good storebought microwavable stuff

The best thing to make in the microwave is frozen corn. Get a bag of frozen sweet corn and a stick of butter (real butter only). Put the corn in a casserole dish (no water!), chunk the butter up all over the top of it, cover the dish with plastic wrap. Nuke until the butter is obviously melting, take it out and stir, then nuke some more. Dish out, salt, and eat.

microwave + meat good. There is no way around this. Get a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat it on medium (no hotter) for 10 minutes, lay your steak (at least 3/4" thick) on it. Wait for 7 minutes - use the timer. Work a spatula under the steaK and turn it over. Cook on this side for 5 (medium rare) to 8 (medium) minutes. Take it out of the pan and let it sit on a plate for at least 5 minutes, then season and eat. This sort of thing works for hamburgers too, but is not for chicken or pork.

Hey - this database messed up my equation! I said "microwave plus meat not equal good", not microwave + meat good. That's just silly.

THANK u jaq! i didn't actually mean microwave the meat, that was unclear sorry. i meant w/ a stove. so stoves go by 'low' 'medium' etc and not temperatures?? i thought you set a temperature. how do you know medium is medium is medium, if you see what i'm saying?

what do you mean it won't work for chicken or pork? i'm confused.

Stovetop burners on electric stoves usually have settings like low, med, hi. Most gas stovetops too. Medium is the halfway point from lowest to highest, regardless. You really don't want to (or need to) use the hi setting for anything except boiling water quickly (maybe stir frying in a wok). Ovens generally have temperature settings, though some have gas mark settings and some are marked slow, medium, fast.

Chicken (like boneless skinless) doesn't have enough fat in the meat to cook like a steak or burger. And both chicken and pork have to be cooked completely (so the juice is clear and meat is not in the least pink) to be safe to eat. If you cook a skinless chicken breast in a skillet over medium heat until it is done, it will be a tough, dry, unpalatable waste of good money.

Microwave chicken and green chili chimichangas -- I think the brand name is Jose Ole. They're actually really good. Put a little salsa and sour cream over them after they come out of the nuker and they're more good.

WELL i am going shopping 2nite. no idea what i'll get yet.

i had a big mac and 2 apple pies w/ sundae for dinner last night and i think i'm going for one of those monsterburgers tonight (won't be shopping till ... 7 or so ... maybe after 5:30). i am Sure it will be nasty. :((

the prob w the corn rec: i really like canned corn! and that's simpler.

o and i don't techincally have a microwave yet, but soon. so toaster over stuff is fine too. i've mostly been living off of sourdough rye + butter and toaster strudels lately.
the prob w the other rec: sounds obscure + don't like chili anything. but i will look for that brand.

Trader Joe's has a great frozen green curry.
" " " " " " mushroom pockets.

I'm also partial to some of those Budget Gourmet nuke 'em entrees. Chicken/broccoli/fettucine in cream sauce, salisbury steak, and swedish meatballs. If a person is stuck in a hotel with a nuker and a fridge, they aren't bad fare.

At work where we have only microwave I will often cook very simple soups.

Get a good stock powder/cube as your base, I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder, but in the US, I think it may be hard to find, so shop around and look at the labels to check that the primary ingredients aren't just salt and oils.

In this I cook pasta, rice or noodles until nearly cooked (2-6 minutes) - but you could also try potato. Towards the end of the cooking (last minute or two) you can add some protein if you like, such as chopped bacon, smoked fish or raw prawns - and maybe some veg: possibly chopped peppers or peas.

Let it stand for a minute or two, and then add some olive oil if you don't have enough fat from your protein, and season to taste (it might already be quite salty from the stock powder/cube- if too salty just add some more water)

Of course you don't have to make soup, for example you can cook rice without stock, just water - and with lid on. When almost done add something such as raw prawns or raw veg, which will then cook partly in the steam, and partly from the microwave. You can then add ingrediants such as soy sauce or chilli sauce afterwards to taste.

If you really want frozen meals, Wolfgang Puck's are better than most, though I looked for them last time I was at a market and couldn't find anything, maybe he's not selling thm any more. Also Vicolo for frozen pizzas, which will likely be found only at high-end supermarkets. Are you anywhere near a Trader Joe's?

don't think so but i'll look into that.

There are these frozen soups that come in little pouches. You just toss the puch in boiling water for a few minutes and then cut it open and pour into a bowl. They are all-natural and really good, but I can't remember the name.

Toaster oven advice: Any bread or tortilla with tomato sauce or salsa and cheese. Just toast until the cheese is as melty as you want it.

In my experience Indian food translates better to microwaveable frozen entree than just about anything else. I like the Green Guru brand--just be sure to stick to the Indian stuff because their pad thai is about the nastiest thing I have either smelled or tasted in quite some time.

See also: Ethnic Gourmet Indian entrees. Not quite as good as Green Guru stuff, but much, much better than any of the lean cuisine, healthy choice, etc. nastiness.

Yeah I had a Green Guru thing a few weeks ago and it was good. And Chinese and Thai just doesn't work for frozen, maybe because the real stuff is usually cooked quickly then put together and served, rather than stewing for a while.

Banquet (http://www.banquetbrand.com) makes wonderful microwavable stuffed chicken. I've only tried the regular stuffing (as opposed to lobster, asparagues, broccoli, cordon bleu) because its the only one that looks like real chicken on the package - the others look like that reconstituted chicken-foam.

there are two per box, they come in a little tray and are a chicken breat wrapped around some stuffing. They're tremendous, and usually 3-4 USD for a box.

im sorry, its Barber foods.

OMG, genius microwave cooking advice from Chewsbadoo above.

If you have a stovetop you can cook all sorts of things in a large frying pan - fry chops or steaks in a little fat over a high heat for a couple of minutes, then add some sliced mushrooms or whatever for another couple. Add a bit of stock or wine to deglaze the pan, then simmer (maybe add a herb or two like thyme or rosemary) for a bit until the sauce is reduced and the meat cooked. The liquid will keep the meat moist while it cooks, and you've got something to soak up with starch.

this is totally true. it's what I did when my girlfriend was briefly on a no-carb diet. some stinky cheese, like gorgonzola, in the sauce helps too.

mmm.