I don't know how to cook meat

jasminetaylor2122
jasminetaylor2122 Posts: 1 Member
in Recipes
Hi, guys! I've been a vegetarian my whole life, but my family isn't. Since I do most of the cooking, I always just default to frozen fully cooked chicken. This is boring and expensive. Can anyone give me advice on ways I can cook chicken for my family without having to handle the chicken too much? (It grosses me out) can I put frozen directly into the instant pot and season? Does that work? Please explain it to me like I'm 5.

Replies

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Crockpot for a simple start. Put any frozen meat in the crockpot with seasoning before you go
    to work and come to tender meat, easily shredded if you like.

    We do chicken tacos all the time. Buy a taco kit, put frozen chicken in the crockpot, sprinkle the taco seasoning and salsa on the frozen chicken, set on high, cover and forget it. Come home, shred, stuff tacos, enjoy.
  • RenaTX
    RenaTX Posts: 345 Member
    edited August 2023
    I'm with the previous person. If your family is old enough , it would be beneficial for them to learn how to cook their own meat. It's a skill they will need down the road and you are right. Buying already prepared meat can be expensive but not only that it may be too much sodium.

    But lets go the route of giving you some pointers. Since you are new to cooking meat I would get a meat thermometer and a meat cooking chart. For chicken you want it to hit 165. Even people who already know how to cook meat can benefit from a thermometer. It's one of my favorite tools. It will ensure your meat is cooked correctly and not over cooked. Over cooked meat will be dry and mushy.


    So now that you can safely identify what "cooked" means you may want to browse some chicken recipes. Chicken is a pretty versatile so there is a LOT you can do with it.

    Yes you can instant pot it. Instant pot needs a wet cook method and since it cooks rather quickly it's bit different than cooking on a grill, oven etc. My favorite instant pot chicken is actually my own creation which is just a modified 40 cloves of garlic chicken.
    https://food52.com/recipes/27514-chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic

    Instead of the oven method I stick it in the Instant Pot for like 5 minutes and quick release. The meat should be pulling away from the bones which is a sure way to see that it is cooked.

    You can try the actual recipe too, the results are slightly different with the garlic being of course more roasted.

    Maybe you and your family ( or just your family ) can browse through some recipes for something they feel looks good. That's going to give you the best results and once you prepare it one or two times you can tweak it to your liking.

    SInce you don't like touching the meat get yourself some tongs and/ or food prep gloves so you don't need to touch . Use the tongs for handling the meat throughout the cooking process.

    I'm not sure if your family likes white meat ( breast ) or dark ( thighs, legs, wings ) but if you have the tendency to cook breast from already prepared methods, one thing to keep in mind they have a lot of sodium but the sodium is often needed to keep the meat juicy. So one tip with breast meat is to salt it and let it sit , covered or uncovered in the fridge an hour to over night. This will help the breast meat retain moisture. If you don't do this your family MAY ( may ) feel your homemade breast meat is drier compared to processed .


    Last tip is after cooking chicken ( especially roasting , baking or grilling ) let that meat rest for about 5 minutes before you cut into it. This will allow juices to reabsorb back into the meat.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    I mean, a George Foreman grill works great on pre-seasoned frozen chicken. Also does pretty good for most fish. You can put frozen fish directly into it pretty easily. I used to cook salmon and tilapia all the time on one. I'd just lightly spread mustard on the filets and add a little pepper to both sides.

    Crock pot has already been brought up.

    A lazy way to make a decent steak with just a non stick pan is just to pan fry them in butter. I can cook about 32 oz. worth of steaks in mine at a time, and I'd use about a 1/3 stick of butter, and season the steaks with a Fiesta fajita season and sprinkle a few drops of liquid smoke on them as I was cooking. Make sure to flip them so you don't blacken a side and they cook even. I'd cut into and look at all of them until you get a hang of what they look like when they're the doneness you want. They "finish" after you take them off, so pull them off the heat about 1 level of doneness below what you want the at while on the heat.

    Chicken breasts do quite well with the method above with "italian seasoning" (often a blend in the spice aisle of your grocery store in the US) with olive oil instead of butter. Boneless thighs could cook the same way easily.

    Pork chops can be made the same way as steaks mentioned above. They do well staying moist if you want to cook some to have for leftovers. Chicken/steak will have more of a tendency to be less juicy as a leftover.



  • AbsolutelyAnnie
    AbsolutelyAnnie Posts: 2,695 Member
    I will often buy a fully cooked rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and use bits of it in meals for the week. The downside for you may be removing the meat from the bones. That said, your meat eating family can do the picking themselves. It is also possible to purchase grilled boneless chicken breasts that you can cut up and add to recipes. YouTube also has tons of cooking videos that could be very helpful to actually SEE how to cook different types of meats using different methods.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Most grocery stores have prepared meats in the meat section. Mine has fancy ones with onions and bell peppers on seasoned meats. All you do is throw them in the oven.

    You pay for the convenience, though.

    Publix has a good variety.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,321 Member
    We live in a time where if you want to learn something, there are a huge number of sites on the internet that can teach you. I am sure Youtube has a number of options. The Food Network has a website as well that likely has basic information on cooking meat for meals. I would say Google is your friend here.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    Wear gloves and think of the meat as something made from plant food, make it come into contact to some heat, like we do, take it's temperature for doneness, it's just cooking after all and I suspect you know how to cook. Cheers
  • cindyhart9091
    cindyhart9091 Posts: 2 Member
    Chicken thighs for sure, moister. Get raw, season with salt/pepper and olive oil. Put on a cookie sheet with some cut up potatoes and carrots and throw in the oven at 350 for about 40 mins. Easy.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,205 Member
    i use an air frier that has a lift up lid and i put it on the setting specific to that meat with an internal thermometer. it’s fantastic

    so if my family wants pork loin, i put the setting on GRILL or BAKE, select pork / well done, insert thermometer, and close lid. it beeps when it’s done
  • killer5037
    killer5037 Posts: 1 Member
    Super simple:
    Either buy thawed chicken breast, or thaw them out in a gallon bag in the fridge. Once thawed, add 1 bottle Italian seasoning to the gallon bag, let sit overnight in fridge. cook chicken in either crock-pot with the juices from the bag and some vegetables of your choice--about 6-8 hours on low, or grill.
    If you are going to grill, buy a thermometer and grill until 160 internal temp. But, if you do not want to mess with the chicken too much, crock-pot is the way to go.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    Not chicken, but a bag of frozen "deveined" (intestines pre-removed) peeled (no shell) shrimp might help. Just throw a handful into whatever you're cooking. They don't have to be cut or handled much, and meat eaters usually consider them a fancier choice than chicken.

    But seriously, your family can't eat vegetarian when you cook? I'm an omnivore, but I would never expect a vegetarian family member to cook me meat. That's bordering on abuse.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
    Instapot chicken is easy and comes out nice and moist. Just open the package and lay it on a tray, I use tongs to handle it. Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice, I like cajun blends, lemon pepper, or sometimes just Italian seasoning & garlic powder. Add salt & pepper. You can do this with a whole chicken, or chicken parts, just season all around.

    Optional: set the pot to saute high first and add a little oil/fat of your choice and sear the chicken/pieces on all sides. You don't have to do this, you can just go straight from the seasoning to the pressure cooking, but it does make the skin a little tastier. One drawback for chicken in the IP is that the skin gets stewed instead of crispy, but some people like it that way. You can also use skinless chicken parts.

    So if you're searing it, when it's browned, set it aside on your tray or a plate. Add your1 cup liquid (water or broth) and put the trivet in and the chicken on top.

    If you're not searing it, skip the saute setting, put the trivet in and the seasoned chicken/pieces on top of it. Add your liquid.

    Set it to pressure cook on high, release steam when done at L:000; you don't have to wait.

    For whole thawed chicken: 35 min. Frozen: 45 minutes.
    For chicken leg quarters: 15 minutes, 25 frozen.
    Thigh and/or drumsticks: 10 minutes, 20 frozen.
    Breasts: 10 minutes, 15 minutes frozen.

    Breasts should be 165 internal temp when done; legs should be 180 internal temp. A meat thermometer, if you have one, is helpful.


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