tips for cooking dinners in a studio?

[lodgelady]

Hi all! I saw a thread about this some time ago on the old board, but I'm too darned lazy to go back and try to find it from here.... anyway, we are a family with two kids age 5&9 and would like to have the option of eating a hot supper in our studio a few times during our trip.

1) what do you bring with you to make dinners ( we will have to carry in luggage as we fly)

2) got any easy n'good suggestions?

Thanks a million!!:earsgirl:

[buckylarue]

This weekend we're doing our 1st stay in a studio (at VWL) since joining DVC. We're planning on doing our big meal of the day as a late lunch in the parks or at the resort (except for our night out at Jiko), then having sandwiches in the room for a light late meal. We're taking Tiffany TownCar from the airport and doing a grocery stop, so we can buy supplies. (I'm on a very low fat diet since my heart attack last year, so we'll be getting fat-free mayo and cheese, low-fat deli meat, etc.) If the room has a toaster (I read that they were getting toasters in the studios), we'll toast the bread first, make the sandwich, then zap it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to melt the cheese. I've read of other people doing frozen entrees in the microwave and getting side dishes from the fast-food court at the resort too. I'll be interested to see what other suggestions folks have!

[Lil]

We drive in the summer, and fly at all other times, always having a rental car. When we fly we only take carry on luggage.

We usually eat most breakfasts in, with trips to Boatwright's buffet, and WL dining room. We eat in the parks when we do go in. I buy microwave bacon, sausage, etc. (My hubby's hypoglycemic). We buy 1 set of gladware - I carry a can opener in my makeup bag) and pretty much get sandwich fixings. Sometimes soup and a sandwich taste so good late at nite.

The freezer space in the studio limits you on what you can buy frozen, and I don't want to run to publix everyday.

We eat one big meal a day, always someplace different, and usually have leftovers for another small meal. We love eating at the different food courts. We love the Cajun chicken at Dixie (oops! Riverside) the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs. I made reservations to eat at the Animal K. Lodge this summer. I can't wait!

In the summer when we drive we usually have a one bedroom, but will try a studio this summer. I plan to pack a Picnic basket with my George Foreman, some basic condiments, can opener, 1 plastic microwave pot, some serving utensils.......kinda like camping. I take two large plates, as I don't like paper. It is like all those scouting trips.

[NJmouse]

Last week we stayed in a studio at BWV it didn't have a toaster. We made a meal out of leftover pizza and salad from Spoodles and I bought some frozen Macaroni and cheese at the Screen door for $2.75 and some frozen fried chicken I think it was something like $5.00 it had 5 or 6 nice pieces in the box. (price not to bad considering where we were). Popped it in the microwave and had a nice dinner watching Illuminations. This was fine for the 2 of us and we still had some left over.

[baileybrad]

It is my understanding that you may get a toaster for a studio by requesting it. Is this the case?

[RweTHEREyet]

when we had our first stay at a studio at OKW in early April, we were leaving in the afternoon and noticed a truck in the parking lot that was full of misc stuff, cleaning supplies, lamps, etc., stuff they might restock units with or replace broken items. When we got back to the room that night, there was a new toaster, new corkscrew and a new can opener in the room by the sink. We had not requested anything, so I posted the question where they perhaps now putting these in the Studio units automatically. Don't think anyone staying there later in April confirmed this.

[mrsdon]

If you hve room in your luggage, a crockpot works wonders!!!! Maybe you could put socks or something in it. With the crockpot, you can put meat and potatoes in the am and set it and GO!! When you come home the meal is ready.

[KMarie]

We drive, but I pack some food for the room in a vinyl-lined carry-on size bag. For a few breakfasts, I take a box of cereal and a box of Parmalat milk that doesn't need refrigeration until it's opened. Since we like soup, I also take about a large plastic bowl (to cook in) and packages (or sometimes cans) of soup that mix with water, and cook it in the microwave. The kids love those small microwaveable meals in the pop-top cans (the name of which escapes me), so I be sure to take some of those. We find portions in the restaurants are big for us, so we usually have a variety of leftovers that we reheat, too.

[lodgelady]

....and a corkscrew/ bottle opener and a can opener. These things are basic needs, even in an abreviated kitchen. Maybe DVC has had so many requests for them that they have made them standard issue. Wish we could find out the official scoop. Does anybody know? Also, is the micro big enough for using regular microwave cookware or are they those tiny dorm-size ones?

[Lisa F]

I would say that the microwave is mid-sized (how about that for a nice, non-committal answer?!)

It's not one of those huge full sized things capable of cooking a turkey, but it's not a tiny dorm sized one that is just large enough to nuke a can of soup or a frozen meal. They have a turntable in them, and I think they are pretty much large enough to do whatever we've ever needed to do in them.

As for all of you people who bring elaborate cooking equipment to your studios, WOW. I'm floored. Can I come over to your studio for dinner one night? We always go in January and the thought of coming "home" to a nice hot crockpot meal sounds fabulous, but I don't think I could bring one on the plane with me. I guess I will just continue to read and be in awe of the resourcefulness of DVC members. :)

Lisa

[lodgelady]

Thanks Lisa for your info on the micro. I think you are right that DVC'rs are resourceful in the kitchen. In the thread on this subject which happened on the old boards people had some great ideas. At that point, however I was not yet a member, so I didn't take notes. Hopefully we can get some more good ideas goin' on this thread too. :bounce:

[caveat lector]

:earseek: I realize everybodies diet is different, but I stumbled onto something enjoyable on my last trip....The GIANT TURKEY LEGS. I bought several extra on the way out of the park and left them in the cooler (wrapped in plastic). They provided several dinners and even a late night snack while watching one of Mickey's favorites. They work work very well in the microwaves.

[Alysa]

2 large containers of fresh fruit (Wow! You guys have the freshest pineapple and kiwis here!)
Orange juice
Yogurt
Tea
Milk
(this takes care of breakfast!)
granola bars
tangerines (hard to find but necessary, especially for a Christmas trip)
bottled water and 2 small bottles (necessary for parks)
salad stuff
low fat blue cheese dressing (love this - can't get it in Canada)
microwaveable vegetarian pogo sticks (another American treat) and veggie chicken patties
bottle of sparkling juice for watching fireworks and stars from balcony
DH usually sneaks something 'good' into the cart like animal crackers or microwaveable popcorn

[lodgelady]

Thanks Alysa for the grocery list. Maybe if I bought the stuff on your list to eat when we are at the studio, it would off-set those Mickey bars and Beaver Tails!!
:p
BTW, I just saw in a camping equipment catalog that you can buy folding cooking utensils like spoon, spatula and strainer. I'm thinking if we could manage to pack a little electric frying pan and a micro bowl there would be a lot of meals that could be prepared easily.

[FTWFAN]

I have a crock pot that is great. The pot sits on a base and the base also serves as a griddle when you remove to pot. This has been good for heating up the precooked sausage patties and it gets hot enough to scramble an egg on.
We have also made soup in the pot during the day and used the griddle to make grilled cheese sandwiches on come meal time.
Also, cooked a roast with potatoes and carrots. Then used the single serving mac-n-cheese that can be cooked in the microwave.
I hope these ideas help!!!!!!!!!!:bounce:

[Alysa]

I always have the best of intentions but eating light in our room seems to make up for buffet character breakfasts, crème brulée at Chef du France and those eclairs at the Patisserie, margaritas in Mexico, cider and pimm's cups at the Rose & Crown Pub and that choclate desert thing they have at Grand Floridian Café. At least when I go to Cinderella's Banquet Table this Christmas I will probably be too excited to eat!;)

[iloveokw]

If you can get "real" tomatoes - which we can at Vero - we make yummy blts with the micro bacon. You could also do anything frozen that goes in the microwave - pizza, breakfast sandwiches, hot pockets, etc.

[lsutigger]

We hope to drive in Oct and have a studio at VWL and I've been thinking about what to bring to eat in the room. So far I've thought about preparing individual servings of foods that I know freeze well in the plastic Gladware type containers, (then throw them out) Some of our favorites are chili, soup, and a meat and bean dish called Saturday Night supper, which you can actually eat any night. All you need to complete the meal would be fresh vegetables or crackers/cheese. Other suggestions would be good. Thought that if they were frozen, I could store them in the freezer or refrigerator and by the time we wanted to heat them up they would be thawed. Any other good 'freezes well' ideas out there?:pinkbounc

[lodgelady]

I bet some of those little gladware containers and some ice packs would work just fine in a colapsable cooler on the plane too! :bounce: That would be the best of both worlds- a homecooked meal you don't have to cook in the studio!

[bub]

I started one of these threads on the old boards, and there were some great ideas. Several people mentioned using George Foreman grills - we're considering this for next time (we drive). In the past, we have stopped at Publix for a cooked chicken, which feeds us 2 nights - one night with frozen side dishes (Stouffers stuff) and the second night mixed up in a salad. We buy bagged salad, lunchmeats and cheese, hot dogs and chicken nuggets for the kids, and that takes care of lunch (or dinner if we've had a big lunch out). We also buy several frozen dinners - although the freezer isn't big enough, they keep for several days in the fridge. Last year we had frozen burritos that were good, along with some refried beans, chips and salsa - and we bought 2 bottles of Corona beer at the OKW store (very reasonable by the bottle) to complete the theme. We also bring some plasticware - plates, bowls, cups - that we wash and reuse. I do bring real stainless, since it's hard to eat with plastic. Don't buy anything you wouldn't want to eat at home - you don't want to be eating something that isn't great on your vacation. The first year we brought some canned soups and chili that were awful - now we always try things at home first, to be sure.

We love eating in the studio - no lines, you can take off your shoes and relax! And for a little over a hundred dollars in groceries, we eat well for the week - including plenty of fun snacks and junk food (this is a vacation, after all!)

[DVCajun]

I'm afraid I can relate to the good intentions of a poster above. We usually bring a ton of groceries and end up bringing most of it home with us. Something that never disappoints us is the bags of juice-- they freeze very well in the small freezer and serve the dual function of keeping our unfrozen drinks cool for a refreshing morning drink and then are still nice and cold for a later sip. Something else that we enjoy is some crusty bread and good cheese-- let me tell you, that's a GREAT dinner while you're waiting for Illuminations to start! We usually get enough lunch meat and bread to give us several lunches, and it also makes a nice picnic while waiting for Fantasmic.

Can you tell we enjoy these two shows??? We actually plan our grocery list around them!

[Margie J]

I buy many more convenience foods when I'm staying in a Studio (like last week). What I did bring along this time were three microwave safe containers in which I could cook/store rice mixes, vegetables and such. Plus, I had the usual supply of Ziploc bags and coffee filters.

I bought lunch meats for sandwiches. Pre-cooked chicken is great too. I found that you can even cook ravioli in the microwave (check the package of the frozen ones). You just add a bit of water and the sauce and nuke it. Get some salad mix and you have a good dinner.

Ask for a toaster if you don't find one in the unit. One other thing, the Resorts have BBQ grills. If one is near your unit that gives you another cooking option.

[Mic]

This thread is incredible! You guys are so resourceful(you know you are smart, because you purchased DVC to begin with). Now, aside from the fact that I am a DVC member, too, I don't have a lot going for me in the brain dept., because I have a slow cooker like FTWFAN described(had it for years) and did not know the base doubled as a griddle! This slow cooker gets used more than anything in my kitchen, mainly because it is rectangularly shaped, and lots of things fit in there well. I once cooked spaghetti noodles in it(it took exactly 35 minutes for the the water to boil, if half full)just to see how long it would take, because I plan to take it to BWV at the end of the month. It is lightweight, with a plastic lid, and I have an old tupperware colander that is rectangular that fits inside the slow cooker(I will need to drain my noodles)for the trip down. If I had to, I think I could pack this thing for air travel, but we are driving down this time. We love Olive Garden salad and breadsticks, and we sometimes purchase this to go from the OG at Crossroads and fix spaghetti and Ragu sauce in our room for dinner after swimming or before we head back out for the evening. Soup and sandwiches sound good for a quick dinner as well, so I will be on a mission to use some of the tips I have learned here. Thanks all!:jester:

[Wes]

bump

[Lesley]

At home for a really quick meal we'll often toss a bunch of tortilla chips on a plate, cover them with shredded cheese, melt the cheese and eat them with salsa.

I like the idea of keeping hot dogs and bagged salad.....and crusty bread is a must! And a real simple one for the kids...yogurt.

One thing I'd like to know is which store has the best produce? We always like to have fresh fruits and veggies to snack on, but some supermarkets just aren't very good with produce. When we go to the shore we usually stop at a farm stand on the way, but we don't pass any of these on the way into Orlando!

I had thought of the frozen home cooked stuff myself too.....chili, paella, meat sauce...all my crock pot meals could be frozen in Gladware and brought that way. Less to prep while on vacation and probably not much more to bring along than the crockpot itself. I still think DVC should keep crockpots available on request! And Gladware holds up so well that I generally reuse it, but it wouldn't take much space to nest it all to bring home. (As they call it at WDW- Environmentality)

[SimbaSue]

When we were at OKW in early May, there was a toaster and a corkscrew. Neither was in the Studio at Vero during the first part of our stay. I guess it just depends on the resort, but it certainly is a nice touch. Even for those of us who don't cook at home, much less on vacation! LOL Sus:)