A challenge for you - microwave meals for one with limited equipment

Kathy535

sparrer wrote: »

For economical reasons I very seldom use my oven /hob, instead my sc and mw are used almost daily. In the mw I cook a small chicken in a deep bowl covered with cling film, on a low setting for about 3/4 hour, also casseroles, curries, steak and chops (takes practice but I have it perfected now). I also steam veg in a shallow dish with a drop of water and again covered in cling film. It's best to buy microwavable cling film, it's okay to use the ordinary kitchen sort once in a while but not for every day use. Most of the above can also be done in a sc which you can turn on before going to work and come home to a hot meal. Rice pudding, sponge puddings, cakes and even biscuits can be made in the mw, if like me you like cooking you can experiment with no end of recipes.

Equipment I can't do without - a deep microwavable bowl, a couple of shallow ones (I use pasta bowls which can double as dinner plates), a mug for making cake, a browning plate for bacon, sausages, biscuits etc., a veg knife and carving knife, chopping board, a slotted spoon and oven gloves. Mw and sc dishes can get very hot! Have fun experimenting

Thank you. I do like cooking (and eating) and thanks for the tip about the cling film.

Kathy535

aneres wrote: »

I second bringing things like Chilli or Curry for the first couple of days.

Could you take a toaster so you could have things like beans on toast etc.

I don't know how much effort you want to put in but there are some recipes here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/microwave_recipes

http://www.microwaveassociation.org.uk/recipes/

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1243/microwave-jambalaya

Thank you, these links are great. The salmon with lemon sauce looks good and doable as long as I remember to bring the makings.

Kathy535

Thanks everyone, plenty of ideas to be going on with even if I can't bring precooked or slow cookers/toasters with me. Tonight's meal was ready to eat salmon fillets with Cous cous (which I can also have tomorrow) and that worked well. Hopefully, if I stay here often they'll let me leave stuff over the weekend which would reduce the amount I have to carry significantly.

Thanks again.

alwaysskint96

cant you just buy a slow cooker locally? Under a tenner and fits in a large carrier bag

BlondeHeadOn

I've just bought a silicon flappy thingy from Lakeland, that cooks an omelette in the microwave in 2 minutes. It's great - I am a rubbish cook, and yet every single omelette I have made so far has been absolutely perfect and really tasty. All you need to do is to beat up a couple of eggs with a splash of milk, pour the mixture into the silicon thingy and cook in m/w. There are also instructions for adding other ingredients to make flavoured omelettes, but it is all basically that simple.


Almost no mess as well, and the silicon thingy is easy to wipe down/rinse out.


The silicon thingy costs about £14, but is worth every penny in my opinion....

DKLS

I do a similar job and am away from home, and whilst I do get a decent evening meal allowance, its a bit grim eating out on your own, so I usually alternate between Waitrose and M&S ready meals with a bag of salad. Based on previous experience I would avoid Sainburys Asda and Morrison's ready meals like the plague.

Also check out serviced apartments as they can often work out cheaper than hotels, the one I current use has a fully equipped kitchen, but similar to the eating out thing cooking for one is equally as grim so i haven't used the oven or hob yet.

Kathy535

alwaysskint96 wrote: »

cant you just buy a slow cooker locally? Under a tenner and fits in a large carrier bag

I go back home at weekends and would have to keep lugging it back and forward on the East Coast Mainline. Also, cleaners come in each day and I suspect the hotel would see it as a fire risk although I shall ask in case I can get somewhere to leave my extra luggage each week.

Kathy535

BlondeHeadOn wrote: »

I've just bought a silicon flappy thingy from Lakeland, that cooks an omelette in the microwave in 2 minutes. It's great - I am a rubbish cook, and yet every single omelette I have made so far has been absolutely perfect and really tasty. All you need to do is to beat up a couple of eggs with a splash of milk, pour the mixture into the silicon thingy and cook in m/w. There are also instructions for adding other ingredients to make flavoured omelettes, but it is all basically that simple.


Almost no mess as well, and the silicon thingy is easy to wipe down/rinse out.


The silicon thingy costs about £14, but is worth every penny in my opinion....

Sounds ideal, thank you, I'll be getting one of those.

Kathy535

DKLS wrote: »

I do a similar job and am away from home, and whilst I do get a decent evening meal allowance, its a bit grim eating out on your own, so I usually alternate between Waitrose and M&S ready meals with a bag of salad. Based on previous experience I would avoid Sainburys Asda and Morrison's ready meals like the plague.

Also check out serviced apartments as they can often work out cheaper than hotels, the one I current use has a fully equipped kitchen, but similar to the eating out thing cooking for one is equally as grim so i haven't used the oven or hob yet.

Thank you. I did used to stay in s/c apartments but the only ones that came in at the company's rate went into administration in the summer. Having a s/c apartment changed my life as I could eat healthily and felt more in control of things (I even enjoyed cooking for one!)

I definitely agree with the ready meals thing, so far M&S are the winners with Waitrose coming in second place the others are pretty awful.

lostinrates

DKLS wrote: »

I do a similar job and am away from home, and whilst I do get a decent evening meal allowance, its a bit grim eating out on your own, so I usually alternate between Waitrose and M&S ready meals with a bag of salad. Based on previous experience I would avoid Sainburys Asda and Morrison's ready meals like the plague.

Also check out serviced apartments as they can often work out cheaper than hotels, the one I current use has a fully equipped kitchen, but similar to the eating out thing cooking for one is equally as grim so i haven't used the oven or hob yet.

I think eating out on your own depends on the person and you do get used to it. My fil and his wife hate cooking and are in a position neither of them have to so eat out ( or with friends) almost every single night of the year, together, with friends or alone if they are alone. ( one travels a fair bit leaving the other alone). My DH usually eat out / in the office than 'at home' in London, primarily because of work load. But for supper tries to take a proper break from his desk and go to the canteen ( where usually eats alone in the room) rather than eat at his desk) as he feels this is a better habit.

He makes good use of work fridge too.

He DOES take back left overs, but doesn't try to cover meals for the week. These are treat foods, reminders of home cooking. The meal allowance for delivery really is optimised. The trick is to be organised about it so you don't end up ordering sushi all the time....( its always that which is quickest delivered and loads of choice of restaurants) and to make sure your employers are choosing a service that offers decent variety including health options and not just exotic or junky cuisine. Few offer something like 'home cooking' but if you get so e that do something frenchy/ 'franglais' or British, along with some vegetarian food, some proper Italian ( not just pizze) and the international cuisines you can eat pretty well in London on so e of these choices. ( when DH is stuck in a rut I sometimes help him choose...... Sensible tips are noodle soups from waggamamma don't do well with delivery times...noodles go gloopy...but dry things should do better..I've told to DH this many times ..)