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Cooking help

FrattyAzN
FrattyAzN Posts: 5 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So I am in the navy and living on base which means no stove top cooking. I am finding it hard to eat how I want without being able to cook with except for a microwave. A lot of packaged foods are high in sodium and just not the fresh type of food I like. Looking for cost effective ideas of what I can eat. All ideas are welcome.

Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I once saw a youtube video of a Marine demonstrating gourmet food prep with a microwave oven. Seek, sir.
  • krista681
    krista681 Posts: 26 Member
    FrattyAzN wrote: »
    So I am in the navy and living on base which means no stove top cooking. I am finding it hard to eat how I want without being able to cook with except for a microwave. A lot of packaged foods are high in sodium and just not the fresh type of food I like. Looking for cost effective ideas of what I can eat. All ideas are welcome.

    What cooking tools do you have access to sir?
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    What options do you have to eat in the dining facility?
  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    Can you have/use a hot plate or a slow cooker?
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,235 Member
    I just recently got a rice cooker. It's a $30 Cook's Illustrated top rated model. It comes with a steamer basket and I've yet to just make rice in it. I can cook lentils, farro, split peas, stews, steam veggies and meats, even bake breads and cakes in it. I wish I had known earlier that you could do all this with one. I would have bought it sooner. It's awesome. Would they allow you to have a rice cooker?
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    Can you get a toaster oven?
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    When my cooker broke I couldn't afford a new one for a long time. I used steam bags to cook fish, chicken & veggies in the microwave and bought microwave bags of rice and other grains/pulses. You can do potatoes in the microwave, eggs, even bacon. There's lots of cooking equipment for use in the microwave.
  • FrattyAzN
    FrattyAzN Posts: 5 Member
    All I can cook with is the microwave. My barracks doesn't allow for anything that plugs in and cooks. Also the galley food I try to limit myself to because I can't track the macros.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    FrattyAzN wrote: »
    All I can cook with is the microwave. My barracks doesn't allow for anything that plugs in and cooks. Also the galley food I try to limit myself to because I can't track the macros.

    Like I said, there's so many foods you can cook in the microwave, it may be a bit tricky getting the timing right but you can get used to it.
    fr33sia12 wrote: »
    When my cooker broke I couldn't afford a new one for a long time. I used steam bags to cook fish, chicken & veggies in the microwave and bought microwave bags of rice and other grains/pulses. You can do potatoes in the microwave, eggs, even bacon. There's lots of cooking equipment for use in the microwave.

  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    Hmmm, that sucks.

    I'm going to assume you have access to a fridge. Can you use a blender - stick blender or small benchtop blender? If so you can make smoothies, soup, hommus etc.
    Here's a few ideas:

    Breakfast: scrambled eggs with feta and spinach, porridge/oatmeal, overnight oats (bircher muesli), peanut butter and banana sandwich on grainy bread. Avocado and tuna mixed together is a great dip or spread for bread or crackers. Or soup, you can make your own in the micro, especially if you can use a stick blender.

    Lunch: sandwiches, wraps, salads etc. You could steam chicken or fish to add into your wraps/salads etc, or used canned tuna, salmon.

    Dinner: chicken (buy it cooked from the supermarket or google how to cook it in the microwave), fish etc. With veggies, rice etc.

    Basically, I suggest thinking about what you would like to cook and google recipes to find out how to make it in the microwave. Here's a few that I found on a quick search:
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9163/microwave+beef+stroganoff
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/20145/smoked+salmon+with+microwave+scrambled+eggs
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/33501/microwave+lemon+chicken+and+parsley+risotto
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/10026/janelle+blooms+chicken+pesto+fettuccine
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/12002/spiced+chicken+soup
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/11878/bacon+and+vegetable+slice
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/21018/chicken+and+coconut+parcels YUM, I think I'll make this one on the weekend!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,128 Member
    You can cook almost anything in the microwave so long as you don't care that it won't brown (i.e., you can even make baked goods in a microwave, but you have to accept that things won't turn brown and won't be crispy). You probably won't like the results for meat in the form of steaks, chops, and roasts, but you can get decent results for ground meat and poultry, and you can steam or poach fish or chicken. And you can't make toast in a microwave. Or hard-boil an egg. But you can boil water, pour it over the raw eggs, cover them, and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, and have hard-boiled eggs (you'll have to experiment on the time, because the container you're using and the amount of water will make a difference).

    I've made everything from French onion soup and casseroles to fudge using a microwave, all from scratch.

    Scrambled eggs, hot cereal, and bacon can all be cooked in a microwave. Baked potatoes (white and sweet) are easy in a microwave.
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