The mince was stored in the fridge and the rice was a microwave packet. I’m not good at cooking but want to get better so that I can eat cleaner foods which I enjoy however whenever I’m eating meal prep like this and chicken it always taste so dry to the point where I have to drink water ever bite to get it down.
by fin07123
35 Comments
Maybe add some sauce or something?
Make your minced meat more juicy, add some kind of sauce while you cook it.
I like to add Soja sauce, with some water and starch to get the right consistency! Maybe some Gochujang.
If you don’t like the sauces I would try it with stock and starch.
Good luck!!
This desperately needs a vegetable.
A splash of broth/stock will help. Either when packing or reheating.
Don’t be afraid to incorporate some more moisture into your dishes. Sauces are good, but you can also use some peppers and onions among other veggies. Peppers especially can help liven up a dish and give it some more “wetness”. Also seasonings as well don’t be afraid of them. Also stocks and stuff as well
Pico de Gallo adds some veg and moisture. Even hot sauce could help.
Olive Oil, hot sauce, butter, etc
get a rice maker. it makes cooking it so easy! As for the chicken, you’re def overcooking it. Don’t leave it on the stove for so long; just check the temperature every few minutes. a lot of Food Network chefs have YouTube channels, watch those to sharpen your cooking skills. you don’t have to follow their recipes exactly (it’s prob best if you don’t because they use a lot of butter and oil ), but will develop some understanding on what spices/foods work well together.
Meal prep soup?
I like to add some black beans to my prep with rice and beef. Maybe a little bit of chipotle sauce (I make my own low calorie one, amazing, got recipe from TikTok)..
Whenever you reheat something in a microwave or mini oven or pot, sprinkle some water on it. Like a tea or table spoon worth
Cook your meat with some seasonings and vegetables. Onions, bell pepper, garlic, herbs, etc. you can season warmed rice too just mix it well. I think ground beef and rice was always going to be dry and bland without adding flavour and moisture. Add a sauce.
Super simple idea: cook meat and vegetables, then add taco seasoning and water according to package directions to make this super easy. Buy a creama, or make a low-calorie one at home. Plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, little bit of salt, garlic and cilantro (dried or fresh).
Try a picadillo or something. That gives you some sauce and veg with your meat to mix with your rice.
Yoke rice looks dry and undercooked. Add more water and give it more time
Fresh rice not from a packet. Use more seasoning. Just because it’s a healthy meal prep option doesn’t mean you can’t use sauces either. I eat ground beef and jasmine rice for probably 5+ meals each week. I make jasmine rice in the rice cooker, heavily season the beef, and use teryaki and Asian sauces. I like to add scallions or sautéed bell peppers to go with it when I have the extra time.
Just practice cooking dude. You’ll screw up a lot, but you’ll get better each time. Practice makes perfect as they say
Pro reheat tip especially when dealing with rice: throw an ice cube in the container before you reheat it in the microwave. It does wonders for keeping the rice from drying out too much.
Aside from that other comments about adding a sauce or something (and vegetable) are also good tips
Add a can of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt, pepper, garlic and fried onion when you’ve cooked the mince. Let it cook and reduce to desired consistency.
You can add a little (1tbsp or so) cornstarch if it’s too runny. Keep in mind that the thing will become thicker when cooled off.
You can also grab some gravy packets from the grocery or dollar store. It only requires water to make and it’s very easy to do.
What do you like to eat? Do you already cook beyond meal prep? I doubt you’d order mince and rice with no sauce at all restaurant, so start there.
A lot of good advice here already how you could spice up your bland dish.
However I would generally recommend you practice your cooking by following some simple meal prep recipes. Yes it will likely be a bit more expensive initially going out and getting all the ingredients, but at this point it’s really about learning how to cook.
Once you have the basics down, then you can start experimenting with your own recipes.
Btw: If the chicken is dry it generally means you overcooked it. USDA safe temp for chicken breast is about 165F, you can lower this to 155F if you keep it at that temp for about 70 seconds. Personally I aim for about 145-150F because by the time I’m ready to plate it it will have reached that 165F internal temp.
Little bell pepper and onion and garlic would fix that right up
Sauce, seasoning, broth, don’t over cook it.
Rice is hard as leftovers unless it’s with saucy food. Dries out in fridge then moisture needs to be re-added for re-hearting. Wet paper towel placed over food in microwave could help.
Do you add water/broth when making ground meat? Normally after it’s broken up, brown, & seasoned. Just add enough to cover most the meat & simmer till it’s 90% gone or so
Take the same recipe, add a bag of spinach next time and sautee together, throw a hot sauce on top when eating. Problem solved.
Try cooking your meat to a medium red and then adding a bit of beef stock to the dish when packaging. The reheat will finish the meat and the juice will help to retain moisture.
If you’re meal prepping and this is what you can do for now (nice browning on the beef btw!), I’d recommend buying some zucchini/squash/ and slicing it and microwaving it for a few minutes. You can also try cooking kale or beans or spinach or carrots. As long as they’re cooked/steamed and have a good water content, When it goes in a container in the fridge all together, it’ll keep rice from getting drier. But also, if you made your own rice that isn’t par cooked (like the packaged stuff), it’s less dry. Sauces would kinda help, but only a little.
Thanks everybody really needed all this advice will definitely add vegetables, sauces use water to reheat etc when I next make something as the food I currently have been eating was taking me so long to eat because of how dry it was but hopefully I can change that now.
You can make minced meat less dry by mixing baking soda into the raw mince and letting it sit for 10 min before cooking. Cook with some oil to help seal in the moisture. If reheating in the microwave, make sure your container is covered and experiment with lower power settings to heat more evenly.
No sauce, no veggies, no nothing:
“It’s so dry, why D:”
I mean.
I heat it in a pan and cover it at the lowest setting. moisture will build up and cause it to not be dry. Then I add some chili oil from Trader Joe’s and boom! Delicious!
Please stop seasoning your food with hopes and dreams. Sauces and veggies are important
Skill issue
Mix in some diced Avacado and a dash of hot sauce
Brother, salsa is like 20 calories
Undercook everything a bit and then add broth when reheating. And on that meal you have pictured some yummy salsa would make it wetter and better.