Cook an Entire Meal Without Pots or Pans!
Yes, it’s true! You can cook an entire meal without the use of pots or pans! What’s more, you can cook individual meals customized to each personyou are feeding! I find that this works well with kids, and it allows them to pick and choose the kinds of things that they like to eat. I have 4 kids at home, all of whom enjoy different things, so this system works out well. Also, it gives them a chance to get creative with their own meals without making a huge mess or dealing with a hot stove.
So how do you cook an entire meal, or even several, without pots and pans? With foil pouches, that’s how! by putting all of the ingredients into a sealed foil bag, you can just pop it into the oven and let it cook. The steam from your liquids will do all the cooking, and not one pot or pan will get dirty! The only real downside that I have found with this method is that it can be difficult to tell when the meal is done cooking, but because you are using a wet heat there is little danger in over-cooking.
Making a foil pouch is easy (yes, you can buy them, but at very inflated prices). I have seen some instructions that include making an egg-wash in order to seal the edges, but I really think that this is overkill — simply folding the edges makes a sufficient seal. You don’t need something air-tight, since the steam has to escape somehow, but a nice, tight fold will keep enough steam in the pouch to get some pressure and heat going. However, an egg-wash will help make the pouch somewhat liquid-tight, which will make the pouch a little easier to handle during the filling stage. If you want to use this method, simply beat an egg or two with a fork, and brush the egg on the long edges of the foil prior to your first fold.
To start, get a roll of tin or aluminum foil, and pull off two to three feet, depending on the size of the meals you want to make. Fold this in half to make it half the length. This should make it roughly square, although the actual shape is not important. now fold about half an inch on each of the two sides that join the folded side, and press the fold well. Fold again on each of the two sides, and then once more. You now have a pouch into which you can place your ingredients.
The beauty of this method of cooking is that you can cook practically anything this way. The trick is to combine ingredients that will cook in the same amount of time.
Start with the main ingredient you want to cook, most likely meat. Suppose you have a nice chicken drumstick you want to cook. This will take about 45 minutes to completely cook, so you want to combine with this some veggies that will withstand the heat for the same amount of time. Usually root vegetables are the only thing that will lat that long, so carrots, turnips, parsnips and beets make good choices. Also, onions and garlic will do well; even if they overcook, they will add a lot of flavor to the meal.
The same principle applies when choosing a starch; look for something that will take the same amount of time to cook. For something in the 45-minute range, I would lean toward potatoes (whole new potatoes or large chunks of mature ones), lentils, beans or maybe rice. When including starches that need liquids to cook, you will likely need to include more liquid than normal. In this case, you may want to think about using the egg-wash seal mentioned above.
Now it is time for the spices and dry flavorings. I will not go into great detail here, as I could go on forever. But bear in mind that the meal will come out as one mixed mass, so it is a good idea to not include falvoring items that need to be removed afterwards, such as bay leaves, cloves, whole peppercorns and sprigs of thyme. Stick with spices and herbs that will stay in the meal. Also, fresh herbs will not last in the steamy heat, so use the longer-lasting dried herbs and spices.
The liquid you decide to use will be a personal choice as well. I like to use something with a bit of an acidic edge to it, like a vinegar or orange juice. Soy sauce is good, too, as are many of the comercially made salad dressings (not the creamy ones! dairy items will not work well here!) I really enjoy adding red or white wine along with some beef or chicken stock; this is very tasty! Oils are not the best choice as they will not steam, and can even burn and start smoking. Tomato sauce is a great liquid to use as well. Just remember to use more liquid if you are adding rice or legumes that need to soak up liquid, otherwise they will remain uncooked. The basic rule is two parts liquid to one rice.
When the pouch has all the ingredients added, fold the top in the same manner as the sides were done, place the pouch on a baking sheet (or in a roasting pan if the pouch has a lot of liquid in it), and place it in the oven at anywhere from 325 to 400 degrees. Let it cook for an hour or so, depending on what you have in the pouch. The pouches can be opened and resealed to check for doneness, but it is not a quick thing to do, as you need to wait for it to cool down a bit before opening to prevent steam burns. If it needs to cook longer, just fold the top down again, and place back in the oven.
Seafood works very well with this technique, but you must bear in mind that it cooks much more quickly, so you need to choose ingredients that will do the same. Asparagus and other softer veggies, and pasta or small potato pieces as a starch will go very well with some shrimp or a nice salmon steak.
To serve, just put the bag on a plate, and let the guests rip them open! It is best to not let younger kids open their own bag, as there will definitely be steam released.
I really enjoy making these “meals in a bag”, and when I make one meal I usually make another to freeze. Because they are not perfectly sealed I would not want to freeze them for more than a week or so, but you could easily make yourself (or your college student!) a week’s worth of meals at one time. When it comes time to cook dinner, you just pop it into the oven for about 10 or 15 minutes more than for cooking from thawed. No pots and pans to wash, and no pizza boxes to store on the dining room table!
Nothing could be simpler or better!
Yours in Good Taste,
Erik Christensen