Recipes for Air Force son to cook in dorms...

[circularlogic]

Hey ya'll. My boy called me the other day and (bless his heart) asked if i could send him a few plates, pots and pans and utensils. I guess they have very limited tools in their dorm quad. Anyway, he wants to save money by cooking for himself rather than eating out or join in on the 'mess at mess' ,as he calls it.

So, I'm throwing together some recipes and dinner ideas that he can make easily and on a budget. The challenge is that he can only use a stove-top and microwave. I am sending him a crock-pot and deep covered skillet so he will have a couple of other options.

I would really appreciate your input. I've come up with a pretty good list and found a few things on Pinterest, etc but I'm sure there is alot that I haven't thought of and I'm hoping for some input from you all.

He (and his roomie) are 19 with limited cooking skills.

I'll be creating a blogsite with all of the recipes, as well as some general cooking tips and kitchen basics so that any airman (or other service person) can use the index. Any ideas?

[shedemei]

Try looking for recipes geared toward college students living in dorms.

[RachelB]

So, this is not recipe-focused exactly, but technique-focused, considering what some of the most basic cooking skills are and what order it makes sense to learn them in. I don't think the roasting suggestions are going to work in a microwave or on a stove-top, but the sauteeing, frying, steaming, and boiling suggestions will:

http://thefeedingdoctor.com/what-10-thi ... w-to-cook/

[circularlogic]

Correct. Same recipes or new ones - cooked in microwave or stovetop. Along with general cooking tips for the very new beginner.

Thank you for the link.

[Geechee Girl]

Some very simple things he can make on a single burner or electric skillet are rice, omelets & fritatas, stir-fry, pasta, and fried rice. Does he have space to store food? None of the above require much more than basic knife skills.

simple sauces:

gravy

cacio e pepe

marinara

puttanesca

[Maggie Mae]

If he has a rice cooker (or you are willing to send him one, I think Target has one for under $10), he can make a bastardized loco moco pretty easily. It's cheap and very filling.

At the core, it's just rice with a hamburger patty and an egg on top. But you can have fun it. He could carmalize some onions in the skillet (while the rice cooks), then fry up a patty or some sausage or some linguica, then make some gravy with that powder gravy mix or add a can from a store, and then fry and egg. One pan to clean, plus the rice cooker.

He could also get a toaster/convection oven. Then he'll be able to make just about anything other than pasta.

Even without the skillet he can still scramble eggs in the microwave. Just spray a container with Pam or whatever, crack the eggs, scramble with a fork, and stir every 15-30 seconds until they are done and cooked.

What kind of foods does he like?

[Pretzel]

Potatoes&Eggs: Cook 2 medium sized or 1 large potatoe(can be cooked in microwave as well), cut it into cubes, season with salt and pepper, place in heated pan and crack 2-4 eggs on it. turn sunny-side-ups so that they're cooked from both sides. Season with favorite herbs. Eat with salad and rice.

I think Salt, Pepper, Chili flakes, rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, garlic powder and curry are THE basic MUST HAVE spices.

Easy pasta salad: Cook pasta, drain and cool. Add arugula, roasted pine nuts, olives, some dried or oil-pickled garlic, dried tomatoes + oil from tomatoes, some steamed zucchini, salt, pepper, oil and favorite herbs.

Can be eaten and stored for several days.

[WifeofBill]

You can roast a whole chicken in a slow cooker, super simple, cheap, and very yummy. One of my favorite go to slow cooker dishes is jambalaya. I put 3-4 frozen chicken breast in, 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes, a bag of frozen peppers and onions. I chop up several stalks of celery, and some andouile sausage (New Orleans style). Add some cajun seasoning and cook on low for 8 or high for 4. I skip the shrimp or crayfish because of cost and server it with rice.

[Maggie Mae]

You can roast a whole chicken in a slow cooker, super simple, cheap, and very yummy. One of my favorite go to slow cooker dishes is jambalaya. I put 3-4 frozen chicken breast in, 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes, a bag of frozen peppers and onions. I chop up several stalks of celery, and some andouile sausage (New Orleans style). Add some cajun seasoning and cook on low for 8 or high for 4. I skip the shrimp or crayfish because of cost and server it with rice.

Is frozen chicken in a crockpot safe? I'd probably cook the chicken before slow cooking it.

[Pretzel]

Is frozen chicken in a crockpot safe? I'd probably cook the chicken before slow cooking it.

It's not even frozen chicken. I would cook all meat prior to putting it in a crockpot.