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

[omega 616]

If anybody is lazy, just make soup .... can make gallons of it so easily, freeze it for when needed and then eat with bread.

Plus it's cheap as fuck, it's the reason why they are called soup kitchens and not steak kitchens.

Just buy a big pot.
Dice an onion, YouTube can show you how to do it best.
Heat oil in pan.
Add onions and heat until they look like onions you put on a hot dog.
Add veg (cauliflower makes amazing soup! After blending add a good amount of cream. It's surprisingly nice.)
Then loads of veg stock.
Boil the hell out of it.
Blend the hell out of it.
Eat the hell out of it and then freeze the hell out of the left overs.

Don't have to be constantly over it, cooking it or be skilled in anyway to make soup. Just make sure the heat isn't super high, other wise the bottom will burn.

Oh and don't forget to season it! Don't be scared to add salt, you might think you're going over board but you're not.

 

[EvilRoy]

Really soup is probably the easiest option. It takes some prep, but you can easily make gallons of soup in no time at all. Sometimes I don't even use stock, I just boil water and throw in spices until I get something decent and then add whatever I need to for it to be a substantial meal.

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?

I mean, I guess? Depends on how much sawdust there is in it. I've eaten a lot of garbage over many years of university so I'm trying to move away from that kind of stuff, but if it was a meal that was legitimately decent tasting, wasn't made up approximately 50% of cellulose, and has a nutritional value that isn't described by "X grams of sugar, X grams of fat, product not a significant supplier of other vitamins and minerals.", then I might be willing to give it a shot. My microwave does suck though.

 

[Cold Shiny]

You marry someone who loves you very much and likes cooking for you.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I don't hate cooking, but I prefer to do it on days that I'm not pressed for time, which is not often anymore.

In the meantime, I eat a ridiculous amount of veggies, fruits, hummus, (store prepared) salad, (store prepared) smoothies and meal replacement shakes. Sometimes I get take out and that lasts me at least two dinners. Of course there's also the occasional "joining my family for dinner and quality time".

It's expensive, yes, but cheaper than eating out all the time, so I keep within my budget and I'm only feeding myself, so there's that.

 

[Fallow]

Find the recipes that get you great food with little to no effort. I've been very lazy with my dinners for a long time, and thus I'm always looking for that next "no effort" dinner that tastes good. What I can tell you from that experience is that you really should stick to "real" food, and not just frozen dinners or order services, if you care about your body.

There are many things you can do that take almost no worktime.
You can do great soups by throwing a bunch of stuff into a pot and boiling it for an hour. The boiling doesn't take any effort on your part. Lentil soups are good for that kind of thing.
The 7 minute fry. Grab moderately thin slices of any beef you like (pork is cheap), and fry it up while boiling some noodles. You'll be done in 7 minutes. Buy some seeds or nuts or something and throw over, and slam a tomato in there. If the queen is coming over for dinner you can even slice the tomato. Boom, done.
The longboil. Buy a pack of lamb or beef leftovers. Put them in a big pot with lots of water. Throw in some (whole) veggies and lemon zest. Let boil for 2 hours. Boom, done. Great dinner (and exotic) and all you had to do was put some junk in a pot. Oh, and while two hours might seem like a lot, it is not enough time for a comfy nap.

There you have it. Really fast dinners with little to no effort and very good results.

Good luck

 

[billkappa]

If anybody is lazy, just make soup .... can make gallons of it so easily, freeze it for when needed and then eat with bread.

Plus it's cheap as fuck, it's the reason why they are called soup kitchens and not steak kitchens.

That does sound simple, but does that actually get you the right nutrients? Wouldn't soup just give you the sensation of being full? The recipe you described doesn't seem to contain much protein. I usually aim for a diet of around 80-120g of protein a day.

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...

That sounds like a self-perpetuating cycle. I hope you're still alive.

I mean, I guess? Depends on how much sawdust there is in it. I've eaten a lot of garbage over many years of university so I'm trying to move away from that kind of stuff, but if it was a meal that was legitimately decent tasting, wasn't made up approximately 50% of cellulose, and has a nutritional value that isn't described by "X grams of sugar, X grams of fat, product not a significant supplier of other vitamins and minerals.", then I might be willing to give it a shot. My microwave does suck though.

I believe what I have in mind meets all of those requirements, as it's beef steak made from beef, and some water, salt, vinegar as a marinade. Does that interest you?

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.

I will be able to deliver it anywhere in the 48 contiguous states and major cities in Canada. Are you out of that range?

 

[omega 616]

If anybody is lazy, just make soup .... can make gallons of it so easily, freeze it for when needed and then eat with bread.

Plus it's cheap as fuck, it's the reason why they are called soup kitchens and not steak kitchens.

That does sound simple, but does that actually get you the right nutrients? Wouldn't soup just give you the sensation of being full? The recipe you described doesn't seem to contain much protein. I usually aim for a diet of around 80-120g of protein a day.

Protein doesn't fill you up, just used to build muscle, mainly.

you eat the soup with bread, bread bloats you and makes you feel full. Of course eating loads of bread isn't good for you but lets be honest, it's a damn site better than pizza, ready meals and take out.

You can make soup with protein out of it's eye balls if you want to, the recipe would get more complicated but it's up to you. Like you could make a "chunky" soup, which is like a watery stew. There is a soup called "mulligatawny" which is spicy beef soup, a soup called wedding soup, that has tiny meatballs in ... so do some varieties of minestrone soup. There is a grain called quinoa (pronounced like "kin-wah") that can be put into soup to increase it's protein content.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

If anybody is lazy, just make soup .... can make gallons of it so easily, freeze it for when needed and then eat with bread.

Plus it's cheap as fuck, it's the reason why they are called soup kitchens and not steak kitchens.

That does sound simple, but does that actually get you the right nutrients? Wouldn't soup just give you the sensation of being full? The recipe you described doesn't seem to contain much protein. I usually aim for a diet of around 80-120g of protein a day.

Soup is very nutrient dense, especially because the nutrients that leave the meats, vegetables, and etc will end up suspended in the broth. So not only is it filling, it's also good for you, and helps with necessary water intake.

Personally I generally enjoy cooking, even if I'm stuck in an environment where I don't currently have a stove of my own. I can work miracles with a microwave and slow cooker, assuming I can be bothered to cook. Being disabled and somewhat lazy though, I can only occasionally be bothered to cook, because it's exhausting and painful for me.

What that means is I generally go for the ready made canned soups like Campbell's Chunky/Progresso, frozen foods that are not prepackaged dinners, high quality prepackaged sides to go with other stuff I make like meats, cup/instant noodles to stave off hunger when I can't be bothered to make any thing else, sandwiches, or I make french bread pizzas. I rarely eat out, or get delivery due to being low income, but I can generally do better than most delivery services anyways. My slow cooker can feed me and my dad for several days with a single roast put in it, goes from some roast the first meal to stew for days.

As for the sly advertisement here, I doubt I could afford whatever you're pitching.

 

[Poetic Nova]

There's some decent food at our local supermarket that you can heat up in the microwave.
I mostly make use of that.

 

[EvilRoy]

I believe what I have in mind meets all of those requirements, as it's beef steak made from beef, and some water, salt, vinegar as a marinade. Does that interest you?

I suppose, but that isn't a particularly noteworthy food item - there are already options for similar foods like something called protinies I think, that are just bits of spiced chicken or beef on a stick. If its just a block of meat then that isn't really an ideal meal anyway, since its not going to have an amazing nutrition distribution, and realistically I could just have sandwich meat on hand to eat to accomplish the same thing.

 

[BytByte]

Cooking is unbelievably fun, especially all the smells.

Cleaning is where everything goes bellend up.

 

[Jeopardy Surface]

I broke more than two years of lurking to make this account and say this. Cooking is not fun at first, but most things aren't. If you think about it, games aren't really fun at first. Remember the intro to Blood Dragon, making fun of the millions of intro sequences we've had to play through in our lives? Think of all the first seasons and first chapters that didn't really reveal what the show or book would eventually prove to be?

Some things, the best things, require initial investment before you can enjoy them. Cooking doesn't actually require that much though. Look at this good post on Imgur for example http://imgur.com/gallery/3Lel7

That's really simple, but it's a place to start. Look at the comments too.

MaximumZero 381 points : 22 replies : a day ago reply

Boil 8 chicken thighs for 35 min. Shred the meat. Put into stockpot. Add 1 bottle bbq sauce, your choice. Add 1-2 cups stock. Low heat 10min

A crockpot, a rice cooker, and a microwave will get you far. With access to more you can really get creative, but if you're focused on quick, easy, tasty food that is doable. It doesn't take long to make some grilled cheese. It doesn't take long to cook some pasta, and heat some sauce. A pot roast you make on a day you need to be home anyway, that doesn't take much of your time beyond occasional turning and checking can feed you several times that week. Maybe that same day you also marinate some chicken breasts, then freeze them in bags. When you want, you take them out and cook them.

The internet is now full of people of all ages, with all skill levels talking to each other about how to cook the way we want to. Look at Pinterest and other places, but don't force the issue. Try cooking once a week, when you wouldn't have otherwise. Spend 10 minutes researching and copying recipes (make a favorites list), and then go back to it when you can. Start small, don't be afraid of failure, and keep at it.

In a month you'll be amazed at what you're comfortable with. In 3 months you'll be curious about doing more. In a year you'll be saving money and eating like a king. You can eat what you like, whenever you want, in the version and style that most appeals to your taste. Besides, gay, straight, or curious about unicorns, everyone loves to be cooked a good meal. Cooking skills, just decent and nothing-special cooking skills will net you love and booty.

You don't need any gadgets that anyone tries to sell you either. A single chef's knife, a good 9" pan, a stock pot, and spatula (get them at a restaurant supply/surplus outlet for pennies on the dollar). Make sure the knife is no more than $30 for a first purchase, make sure you can murder a man with the pan and the pot.

A crockpot, rice cooker, microwave, burner, and good toaster oven can be a full kitchen from there if you need it to be.

 

[Best of the 3]

Make a stew, it involes 2 steps: Shoving shit into a pot, and eating it later. You can probably bags of frozen stewing veg if you're feeling particularly lazy. Boil some water and add some beef stock cubes, fry some braising steaks and add them in. Add salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 hours.

 

[DefunctTheory]

If anybody is lazy, just make soup .... can make gallons of it so easily, freeze it for when needed and then eat with bread.

Plus it's cheap as fuck, it's the reason why they are called soup kitchens and not steak kitchens.

That does sound simple, but does that actually get you the right nutrients? Wouldn't soup just give you the sensation of being full? The recipe you described doesn't seem to contain much protein. I usually aim for a diet of around 80-120g of protein a day.

Protein doesn't fill you up, just used to build muscle, mainly.

That's... not really true. They've found foods high in protein actually do make you feel full.

If anybody is lazy, just make soup .... can make gallons of it so easily, freeze it for when needed and then eat with bread.

Plus it's cheap as fuck, it's the reason why they are called soup kitchens and not steak kitchens.

That does sound simple, but does that actually get you the right nutrients? Wouldn't soup just give you the sensation of being full? The recipe you described doesn't seem to contain much protein. I usually aim for a diet of around 80-120g of protein a day.

Soup is a pretty huge category of food. The 'real' stuff though (Soup, not stock) usually does contain a lot of nutrition. And if it doesn't, that's pretty easy to fix - You just dump stuff into it.

Taste everything. Taste often. Don't be afraid to use salt. Don't be afraid to buy spices and grind, crush, or grate them yourself.

Probably the most important cooking tip ever. Unless its meat, constantly taste what your doing. It makes the difference between bland/over spiced food and a delicious meal.

For seasoning, a good place to start is: Salt (Duh), black pepper (Double Duh), and siracha/red cayenne pepper. Don't be afraid of the hot stuff - using it doesn't mean your food has to be spicy. A lot makes your food hot, a little gives your food a bit of flavor without any heat at all.

 

[suikodenstorm]

I usually go with a tabletop oven. This way, I can put in my chicken, pork, fish, etc. for the length of time it takes to be done (20 - 30 minutes depending on the recipe).
Takes me about 5 minutes to prepare and season it on an oven tray.
As soon as I am done that, some pre-packaged salad if I am not in the mood to make one from scratch. Open up a can of beans or make some microwave rice.
In total, I spend maybe 5 - 10 minutes actually making it, then I can just leave it until it is done and voila, a fresh, healthy and delicious meal that took relatively no time at all.

 

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

Get someone to cook and share meals with. It turns cooking into a social thing rather than just that thing what that you need to do to feed yourself. It also spreads out the work load so you can experiment and branch out a bit, and makes the clean-up less of a pain. That is easily the best way to improve your cooking experience. In terms of meals to make, pick up a student cookbook or something like that. They'll have recipes made for people with very little time, experience and money to throw into food, so they're good for someone doesn't really want to put a huge amount of time and effort into meal prep.

 

[sky pies]

Of late I have found my go-to response to tiredness stopping me from trekking to the nearest place of grocery acquisition for food to cook has been a pizza with two halves. Like, one half slightly healthy, the other half slightly more meaty. It's basically meat and three-veg.

It's hideous and depressing