No kitchen...microwave only foods.. HELP

sooz · 16 June 2008 at 2:07PM

I've having a new kitchen fitted :j , but along with all the other work I'll be without a kitchen for 4 weeks.

It's only day 1, and already the thought of microwave meals for the next 4 weeks is making me feel very sick, not to mention the huge cost.

I have a normal microwave, not one that grills, a toaster, kettle, a tiny tiny fridge, an even smaller freezer compartment and a panini machine (which can cook thin bits of meat).

OH thinks we (& the kids) can live off toast, toasted sandwiches, & pot noodles.

I'd like a few more suggestions...preferably some that includes some vegetables (and no, despite OH's protests, those dried green bits in the pot noodles don't count)

ashbart · 16 June 2008 at 2:19PM

Ok, let me think.....

Scrambled eggs can be done in the microwave so - scrambled eggs with ham & cheese on toast

A lot of veg can be done in the microwave - carrots & parsnips cooked together with a bit of butter, salt & pepper is lovely

Can you borrow a friends hob to make bulk spag bol / shepherds pie? Put the leftovers in what freezer space you have left, defrost when you're ready to eat them and cook in the microwave. Hey - if Tesco can make microwave spag bol, why can't we?!?

I know microwave food from Tesco, etc, don't look very appetizing but the sides like mashed potato, swede & carrot mash, mixed vegetables, etc can make for a nice variation - considering you don't have a hob or oven! You can serve them with whatever thin bits of meat you cook on the panini machine! I used my mini George Foreman grill for meat when we didn't have a cooker - it worked although I haven't used it for that, since.....!

A filling toasted sandwhich is baked beans and cheese - sounds weird but SO good and very filling!

Sorry I haven't come up with too many exciting ideas.... Will have a think about it and see if I can come up with anything else! Good luck!

xx

MATH · 16 June 2008 at 2:25PM

You can cook loads in a micro so don't feel you have to reach for the Lean Cusine if you don't want to:D

Casseroles & Stews:
Nuke the meat until the fat runs (for mince until it is a uniform brown in colour) Chuck in whatever veggies you like and the liquid and nuke on full power until boiling.
Turn power down to 50% or defrost and continue to nuke until veggies are soft.
At this point adjust the thickness with cornstarch and bung in the dumplings and nuke on full for another 10-15 mins

Pasta with Sauces:
Make the sauce using the same process as with a casserole and then leave to stand while you cook the pasta.
Use an open bowl and boiling water for the pasta which only takes 10 mins or so at full power. Then drain and pour over the sauce.

Curries, Chillies with Rice:
Just the same principle as pasta dishes really. Measure the rice by volume and then add double that in boiling water. So 1/2pt of rice = 1pt of boiling water. Nuke on full power for 15 mins and rinse.

Scrambled Eggs: Are great from the micro. Just beat, nuke and mash.

Poached Eggs: Crack on egg into a wet tea cup, pierce the yolk with a skewer and cover with some kitchen paper. Nuke on 50% power until cooked.

Bacon: Nuked until crispy between two sheets of kitchen paper is fab for a morning butty.

Sponge Puddings: Make up as usual and nuke for 6-8 mins until the top is only just tacky. rest for a min and serve

Basic White Sauce (turn it into anything you want once cooked): Bung all the ingredients into a bowl and whizz with a hand mizer. Nuke at full power for 8 mins (for 1pt of sauce), whizzing with the mixer after say 2 mins and then after every min of cooking. Much less washing up than making a traditional roux in a pan. IMO

HTH

Penelope_Penguin · 16 June 2008 at 2:32PM

Take a look at this thread - Do you actually use your microwave?

Lots of uses there

Penny. x

sooz · 16 June 2008 at 2:36PM

Thanks for those ideas.

I only ever defrosted or reheated in the microwave, so it's great to hear I can do more with it.

Did I mention everything is in storage? I have 3 plates, 3 bowls, 3 glasses, 2 mugs, 3 sets of cutlery & one plastic set for the baby. 2 sharp knives and a chopping board.

I do, however, have kitchen towel. Can I really cook bacon like that? Wow :T

egg cups, whisks, skewers etc...I won't see them for weeks (actually my egg cups are metal springs, so would have been no use at all for this). Is it worth getting a microwave saucepan, or what should I cook a casserole in?

Hmm, realised I should have asked all you clever OS people BEFORE I packed everything up. (for 'packed' read threw it into boxes in a panic last night, & marked it 'random kitchen stuff')

MATH · 16 June 2008 at 2:48PM

Sooz - yes, you can really cook bacon like this. Nuke it until really crisp and you cannot tell that it hasn't been cooked in a pan.

Micro sauce pans are a waste of money IMO any old casserole dish, pyrex bowl or tureen will do to cook in.

Where is your stuff in storage? If it is accessible have a good rootle through and dig a few necessaries out cos you don't seem to have left yourself ANY equipment. If you can't access the boxes let me know and I will buy some shares in Pot Noodle before you bulk buy enough for 4 weeks. LOL

katieowl_2 · 16 June 2008 at 3:05PM

Do you have a barbeque??? if so you could cook some stuff outside. I have a gas one with a ring burner on the end, so I can cook pasta or potatoes or a fry up if I need to.
Regards

Kate

mummysaver · 16 June 2008 at 3:49PM

We were without our hob from Feb till last week! Found that it's amazing what you can manage in the microwave, lots of pasta with sauces, just a bit of juggling doing the pasta then the sauce, rice dishes, you can do almost anything really, even oven chips - found my son doing this one :rolleyes: you just need to move them about half way through! dd2 did dd3 boiled eggs, though I'm not sure I'd recommend this just in case they exploded! But scrambled and poached work well, as does an omlette, just whisk eggs up and cook for a couple of mins on a plate.

A favourite in our house is quick pizzas - chop onions and pepper and toms, nuke for 2 mins, then slice cheese and nuke for a min, slide all on top of a piece of toast with a sprinkle of pepper and garlic powder!

And don't forget good old baked potatoes, take a while if you need more that one, but still do-able.

Veg is easy to do, even managed a couple of chinese dishes using frozen stir fry, heat on its own, drain of water, add a chinese sauce of your choice and stir in some ready done noodles and reheat. Student type cooking really.

If you're cooking meat, my only advice would be to make sure its either very thin or cut into pieces, otherwise you can end up with tough edges, but chicken and bacon both work well.

Good luck!;)

Oldernotwiser · 16 June 2008 at 3:58PM

You can buy a plug in electric ring very cheaply which will extend your range of possibilities. They come as either single or doubles and even the double costs less than £20. I couldn't bear to eat out of the microwave for a month, the food cooks so badly.

**purpleprincess** · 16 June 2008 at 4:33PM

When we were travelling last summer we cooked rice and pasta in the microwave, don't forget cous cous either which can be cooked just using boiling water. It's not a bad tool if it's the only thing you have once you start thinking about bits and pieces. Like others have said veggies can be cooked in the micro, and sauces. I like a tomato sauce I make, tinned tomatoes add a glug of olive oil, shake of herbs, crushed garlic, and nuke for 10 minutes. Yummy! I like to add chilli flakes too but up to you. Sometimes I whizz it up, other times I just have as is.

DianaMattos · 16 June 2008 at 4:44PM

I would recommend getting hold of a large bowl or two to cook things in - we were recently without a kitchen for 16 weeks, and the thing I missed the most was a large bowl! Also, could you get your hands on a slow cooker?

As it is the summer, you can do loads of salads with new potatoes, quiches can be eaten straight out of the fridge, tinned soup (obviously not in the tins!).

Don't be too strict with yourself on the healthy eating - take-outs and shop bought convenience stuff won't hurt for a month or so - we built the extra cost of that into our renovations!

Hope this helps,

Love Di x

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No kitchen...microwave only foods.. HELP

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