Beta Beta — hiring neighbors on Papalocal is new; what you see here is real, and it's still growing.
Meal prep and home cooking Beta
A neighbor cooks a week of meals for your household, in your kitchen or theirs, planned around what your family actually eats.
- How often
- Weekly
- Where the work happens
- Meets you in person
- Who it suits
- Best done by an adult
- Before you start
- Check local rules
These open your Papalocal account. You'll be asked to log in or sign up first.
Meal prep means a neighbor cooks several meals at once, portions them out and leaves them labeled, so the week's dinners or lunches are already handled. Some cooks work in the customer's kitchen with the customer's groceries; others cook at home and drop the meals off.
It is popular with busy parents, new parents, people home after surgery, older neighbors who no longer want to cook every night, and anyone tired of deciding what's for dinner at six o'clock.
A neighbor cook can learn your family's tastes over time, shop at the same stores you do, and keep the food simple and familiar instead of fancy.
Also called: personal chef for meal prep, weekly meal prep, home cooked meals delivered, freezer meals, family meal prep, meal prep for seniors.
What's usually included
- Planning a menu with you for the week or the order
- Shopping for groceries, or cooking from food you provide
- Cooking, portioning and labeling each meal with its name and date
- Packing meals into containers that fit your fridge or freezer
- Leaving reheating directions
- Cleaning up the kitchen when the cooking happens in your home
What to ask before you hire
- Will the cooking happen in your kitchen or theirs, and who buys the groceries?
- What allergies, dislikes and diet needs does everyone in the house have?
- How many meals and portions each week, and on which day?
- What containers will be used, and who washes or returns them?
- Are grocery costs repaid separately or built into the price?
Staying safe
- Label each container with the dish, the date it was made and any ingredient someone in the house is allergic to.
- Cool cooked food quickly and keep it cold on the drive; a cooler with ice packs is worth carrying.
- A home cook is not a dietitian, so anyone on a medical diet should get the plan from their doctor or a registered dietitian and hand it to the cook.
- Wash hands and surfaces between raw meat and ready-to-eat food, especially in a kitchen that isn't yours.
Local rules
Some states and counties have rules for cooking meals for other households, and they can differ between cooking in the customer's kitchen and cooking in your own, so check your local rules before you hire or offer it.
Meal prep and home cooking by town
Questions people ask
Is meal prep the same as a personal chef?
It is simpler. Meal prep is about cooking ahead and filling the fridge, not serving a plated dinner, though some neighbors do both.
Can the cook follow a special diet?
Many can follow a written list of foods to use and avoid. For a medical diet, give the cook the plan your doctor or dietitian made rather than asking the cook to design one.
How long do prepared meals keep?
Ask the cook and follow the date on each label. Meals meant for later in the week are often frozen and moved to the fridge the night before.
Can I set up meals for an elderly parent who lives nearby?
Yes, and a cook who lives close makes the drop-offs easy. Agree on who lets the cook in, who pays, and who checks that the meals are being eaten.
Thinking of offering this yourself?
- Master a short menu you can cook the same way every time before branching out; people reorder the dish they loved.
- Keep a card for each household listing allergies, dislikes and favorite meals.
- Work out your price from your time, grocery runs and containers, compare it with what personal cooks charge nearby, and choose your own number.
- A cooking day and drop-off time that never moves is what turns a one-time order into a regular customer.
- If you cook in your own kitchen for paying households, learn your area's food rules first.
