Healthy-ish meals made with a kettle?

sb44

What about getting a food sealer then you can prepare meals and use leftover curries etc and boil them in the bag?

You can buy them off ebay or woolies.

Mine is a FoodSaver which I bought off ebay a few years ago but you may as well get one from Woolworths to save on p+p.

I use mine for freezing food to avoid freezer burn. If I cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker I vaccuum one half of the breast and keep that in the fridge for a week or so, same with cheese etc, it extends its life for ages.

Or buy form JML direct.

http://www.jmldirect.com/Food-Sealer-PF1017/

champys

sb44 wrote: »

What about getting a food sealer then you can prepare meals and use leftover curries etc and boil them in the bag?

I could be tempted by that.... but the film seems really expensive. How long does a roll last you? Can you get this cheaper in Woollies too?

kunekune

What we all have to remember is that whatever OP takes must get through US customs. I suspect that a fresh meal sealed and turned into a boil in the bag special will not meet the requirements. There are some extremely good reasons why some countries do not allow any fresh foods through the border unless they are imported under strict conditions. So probably she is restricted to what she can take in a dried/preserved condition. Also, aren't US and UK voltages different? That would affect whether it was worth purchasing any special equipment. Quite apart from the socket issue.

My suggestion is one few people know about but we learned when we were without power for 2-3 days after an earthquake. If you soak white rice in cold water, it eventually become edible! It takes about 6 hours. Quite handy if you want a non-wheat based starch to go with whatever else you've managed to produce.

sb44

champys wrote: »

I could be tempted by that.... but the film seems really expensive. How long does a roll last you? Can you get this cheaper in Woollies too?

I didn't get any rolls with mine as I bought a 2nd hand one but you can buy rolls or bags off ebay (woolies don't sell the bags or rolls at the minute which seems a bit daft).

What I tend to do now is put the stuff that I am freezing into a normal Tesco freezer bag (the ones that are about 50 for 25p) and then put this into the food sealer bag. If you do this your food sealer bag stays clean so you can use it again for something else later. I do this with the little ones fish fingers, etc.

The original food sealer bags (I got a few unused one from the seller) are washable and you can re use them but the ones I bought off ebay don't seem to be washable.

champys

I see - thanks for explaining! I am going to do some more research into this.

fuglyjowls

When I was a student and got fed up of packet food I used to get a pitta bread, fill it with cheese, cover with foil and then iron it (use a thin teatowel or hankie between the iron and the foil). Instant toastie and very nice - just be careful not to burn yourself on the foil when you open it.

All hotels will provide you with an iron:D

Felix_the_Cash

I have two suggestions:
1. In london at least, and usually only in 'local' grocer's you can get Koka noodles. They are often 25p a packet and are enough to fill a bowl - they're nothing special - just noodles with a soup packet, but are cheap, quick and enough for a meal. I do them in a pan for 4 mins, but if you only have a kettle, you could you my technique of cooking pasta I used to use at work with a kettle. Boil twice the water (or boil the same water twice), add to the noodles, drain and add more boiling water. If you wanted to do pasta this way, leave the hot water to soak for a bit longer before adding fresh boiling water. if you get a microwave, you can heat the sauce in it. Actually, thinking about it, this was for fresh pasta, not dry, though I'm sure you could do that with a bit of persistence.

2. Assuming you have a rough idea of your schedule, why not just use the internet to order food? Tesco and Ocado deliver in the UK and there are also companies that will post foodstuffs. If there are similar options in the US or where ever you are, just order in advance to be delivered to you, care of the hotel. This way you could get food that wouldn't pass through customs.

FunBrum

:rotfl:

fuglyjowls wrote: »

When I was a student and got fed up of packet food I used to get a pitta bread, fill it with cheese, cover with foil and then iron it (use a thin teatowel or hankie between the iron and the foil). Instant toastie and very nice - just be careful not to burn yourself on the foil when you open it.

All hotels will provide you with an iron:D

LOL What a great idea!!!:rotfl:

newlywed

fuglyjowls wrote: »

When I was a student and got fed up of packet food I used to get a pitta bread, fill it with cheese, cover with foil and then iron it (use a thin teatowel or hankie between the iron and the foil). Instant toastie and very nice - just be careful not to burn yourself on the foil when you open it.

All hotels will provide you with an iron:D

Did you see the film Benny and Joon???

clairol55

My mum was going to buy me a plastic tube which looked a bit like a cocktail shaker which you could use to cook dried pasta in with just boiling water. It was from one of those bettaware type brochures, but i think it's the sort of thing they'd have in lakeland. You could then bring things in tins to go with it... I'm assuming they would pass through customs.

Just edited to say I found an example on ebay... http://cgi.ebay.com/%22As-seen-on-TV%22--Pasta-Express-Pasta-Maker_W0QQitemZ230203838485QQcmdZViewItem