Easy main course

[cesy]

Does anyone have a favourite easy main course, to cook when you're short of spoons for anything fancy? I'd like to learn more things that are nearly as easy as a ready meal, while not being a ready meal.

Comments

Rice!

[azurelunatic]

This does require specialized equipment to do easily. A rice steamer needn't be expensive, but OMG, I would not cook rice without one; I would not even know where to begin. I had to have two things when moving out of my parents' house: a laptop and a rice cooker.

Take rice. Get any/all rocks out. Add rice to pot of steamer. Rinse until water runs clear (or near enough). Fill with water until water is about 1/4" over the top of the rice. Put into rice cooker on cook setting; allow to sit on warm setting an additional 10-15 minutes before eating.

Serve with protein of choice; soy sauce and/or rice vinegar are optional. I like grated cheddar cheese.

My aunt likes to cut up chicken-apple sausages and steam those along with the rice. That is pretty tasty.

Re: Rice!

[cesy]

I shall investigate this. Do I need to bear anything in mind about what type of rice steamer to get? Do they come in different types?

Re: Rice!

[azurelunatic]

I am sure that they come in bells-and-whistles and just plain standard. I have the just plain standard type (a bit like a crock pot, with an aluminum pot for the rice to go in, a glass lid, and an optional vegetable steamer tray that you can put on top between the pot and the lid, which is not standard but not terribly frilly) and it is really right spiffy.

You might even be able to get one used at a thrift store; it is not like there is much on them that could be screwed up by a previous owner.

Re: Rice!

[damned_colonial]

They come in many different types, but any/all of them, including the cheapest available, will probably work for your purposes. The better ones are larger (for big families) and have the ability to keep rice warm without it drying out, so you can just leave it on the counter with rice in it all day. If you aren't a family of Asian people, you probably don't need that.

The features I'd recommend are:

* non-stick
* auto-off

You should be able to get a small one for around $20.