Cooking in Studios

[bub]

Has anyone ever done any creative cooking in a studio unit? We usually cook some frozen dinners and chicken nuggets, and also make sandwiches and salads. Another easy thing to do is to get a cooked chicken at Publix - this lasts our family (of 4) two nights. I love eating in the room, without crowds and high prices, but I need some new ideas.

[maryisme]

One thing that we like to do is BBQ. You didn't mention which resort you will be in but I believe they all have BBQ facilities except for VWL. A quick salad and something BBQ always works for us.

[Cole]

Yeah we cook all kinds of things in the room. All we did was plan ahead so we knew what to buy at Publix. Then at night we cooked whatever we had on our menu. It works out great.

[diaman]

can't go wrong with spagetti and meatballs (the frozen ones). if you make a big pot, it'll last you a couple days. all you have to do is reheat it.

[brittsmamabwv]

I also like to pre-plan some meals for the room...we are renting a studio for the first time in May at home (BWV)....I am going to bring my George Forman Grill, I figure hamburgers on "off" days and just pick up french fries etc from the takeout window. I'll pick up salad junk and soups etc. on the way to the resort.

When you wish upon a star...DVC will take you far...anything your heart desires....will come your way

[MN_DizNut]

Given the lack of a real kitchen, it does pay to get a bit creative. One thing I've done in the past is pack soup mixes, raman noodles, etc. You can get ample hot water by running water only through the inroom coffee maker. (Helps to do a bit of vinegar & water through it first, unless you like coffee flavored soups! ;)

Jon

WDW '85 offsite
DL '85
DL '87
WDW '89 offsite
WL '97
WL '97 (again!)
WH '99
WL '99
AStSp '99 (YUCKY!!!)
DCL/Poly Jun/July '02

[bres@westernMA]

We had a great studio meal made from a prepared chicken pot pie, whipped potatoes and some potato bread rolls. At home we have those frozen "meals in a minute" bags where you heat on the stove the mixture of meat, pasta and vegetables. They aren't gourmets but they are quick and not terrible. You basically just heat up the entire batch and stir in the sauce. I'm certain you could cook these in a microwave.

[Karlad1]

I saw that another poster talked about having spaghetti and meatballs. Do the studios at OKW have a cook-top? I thought they only had a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot. If there is a cook-top, do they also have pots and pans to cook in? Thanks.

[MN_DizNut]

Nope, no cook tops. Just coffee maker and microwave.

Jon

WDW '85 offsite
DL '85
DL '87
WDW '89 offsite
WL '97
WL '97 (again!)
WH '99
WL '99
AStSp '99 (YUCKY!!!)
DCL/Poly Jun/July '02

[gscott8075]

Is charcoal supplied? Or are they gas? Where are they related to the rooms?

[De Ann]

I don't work for Tupperware nor do I know of anyone personally who does-so this is not a pitch to get you to buy them...I bought their family steamer last summer at a party my friend had. You can microwave ground beef in it in 6 minutes-so tacos would be a cinch. They also gave me a recipe book with it that contained several recipes that can also be cooked in it. I have made stuffed green peppers and chicken with rice. They also have another steamer that costs more, mine cost around $24. It draines the fat into the bottom container and is easy to clean. Believe it or not, you can actually cook cakes and brownies in it to

[DeeP]

We do all kinds of cooking in the studio. I bring my George Foreman grill and make: steaks, hamburgers, boneless pork chops, boneless & skinless chicken breasts and sausage patties. I also bring frozen stuffed baked potatoes, frozen vegetables, soup, mac & cheese mix, hamburger helper, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, premade mashed potatoes and bacon in the microwave. Then we request a toaster from housekeeping and make bagels, english muffins, toast and waffles. We bring plastic dishes and real utensils and various seasonings, condiments etc, make a stop at the grocery store for the rest before we check in and we are good to go. We eat out at various restaurants 3-4 times per trip and the rest of the times we eat very good meals right in our studio.

http://members.aol.com/mzdavis67/deeclipart.gif

[Claudia1]

I always cook my ground beef at home and freeze it in baggies to take to WDW. When we are there, I can turn it into taco meat, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, etc....

Once time we took baking potatoes ( they don't crush or bruise in the luggage!). We topped them with salsa, ground beef, cheese, & sour cream.....yum! I also cooked meatloaf at home and took it frozen.

I have found that I can take frozen juice boxes, frozen beef, frozen lunch meat, etc.... in a collapsable cooler. It stays frozen after 10 hours from home, on the plane, and into the villa. In fact, it was still hard as a rock!

I also make a big batch of mac & cheese. With the leftover, I had cooked, ground beef, a can of cram of mushroom soup, and a small can of french fried onions. Bake it (or nuke it) until it bubbles. (All things that can be taken from home in the luggage).

I usually cook 4 or 5 meals per week but I never plan on going to a grocery store. I take lots of stuff from home and just add bread, taco shells, chips, & perishables from the resort store. I use the extra luggage space for souvenirs for the trip home.

[msdis]

Wow, all in a studio! And I thought we were doing good. We never get a car and with 2 off us we usually go for mears so no grocery stop. I usually bring enough "groceries" to do 2 meals a day and we do 1 counter service each day. We do lots of sandwiches from canned meats (tuna, chicken, turkey); bologna that I take frozen along with mayo,mustard, butter, cheese, half n' half for my coffee, and other fridge items stored in a small soft-side cooler; and veggies for sandwiches and salads. Also meals from canned foods; ie: beef stew, soups, spaghettios, chili, etc. I also take canned and fresh fruit and trail mix, cookies, chips, crackers, bagels & cream cheese for breakfast and our favorite breads from home.Also, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, previous disney mugs, and coffee filters. The more you forget and have to buy from the store the more you will remember to bring next time! LOL! We get by just great without anything too fancy and by buying very little from the resort store. The only "kitchen" things I bring are a can-opener, paring knives, baggies of various sizes, and some plastic dishes that nest well for cooking and eating off. I have a blast fixing "simple" meals compared to every night cooking at home and we save a LOT of money. The trip before last we spent a total of $50 for 8 nights on eating out and for groceries at the store. Not bad! Last trip we splurged and spent $150 which is still great compared to what we would spent pre DVC. I also take soap and shampoo from home so as to save the disney ones to include with b-day and x-mas gifts for all my "little" friends. They really get a kick out of them. Also I bring clothes pins to hang our towels up each day to avoid washing them on our "off" days from housekeeping. I find half the fun of our home away from home is making it as comfortable as home with all the conveniences without the hassles.

[RweTHEREyet]

have I read that you can request a toaster oven from housekeeping, or is it just a regular toaster.

Eggo waffles would be good in the morning too, just a thought. Don't take much time and fill you up. Anyone used that bacon that is supposedly already cooked and all you have to do is put in the microwave to heat up. Seems expensive, but still cheaper than eating out.

RweTHEREyet?

[PamOKW]

RWeThereYet, yes you're dreaming. You can only get a regular toaster (that's what they have in the bigger units).

GScott the grills are usually near the pools (not exactly sure about BWV and VWL). There's a real nice are by the Turtle Pond Pool at OKW. They are regular grills and you have to purchase your own charcoal. I think someone else said they don't sell it at WDW and you have to go offsite but I'm not positive on that one.

[slindamood]

We also cook at home and carry along. Anything that can be frozen will easily survive any flight in the U.S.

A favorite meal is spaghetti (use ziti or other firm pasta - it reheats best), a small bottle of chianti from home, a salad from a bag at the BW store, and - - the highlight of the meal - - fresh baked french bread from the bakery on the boardwalk. The baquettes they sell are inexpensive and make any meal special. Top the meal off with carrot cake and key lime pie from the bakery - - the carry out is quite reasonable compared to sit-down desserts and the servings are huge.

We really like quiet family meals together away from the crowds and noise of parks and restaurants.

[Margie J]

Bringing the George Forman Grill sound like a great idea. I have a small one. It will easily fit in the luggage.

For my next Studio stay I'm also bringing along some microwave safe bowls to cook rice and other side dishes in.

I've seen electric skillets for sale. Maybe one for DVC use might not be a bad idea (since there are no cook tops in the Studios).

I typically get more convenience foods. Pre-cooked chicken, frozen meals and stuff like that.

[PamOKW]

I'm surprised by how many people pack food on flights and even appliances! More power to you but I have enough trouble just lugging my clothes around!

[Mickies'Girl]

Some of your ideas are quite unique.

I have to say that I've only been home once as a member and the extent of my cooking was bagels, coffee and OJ for breakfast and popcorn for a snack. After reading all of the above posts I'm thinking I should try for maybe one dinner in our room on our next trip. I liked the idea of the pasta dinner w/wine and fresh bread and dessert for the bakery on the Boardwalk. That sounds good.

I really like going to all the different restaurants though. There never seems to be enough time for all the different restaurants I like to visit. Don't you miss going out to eat?

http://www.disneyclipart.com/Characters/Minnie_Mouse/minnie12-1932.gif

[Claudia1]

I don't like to waste anything, so I take lots of those little condiment packets with me.

About 2 months before our trip, my husband and I load up on ketchup, mustard, mayo, butter, & jelly packets with fast food meals. We don't take handfuls from the restaurant, but rather save the extra ones that we don't use with our meal. You would be surprised how many you can save in a short time!

By taking the little packets, I don't have partialy used & open bottles at the end of vacation.

[Mickies'Girl]

I froze a stick of butter, wrapped it in aluminum foil and then put in a sandwich bag. Then I put this into a zip-lock bag along with one of those ice packs you use for lunch boxes. This was small enough to go into a side compartment of my carry on. This worked out very well and I didn't have to buy a whole pound of butter for my morning bagel. I hope this idea helps someone.

http://www.disneyclipart.com/Characters/Minnie_Mouse/minnie12-1932.gif

[bearville]

If your running out of luggage space and don't take a cooler, I know a great brand of instant soup- called Shelias Select. It mixes with water and tastes homemade. Even the tomato soup tastes great. You can easily make it into pasta sauce. Several flavors and doesn't taste artificial. They also make great dips. And it doesn't take up much room. E-mail me if you want to know where to find it. I love all these ideas for creative cooking!!!

bigbear@effingham.net ;)

["Ginger"]

We will be making our first trip to one of the resorts for DVC members. I can't make my ressie till the 27th of this month so I don't know where we will be staying. We want to go for 5 days Mon. arrival and leaving Sat. to cruise the Magic. So here are my questions oh, we will be driving so we can bring lots of stuff. Which resort would be best BWV or OKW "studio"? We will be bringing our 4 yr old DD, which resort is best for kids and why? How big are the refrigs in the studios ? Do they have a little freezer spaces in them? Thanks any help would be greatly appreciate

[rsinj]

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[mickeyc]

The ideas everyone shared sounds great. Does anyone know if the freezer compartment of the refridgerator in the stuidos keep items cold? For example would it keep ice cream cold or would it get soft? Enjoy your cusine!! Buon Appeite!! ;)

[bub]

Thanks for all of these great replies! We should be eating well if we follow your suggestions.
In response to the freezer question, I doubt ice cream would stay frozen, if only because the compartment is very small, and I don't think a standard container would fit. Frozen dinners work in the space, and you can make mini-ice cubes. As to whether to stay at BWV or OKW, that would be hard to say. I prefer the shape and extra space of the rooms at OKW, and I like having my car close by. Both have fine kitchen space - BWV has more counter space, but the kitchen is across the room from the table