Hmmm... What's for dinner? (1 Viewer)

[McPaul]

I hate this. It's 8pm and you haven't had dinner yet, you look in the fridge and see that you haven't defrosted the chicken, or steak, or whatever it was you were supposed to.

The night before you already had the spaghetti you were going to save for situations like this, and you don't want to have it again. (or like tonight when you don't have anymore sauce).

Has anyone else had this happen ever? Has anyone out there found out the PERFECT way to defrost food for supper in the microwave without it getting ultra soggy or tasting like crap? HELP needed!! What's your secret?

 

[Bill Slack]

That's when I go to diningin.com
Perhaps Calgary has a similiar service (we also have Take-Out Taxi here)
Honestly though, I would never have a chicken in the freezer anyway... That's a bit complicated, to me.

 

[McPaul]

Ahhh... Bachelor life is good!!
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Bill - no chicken in your freezer? hmmmm... I guess. It probably wouldn't last long in the fridge.. unless you buy your groceries every other day and eat them right away...
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ack! Just noticed it's after 9pm. Not 8. takeout is looking even better right now, but I told myself I would avoid that stuff more this year. Don't want to break a resolution this early. Although friends that are (still) smokers broke theirs on the first!

 

[Sean Conklin]

Easy, Froot Loops!

Honestly though, I would never have a chicken in the freezer anyway... That's a bit complicated, to me.

Paul, I think he is talking about a LIVE chicken.

 

[MikeH1]

Its nights like these that I always make sure I have an abundance of Kraft products in my pantry. And plus, you get tons of air miles when you buy 12 packs of KD. Yes, bachelor life is good

*sigh*

 

[SteveGon]

Well, I spent too much money on dvds this week so it looks like I'll be opening up a can of Mighty Dog again... :frowning:

 

[Nick Sievers]

Most of the time I just eat cereal. But i've seen my roomate get a spoon right into a tub of magarine.

 

[KeithH]

Cereal is definitely a winner in these situations. I tend to go with Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch and Cocoa Krispies these days. You can't beat the combination of chocolate and peanut butter and the chocolate milk that is made in situ.

Macaroni and cheese is also a good choice, but it's a lot more work than cereal. Then there is always the good ole Dagwood Bumstead sandwich.

 

[McPaul]

yep. did the cereal thing last night YEAHHHH!! lifts a brew..beer and special k... don't know if that's a good combination ... urghh...
oh and sorry Michael, but I can't stand that KD stuff... no matter how many air miles it gives me!
so no one has answered the main question yet. what is the perfect way to defrost stuff in the microwave without it getting all soggy on you and tasting like crap?? Does this exist? Is this one of man's most sought after questions in life?

 

[MikeH1]

Oh yes, the main question! I use the microwave and sometimes thaw ground beef a little then start cooking it even though the center might be frozen. You just have to make sure your there to watch over it and make sure the center gets heat to it. This wouldn't work so good with chicken. Perhaps the oven at low temp?
Sorry, I can't really help :frowning:
Too dependent on the microwave for my instant fixes

 

[Julie K]

I think the only way to get reasonably good food after a microwave defrosting is to cook it by another method after defrosting it. Either stick it in the oven or cook it in a skillet. That helps to get rid of the sogginess.
I live in an earthquake area so I have a supply of emergency foods - rice, canned goods like chili, stews, soups, veggies, etc. If I absolutely don't want to cook or fix anything else, I dip into that supply a bit. It's very easy and quick to open a can of chili, dump it in a bowl (optional), and nuke it

 

[Dustin B]

Well get some smokies or big assed hotdogs and throw them in the freezer for when this happens. Hotdogs and KD is always quick and easy.

Another option I like is cook some macoroni noodles. Then add some onion and/or green peppers (if you have them) and some chopped up sandwhich meat. Mix in a can of condensed campbell's mushroom soup. Add some salt and pepper (I usually add some thyme and oregano). Chow down. Good stuff and very quick and easy.

I also agree with Micheal. Ground beef is about the only meat I can manage to cook from frozen state (but never into hamburgers). My method is to microwave defrost for 5 min or so. Then I take a knife and cut it into smaller portions. Then a microwave on high for 1 - 1.5 min. Then I through it in the skillet and brown.

Well I'm at it, here is another quick and easy recipe of mine that I modified from a Campbell's cook book. Sautee (sp?) some onion and/or peppers. Then brown the ground beef in the onions and peppers. When the beef is cooked drain away as much of the fat as you can. Add some salt, pepper and paprika. Then add some salsa. Then add a portion of a can of condensed tomato soup (don't add the whole thing unless you have a lot of meat, just enough to cover all the meat when mixed in, you don't want it soggy). Then grate in some cheese. Kick ass manwich type stuff. Although I like to eat it in bourrito shells with lettuce.

 

[Chris Wittry]

The best way to cook hamburger from frozen state is to put it into a pot, add some water, then boil it up. I use a potato masher to continually ground it up as it defrosts in the water. Just let it cook, covered, and flip it every once in a while, then just drain the water/fat off when it's done. This works great.

 

[Charles J P]

Doesnt that take all the flavor out?

 

[Bill Slack]

Paul:
The freezer part isn't what is too complicated for me. The cooking the chicken part is where I feign ignorance.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

I guess I must have watched Rocky Horror too much, cause any time I hear the phrase "What's for dinner" I immediately feel an urge to yell "MEATLOAF"
But I guess it's only me...

 

[Ryan Wright]

Has anyone else had this happen ever? Has anyone out there found out the PERFECT way to defrost food for supper in the microwave without it getting ultra soggy or tasting like crap? HELP needed!! What's your secret?

I must have a really nice microwave, because I don't have this problem. It defrosts very nice and after I cook the food on the stove, it tastes no different than if I had defrosted it on the counter. Just nuke your steak for a couple of minutes - long enough to thaw a little but not long enough to really start cooking it in there - then put it on a pan or whatever and cook it normally. Should be fine.

 

[ikiru]

I recommend sleep. When I was poor in college, I would just go to sleep whenever I got hungry (saved me a meal or two). In your case, 8pm is pretty late, so this may work. Just eat a bigger breakfast in the morning (you will wake up HUNGRY).

If you cant, I also recommend grilled cheese.

-ikiru

 

[Anthony_J]

I agree. Grilled Cheese is the king of all sandwiches. Grilled ham and cheese/turkey and cheese/cheese and tomato are kick-arse spinoffs. Throw in a bowl of canned soup and you've got a full-on meal.

As far as frozen food, I'm afraid I'm of no help there. I'll usually order out or go for the quick meal fix if I have nothing readily available. I do have friends who swear by the George Foreman grills or convection pot things (I've seen them on infommercials. Supposedly you can throw frozen solid food in and it cooks up nicely. it's the same pot that cooks pasta right in the sauce.)

I'll also do the bagel pizza or tuna/white rice thing if I'm really strapped. If only my mom could see what my daily diet consists of. She'd be so proud.

The sleep idea works well, too, or smoke a bunch of cigarettes.

 

[Ryan Wright]

The sleep idea works well, too, or smoke a bunch of cigarettes.

Just be careful what type of cigarettes you're smoking. You might end up with a major case of the munchies.