Hello.
My microwave died in spectacular fashion today. It was the lifeblood of my kitchen. I’ve had it so long I’ve forgotten how to cook without one. And I can’t afford to buy a new one. I was going to post in eatcheapandhealthy but that place looks as dead as my microwave. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
Jamie Oliver often went on about cheap recipes… that required 30 ingredients and a bunch of equipment I don’t have. These are not helpful. I need recipes that are cheap to shop for, cheap on electricity usage, easy to prepare with limited equipment, and it would be a bonus if they are healthy and tasty. I know I’m being picky, but I don’t have much to work with.
I figured this would be the community to ask because to cook well, you need to know stuff that a bad cook wouldn’t know. I hope I can get a few useful ideas. Thanks.
Yeah I used the microwave mainly for rice. It exploded today as I was trying to cook rice. I cooked it on stovetop, it turned out not too bad. I got really sick of rice because it never tasted any good. I guess that’s about herbs and spices and stuff. I will see if I can find an affordable rice cooker. Thanks for the suggestion.
The secret to cooking good rice is to soak it in water (even 5 minutes will do) and then rinse it to remove the excess starch. Then add fresh water and cook it. Don’t take the lid off the pan so the steam cooks it properly. A rice cooker will simplify this process but all you really need is a pan with a lid.
I’ve heard that and tried it once. I couldn’t taste the difference. I’ll try it again. I cooked rice in a saucepan today and it was ok so I’ll try the rinsing method again once I’ve finished my current batch of rice. Cheers.
You could also try if you like it better with some butter, just add a little after it’s finished. It’s not for me, but I know other people like it :)
I’ve been adding margarine and yes, butter would be much better. Butter chicken curry! 😲
You can also saute an onion before adding the rice and water, and add a bullion cube, to improve the flavor.
Is a bullion cube a stock cube?
Yes, I meant a bouillon or stock cube, sorry for the typo. Or you can use stock or a broth instead of water.
Stock is also pretty easy to make. You can buy a whole chicken and then throw the leftover carcass, skins, bones, with onions, carrots, celery and some herbs into a pot and simmer it for 2 hours.
I think I’ll use stock cubes for now. Actually I bought some yesterday. Thanks for the info.
My unpopular cooking opinion is that a rice cooker is not nearly as critical as many people make it out to be. Making it on the stovetop (or in the oven) results in perfectly acceptable rice especially if you are on a budget and could use that money for other equpment. I eat a fair amount of rice and my rice cooker was the last of the small appliances I bought.
I agree. I used one for the microwave, but I think saucepan on stove (or hob) is just as easy as a rice cooker. But I’m no authority on the subject.
What kind of rice are you using? Can’t go wrong with jasmine rice.
I use white rice. I don’t like rice that tastes perfume-y.