 each, the case pack is 150 units for about $19.  

 

The church could possibly get a membership to Restaurant depot and even if its an hour away I would encourage them to get a membership.  They can buy the containers and let people (like you) use them to fill the community fridge. And possibly even get competitive pricing on bulk items like cans of beans, veggies, pasta.

 

I'm tempted to buy a case and ship them to you....

 

You are considerate, generous, and kind!

 

Although I have a contact person at the church, I’m not a member, and I while I know they set aside money in their budget for stocking their pantry, I am not privy to any other details on their buying processes. 

 

13 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

@patti do you know Emaco Foodservice in Lafayette?   In the world of food service, there are broadliner distributors  (like Sysco, Gordon FoodService) and smaller ones that usually service a local area.  From what I can find, Emaco seems to be a smaller distributor (in terms of distance serviced) with strong ties to the community.  That company might allow for cash-and-carry sales, or they might be willing to let the church buy on behalf of those filling the fridge.

 

 

While I had not heard of Emaco Foodservice, after looking them up, I have heard of the owner, Ema Haq, who is a well known restauranteur, respected for being generous to the community. One of the more visible things he does is that he opens his restaurant every year on Thanksgiving (or maybe Christmas) and dining is free for the food insecure.

 

Coincidentally, I did business with one of his restaurants many years ago in my capacity as coordinator of an educational travel program. His staff worked with me and my less than generous budget so that my group could dine in for dinner one night of their visit.

 

Thank you! Definitely worth investigating.

 

As far as my purchase price for the three compartment hinged styrofoam to go containers, it’s about 15 cents a unit from Costco and maybe 14 at Sam’s. That is what I have used most frequently in the past. 

 

[patti]

Pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches will be on the menu this week. Easy enough in the slow cooker, and SO much easier than pulled pork or ham. PLUS, I already have half of the chicken I need in the freezer, not used in a previous CFM.  I’ve made these twice before for different CFMs. Once, paired with a corn salad, and another time, served with rice dressing and coleslaw.

 

Pulled chicken for sandwiches and corn salad.

 

 

 

BBQ pulled chicken sandwich, rice dressing (aka dirty rice), coleslaw, boiled cookies (not homemade).

 

 

 

 

 

I’m thinking bean salad as the side this week. Two kinds of Rancho Gordo beans (Domingo Rojo and Rio Zape) along with canned chickpeas, cucumber, onion, fresh herbs, etc. I know that green beans are often used in three bean salad, but I didn’t really want to use them. Opinions? Suggestions? Dressing recipe ideas? Alternate side ideas?

 

 

Not sure what day of the week I’ll be cooking or delivering yet.

[Smithy]

38 minutes ago, patti said:

I’m thinking bean salad as the side this week. Two kinds of Rancho Gordo beans (Domingo Rojo and Rio Zape) along with canned chickpeas, cucumber, onion, fresh herbs, etc. I know that green beans are often used in three bean salad, but I didn’t really want to use them. Opinions? Suggestions? Dressing recipe ideas? Alternate side ideas?

 

What about olives added to it? You could take it in a Mediterranean direction like this salad I had a few days ago: a nice vinaigrette, not too sweet.

 

 

One issue is that it might clash with the sweetness of the pulled meat sandwich. I'm not sure about compatability, but I'm throwing it out as a suggestion.

 

You say you don't want green beans in the bean salad. What about wax beans? Or are you simply trying to avoid those long skinny legumes this time around?

[patti]

46 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

What about olives added to it? You could take it in a Mediterranean direction like this salad I had a few days ago: a nice vinaigrette, not too sweet.

 

 

One issue is that it might clash with the sweetness of the pulled meat sandwich. I'm not sure about compatability, but I'm throwing it out as a suggestion.

 

You say you don't want green beans in the bean salad. What about wax beans? Or are you simply trying to avoid those long skinny legumes this time around?

The bean salad recipe I was looking at included capers, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to include them. They do offer that brininess. Will do taste tests and ponder. Thank you!
 

I’m going to avoid those long skinny legumes this time. 😀

[Darienne]

I always have a bean salad on hand, particularly because it keeps so well.  A Tabbouleh salad also for the same reason.  My bean salad is canned or cooked chickpeas, black beans, red &/or white kidney beans, some other canned bean which I have on hand, canned or frozen corn, I'd add black olive slices but Ed doesn't want them, red or white or green  onions, a bit of garlic (I don't seem to tolerate my former amounts any longer), fresh or dried parsley and a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing.  Never any sugar or long skinny beans or lima beans.   Love it.  

[Tropicalsenior]

I know this isn't relevant to you patti but for those of us who are living alone or cooking for two, making bean salad can be a problem. By the time I have added three kinds of beans and chickpeas, I have enough to feed us and my neighbors. So I usually mix the beans together first, before I add the dressing, take out what I need for one meal and freeze the rest in small portions. That way I can have bean salad just when I want it and we're not eating bean salad for a week.

Edited Monday at 07:09 PM by Tropicalsenior (log)

[blue_dolphin]

The Creamy Oregano Dressing from Samin Nosrat's book, Good Things is quite nice in a bean salad. It uses aquafaba, which keeps it nicely emulsified.  In the book, she uses it in a White Bean, Celery and Tuna Salad and a Marinated Chickpea Salad with Cucumbers and Dill, either of which could be salads for another fridge meal. I’ve made and enjoyed both and they hold up nicely. 

She also uses that dressing to marinate “Souvlaki-ish” chicken thighs that she grills and are great in a wrap.  
If you want to try the dressing, the recipe is available here:

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Food/dig-samin-nosrats-everyday-recipes-new-good-things/story?id=125524145

 

[SLB]

One thought re the bean salad -- I don't love the texture of traditional 3-bean salad.  However, I do like crunch and sour; you could consider using dilly beans (I believe this is the generic name for pickled green beans) instead of regular green beans. 

[patti]

Yesterday’s CFM was delivered by 2pm. 24 boxed lunches of slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches and bean salad.

 

I won’t start with pictures of cooking the dried beans, but they included these two, plus a pound of small white beans. In the future, if I’m making bean salad with dried beans and not canned, I would not add aromatics or anything else that will “muddy” the salad. In the first pot of beans, which was the pinto-like bean, I’d sautéed diced carrots, celery, and onion. Regretting that decision, I used larger aromatics in the second pot so they could be fished out easily, and in the third, no aromatics, to see if the beans would look “cleaner.” They did, but too late for this salad.

 

 

 

Four of the six English cucumbers, first layer.

 

 

 

1.5 large red onions, diced, soaked in water, drained.

 

 

 

In addition to the three beans previously mentioned, 2 28 oz cans of garbanzo beans, and a couple of cans of cannellini beans were also used, plus two bunches of fresh parsley and one small bunch of dill. It’s looking pretty, but I wish I had more cucumbers because they add so much. Seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, Tony’s.

 

 

Sorry I didn’t quote the posts, but @blue_dolphin, I did use Samin Nosrat’s Creamy Oregano Dressing! Thought I had pics of it, but since I made enough for an army, I’ll snap a pic a little later. I don’t have leftover salad, but I have leftover dressing.

 

@Smithy, I bought both sliced black olives and sliced Kalamatas with the intention of trying each of those, as well as capers, and picking a favorite. At one point I reminded myself to take them out, and then never thought of them again!! Yikes. I was not ignoring your suggestion, just got caught up and forgot!

 

@SLB, dilly beans sound dill-icious, but alas, my groceries were purchased. I could’ve run to the store and bought some the next day so I could’ve forgotten to use them, like the other suggestions. 🤷‍♀️

 

 

And dressed

 

 

 

 

Besides chicken, this stuff went into the slow cooker.

 

 

 

First layer of chicken in the slow cooker. After second layer, it was about 10 pounds of chicken, with enough leftover to feed my son’s family. They’re not food insecure, they just like Mom’s cooking.

 

 

 

Right before putting the sandwiches together.

 

 

 

There were three trays like this of lightly buttered and toasted buns.

 

 

 

Before topping with dill slices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by patti (log)

[Shelby]

Another stellar week!  How long did you do the chicken in the slow cooker?  

[MaryIsobel]

28 minutes ago, patti said:

Yesterday’s CFM was delivered by 2pm. 24 boxed lunches of slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches and bean salad.

 

I won’t start with pictures of cooking the dried beans, but they included these two, plus a pound of small white beans. In the future, if I’m making bean salad with dried beans and not canned, I would not add aromatics or anything else that will “muddy” the salad. In the first pot of beans, which was the pinto-like bean, I’d sautéed diced carrots, celery, and onion. Regretting that decision, I used larger aromatics in the second pot so they could be fished out easily, and in the third, no aromatics, to see if the beans would look “cleaner.” They did, but too late for this salad.

 

 

 

Four of the six English cucumbers, first layer.

 

 

 

1.5 large red onions, diced, soaked in water, drained.

 

 

 

In addition to the three beans previously mentioned, 2 28 oz cans of garbanzo beans, and a couple of cans of cannellini beans were also used, plus two bunches of fresh parsley and one small bunch of dill. It’s looking pretty, but I wish I had more cucumbers because they add so much. Seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, Tony’s.

 

 

Sorry I didn’t quote the posts, but @blue_dolphin, I did use Samin Nosrat’s Creamy Oregano Dressing! Thought I had pics of it, but since I made enough for an army, I’ll snap a pic a little later. I don’t have leftover salad, but I have leftover dressing.

 

@Smithy, I bought both sliced black olives and sliced Kalamatas with the intention of trying each of those, as well as capers, and picking a favorite. At one point I reminded myself to take them out, and then never thought of them again!! Yikes. I was not ignoring your suggestion, just got caught up and forgot!

 

@SLB, dilly beans sound dill-icious, but alas, my groceries were purchased. I could’ve run to the store and bought some the next day so I could’ve forgotten to use them, like the other suggestions. 🤷‍♀️

 

 

And dressed

 

 

 

 

Besides chicken, this stuff went into the slow cooker.

 

 

 

First layer of chicken in the slow cooker. After second layer, it was about 10 pounds of chicken, with enough leftover to feed my son’s family. They’re not food insecure, they just like Mom’s cooking.

 

 

 

Right before putting the sandwiches together.

 

 

 

There were three trays like this of lightly buttered and toasted buns.

 

 

 

Before topping with dill slices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well done once again Patti!

[patti]

Thank ya ma’am!

 

I did it low and slow and did it for six hours. Wanted to be sure it was easily shreddable. Plus, ten pounds of chicken! 

 

This was a much smaller meal than I usually do. Hopefully, the recipients felt nourished and full.

20 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Another stellar week!  How long did you do the chicken in the slow cooker?  

 

[patti]

I forgot to say that the boxes used were given to me by the lady who manages the food pantry/fridge. They were donated to the church, but aren’t particularly convenient to use. They’ve got to be folded into shape and they won’t stay closed without tape. My husband loves details like this! 😜 This was our second time using them and they worked out fine. Fully folded and taped.