Easy meals

Hi! I've been enjoying the ChefSteps recipes for some time, but thought I would go to the forums for some advice.

Cooking is very relaxing to me and eating is my favorite activity, but I am a medical student and about to start my rotations in the hospital. To get to the point: I will not have very much time outside the hospital and even then I might be on call. Are there any tasty recipes that you recommend for a busy schedule? I'm talking minimal prep, dirtying dishes, planning, effort... Maybe even something that can be prepped in advance, kept in the freezer, then dropped in a water bath or other similar thing? I don't want to turn to store bought freezer meals, but maybe make my own. I really love using Joule and I'm lucky to have a chamber sealer to help with that. Anything that can be done in advance so that I can enjoy a homemade meal without hassle.

Thanks for any ideas. I love lurking and reading what y'all come up with on the forums!

Bonus question: any good, filling, on-the-go recommendations? I have done the sous vide egg bites which were alright.

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Comments

fisher23

When you do have some time, I like to do batches. Like pork ribs, cook them at 167'F for four hours, ice bath and freeze. When you want ribs re-therm a few degrees lower for about an hour finish in the oven, grill or smoker. Quick and very good. Batch cook and freeze is my thoughts. Almost anything you sous vide can be frozen and then re-thermed. I don't do fish in advance as it takes as long to re-therm as it does to cook.

pd3ski_278514

With the chamber you can do soups and into the freezer. I like to do a couple of pork shoulders then portion out into bags cause it freezes so well and just a quick zap with Dr. Mike and you've got tacos. Chicken breasts are great for sandwiches and really good with a salad like Caesar , also good in a quick rice bowl with veg. Do a batch of carrots as they keep pretty well in the fridge and are very good.

Edit.. I see you've been around CS for a while but welcome to the forum end of things! Your avatar cracks me up 😂

fisher23

I almost forgot to mention, because most gets cooked to pasteurization it will last a lot longer in the fridge too. Cook while you sleep, ice chill, fridge and then just re-therm and finish when you want it. I have even re-heated with hot water heated in the microwave. If you know you are going to be home that night, you can do an ice delay. Use 50/50 water and ice, put you food in and go, it will usually hold for 6 hours at or below 40°F, then start Joule, via WiFi, and it will be hot when you get home. If you get delayed re-set the temperature at above 130°F and it will hold a long time without much if any degradation of your food.

torridice_498271

You can cook risotto about 75% of the way through and then save to finish off for the last 5-10 mins later. Just wait to put in any veg. Serious eats just did an article on that. I like to make chicken cutlets a lot during the week because they cook so fast. Slice a thick breast in half and then pound them even. Quick marinade and grill. They cook through real fast since they are so thin. Then as other general advice use a lot of cheat things with tons of flavor. Asian fish sauce, whorschestershire, kimchi, pickle some various veg and keep them in the fridge, lemon to brighten things up at the finish, curry pastes. Obviously not all that for the same dish! Experiment and have fun! See what works and what doesn't for your taste.

tshewman

see below. Make at least twice what you would have and store the other half. Most veggie purees freeze well, non-fish proteins (though cooking from fresh is about the same time as it is to retherm). freeze pesto's curries and pretty much any other flavored condiment/sauce for adding lots of flavor with minimal effort.

lockgavin

This. Chicken breast is my go to for quick salads that are surprisingly easy and tasty. If you do a mess of pork shoulder with just salt you can tailor it as required for your final dish (tacos, pasta, soup, chili, whatever). I think most of it is prep, IMO. Make double batches of sauces and soups and freeze individual portions with the chamber vac.

The problem with sous vide is it generally is not fast. To cook a single chicken breast in 1 hour isn't really a time saver, cooking 10 chicken breasts in a hour that are all perfect - that's a times saver. The efficiency, I've found, is in bulk cooking and individually freezing the results.

stinasaur

I was always iffy around reheated chicken breasts as they tended to get weird, but I never really thought about reheating via Joule. Thanks for the suggestions!

Also thank you for the welcome! c: I like to read the forums from time to time and marvel at all the nice creations/advice.

stinasaur

Thanks! I was unsure whether freezing after cooking was acceptable, but that helps clear things up!

stinasaur

I love risotto but have always had issues with cooking it in advance, so I will check that out, thanks! And yes, there are a lot of good Asian sauces. I am a huge fan of laoganma chili crisp sauce--it's good on pretty much everything and it even makes subpar dishes taste acceptable.

stinasaur

Frozen pesto sounds convenient. I was always concerned about about the botulism risk, but it seems like that's not an issue with freezing. Nice.

tshewman

to hold the color, make sure you blanch the greens first.

pd3ski_278514

Just make sure you reheat/therm a few degrees below what your initial cook temp was. When I know that I'll have another seared breast for dinner I will bag separately so I can use the juice for a pan sauce each time. If I'm doing some for salads or sandwiches I sear them all off on dinner night then fridge the rest for snacks later. Don't forget to give them a brine for an hour or two.

Sounds like you're gonna be 'slightly' busy but if you get the chance poop back in and post some pics say hi etc...! Cheers