How do you get by when simmering and sauteing aren't options?

March 26, 2008 10:14 AM

I have a microwave and a toaster oven and no range. What are your fresh, healthy recipes using the aforementioned things?

I'm on-site 4-8 weeks in Phoenix for a project and staying in a condo (more like a separate guest room in a house). At home, I cook goodness. I want this goodness (read: no tv dinners), but without a range, I'm new to using a microwave and toaster oven for the primary mode of cooking.

Please share your single serving yum.

posted by pedantic to food & drink (13 comments total)

I often broil steak and roast red potatoes with rosemary in my toaster oven. It works great for both!
posted by geeky at 10:18 AM on March 26

Not really answering the question per se, and I apologize for that in advance, but you could always buy yourself a tabletop range with one or two burners -- they only run about $30.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 10:22 AM on March 26

You can toast pine nuts in a toaster oven, and then put them on salad. It actually tastes really good.

Cheese melt: Bread, tomato, ham, cheese. Put in toaster oven until cheese melts. Remove and consume.

Baked potatoes (for toaster oven or the microwave)

Mashed potatoes can be done in the microwave (nuke the potatoes, add milk and butter and mash)

My mum used to make pork tenderloin in the toaster oven. I don't remember what temperature she used, or how long she put the meet in there, but I think she used Honey and Dijon mustard and maybe soy sauce as a baste/sauce. It was delicious! (sorry I don't have more details about that, it was one of her recipies that she manages to cook with no recipe have written down)
posted by Planet F at 10:25 AM on March 26

You can steam fresh vegetables in the microwave. I'd recommend you buy something like this for about $10.

For the toaster oven, place a piece of salmon on a sheet of foil, add a squeeze of lemon, some thai spices, a little chopped cilantro, make a loose parcel and bake for 15-20 minutes on a medium heat.

Put a chicken breast or leg (with skin) on a sheet of foil, drizzle a little olive oil on it, cut slits in the skin and push garlic, basil and rosemary into it. Cook on a medium-hot temperature for 15 minutes, unwrap the foil and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the skin is crispy and brown.

You can make the creamiest scrambled eggs in a microwave - beat a couple of eggs, add a knob of butter, microwave for 45 seconds, beat the eggs again and then keep giving them 15-30 seconds, stirring in between, until they reach the creaminess/firmness you like. Serve with crispy bacon and toast from the oven.

Dessert! Cut a fresh pineapple into chunks, put into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with muscovado sugar or drizzle with a little honey, and a touch of cinnamon. Roast in a hot oven for 10 minutes and serve with Greek yoghurt or ice cream.
posted by essexjan at 10:34 AM on March 26 [1 favorite]

I lived for years without a range. I used my toaster oven to roast chickens, ribs, etc. You can bake in it, too.
posted by trip and a half at 10:35 AM on March 26

You can also cook fish in the microwave. Take some salmon in a microwave-safe container with a lid, a few matchsticks of ginger, and some soy sauce. Put the ginger under/on the salmon and sprinkle with soy sauce.

Steam it for a few minutes with the cover lightly on the bowl. It turns out moist and flavorful.
posted by answergrape at 10:44 AM on March 26 [1 favorite]

Salmon & Peas on Toast:
1 can salmon
a bunch of frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
a few slices of bread
some milk
Dump the salmon (remove the skin and bones if they gross you out), peas, and soup into a big microwaveable bowl. Stir. Add milk until mixture is the desired consistency (creamy). Cover and microwave until hot. Toast bread. Pour mixture over toast and serve.

Makes one BIG serving. It's bacheloriffic!
posted by Sys Rq at 11:00 AM on March 26 [1 favorite]

for breakfast: oatmeal in the microwave. cheap and tasty. I've been adding flax seeds...which I love.
posted by sully75 at 11:11 AM on March 26

Also:
Toaster Oven Recipes from Oster
Quick Toaster Oven recipes from Real Simple
posted by geeky at 12:18 PM on March 26

If you like Indian food, here's an interesting website for microwave cooking.
posted by LN at 12:23 PM on March 26

If your toaster-oven allows the door to be open on "broil" (some do), and can accommodate a 10-13" frypan, you can make very quick fritattas. They are like omelettes. Fritattas normally start in the pan on the stove, and then get finished in the broiler, but I see no reason why they cannot be done entirely in the little broiler.

Use no more than one or two eggs. Scramble up, pour into small fry-pan that has a bit of oil on bottom, add grated cheese, and a few small-cut veggies (onions, bell peppers, garlic, etc.) on top. Also salt and pepper. Put the wet egg w/ cheese & thin-cut veggies under the broiler till done. The egg may get a bit dark possibly a bit hard, and some of the veggies may not be soft, but it will be deelish. BTW: the veggies will protect the cooking egg from getting too dark too soon. But of course you want that egg to be at least cooked to the point of very slightly wet or better. SET THE PAN up close to the heat, and preheat the oven a bit beforehand. Sometimes I preheat to 400, turn it on "broil" and just hold the pan by hand up close for about 2-3 min.
posted by yazi at 12:33 PM on March 26

Roasted veg: asparagus with olive oil and salt is great, ditto sweet potatoes + regular potatoes cut up, other veg.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:59 PM on March 26

Most squashes can be poked a lot with a fork and steamed in their own juices in the microwave without any extra tools. Zucchini and eggplant work well. With tenacity you can cook just about anything in a microwave, even meat and small, thin pastas (it's just boiling water, ya know), but you have to use spices and sauces to make up for the blandness. I make breakfast sandwiches in the microwave using those microwave egg cookers (or a small bowl, with a thin layer of egg and wax paper on top)

You could invest $30 in a Foreman Grill or an electric buffet range.
posted by Skwirl at 5:50 PM on March 26