HELP: inexpensive recipes not requiring a fridge?

LemonadeBudget

For the second time in 6 weeks our fridge (less than one year old, and thankfully within warranty) has broken.  Aside from the cost of ruined food both times this has happened it's incredibly boring living on pasta or supermarket salad/sandwich deals until the fridge engineer can come out! (warranty thing paid for by Samsung)

Anyone have any non-pasta recommendations for recipes not requiring ingredients stored in a fridge?  Most grateful for any and all suggestions - we're not fussy eaters so will give anything a go 

Teapot55

Curry & Rice - serves 2

From a supermarket (or local shops) buy
a packet of orange lentils
a small (100g) packet of cumin seeds
a tin of chopped tomatoes
a small pot of turmeric from the herbs and spices section
a small pot of ground black pepper if you don’t already have black pepper at home 
a small packet of basmati rice (white or brown)
an onion
a bulb of garlic
a chilli (if you like chillies- if not just leave them out) 
butter if liked or bottle of vegetable oil 

Open the lentils carefully - maybe with a pair of scissors - because they’re a pain if they spill. 

Pour a cupful of the lentils into a large sieve and rinse them under the cold water tap. 
Leave to drain resting over a bowl. 

Fry a chopped onion on a medium heat in a little oil or butter in a medium-sized pan. Turn the heat down if the onion is frying too fast. 

Add some black pepper. (If it’s from a pot of ready ground be careful to only add a small amount). 

When the onion is soft add in a few chopped cloves of garlic and fry gently for a minute. 

Add in a large handful of the cumin seeds and fry gently for a minute. 

Stir in half a teaspoon of turmeric (being really careful again like before).
Stir in the tin of chopped tomatoes and add half a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt to the pan. 

When everything is hot turn the heat down and cook gently without the lid, stirring occasionally, for about thirty minutes, or until the lentils have disappeared. 

Meanwhile, gently fry a cupful of rice in a little butter or oil in a separate medium-sized pan for a couple of minutes. 

Add two cups of hot water from the kettle and stir in. 

Bring to the boil then turn the heat down, stir again well and cook gently until the rice is soft. This probably won’t be very long if it’s white rice but longer if it’s brown rice. Don’t go away while cooking the rice as it’s easy to overcook it. 

When all the water has absorbed add a pinch of salt (not any earlier because it will stop it cooking properly). 

If the rice is definitely cooked but some of the water is still there turn the heat up and cook on high for a couple of minutes stirring continuously so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and leave it to rest for five minutes. 

When ready to serve put it back on the heat and cook gently for a couple of minutes to reheat. 

Hope you enjoy. 

(The butter will be fine out of the fridge for a week and will be ready to spread on your bread whenever you need it. Just keep it on a plate with a cereal bowl over the top to cover it). 

Brambling

What about a rice dish using tin fish for example, either risotto, stirfry rice or a rice and vegetables.  Corned beef hash? Even omelettes or beans on toast 

newlywed

Jamie’s frying pan pizza?
250g self raising flour, 150ml water (no waiting about for yeast to rise)
slice pepper and onion fry - can add sweetcorn too 
Some chopped tomatoes or Tom purée.   

If you have cheese you can add that but it’s pretty good even without.

newlywed

Smoked pork cassoulet?

Chopped onion, fry in a saucepan.
Add drained tinned beans, tinned toms or passata, herbs and garlic if you have it. and then add chopped smoked pork sausage… 

don’t think the main brand of smoked pork sausage is in the fridge section… but could use a jar of frankfurters instead?

nice with some crusty bread… but 

-taff

spicy chicken [ or not spicy] wraps. Marinade cut up chicken in yoghurt [ can be done out of fridge, I did it last week when I didn't have any room in there] for a few hours with paprika, grated garlic, thyme, cumin, cardamon, fry,.

Flatbread, equal weights of greek yoghurt and flour, plain or sr, add in some dried oregani, roll out, it will come together and it will be slightly sticky, add flour for rolling out, dry fry in a pan, few mintues at most each side, place in folded teatowels to keep warm and soften up. Normal plain yoghurt you may need less.

Add chopped anything, lettuce, ricket, sliced spring onions, yoghurt, mango chutney, spicy sauce, whatever you like.

elsien

Bean salad for lunches. Tin of cannellini or mixed beans, adding some veg that doesn’t need a fridge, carrots, radishes et cetera. Tinned tuna or chopped up hard-boiled eggs. Herbs and lemon juice and a bit of oil. Olives if you like a bit of bite. 

And if you’re buying quick food, just for that evening, you can’t beat a stirfry. Carrot, courgette, pepper, onion, meat, seasoning. Just buy the quantity you need on the way home. Eat with flatbreads.

MandM90

Eggs and butter should be fine in a cupboard, so what about Spanish omelette. Add tomatoes (again if you buy underripe they will be fine for days), onions, tinned peas, or anything else you fancy.

Bean chilli:
Mixed beans
Tinned tomatoes
Garlic
Onions
Couple of peppers (again fine in a fruit bowl or dark cupboard but you could use jarred chargrilled if you're worried!)
Herbs and spices

Serve with rice and tortilla chips

Americans use a lot of 'cream of' soups to make sauces. So like cream of mushroom soup with some stock, dried mushrooms, onion and tarragon would be lovely with rice or pasta. Or add smoked paprika for a sort of stroganoff. 

If you eat meat chorizo doesn't need refrigerating. Add some rice, a pepper, white beans, spices and stock and you could make into a jambalaya.

-taff

OOO...I made a chorizo stew last week, chorizo sliced and fried, then added onions, then a jar of beans, extra parika, a couple of finely chopped sticks of celery and carrot and I added a few potatoes because it was a bit salty. Cooked slowly for about an hour, it was really nice...

I'm wndering what you usually keep int he fridge that you use so mch. I keep milk and fresh meat in there but anything else will be fine outside of it for at least a couple of days. Yoghurt will alst too since it's essentially already gone off milk. If you really need something to be cold, fill a bowl with water and put it in there [which is how milk used to be kept] .

SadieO

Teapot55 said:

Curry & Rice - serves 2

From a supermarket (or local shops) buy
a packet of orange lentils
a small (100g) packet of cumin seeds
a tin of chopped tomatoes
a small pot of turmeric from the herbs and spices section
a small pot of ground black pepper if you don’t already have black pepper at home 
a small packet of basmati rice (white or brown)
an onion
a bulb of garlic
a chilli (if you like chillies- if not just leave them out) 
butter if liked or bottle of vegetable oil 

Open the lentils carefully - maybe with a pair of scissors - because they’re a pain if they spill. 

Pour a cupful of the lentils into a large sieve and rinse them under the cold water tap. 
Leave to drain resting over a bowl. 

Fry a chopped onion on a medium heat in a little oil or butter in a medium-sized pan. Turn the heat down if the onion is frying too fast. 

Add some black pepper. (If it’s from a pot of ready ground be careful to only add a small amount). 

When the onion is soft add in a few chopped cloves of garlic and fry gently for a minute. 

Add in a large handful of the cumin seeds and fry gently for a minute. 

Stir in half a teaspoon of turmeric (being really careful again like before).
Stir in the tin of chopped tomatoes and add half a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt to the pan. 

When everything is hot turn the heat down and cook gently without the lid, stirring occasionally, for about thirty minutes, or until the lentils have disappeared. 

Meanwhile, gently fry a cupful of rice in a little butter or oil in a separate medium-sized pan for a couple of minutes. 

Add two cups of hot water from the kettle and stir in. 

Bring to the boil then turn the heat down, stir again well and cook gently until the rice is soft. This probably won’t be very long if it’s white rice but longer if it’s brown rice. Don’t go away while cooking the rice as it’s easy to overcook it. 

When all the water has absorbed add a pinch of salt (not any earlier because it will stop it cooking properly). 

If the rice is definitely cooked but some of the water is still there turn the heat up and cook on high for a couple of minutes stirring continuously so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and leave it to rest for five minutes. 

When ready to serve put it back on the heat and cook gently for a couple of minutes to reheat. 

Hope you enjoy. 

(The butter will be fine out of the fridge for a week and will be ready to spread on your bread whenever you need it. Just keep it on a plate with a cereal bowl over the top to cover it). 

I make "store cupboard curry" all the time and it's a great way to get more pulses into your diet, which are nutritious and inexpensive. Tinned lentils or chickpeas are fine to use too, if you don't have dried ones or want a quicker meal. Potatoes (tinned if you like) or sweet potatoes are good for adding bulk. I like adding coconut milk for creaminess and a couple of cubes of frozen spinach (assuming your freezer isn't broken along with your fridge that is!). Naan breads to accompany it usually have a long shelf life too. If i had to live without a fridge for a while I'd definitely stick up on curry ingredients! 

LemonadeBudget

Thank you all so much!! These are excellent suggestions, and really appreciated.