Ask HN: How do you hack your food budget without a full kitchen? - prmph
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airbreather
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
Wow, I have an unused sandwich press, I'm going to storm Google tomorrow,
thanks for the idea!

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miguelrochefort
\- 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

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spoonie
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.

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pasbesoin
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.

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tedmiston
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.

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zhte415
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?

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

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itamarst
+1000 to Instant Pot, it's amazing.

