Pre-assembled meals: the new food craze

What do you call something that saves time, saves money and allows you to eat well without killing yourself cooking each night?

Some call it home meal replacements or fix-and-freeze dinners. Others call it pre-assembled entrees or ready-to-cook cuisine. But whatever you call it, this new trend-turned-food-frenzy consists of ordering and preparing several meals in advance at an industrial-style kitchen, then freezing the food to eat later. And although there's not an attractive household name for it, yet, the idea itself is highly attractive to a huge demographic — anyone who eats!

One of the first to initiate the pre-assembled meals idea was Dream Dinners, founded by two moms from Snohomish, Stephanie Firchau and Tina Kunain. In less than three years, the company has grown to nearly 100 locations across the nation. Practical, affordable and unbelievably tasty, the prepared-food phenomenon is spreading like wildfire and has sparked a number of other competing companies to open in the Seattle area and beyond. Those companies are thriving too, filling a need and countless growling tummies at the same time.

How does it work? Each company does it a little bit differently, but for the most part, this is the drill:

• First you order a 6- or 12-meal package deal (either online or over the phone) from a menu which changes monthly. This helps accommodate for seasonal variety and special holiday treats such as turkey and gravy for the month of November, and popular outdoor grill recipes in July.
• Once you've chosen your meals, you pick a session from the available openings, then wait (and salivate) until your timeslot arrives.
• Upon arrival, all your of meals ingredients have been chopped, diced, portioned, pulled and stocked at individual assembly stations in a giant kitchen. All the spices are aligned, and measuring devices placed with each ingredient.
• You wash your hands, put on an apron and begin assembling by following recipes posted at their appropriate stations. Some companies offer a glass of wine or a sample taste of an upcoming menu item while you "cook," giving the whole process a festive feel.
• Once you finish a meal, you label it with pre-printed cooking instructions and begin stacking your meals into what feels like a mountain of food by the time you finish just an hour or two later.

Vanessa Brown prepares her meals at Dream Dinners.

And the best part? There's no clean-up duty. The staff busily busses your mess away while you work.

On average, each meal runs $14 to $20 and feeds four people. Compared to eating out or buying all the individual ingredients for each recipe, it's a bargain. Many pre-assembled meal fanatics will also say they save money by wasting less food (because all meals are freezer friendly) and making far fewer trips to the store (now going only for fresh produce and staples like milk and eggs).

While the idea was originally designed for soccer-mom types with hungry kids and husbands, it also appeals to anyone who is pressed for time and can't (or won't) cook at home regularly otherwise. This current fan base has quickly grown to encompass everyone from families with two working parents and sons or daughters who want to provide for their elderly parents, to expectant mothers, college students and bachelors who want to eat well but never knew how to cook before.

The use of the meals is also expanding. The majority of customers incorporate these meals into their daily dinner plan, but they are quickly finding other creative ways to take advantage of the convenience factor. For example, some customers will order 10 of the same entrée and throw a dinner party or family reunion minus the stress of cooking from scratch. Others will make three pumpkin cheesecakes all at once to bring to the in-laws for Thanksgiving.

"We're also seeing an increasing number of our customers fixing meals to bring with them on trips both near and far," says Leslie Thompson of Dream Dinners. "Some people will prepare meals to bring to their summer cabin for a long weekend. We even had a gal prepare a week's worth of food, pack it in dry ice, and take it with her on the plane for her entire family's visit to grandma's in the Midwest."

So, if you're short on time, but still want to feel like you can cook a great, healthy meal, pre-assembled meals can save time and money without sacrificing taste.