I am looking for easy, inexpensive recipes that can be made in the microwave. My daughter will be leaving for college soon and the cafeteria is only open in the mornings on the weekends. She has a medical condition so she can't eat fast food (and it's expensive). They are not allowed any other cooking appliances other than the micro.
By Kim from Colorado Springs
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The most important thing you can get your daughter for cooking in a microwave is a microwave bowl with plastic steamer inert and a lid. This should be a matched set.There are some available from your favorite food saver company. Can't use the name here.
Once you have your basic tools anything goes. Some people don't like steamed meat, but you can make it better with a little creativity. First, use spices on both sides of your meat. Then steam over a broth (low salt) with vegetables added at the end of cooking your time.
Frozen chicken will just take a little longer than fresh so watch until you figure out the timing for your microwave. With a 750 wt a frozen chicken leg will take about 4-6 min. Increase the time as you add more or larger pieces. Less for fresh.
This is Fast food, but better. This will work well with ham, chicken, beef, pork and fish (cooks very quick).
If you decide to fix vegetables separately try getting the old style Corel coffee cups. (the ones that are smaller at the bottom and have an open handle. For small servings these are wonderful. Check at Goodwill or any thrift-store for these. Sauces can also be made in these cups also. They are 6 oz. So if your watching amounts this is helpful.
There are new pans for cooking eggs that work very well. Read the directions fixing eggs. Wrong can have eggs blowing up. Butter substitutes are a good way of seasoning too. Frozen vegetables will take from 2 to 4 min. Again watch carefully your time may very depending on the density of the vegetables. Fresh will cook faster.
Check Goodwill for old microwave cookbooks. Those for a specific brand of microwave are the best. But all brands are good. Read the intros, they will tell you the wattage's used for this cook book, adjust accordingly.
Cooking in a microwave can be easy and fun, but be careful, use hot pads and open lids away from you. Steam is very hot!!! Plates can be used for reheating, but stay away from Styrofoam and paper containers. You'll find a section in your new microwave cookbook that will help you decide what you can use in your microwave.
When you purchase your microwave, size is important. First find out what the limits they have at school. Then get the highest wattage that you can. Also look at your cooking utensil to decide what size you need. Most college kids make the mistake of getting a microwave for popcorn and heating up food. From what you said this will not be the case for your daughter. So get the same kind of microwave that you would use at home. If it is too small you will be limited in what you can cook. Bigger won't take longer.
Have fun and get creative, if you have a microwave at home try out some of the recipes in the new cookbook before she leaves for school. Maybe you could teach her how to make her favorite breakfast in a microwave. Enjoy and have fun.
There's lot of food she can heat in microwave in gro stores,if she can lock it up so it want be taken away from her,good luck.
You can find anything on the internet. If you put Microwave Cooking on the search line you will get a lot of websites that should give you cheap and healthy meals for the dorm. Good luck
Well salads are healthy and good and don't require a microwave. Cereal is good to. Make baked potatoes in the microwave. Make bean and cheese burritos refried beans and cheese. I would look see if you can bring a blender make smoothies are a grill make grill cheese so on. You can eat frozen dinners there are several of them ramen noodles.
You can make instant potatoes in a microwave. There are even microwavable soups that come in special containers, individual containers of mac and cheese for the microwave, pizzas, TV dinners. You can buy electric sandwich makers that would be handy for grilled cheese or other types of sandwiches.
I was recently finished uni and all we had on the weekends was a microwave, kettle and toaster. After all my expenses i had $15 to get me fed though Saturday and Sunday as the university only provided meals on the weekdays.
Firstly if you have the money get her a bar fridge that way all her milk,food ect for the weekend and snacks will be in her room and not in the "share" fridge with people stealing as home leavers seem to think is completely acceptable if space is an issue a small bar fridge can also be a bedside table.
For Breakfast:
Buy a microwave egg poacher and poach eggs hopefully there is a toaster available and you have eggs on toast. i would buy 1 dozen and that would last me 3 weekends
For Lunch and Dinner:
Instant Noodles are a good option and you don't even need a microwave just boiled water.
If the meals are provided on weekdays get her a $3 manual juicer. she can then throughout the week always get the "piece of fruit" always an orange and then juice on the weekends for "free" juice. that was my personal favorite to supplement my weekend foods.
Burritos where my favorite microwave food. I has a small freezer section on my bar fridge and occasionally i would make a large batch at home (home was far away so only sometimes) and max the freezer section with them you can look recipes on the net but the meat must be precooked when making them and if she is moving far away without occasional access to an cook top this might not be an option. here is a recipe I found:
www.thesimpledollar.com/
Canned soups are an option but get boring quickly. and making your own and storeing them require probably more freezer space than there will be available. You can buy canned chili (beef and beans) then a little cheese on top and into the microwave and you have some pretty good chili.
Lastly I have read that some people have suggested a grill there are electrical options for a single "hotplate cooktop" I have seen them since and wish that i had one in uni with a pan on top all of a sunnden she can cook a whole lot more.
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