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.
Lots of good ideas. I haven’t seen the basics such as Mac and cheese and even hamburger helper. They aren’t great for you but if you don’t have a lot of money or are just feeling lazy that day, it’s an option. Grilled cheese/sandwiches and Soups also come to mind.
Assuming you have an oven, you can bake a lot of the things you would normally put in a microwave. Pizza rolls, chicken nuggets, chicken patties, whatever. Usually there is baking instructions next to the microwave instructions and even air fryer now. Browse through the frozen section and see what catches your eye. Might find something new to try. You can find frozen ravioli in the freezer section you just need to boil in water and add sauce (when they float, they’re done.)
It’s been mentioned but pasta and a sauce and protein of your choice is a winner. You can buy canned or take the opportunity to learn how to make some. Usually, the more from scrap you can make it the cheaper it will be. A lot of times recipes do go nuts and have some ingredients I don’t have on hand, usually it’s not a big deal to skip one as long as it isn’t like a main one. Like for spaghetti sauce you probably want oregano and wouldn’t want to skip it. Sometimes trying new stuff is trial and error. Very rarely is it inedible if you screw up, it’ll just be “off.” it’s just part of the learning process. You can also look into substituting an ingredient if you don’t have that exact one. I’ve learned how to make due with milk if I don’t have something like half and half which is something I don’t just have sitting around in my refrigerator.
Nof sure what country you are in but in the US, there are stores like Ross and Ollie’s that buy good from other stores at a discount because that other store wants it gone. If you have something like that it’s worth a look. I got an 80$ hand mixer for 20$ and a coffee maker for half off. My mother in law has bought several air fryers as gifts for like 20$. Browse through one of these from time to time and you might find a good deal on a microwave. They usually have lots of pots and pans too either as sets or single pans if you need one. If you’re not sure what a good pan looks like then do a little research. I think Alton Brown had a Good Eats episode just on pans that was very informative.
Last thing that comes to mind is while you’re cooking on your stove, keep an eye on Facebook marketplace to see if someone is selling a microwave if that is something you are willing to do.