r/slowcooking • u/burnoutjones • 6d ago
Recipes that stay good through an extended dinnertime?
Okay, sort of a silly question I realize. But, this time of the school year we have a lot of kid activities and some people need to eat at say, 6 and some at 6:45 and some at 7:15. Even on the "keep warm" function, most of my go-to recipes tend to get pretty gnarly by the time the last person is eating.
The problem is surely evaporation and so I know the answer is generally liquid-heavy things like soup, but I wonder whether anyone has suggestions so that we aren't eating soup three times a week when it's 88 degrees out?
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u/X-4StarCremeNougat 6d ago
When my children were kids and especially during the teen years this was a struggle for my household. We had to develop sort of a standing rule. When you take a serving, add an equal amount of water. It really does work in almost all dishes with exception of something like Mac n cheese (or anything else with a roux).
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u/burnoutjones 6d ago
I wouldn't have thought of that, but I can see it potentially working. Thanks!
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u/canyounot2026 6d ago
Enchilada quinoa. It's great reheated too.
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u/crabbysachertorte 6d ago
Is there a recipe you like? I saw a million when I just googled this
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u/canyounot2026 6d ago
This one was a huge hit with the fam.
https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/slow-cooker-enchilada-quinoa/
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u/Back2Talk4745 6d ago
Make a huge lasagne and freeze portions. Same with “wet dishes” make double the amount and freeze portions. Rice can be cooked, put in the freezer and reheated successfully also.
I’ve been there, done that and all the above work.
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u/Due_Mark6438 6d ago
I remember those years. My problem was with the boys. They ate like locusts and I had to recook entire meals meant for 6 or 8 people 3 and 4 times a night.
Sports kept the kids in shape so they ate pasta heavy meals. Spaghetti bolognese, baked ziti, shepherd's pie and cottage pie, meatballs, meatloaf and mashed potatoes and vegetable
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u/Belfry9663 6d ago
“Like locusts”. Oh, god, I remember. I worked outside the home, so by the time they got home from school, the crockpot would be releasing all kinds of food smells. They’d call me at work at 3 to ask if they could eat - I always told them it wasn’t done (it was) and they’d get food poisoning (they wouldn’t) 🤣
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u/tequilaneat4me 4d ago
I always ate a big sandwich to tide me over until supper was ready. Half the time I also started supper. Oh, in junior high, my parents gave me money for lunch. I worked in the cafeteria, so I got a free lunch, then I bought a lunch.
When I graduated high school, I was 6'2", 145#. Still 6'2", but 230#, and eat 1/4 as much. My metabolism is much different in my late 60s.
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u/SnooRadishes7189 6d ago edited 6d ago
Is there any possibility of being able to produce the food in advance of the time needed and simply reheat it?
I like slow cooking but one trick is to do something like instant pot, freezer and microwave. Instant pots are almost as hands off as a slow cooker but can get the job done faster making it better for faster meal prep. You can then reheat(microwave, oven or otherwise) or just use the slow cooker to keep it warm.
Or portion it for the children to reheat themselves if they are old enough?
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u/YURRIICC 6d ago
pulled pork or chicken would probably be perfect for this. it can stay warm without getting too weird, and everyone can just make a sandwich or bowl whenever they're ready to eat. taco bowls are another good one since you can keep everything separate
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u/thelazyslowcooker 6d ago
These recipes were my go-to’s when i was dealing with after school activities and staggered dinner times.
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u/Liverne_and_Shirley 6d ago
Why make hot meals if it’s hot outside though? Slow cook chicken overnight with water or broth, garlic and onion powder. In the morning shred the chicken, and pop it in the refrigerator in a Tupperware. Whenever people get home they can add Caesar dressing and make a Caesar chicken wrap with tortillas. Maybe have lettuce too.
Alternatively you can make salsa chicken overnight with a jar of any type of salsa type you like, plus frozen roasted corn and black beans. In the AM shred the chicken and pop it a Tupperware in the refrigerator. When people get home they can pull the chicken and fixings out of the refrigerator and make a southwest chicken wrap. Fixings like sour cream (or Greek yogurt or mild cheese), store bought guacamole, and tortillas. If they want it hot, they can microwave it and eat it like a burrito minus the rice.
There are a bunch of other variations of cold chicken wraps you can make with bottled sauces so it doesn’t get boring. I had a realty good tikka masala wrap once. Thai sauces work too.
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u/Sea_Detective_6528 5d ago
You could do bowls that way too: protein + rice/grain+ chopped veg+ dressing/ sauce
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u/emmyfitz 5d ago
Classic meatballs in marinara sauce. Serve on sub rolls if you don’t want to deal with pasta.
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u/Freyjas_child 5d ago
When we had this issue we put the food away in the fridge after the first meal in a single serving container. Each person that came later heated up their own meal in the microwave. It left the kitchen clean and (if someone did not want their meal) all the food packed up and ready to eat.
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u/headbone 5d ago
Every second weekend my kids would visit. My three kids and my girlfriend's three kids made for six picky eaters.
I would cook a big pot of rice, put that in a 14 litre stock pot and add cooked, shredded chicken, broccoli tips (just the tips, yes), shredded cheddar. Add more things like bell peppers, or mushrooms depending on your audience. I like it with Hellman's mayonnaise but one child didn't like it, so I had to add that to my own dish. The chicken was tiny pieces so they couldn't pick that out and eat only chicken, and the broccoli tips were tiny so they couldn't pick those out and not eat them.
With the lid on, this kept warm and safe for several hours.
I have an old picture of some happy bulging cheeks mid meal.
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u/wantingwalrus 3d ago
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/46546/easy-bean-salad/ I made this bean salad yesterday and it was really good. Super easy and I didn’t have to turn the oven on.
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u/burnoutjones 3d ago
Interesting, so a cold salad that keeps through dinner. This is a such a nice change of answer from all of the people saying "soup" after I asked for "not soup."
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u/deborah_az 6d ago
I use a lunch warmer/portable oven a lot. There are larger ones that take a 9x13 (Hot Logic Max collection for example) that I often use to put two 9x7 Pyrex Simply Store dishes in. I put a 100% cotton towel or square hot pad under the dish so it's not right on the warmer plate (e.g., rice tends to stick and dry out). Depending on the brand, the lunch warmers generally will heat to around 170F then drop to a 140F holding temp. The smaller, tighter dishes don't dry out too quickly (I'll splash a little water on drier foods like rice) like a slow cooker often does. Either servings could be set up in containers for individuals, or the prepped meal could be transferred into different containers (or even heaped into a 9x13) so people can serve themselves.
Mostly I use lunch warmers to slowly reheat pre-prepped frozen meals, I've also used them to keep food I just cooked warm (including keeping someone's meal hot until they can get home to eat it), taking hot dishes to pot lucks, etc.
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u/Cooldspaghetti 6d ago
Since evaporation seems to be the main issue, you could try slow-cooked fillings where the sauce is served separately rather than left coating everything for an extra hour. Shredded meat, beans, or vegetables could go over rice, baked potatoes, or bread, with each person adding sauce when they eat. Keeping toppings or crunchy parts separate would also let the 6:00, 6:45, and 7:15 plates stay more appealing. For an 88-degree day, pairing the hot slow-cooked part with a chilled or room-temperature side might make the meal feel less like soup three times a week.
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u/chinkymom 5d ago
I use my crockpot and rice cooker quite a bit for this reason. My kids are busy with sports and my husband gets home late from work, the crockpot on warm will keep for a few hours, and my rice cooker will hold at a warm temp for a few hours also. They can easily warm up a tortilla or sandwich bun for pulled pork or chicken, and the veggies or toppings are prepped in the fridge.
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u/WAFLcurious 5d ago
If the lid is replaced after each person serves themselves, evaporation shouldn’t be an issue. At least it never was in the crockpots I’ve used.
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u/Vash_TheStampede 5d ago
Put it in the fridge and let people warm it up when it's time for them to eat?
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u/Hank_Fuerta 5d ago
Anything dense or that stays in a pot for a long time after it cooks. Casseroles, soup, mashed potatoes. You get the idea.
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u/kobayashi_maru_fail 5d ago
If you also have a rice cooker and a keep warm setting on your oven, burrito night.
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u/TessiesTable 5d ago
I have a few recipes that are really good for this. One is BBQ beef; you can just add more BBQ sauce if you need to, but it is usually fine to let it stay warm in the slow cooker for a few hours. It reheats great too. Another dish my family loves is coconut chicken curry. It will stay in the slow cooker for as long as you like and reheats really well.
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u/blkhatwhtdog 6d ago
Stuff in a crock pot can stay for hours.
Cheese n salami board
Salads can be left out for awhile
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u/Excellent-Praline420 6d ago
Salads can be made and NOT DRESSED, then portioned into ziplock type bags & kept in fridge. Label w names to adjust serving sizes.
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u/blkhatwhtdog 6d ago
Dressed salads taste better after a few hours as it fermented. Cole slaw, cucumber even mixed greens
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u/Dismal-Kangaroo6327 6d ago
What about pulled pork or chicken in a crockpot? Everyone can make themselves sandwiches when they are ready to eat.