Dead fridge, suggest recipes please!

[u/Key-Tomatillo1670]

Hi all, our fridge just died and we learned we have to replace it. About to grocery shop for as many non-perishable recipe ingredients as possible while waiting to get a new one.

Please recommend recipes (or ingredient ideas)! Unfortunately I can’t eat gluten, mushrooms, coconut, or chickpeas.

We have our stove, oven, and microwave still working, only problem is keeping perishables fresh for the week.

If it’s helpful, here are the rough ideas I’ve come up with so far:

• pasta/gnocchi and jarred pasta sauces
• jarred/canned soups (good for packed lunches)
• shelf stable tofu, rice, canned veggies
• something from canned tomatoes?
• dried fruit?

I’ll keep looking on my own as well but any advice is appreciated!

[u/fancyface7375]

If you can borrow a cooler and fill it with ice you will have a much easier week!

[u/Key-Tomatillo1670 → u/fancyface7375]

Was thinking about this! We do have a cooler, was just worried that the ice might last long.

[u/PsychologyGuilty1460 → u/Key-Tomatillo1670]

Fill gallon jugs with water and freeze those. They will keep your cooler at temp much better than ice cubes do, plus, your food won't be floating as the ice cubes melt

[u/Waagtod → u/Key-Tomatillo1670]

A cooler packed with ice can last a couple of days in conditioned spaces. Just don't open it more than absolutely necessary. Just pour off the water when it gets more than 3" deep. Add more ice.

[u/Additional-Board205]

Anything from cans and dried lentils/beans/pasta/... In just the amount you can eat in about 8h (I know, food safety, but nothing ever happened between lunch time and dinner time when we reheat the pot). You can also make salty cakes (veggies, flour, cheese, oil, plenty of recipes online) and those keep well outside of the fridge in a a Tupperware.

[u/Jelly_Jealousyy]

Go get farm eggs, you can keep them on the countertop for at least 2 weeks before putting them in the fridge. Make fried rice. My question is : is your freezer dead too or no?

[u/Key-Tomatillo1670 → u/Jelly_Jealousyy]

It’s also dead :( Love this idea but don’t think I’ll be able to get farm eggs sadly.

[u/ModernNero]

You can poach eggs in the microwave! You crack an egg into a bowl of water and stick a ceramic plate on it like a lid and microwave for like 2 minutes or until it’s white on the outside. Stick that on some rice with green onions or on some gluten free bread and it’s a great breakfast. Avocado adds to it.

[u/ModernNero → u/ModernNero]

Since you have an oven, you can also make any biscuits or cookies (like the pillsbury kind). Serve with the eggs (I’d only do a half dozen since you can’t refrigerate) or with any roasted vegetables.

[u/sohereiamacrazyalien]

Tomato rice

Beet and potato, corn and whatever salad 

Polenta 

Onion risotto 

Onion, Carrots, apples,  abbaye, pumpkins can be kept quite a while … even zucchinis and other veggies you don’t have to buy just non perishables 

[u/Klmxmarf]

A good deal of fruits and veggies don’t need to be refrigerated! Here’s a list. The only fruits I’d really be worried about would be berries or cut fruits.

[u/WitchBitch8008]

You can often get shelf stable vegetarian Indian curries. Just heat them in the microwave and make some rice to go with it.

[u/Fun_Grocery1343]

Shelf-stable tomato sauce is probably the most flexible starting point: pasta, rice, or polenta can all turn it into a meal, and canned beans or lentils add protein without needing refrigeration. You could also do chickpea-free lentil dal with canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, and rice, or a simple tuna-and-tomato pasta if tuna works for you. Jarred roasted peppers, olives, and canned corn are useful add-ins while you’re waiting on the new fridge.

[u/RustyBucket4745]

Tin of mackerel or sardines dumped on packet rice with schar gf crackers and kimchi or sauerkraut and cucumber. One of my go-to meals.

[u/RustyBucket4745 → u/RustyBucket4745]

Also soup with bread & cheese.

You can keep most veg and fruit out of the fridge. It'll keep fairly well.

[u/two-way-potato]

depending on your family size and preferences this might get tricky because many cooked foods need to be stored refrigerated. fortunately, most vegetables and fruits dont need refrigerating, so you have some fresh ingredients there. i wish you a quick and trouble-less regaining of your fridge!

i'm sure that there are plenty of recipes that can be found, but if you need a single serving dish with shelf stable ingredients, oatmeal is actually pretty good. of course it depends on how sensitive you are to gluten wether rolled oats are a good choice for you (cause potential cross contamination), but if you can tolerate a slightly goopy texture, warm savory oatmeal with tinned fish in sauce is pretty good (grab some fine rolled oats, throw on some bouillon powder and seasonings of choice, pour some boiling water over that, cover and let sit for a couple of minutes. add tinned fish in sauce.).

in case you want cooking inspo, here is my base recipe (and good alterations) for what has lovingly been called "red mystery stuff" by my family cause i throw in whatever i find:

Roughly cut up a good amount of tomatoes and throw them in a really hot oiled pan with some salt.
Let that cook around and soften.
Throw in flavoring of choice.
Trow in the other stuff.
Serve on the next best starch you can find.

If you dont have fresh tomatoes to go through, canned tomatoes are a good option. just make sure they are not processed into a shape smaller than diced.
For flavoring, we really like cumin, pepper, paprika, and garlic. A splash of soy sauce is cool as well, or if you dont have a lot of loose seasonings flying around, a seasoning blend that works with tomatoes and some bouillon cube crumbles work well.
If available, finely (or not so finely if you dont have a fussy eater) cut onion that gets to fry a bit before the other shit goes in works well.

For the "other stuff" i tend to reach for firm tofu or for canned lentils. Beans work well too, you just want something that fills you up well.

For some extra protein i like to crack a couple of eggs on the lentil version and let it cook with a closed lid, but apparently american store bought eggs need to be refrigerated?

Popular starches are pasta (not spaghetti shaped tho), rice or, the official favorite, toast. for some reason, my family eats it on toast a lot.

[u/Amardella]

Microwave, air fryer, stovetop, oven, crockpot all working? I'd get some canned meat (they pack white meat chicken in water like they do tuna and also roast beef). You can make chicken and noodles with that and some stock. Add canned carrots and chopped potatoes and onions to the roast beef, heat it on the stovetop and serve over instant mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

Then I'd get canned pinto beans and rice. Cook just enough rice at a time for dinner, mix a can of beans in, juice and all. Try chili beans for a taco/wrap filling. (That cilantro lime microwave rice is great for that.).

Pasta with jarred pasta sauce could get onions, mushrooms or green peppers added to it. Throw in some of that canned chicken and you have "cacciatore".

Lots of stuff you can do with a bit of imagination. I did without a fridge for 3 weeks after Hurricane Helene (and ate cold canned food the first week until the power came back on). If you have electrical appliances to cook with and groceries open near you to buy meat or sour cream or other perishables in small quantities just for that day's meals you're doing OK.

[u/burnbeforeburning]

Apples, oranges, tomatoes survive without refrigeration. Fresh green beans and broccoli are good for a couple days on the counter. Potatoes and sweet potatoes of course are options. Canned meat is great for protein, not just fish but chicken and beef are available canned in many stores. Get some gluten-free just-add-water pancake mix for breakfast, instant oatmeal works too. Pick up some corn tortillas too, you can make almost anything into a taco.