4 ms·

Ask HN: How do you hack your food budget without a full kitchen?

12 points by prmph 10y ago

PaulHoule 10y ago
If you don't have a full kitchen what do you have?
spoonie 10y ago
Slow cooker, microwave, a bunch of containers, and a freezer. You can make lots of bulk, one-pot recipes and then freeze them for later.
airbreather 10y ago
1) Rice Cooker, which can double as a slow cooker and bread baker. A second bowl and lid for it is handy, but not essential. 2) Large toasted sandwich press, which can cook all sorts of things include browning roasts, frying steak, eggs, bacon, make naan bread etc etc. I have even done excellent butterfly leg of lamb and flat chicken on my sandwich maker. We call ours the UCD (Universal Cooking Device). 3) Electric kettle. That should do you for 99% of what you might want to do if you are a little creative. Microwave is handy, but not essential if you are prepared to be a little more patient with thawing etc.
- severine 10y ago
  Wow, I have an unused sandwich press, I'm going to storm Google tomorrow, thanks for the idea!
- vinay427 10y ago
  I would personally add a toaster oven to that. For relatively cheap you get a full-featured oven that can toast as well, often with convection these days.
zhte415 10y ago
If you don't have a full kitchen, by which I guess means a sink, hob and oven, perhaps others (or others for other readers) nearby are also in the situation? Would it be feasible to team-up with 4-20 others, and create a shared kitchen?
miguelrochefort 10y ago
- Instant Pot ($120) - slow cooker - pressure cooker - sautée pan - rice cooker - yogurt maker - steamer - warmer - sous-vide cooker (smart version only) - deep fryer (smart version only) - Instant Pot inner pot + lid ($50) - cook different things in succession - leftover container - salad/mixing bowl - Cutting board ($15) - cutting board - serving plate - Knife ($50) - Chopsticks ($5) - eating utensil - tongs - whisk - spatula (with practice) - Mason jars ($50) - glass - bowl - leftover container - measuring cup - spices and herbs - dry ingredients (rice, oatmeal, flour, nuts, sugar) - liquids (oil, vinegar, butter, mayonnaise) - vinaigrettes - pickles - Blender* or immersion blender ($20-$30) *compatible with Mason jar threading
tedmiston 10y ago
Do you have access to an oven? I made homemade breakfast burritos in bulk once. Pretty easy to make (1–2 hours of effort total), a cost effective breakfast, and quick to reheat and eat in the mornings. I made a dozen or so and froze them, then just thawed one per day.
itamarst 10y ago
+1000 to Instant Pot, it's amazing.
pasbesoin 10y ago
Does anyone use one of those induction hotplates with the built-in temperature control? (Yes, the device made common knowledge in the last some years by infomercials.) If so, any recommendations as to quality models and perhaps features to look for? As for budget cooking, I can always recommend microwaving a sweet potato. A very simple route to a quite nutritious serving or three of vegetable. Sweet potato, that is -- not a regular potato -- in terms of nutritional value. Eggs are inexpensive and nutritious. You can get little cooking dishes for them that go into the microwave. Or hard boil them, if you have the means for that.

12 points by prmph 10y ago

If you don't have a full kitchen what do you have?

Slow cooker, microwave, a bunch of containers, and a freezer. You can make lots of bulk, one-pot recipes and then freeze them for later.

airbreather 10y ago

1) Rice Cooker, which can double as a slow cooker and bread baker. A second bowl and lid for it is handy, but not essential. 2) Large toasted sandwich press, which can cook all sorts of things include browning roasts, frying steak, eggs, bacon, make naan bread etc etc. I have even done excellent butterfly leg of lamb and flat chicken on my sandwich maker. We call ours the UCD (Universal Cooking Device). 3) Electric kettle. That should do you for 99% of what you might want to do if you are a little creative. Microwave is handy, but not essential if you are prepared to be a little more patient with thawing etc.

severine 10y ago
Wow, I have an unused sandwich press, I'm going to storm Google tomorrow, thanks for the idea!
vinay427 10y ago
I would personally add a toaster oven to that. For relatively cheap you get a full-featured oven that can toast as well, often with convection these days.

zhte415 10y ago

If you don't have a full kitchen, by which I guess means a sink, hob and oven, perhaps others (or others for other readers) nearby are also in the situation? Would it be feasible to team-up with 4-20 others, and create a shared kitchen?

miguelrochefort 10y ago

- Instant Pot ($120) - slow cooker - pressure cooker - sautée pan - rice cooker - yogurt maker - steamer - warmer - sous-vide cooker (smart version only) - deep fryer (smart version only) - Instant Pot inner pot + lid ($50) - cook different things in succession - leftover container - salad/mixing bowl - Cutting board ($15) - cutting board - serving plate - Knife ($50) - Chopsticks ($5) - eating utensil - tongs - whisk - spatula (with practice) - Mason jars ($50) - glass - bowl - leftover container - measuring cup - spices and herbs - dry ingredients (rice, oatmeal, flour, nuts, sugar) - liquids (oil, vinegar, butter, mayonnaise) - vinaigrettes - pickles - Blender* or immersion blender ($20-$30) *compatible with Mason jar threading

tedmiston 10y ago

Do you have access to an oven? I made homemade breakfast burritos in bulk once. Pretty easy to make (1–2 hours of effort total), a cost effective breakfast, and quick to reheat and eat in the mornings. I made a dozen or so and froze them, then just thawed one per day.

itamarst 10y ago

+1000 to Instant Pot, it's amazing.

pasbesoin 10y ago

Does anyone use one of those induction hotplates with the built-in temperature control? (Yes, the device made common knowledge in the last some years by infomercials.) If so, any recommendations as to quality models and perhaps features to look for? As for budget cooking, I can always recommend microwaving a sweet potato. A very simple route to a quite nutritious serving or three of vegetable. Sweet potato, that is -- not a regular potato -- in terms of nutritional value. Eggs are inexpensive and nutritious. You can get little cooking dishes for them that go into the microwave. Or hard boil them, if you have the means for that.