This tech lets you prepare meals without turning on your stove, making it perfect for heat waves.
With multiple regions across the globe experiencing heat waves this summer, the last thing many of us want to do is turn on our stoves as temperatures rise. But like it or not, I was literally forced to find alternative ways to prepare my meals because I didn’t have cooking gas in my kitchen for over a month.
There’s an ongoing debate about gas and electric stoves and their environmental and health impacts. Most recently, a study published in early July found that people with asthma who switched from a gas to an electric stove experienced improved symptoms. No matter where you stand on the topic, it’s helpful to learn a few tips for preparing meals without a gas stove, whether you find yourself in a similar predicament as I did or simply want to use less gas in your home.
I also had to figure out ways to prepare food for my toddler so that he’d eat without a fuss. That’s where I had to think outside the box about different meal prep options. Below are some of the tech and methods I used to get by.
I normally use my Breville Mini Smart Oven to toast bread, frozen waffles and bagels. I remembered that even though it’s a toaster, it technically functions as an oven as well. It isn’t as convenient as my regular oven, but it was good enough to prepare foods such as oven-baked chicken legs and roasted potatoes. It reheat frozen leftovers just fine as well. Plus, it didn’t warm up my whole apartment the way my oven usually does.
If you have a toaster oven at home, don’t sleep on this device. If it’s anything like mine, it lets you set the time and temperature and beeps once it’s all done. I couldn’t tell the difference between a meal I would have normally roasted in my standard oven and this toaster oven.
One way I made sure my family and I could still eat fresh produce despite not having a stove or oven was by buying microwaveable options. These usually come in bags designed for steaming the foods, and they include instructions on how long to cook them in the microwave.
I’ve microwaved mini potatoes, which I’ve also roasted in the toaster oven, along with string beans and other veggies offered in this bag format. I’m used to making fresh rice when I cook, but I relied on Minute Rice instead. I don’t have a rice cooker, but that would’ve been a good alternative, too.
For my son, I used Goodles’ microwaveable mac and cheese cups for a quick side dish. Prior to the cyclospora outbreak, I also depended on bagged salads as a vegetable option since they require minimal prep.
Although cooking with an electric skillet isn’t the same as making meals on a stovetop, it let me easily prepare certain foods. I used a Bella Make and Take Electric Skillet. It has a non-stick surface and is controlled with a temperature dial on the side. The skillet itself isn’t large and can easily fit on a kitchen countertop.
I was able to prepare chicken and eggs, among other foods, using the skillet, but my one gripe is that I wish there were a better way to control the temperature. In some cases, it seemed too hot for what I was cooking. However, it cooked everything thoroughly without a problem and felt like the closest thing to cooking on a stovetop. It was also easy to wash afterward, especially since food didn’t stick to its surface.
A slow cooker helped me prepare meals on the days I was busiest and didn’t have time to cook over an electric skillet. I used my Greenpan Elite Slow Cooker and threw together a meal at the beginning of the day so it would be ready by dinner time. This slow cooker has a sautee option, so I cooked down some onions and garlic before adding in the bulk of the ingredients I was preparing for the evening. I tried out some recipes I found online and on social media to keep my meals interesting.
At times, the heat alone kept me from wanting to prepare hot meals, so I used my Vitamix blender to make cold alternatives including smoothies with frozen fruit and vegetables. Even my toddler enjoyed some of the blends as part of his breakfasts or snacks. In other cases, I’d make protein shakes post-workout or drink them as a quick go-to option to hold me over before my next meal.
One of the easiest ways to eat without my gas stove was to choose foods that only required reheating or minimal cooking time, such as frozen vegetables, french fries, chicken nuggets and waffles. These were items I could heat up in the microwave, the electric skillet or the toaster oven, depending on their preparation directions. I also had some sauces I’d prepared and frozen previously that I was able to defrost and use for meals.
Although I prefer cooking on a stovetop, not having one meant I had to get creative with meal prep. I used to walk past foods in the grocery store that are ready in minutes because I prefer preparing meals from scratch. But by opting for foods I normally wouldn’t buy, such as Minute Rice, I’m grateful they’re available as quick, easy options. I’m also thankful for frozen foods such as chicken nuggets, which gave me a protein option to feed my son without much of a fight. And since I usually don’t mind cooking my own meals, it was helpful to experiment with shortcuts that might come in handy on days when I don’t have time to prepare a full meal.