Tips for simplifying cooking

[EcstaticMarmalade]

I’m looking for ways to make cooking a bit easier. I have a chronic illness which means I tire easily.

In the past I used to batch cook things a lot to make things simpler, but I find that too tiring now. I can and do often cook double portions, either the full meal or one element to use the next day, but I have tried and failed repeatedly to do much more than that.

I also have autoimmune conditions which are partly managed through diet. That’s fairly complicated but in essence, no gluten, no dairy, no eggs, no red meat, no tomatoes and no onions/garlic as can trigger a flare. This means I can’t easily rely on prepared foods or get a meal kit subscription.

So lately I’ve getting into a bit of a rut based round toasties or something stir fried with rice (either packet or in rice cooker).

Any ideas?

@Ilovemyshed thank you, I’ll see if my local library has a copy

@AlisonDonut I had heard of them but didn’t know much about them. This looks interesting to me because it looks like it is possible to grill/roast food. I do prefer that kind of thing rather than stews.

@sashh As I’ve explained I don’t want to batch cook. I do know how to batch cook, I just don’t like to batch cook. Sadly I have to avoid onions as well as brassicas. I don’t really like soup enough to make a lot of it. A little bit to dip a toastie in every now and then, lovely.

I make easy soup by mixing stock (made with stock cubes) with already cooked left over veg and blending with a stick blender.

Sorry I misunderstood, I think I saw soup and just went to what I do.

@TheSandgroper that sounds a bit too complicated for me. I also don’t enjoy eating the end product from batch cooking enough to pay someone to do it?

@Applesandpears23 I was thinking something similar-‘maybe cook a small amount of carrots in some stock, add some herbs and blitz with the stick blender, just enough for a wee
cup of soup to dip a toastie in.

@sashh thank you. I realised my initial post was maybe a bit confusing so tried to clear it up in a later post

Yes you can use the Remoska to roast, bake, grill etc. it sort of cooks it well without burning it, doesn't catch like if you fry it, just cooks it through and brings the taste out.

I use mine for making the best mash ever, as well as for cooking a small roast (I don't eat meat), so you could put the meat or fish in, next to the potatoes or veg and it will all cook in the same pan together, the juices will get absorbed into the veg or potato without burning and then you can serve up straight from the pan. You could cook veg and then once done, pour over whisked egg and make a frittata. I've made cakes in it, and as I say, it was my main oven for at least 2 full years.

It is a glorious machine.

I eill second the tray bake idea. Great way to get different flavours and different veggies in an easy way.

Are.you able to eat fish? In which case steamed or airdrie fish with flavours you like and some veg could be an easy option? Or even fish tray bakes- I haven't done this myself but it's popular.

I'm a big believer in either pre-prepped veg or veg you can prep easily at times. So beans and mange tout and baby corn and tenderstem broccoli are regulars around here as they are so quick and easy to.prepare.

Slow cooker and an air fryer
Frozen chopped vegetables
Frozen chopped herbs
Garlic purée in an tube

@AlisonDonut that sounds really up my street, thank you for mentioning it and for going into more detail. It occurs to me that traybakes and remoshkas could comprise similar components.

Funnily enough at the moment my oven is also broken. I don’t want to replace it as we’re going to replace the whole kitchen next year and I don’t want to be tied into anything.

So I have been using a small countertop oven that doubles as an air fryer for a while, as well as a rice cooker. Getting a remoshka would also possibly be a good way of stopping me going “bugger it” and just replacing the oven.

@SavBlancTonight I do eat fish and also chicken so I think the traybakes idea is a good route for me. I’m going to try chicken, potatoes, lemon and carrots on Monday once the delivery comes.

@DinnaeFashYersel Hen.
Frozen chopped herbs is something I should look into. I can’t use dried ones because they often contain sulphites but I’ll investigate frozen ones.

An airfryer?

Salmon fillets are beautiful. Add some some veg and potatoes too and it's a whole meal in one go. You can also bake in them. It's honestly so quick and easy with only one thing to wash up. Chicken fillets and stir frys are easy in there. I use TikTok for recipes. I'm sure you can find some recipes online to suit your dietary requirements.

Traybakes are great too. Chuck it all on. The slow cooker as well.

I also use a lot of frozen pre-chopped veg to save time on busy nights with the kids. Diced onion, frozen herbs, Lazy Garlic, frozen sweet potato chunks etc...

All of these are slow cooker or air fryer recipes so might be some that would work or you can modify

www.instagram.com/boredoflunch?igsh=Nmk0ZGRrYm1vd2lv

I find using ginger and/or garlic puree is such a time saver.

I also microwave rice as I find cooking it on the hob stressful and always ends in a disaster!

I use 100g rice per persons to 100g/ml boiling water plus a pinch of salt. Microwave for ten minutes and then leave to stand covered for ten minutes (I just leave it standing in the unopened microwave). Fluff with a fork. Perfect every time and you can just ignore it while you cook something to go with it. I just the cheapest long grain supermarket basic rice.

Sorry I just saw you don’t eat garlic- apologies!

When life gets hectic I just go really simply for dinners. Might be a good idea to make up a list of easy meals that you enjoy that can be a go to when you're really struggling.

My easy meals are:

Salmon or tuna with cous cous and bagged salad (lots of garlic and lemon for flavour)
Soup and a toastie
Porridge with lots of berries and seeds
Baked potato (beans, cheese, tuna, coleslaw)
Stir fry
Omelettes

The slow cooker is also well used. I used frozen chopped onion, tubes of crushed garlic/ginger or pots of lazy garlic, tinned pulses, pre diced chicken breast etc to make it super quick.

@NC03 that’s a useful source of ideas,
thank you
@Duh don’t worry about it

@EcstaticMarmalade My carer moved into an unfurnished flat about a decade ago, a couple of friends got him a halogen oven and since then he has got a microwave and then an airfryer. He still has no actual oven / cooker.

Can you eat rotisserie chicken from the supermarket OP

If I get one then it is eaten with salad on day one, day two I make a soup or a curry and day three I make stock with the carcass.

I always roast meat in my slow cooker.

I was going to suggest these books as well. They have got me out of a cooking rut.

@sashh nowhere here does them really, we live in a little village in rural Scotland. I used to sometimes get the rotisserie style chicken in a bag from the nearest Markies but I sickened myself of them a bit.

I’m a good and competent cook, I enjoy cooking. I’m looking for inspiration on how to make cooking quickly and simply more satisfying and interesting.

One of the things I don’t like about batch cooking is having to eat the same thing repeatedly, even if you do vary the iterations a bit.

I don’t mind cooking two or even three times a day, it’s just that usually I am limited to 20-30 minutes at a time due to my energy levels.

I used to find a lot of joy and take a lot of pride in cooking. I’d really enjoy the flow state and creativity and just being absorbed in a task that cooking gave me.

That meant cooking everything from scratch, grinding my own spice blends, everything organic, baking two or three times a week , experimenting extensively, that kind of thing.

Between energy levels and food sensitivities I can’t do that now, but I would like to try to still get some joy and sense of creative competence from cooking.

it’s taken me a lot to accept that I won’t be the kind of person who makes porchetta from scratch anymore, and I’m not sure how to adapt to get the same level (or even something like the same level) of joy from cooking as I used to.

I suppose I’m hopeful that I can be someone who switches from epic poetry to haikus IYSWIM.

@RampantIvy good to know. I’m in a bit of a rut myself and what to feel inspired

@RampantIvy @Princessfluffy

Just had a look at the whole series and ordered “The Quick Roasting Tin” to get me started. 10 minutes prep and 30
minutes in the (mini) oven sounds just right for me.

@EcstaticMarmalade I'm with you. I used to cook 5 course meals for friends.

@sashh yes, it’s like my love language was cooking for people

I totally understand that. I also love cooking but at the moment life is quite tight and quite challenging and I don't have the time or energy for the real time to do it.

I keep frozen chopped onions in the freezer in part for this reason - makes it a lot quicker sometimes if I can at least remove the chopping onion step. You could also consider things like frozen sliced peppers etc as they're good in stir fries or even a paella and would really reduce the effort you'd need to make.

I recently did a one pot chicken and rice dish. It was a recipe from a magazine and I loved it, but the rest of the family were less keen so I didn't save it, but perhaps that's a nice option for you and you could find one where the flavours are to your preference and also work with your dietary restrictions.

I like to experiment with sort of sauces or flavourings when I don't have a lot of time. Our quick and easy meals are things like grilled chicken/lamb/steak/ fish with steamed veg and I try to make it a bit more interesting by what I put on the side. A couple of things I've done recently that might work for you:

A sort of chargrilled mix of greens (leeks, cabbage, spring onions but use whatever works) cooked with a lemon cut in half and flesh side down so it also gets charred. then squeeze the lemon juice out, add some honey, some chopped garlic and salt and it makes a lovely sauce. A much more interesting side dish than just steamed greens.

Tahini, yoghurt and lemon juice mixed together to put over veg. Usually broccoli but I've done it with fried chunks of aubergine too.

I quite often do a rough warm salsa - I throw chunks of mixed pepper colours in a very hot pan with a little oil to char. Add some fresh chilli to taste. Then a few halved cherry tomatoes to get some colour. Remove and chop roughly, then mix with olive oil and sherry vinegar and salt. Goes really well on top of a piece of chicken or meat. Would probably work with fish but is quite strong so would need to be something robust I guess.

Hi, OP -

I second a PP’s idea of ginger paste. Some of it is very good. Also a good store bought pesto, if it is possible to find one without garlic. Or you could make some and freeze it in portions, although I know that is batch cooking. But it is the basis for many good, easy toppings for fish and chicken.

Also, Baked Fish with Vegetables -not a tray bake, but similar. A method that can be adapted to Eastern or Western flavours.

Can you use butter, cultured butter or clarified butter? Many with dairy intolerance are OK with the latter. An oil suitable to the flavourings is also good.

Generously grease a pan large enough to hold your fish fillets, and at least 5 cm deep.
Cut/slice your choice of veg into serving pieces. If some need more cooking time than others, microwave them. Potatoes, carrots and fennel seem to me to belong to this category.

If using potato slices, line the bottom of the greased pan. Toss the rest of the veg with a liberal amount of suitable oil and/or small pieces of butter, salt and pepper, and fresh or dried herbs.

Keep it easy. Eg. A layer of zapped potatoes on butter, S and P, tossed slices of leeks and carrots and whole haricots verts. Branches of fresh thyme, don’t bother stripping them.

Douse lightly in white wine of choice and bake until veg are about 15 min from finished. Plop greased, seasoned fish fillets skin side up on top and finish cooking.

I set the oven at 180C for this. Others will want to experiment. The butter or oil, white wine and fish juice make a nice sauce.

Serve with an appropriate carb.

Many versions are possible. I just realised one could use sake or sherry in Asian versions.

Just to say I would also heartily recommend a Remoska - we got ours from Lakeland on special offer. As a vegetarian married to a meat eater - and with just the two of us at home for most of the time - it means that I can cook DH something meaty and nicely roasted and crispy just for himself. I use smallish oval pyrex-type dishes for a single portion. The other day, for eg, I roasted a slice of pork on a bed of veg and herbs for him, and I've often cooked sausages or a chicken leg or two or a portion of fish with garnish. I also use it for baked potatoes. I part-cook them in the microwave for about 5 mins and then roll them in olive oil and put them in the Remoska for another 20-30 mins, depending on size. Very good and crispy. I've made bread - a small loaf, just as good as in big oven - and even cakes in it. And I've also roasted sliced aubergine with garlic - I know this won't suit you, but shows what can be done - so that I can make aubergine and yoghurt dip (with lots of fresh parsley added).

(Also VERY important: Remoska energy consumption is half a kilowatt compared with 3 kilowatts for our smaller electric oven - our stove has two.)