Everyone that hates cooking but wants decent food, what do you do?

[billkappa]

Cooking can take up so much time and energy, and that's time and energy I can't spend on gaming or other stuff in life. It's just such a pain, and has been a pain ever since I needed to make food for myself. But I can't let my health deteriorate to the point where I can't click a mouse. Based on previous threads, it seems like I'm not alone in hating cooking...but what do you all do?

As far as I know, this sums up what's out there:
-Soylent (and other meal replacement drinks)
-instant noodles
-frozen dinners
-order take out
-meal delivery service
-get a significant other to cook
-suck it up

Am I missing anything? What do you guys do, and why?

And if there was a way for you to microwave high quality food in less than a minute, without ever going shopping or preparing anything else, would you try it?

 

[DefunctTheory]

And if there was a way for you to microwave high quality food in less than a minute, without ever going shopping or preparing anything else, would you try it?

That's liking asking 'If there were orgasm pills you could take, that fully simulated a wild, amazing sexual experience including climax, would you try it?' Of course I would.

I like cooking (I'm pretty bad at it), so I guess that's as far as I can go in this thread. You do seem to have hit all the 'can't/wont' cooking get around points though.

Oh, if you like rice, you can get a rice cooker. Measure out rice, add water to the line, hit button=Rice. Can also steam frozen stuff in one.

 

[billkappa]

And if there was a way for you to microwave high quality food in less than a minute, without ever going shopping or preparing anything else, would you try it?

That's liking asking 'If there were orgasm pills you could take, that fully simulated a wild, amazing sexual experience including climax, would you try it?' Of course I would.

I like cooking (I'm pretty bad at it), so I guess that's as far as I can go in this thread. You do seem to have hit all the 'can't/wont' cooking get around points though.

Oh, if you like rice, you can get a rice cooker. Measure out rice, add water to the line, hit button=Rice. Can also steam frozen stuff in one.

Well, I'm glad to hear that. I asked that question because it happens to exist. I created that product, and was curious if anyone felt other solutions were already good enough to not need something like that. But you actually like cooking, right? So doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of the "microwave high quality food in less than a minute"?

Yeah rice cookers are pretty good, and slow-cookers too. There's bit of a long wait which is annoying when I'm starving already, but other than that, it does save a lot of time.

 

[000Ronald]

...what? That's ridiculous. I love cooking. I love trying new spices and ingredients and combinations of things to see what they end up as. There's nothing better than finding something new that just works perfectly; it's like an achevement, but better. Sure, if you...I dunno, beat Call of Duty with nothing but a dinky little pistol, that's cool. But that's only you. You can't share that with anyone. Learning how to make both awesome and unique pizza or hamburgers or...I dunno, chicken strips; that's something you can share. And that makes it great.

 

[DefunctTheory]

So doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of the "microwave high quality food in less than a minute"?

I like cooking. That does not mean I always have the time to do so, or that I'm always in the mood to do so.

Yeah rice cookers are pretty good, and slow-cookers too. There's bit of a long wait which is annoying when I'm starving already, but other than that, it does save a lot of time.

Well, slow cookers should be set up WAY in advance of the meal. Like, hours, if not the whole day. As for rice, I usually make 4 cups of it, and keep what I don't eat in the fridge. Pull it out, measure out a cup, drizzle with just a smidge of soy sauce (For a little flavor and moisture) and microwave. Then combine with chicken or whatever.

And if there was a way for you to microwave high quality food in less than a minute, without ever going shopping or preparing anything else, would you try it?

That's liking asking 'If there were orgasm pills you could take, that fully simulated a wild, amazing sexual experience including climax, would you try it?' Of course I would.

Well, I'm glad to hear that. I asked that question because it happens to exist. I created that product, and was curious if anyone felt other solutions were already good enough to not need something like that.

...Oh boy, this is a stealth advertisement thread, isn't it?

 

[DefunctTheory]

There's nothing better than finding something new that just works perfectly; it's like an achevement, but better.

Oh my, this.

I made Spinach and Mushroom salad the other day (Used a recipe I watched on 'Good Eats,' a coking channel show). Probably the best tasting thing I've ever made (Like I said, I'm a baddy). best part was the smile on my Dad's face though - He likes some of my cooking, but its average at best, and my mothers cooking is abysmal. Never seen my Dad smile after a meal.

Damn good feeling.

 

[billkappa]

...what? That's ridiculous. I love cooking. I love trying new spices and ingredients and combinations of things to see what they end up as. There's nothing better than finding something new that just works perfectly; it's like an achevement, but better. Sure, if you...I dunno, beat Call of Duty with nothing but a dinky little pistol, that's cool. But that's only you. You can't share that with anyone. Learning how to make both awesome and unique pizza or hamburgers or...I dunno, chicken strips; that's something you can share. And that makes it great.

Lol, well, I can certainly see why, but for me it's just a means to an end. Not sure why I can't see it the same way as leveling up. If I could, life in general would be a lot more productive.

So doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of the "microwave high quality food in less than a minute"?

I like cooking. That does not mean I always have the time to do so, or that I'm always in the mood to do so.

Fair enough.

...Oh boy, this is a stealth advertisement thread, isn't it?

Well...only if you're interested. I haven't advertised anything yet (it's also not on the market yet). Otherwise, I just want to know what options other people are using and that fits in with their lives.

 

[Illesdan]

I eat out.

Seriously. I have no time for doing dishes, cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom (did I mention I have two cats?), keeping track of what to eat and what to toss. There's also the problem of I love eating a wide variety of food, so I can't just buy a case of ramen and frozen veggies and call it a day; because I never know what I want to eat from day to day. Everything I do buy for the fridge is fruit/veggies that can be eaten on the go or as a snack/meal if I'm in a hurry or don't feel hungry enough to go out for an actual meal.

And, being a coffee drinker, I can't brew a decent pot of coffee at home to save my life. I've tried several brands at varied strengths, and they all taste like pond water. But, if I go down to my favorite sit-down restaurant, they make awesome coffee. I have no idea what that's all about.

 

[Illesdan]

*stupid lag*

 

[DarklordKyo]

-Soylent (and other meal replacement drinks)

Wait...you'd eat PEOPLE??!!, lol

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Go to your mums house and make puppy dog eyes at her around dinnertime!

 

[1981]

I only eat ready-made microwave meals and cold food. We already have a broad selection of healthy foods, and whatever you're marketing probably wouldn't be available here anyway.

That's liking asking 'If there were orgasm pills you could take, that fully simulated a wild, amazing sexual experience including climax, would you try it?' Of course I would.

Sometimes it's about the journey as much as it is about the destination.

 

[IceForce]

Get someone else to do the cooking.

Microwave ready-meals are horrendously expensive, and so is eating out.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Yeah, that about covers it.
I like cooking sometimes, but most of the time I just can't find the energy.
Sometimes to the point that I end up not eating at all for several days...

 

[Mutant1988]

Cook once or twice a week and make lunch boxes that you put in the freezer.

There's a lot of things that you can cook and freeze without the taste suffering. My go to food is spaghetti with beef mince sauce. Buy a fresh sallad (I just go with lettuce and nothing else) every now and then and add to it once heated and you've got everything you need right there.

Otherwise, if it's food that doesn't take kindly to freezing, just cook a lot at once and put the leftovers in the fridge to re-heat as lunch or dinner within the next 1-2 days.

 

[Lightknight]

Stealth ad aside, I still like discussing food prep with different people. Never know when you might learn something.

I enjoy cooking. So... yeah... great food at my house.

I will say that some things are easier than others. Grilling is usually pretty simple if you have a propane grill and tastes pretty darn good. Burgers, steaks, brats and the like require very little prep and the taste is sadly always superior to microwave meals by a long shot. For healthier stuff I do have a few tricks. I can even make brussel sprouts (which I generally consider slimy and disgusting) taste good by baking/broiling them until they're crisp in an oven (just halve them, lay them in a pan facing up and use salt and oil, pretty simple and it's the only time me and my friends have ever enjoyed the suckers to the point of wanting more).

Another good trick is to get several meals worth of chicken breast, season and cook like you normally would but do a lot at one time. Then just let them cool down, throw them in separate zip lock bags and bang, you've got home made dinner you can throw in the microwave in the future. I've also done this with salmon and a few other things but those I don't cook. Like for beef, you may want to season/marinade and freeze it uncooked. Let's face it, it's the seasoning that takes the most work anyways and doing it all at once means you save getting all the spices out for just one meal.

Funny enough, I'll actually grab some trader joe's frozen meals as a treat. That stuff is surprisingly cheap and far better than the stuff I get elsewhere. Right now there's a pesto chicken thawing in my fridge... yum. Kinda weird that my frozen dinners are actually high quality meals.

From there we also have the mighty crock pot which I use to make Indian curries, Chili, some soups, and pot roast for French toast and a few other things. Again, the prep is where the work is but this produces fantastic food that could actually last you for several days.

If you're sick and want a quick warm soup, just take some chicken broth, get it boiling in a pot on the stove top and throw an egg or two in it (then immediately remove it from the heat as it will have plenty to finish poaching the egg). Real simple egg drop soup that will remind you of home but without the chicken and peas.

 

[MetalMagpie]

At least in the UK, eating out or getting takeaways all the time gets horrifically expensive, and microwave meals aren't much better.

I'm not all that fond of cooking, but I'm lucky that my partner really enjoys it. So I just let him get on with it. If he's not around, I make very simple meals that don't rely on fresh food.

We always have a good stock of staples in the cupboard including dried pasta, noodles, rice and tins of beans, chickpeas, etc. Plus a jar of pesto (for pasta) and a loaf of sliced bread in the freezer (for toasting from frozen).

My super-simple, super-quick meals for people who don't like cooking include:
- Pasta with pesto (cook pasta, mix in spoon of pesto, add grated cheese if available)
- Beans on toast (toast bread, microwave beans, add grated cheese if available)
- Odds-and-ends stir fry (chop up whatever veg you can find in the fridge, fry veg, cook noodles, combine and add soy sauce)
- Toasted sandwich (toast two pieces of bread, add whatever filling is available)

 

[Queen Michael]

Boil potatoes. Microwave meatballs. Add soy sauce. Masticate.

 

[omega 616]

Cooking can take up so much time and energy, and that's time and energy I can't spend on gaming or other stuff in life. It's just such a pain, and has been a pain ever since I needed to make food for myself. But I can't let my health deteriorate to the point where I can't click a mouse. Based on previous threads, it seems like I'm not alone in hating cooking...but what do you all do?

As far as I know, this sums up what's out there:
-Soylent (and other meal replacement drinks)
-instant noodles
-frozen dinners
-order take out
-meal delivery service
-get a significant other to cook
-suck it up

Am I missing anything? What do you guys do, and why?

And if there was a way for you to microwave high quality food in less than a minute, without ever going shopping or preparing anything else, would you try it?

Buy a steamer.
Buy veg.
Buy chicken breast.
Buy any sauce you like.

Fill steamer with water.
Put chicken in bottom of steamer.
Put veg in next compartment of steamer.
Put lid on steamer.
Turn steamer on for 15-20 minutes.
15 minutes later make sauce.

Combine veg, chicken and sauce on plate.
Enjoy.

Steamers are basically healthy microwaves. You can buy frozen veg to make things even easier.

You can even marinate the chicken over night to make it taste amazing. Marinating just means putting it into a bowl with sauces and spices and then leaving it in the fridge.

I'm a chef and last week I used soy sauce, honey, smoked paprika and seasoned (salt and pepper) left over night. Cooked it the next day and it was amazing.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

well my sister really loves to cook. I don't hate it either myself, it's just that, being a guy, I'm not particularly good at it