The Walk-In Cookbook (Park Slope) [CLOSED as of 2/17/14]

There are a lot of businesses offering meal kit delivery these days, like Plated, Blue Apron, and Hello Fresh. You choose recipes from their website and they ship the measured out ingredients to your door. (Most have a number of gluten-free options.) The idea is that you'll cook more often at home, expand your repertoire, and waste less food, since everything will be measured out precisely - all good things. I just take issue with the waste created by the shipping process - the plastic used to wrap those individual ingredients - single garlic cloves, teaspoons of spice, etc; ice packs to keep things cold; and all those cardboard boxes. Fret not! A solution to this problem exists: The Walk-In Cookbook.

Located on 7th Ave in Park Slope, the Walk-In Cookbook is a storefront biz offering the same sort of service as online - you choose recipes you'd like to make and they provide the portioned out ingredients. They source high quality ingredients, local and organic when possible. Many of the items are kept loose and packaging, when used, is minimal. By shopping in-store you can also decline any ingredients you already have at home.

Gluten-free recipes are clearly marked (orange ribbon at lower right):

It's also just a lovely space to shop in.

In addition to the meal kits they also offer individual grocery items like olive oil, ice creams, and gluten-free baking mixes:

Pick-up, local delivery, and subscription options are available - check them all out here. The shop also hosts special events like product demos and cooking classes.

The Walk-In Cookbook is located at 72 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217.