i definitely like the idea of a coop. i was just intimidated by how nytimes presented it. the author mentioned that her coop includes two james beard editors, and an executive chef of a manhattan restaurant. now...i am a loyal and avid reader of nytimes...i just wish they hadn't made something that is supposed to make life simpler seem inaccessible because of its pretense.

I did for a year. It was a wonderful way to receive healthy and delicious food a few nights a week. We used glass Pyrex dishes since they could easily be placed in the oven to warm up. We made whatever we wanted and it veered toward mostly organic items, but we ate Cuban, Mexican, Greek and grilled items often.

Some suggestions: see if you can do it with neighbors who are close and have a similar food palate to you.

@bextabikes I noticed that too, but I didn't take it as pretention so much as sheer good luck for the author!! Lucky her!

Yes, lucky, but the pressure when you are doing the cooking! I don't think I would like a coop -- I'm not that picky, but certain days I feel like eating particular things. And I'm vegetarian, so I'd have to find other vegetarians. I was impressed by the one coop mentioned in the article which is gluten-free because ONE MEMBER doesn't eat gluten!

I don't think this would work well in the suburbs, but I did it in college with a few other apartments near mine. It was great because we all had different class and work schedules. This was a way for us to cut down on eating out and have healthier options.

Love the idea. It would be absolutely ideal in my situation as a newlywed, grad student, thesis writing, bar tending workaholic. Now if I could just find other women my age who like to cook as much as I do....

My friends and I have done a coop-style swap several times over the last few years, and they are fantastic! Instead of a regular schedule, we hold ours whenever someone is motivated to organize.

We've found that five people plus the organizer is a reasonable logistical max; with more than that, we didn't have stockpots or bowls big enough for the volumes in question! I try to send out major food issues like wheat or dairy allergies ahead of time, and then ask everyone to send a couple of options for what they might make to the group to try to make sure everyone gets stuff they'll eat. I only organize vegetarian swaps because I'm vegetarian myself. (It's a perk of being the organizer!)

We also ask people to use dishes that will freeze well. I especially love this policy because it means that when I'm pressed for time and facing a week of take-out lunches, I can often go to my freezer and find awesome homemade meals to bring instead. And then I organize another swap at lunch time!

My partner organized a 'dinner coop' of the folks we knew with young kids, toddlers. The protocol was that one couple cooked dinner on Friday night. To prevent 'competitive food escalation' and because we were all working, we had a no-more-than-six-chopped-ingredients rule. It went for years, because we always knew we'd have a dinner event, the kids entertained each other, adults could have conversations, and because many of the parents traveled for work, the at-home parent knew that they and their kids could count on a Friday night get-together. We cooked for 20-35 people but only once every three to four months. Indeed, we moved away from the area and the coop kept going. By the end of the second year, a subset was getting together to brew beer for the coop dinners, another group was beginning to can for it.

A group of five single friends who lived in my building had a food co-op going for awhile. It seemed pretty straightforward. They each cooked a dinner with 5 portions, put into freezer containers, and met in the lounge to swap. They were all good cooks with similar taste, but didn't have time or inclination to cook every night for one person. I loved the idea in principle, but I enjoy cooking every night.