Easy cheap meals to sell

Posted: Mon, Apr 09 2012, 9:01 pm Post subject: Easy cheap meals to sell

I started selling meals for parnassa. And looking for cheap, easy meals which you think would sell well.

Meat, sides and desserts.

Would really appreciate your help!

Gold Member Joined: Dec 25 2008 Posts: 2036

do you really think it's that easy? feel free to pm me. it's how I started my catering business, but cheap, easy meals, are not all there is to it.

Posted: Mon, Apr 09 2012, 9:55 pm Post subject: re: Easy cheap meals to sell

I don't think it's that easy, I ve been doing that for a while now and it helps us! Its just a few homemade meals I don't want to open catering, at least have not thought about it yet. Just wanted a few new ideas.

Moderator Joined: Jun 05 2011 Posts: 3376

There's generally an inverse relationship between cheap and easy. I.e. a roast is easy, but expensive. Meatballs are cheap, but a patchka to make.

Roast chicken with rice/potatoes/pasta and salad is probably one of the cheapest/easy dinners that you can sell.
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Gold Member Joined: Dec 25 2008 Posts: 2036

Posted: Tue, Apr 10 2012, 6:30 am Post subject: re: Easy cheap meals to sell

What about food based on lentils, beans etc? they are not expensive but most people do not know how to cook them well.

(just a thought...no idea if these would sell well)

Posted: Tue, Apr 10 2012, 9:12 am Post subject: re: Easy cheap meals to sell

I like Raisins idea and I think preparing meals for on-the-go or singles might be best. But that is just my thoughts. Soups and stews and other foods that can easily be reheated at work and can be bought prior to going to work. Healthy salads full of lots of fun stuff, not just the carrots/tomatoes etc. They take a lot of time to prepare, and the ingredients can be expensive. But if you are making a lot of salads then the price won't be as bad.
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Moderator Joined: Dec 04 2005 Posts: 6172 Location: israel

Lunches for the workplace--sandwiches, salads, soups...etc

There was someone who came to our office selling stuff....don't know why he stopped...

but people at the workplace want affordable lunches that you can buy without leaving the office.

Executive Member Joined: Dec 19 2011 Posts: 277

What about shabbos meals for families where both spouses work full time? Where do you live?
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Executive Member Joined: Dec 19 2011 Posts: 277

Sorry if you can pm me where you live I might be able to help!

Posted: Tue, Apr 10 2012, 9:51 am Post subject: re: Easy cheap meals to sell

What about kugels? If you had a food processor and you can shred 20 pounds of potatoes (or onions or carrots) all at once and then make a massive batch of kugels all at once, that wouldn't be too hard or too expensive. You could sell them frozen, maybe?
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Senior Member Joined: Jan 11 2010 Posts: 186

I think soups is the type of things many would appreciate, stay at home mothers, singles, working people etc. But more of a winter item. You can get a recipee book (not kosher probably) on just soups and try many out. Or try to copy some you've tasted. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Posted: Tue, Apr 10 2012, 10:12 am Post subject:

Do you have a hechsher?

Gold Member Joined: Feb 13 2007 Posts: 1263

Shnitzel, roasted veggies, quinoa salad, rice pilafs, good soups....

Diamond Member Joined: Jun 29 2011 Posts: 3030

I should think a large slow-cooker would be your friend, set up before bed, and wake up to beef stew in tomato sauce with carrot and celery and perhaps dried beans or barley. I would pre-soak the dried beans an hour, and then rinse them. Pre-rinse the barley. Some thin skinned white potatoes could also go in, cut up coarsely, unpeeled. Not precision work, cutting it all up. Your food processor could slice. You might buy large restaurant-supply cans of the tomato sauce. Be sure to use the whole can up. Don't leave some left in the can for later. This stew would also freeze. With enough vegetable density, you could do without the beef chunks. Make sure it is acid enough; you could add bottled lemon juice if needed.

Your food processor could shred red cabbage, carrot, and celery, then add your own dressing, mixing ordinary vinegar with soy sauce and a little sugar, and perhaps a bland oil such as canola. This doesn't freeze; but the acid keeps it fresh for some days. White cabbage is even cheaper but not as pretty. Olives and raisins are great, but more money.

Your slow cooker could certainly produce various soups for you overnight. I like the kind that turns itself down from high to warm after four hours, a "smart pot".

In the coming hot weather people might like gazpacho, which is just a somewhat thin tomato soup made from the same sauce cut by half with water, with red pepper flakes and garlic powder in it, a little oil, and some cucumber salad and a few olives, presented very cold. It should be peppery and sharp. Hot sauce. Tell the customer to serve it with a sliced hardboiled egg in each bowl, maybe a slice of lemon, and two ice cubes in every bowl. If you have put some dried beans in it, that's nearly a meal in itself, with some bread.

If you are willing to bake cookies, you could make cloud cookies: just roll out a dough that contains some corn starch (that doesn't get hard), sprinkle white and blue sprinkles or sugars all over the uncut sheet, then slice vertical lines with a knife in the dough, alternating straight and wavy lines, just by eye. Then, slice lines across. The cookies come out all shapes: makes clouds. No two clouds are alike. Easy and fast. The stand mixer makes the dough. Parchment paper is the main expense but perhaps you can keep re-using the same day's paper. If the sprinkles are expensive, dye the dough with a little beet juice and you will have pink clouds. People do love that glittery sugar with the wax in it. Might be worth getting it. A little turmeric powder will yield yellow clouds; you won't taste it. Main thing is not to spend time on cookie shaping. Draw freehand with your knife. I have a cookie recipe from Nisei Chabad if you want it.