Just come back from Sri Lanka, question about backpacking cooking and meals.

williewonder

I stopped at this cheap guesthouse in Sri Lanka and met this backpacker called Dan from London, we had a fab time together! My question is because we didnt have a microwave in my little kitchen attached to my room and only had a gas bottled stove, we got Mac and cheese frozen ready meals, deforested them in my fridge and Dan fired them on the stove with a little UHT milk. It did taste really good after smokes. Would this be bad cooking them this way?

HampshireH

Does it matter? You are still alive and presumably suffered no ill affects so can't have been that bad

Doshwaster

I'd be more worried about the ill effects of the "smokes".

williewonder

Doshwaster said:

I'd be more worried about the ill effects of the "smokes".

No horrid sites effects apart from coughing my lungs up every morning.

Voyager2002

Sri Lanka has wonderful and affordable food almost everywhere. And you wasted the opportunity, heating up defrosted convenience food over a stove. Honestly, travel is wasted on some people.

In terms of health: you have to make sure that frozen food has been completely defrosted. And you need to ensure that the food is heated all the way through: the easiest way to achieve this is by using a pre-heated oven. Heating slowly over a low flame should achieve the same objective.

zagfles

Wrong board, there's probably a food/cooking board on MSE. Here people will just be incredulous you went all the way to Sri Lanka to eat mac and cheese ready meals with someone from London. 

Pollycat

Voyager2002 said:

Sri Lanka has wonderful and affordable food almost everywhere. And you wasted the opportunity, heating up defrosted convenience food over a stove. 

My thoughts exactly!

But, OP, why are you asking "would this be bad cooking them this way?" when you've eaten the meals already?
Isn't it a bit late to worry about?

Brie

Lots of things get cooked against all guidance and contrary to the instructions on the pack.  If the food is hot through and not raw then it is frequently ok.  But maybe not as good as it might be or as the manufacturer intended.

I've had microwave only stuff cooked in a conventional oven, frozen, defrosted and cooked things that say "not for freezing".  I've even eaten things well past their BBDs!!!  

Hopefully you had some marvellous meals cooked by locals which also were really good after a few smokes.