My fiancé and were in a discussion about what counts as a low effort meal. I made some buldak ramen with some sauteed mushrooms and onions, added rice cakes and air fried some dumplings and left over chicken tenders. He said that was way to much effort for a “low effort meal”. He said that if he has to turn on the stove top it was no longer a low level meal. For him its pizza or anything in a microwave.
What counts as a low effort meal?
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ham and cheese toast
I think this is just a personal thing about what feels hard/easy to you. I think for me, it would be not having to chop anything and not having any hard to wash dishes, but I don’t mind turning on the stove
Yeah when you’re sauteeing multiple things it’s not low effort imo lol I agree with him more
For me, if I have to chop anything, it’s not low effort anymore.
In my personal opinion, I agree with your fiancée. What you described sounded good and not necessarily difficult, but I wouldnt call it “low effort.” Maybe one step above that. For me low effort meal is something with truly minimal work to prepare it like boxed Mac and Cheese, or a frozen Pizza, or anything I can just stick in the microwave.
Your meal is so far beyond what I’d consider low effort that I wonder what kind of life accomplishments you’d consider low effort lol.
Instant noodles with sauteed toppings is low-effort by my standards, sure. Air frying two additional side dishes may be going beyond low effort by a bit, though.
I’m used to (and enjoy!) cooking really complicated meals, several times a week. So, the bar is definitely set differently for me. I suppose for me, if I don’t have to chop more than two things, or make a sauce from scratch, that’d be considered low effort.
I consider anything a low effort meal if the entire thing takes 30 minutes or less to complete. That’s my version. I think my partner would agree with yours, though.
For me, anything that requires preparing and cooking ingredients is not a low effort meal. A sandwich is a low effort meal, and so is a frozen pizza. Anything with side dishes is not a low effort meal.
Then again I absolutely hate cooking. Just forcing myself to open the fridge can be a high effort activity.
I figure anything that doesn’t involve a ton of prep work. I don’t mind chopping up a couple of veggies or whatever. As an example a low effort beef stew for me would be salting peppering and searing the roast And then throwing it in the crock pot with quartered onions, bite size cuts of skin on potato, a small bag of baby carrots, a can or two of vegetables such as green beans and/or corn, herbs/spices, and broth. If you want to reduce the effort even further you can buy canned potatoes that are already cut up and pre diced onions.
I mean that takes maybe a total of 15 minutes of prep and then 8 hours in the crock pot. That’s about as low effort as it gets as far as I’m concerned to consider it a meal. What your SO is talking about is a snack.
When I want pizza a low effort meal would be to grill some cheese, mushrooms, and pepperoni on a piece of toast.
When we plan low effort meals at home, it’s things like spaghetti or kielbasa and perogies. Things that don’t require any food prep. Just put in a pot a pot and cook it. We never do microwave meals. I believe that the microwave is there to heat up leftovers. Not cook food. On rare occasions, we’ll do frozen appetizers or things like that. Again, just put it on a pan and heat up.
One bowl in the microwave is low effort.
A bowl of cereal or toast is a low effort meal
My wife will eat Cheerios for dinner if i’m not home. I think we can all agree that’s low effort 🙂
Microwave meal for unhealthy people, one pot/pan meals for healthy people lol
Low effort is standing in front of the fridge and eating something cold out of a container, and telling him to do the same. The meal you made was not low effort, and he sounds insulting to say so. Evaluate this relationship critically and make sure you are both putting in the same amount of effort and energy, and appreciating the other. Fending for yourself is remarkably peaceful and free of judgement.
What you describe is a low effort meal for somebody like you or me, people who are extremely efficient and have this whole multi item Asian stuff down to a science. No brainer, no mental input, each item is super simple.
I think of that as a low effort, high reward, meal. I used to do that kind of meal for myself when I was in college. Like every day.
Chapaghetti, throw in meat, toaster oven mandu. Single serving seaweed pack and leftover rice. Maybe soy sauce and vinegar to dip the mandu. Really takes low effort. But to many people that just sounds like a lot of work. But for you or me, it borders on fun, the thrill of being hyper competent and efficient.
Got even easier now with fasta pasta microwave ramen container and airfryers. Make it for my son on weekends.
I think those frozen pre-made microwave meals would count as low effort. Or instant noodles that you only need to add boiled water and wait.
Bread dipped in anything runnier than bread
Ordering in
If I have to chop anything or wash up pots/pans it’s not a low effort meal for me. Pizza or microwave meal/leftovers is low effort in my opinion
I agree with your husband, low effort meal should only use a microwave at best, and should take 5 minutes or less to make
If it takes more effort than boiling water and straining what you cooked before returning it to the pot, it’s too much effort. Mac n cheese is only so low effort because I can simply take a random chunk of butter, literally splash milk in, and mix it together with the cheese packet and it’s done. I’d describe Mac n cheese as the most-effort low effort food that exists, because you can make it with no measuring at all.
My fiancé and I are one VERY different levels of cooking (he’ll eyeball a recipe for beef wellington and then put his own spin on it, I can follow a recipe but stick to basics.)
His definition of a low effort meal is one that’s basically a carb like pasta or rice, veggies and an easy to cook protein. He’ll still use at least 5-6 dishes/utensils and multiple spices.
For me, a low effort meal is chicken tenders baked on a cookie sheet (3 dishes: cookie sheet, plate, maybe a fork) or ramen boiled in the microwave (only 2 dishes! A bowl and a fork!) They require zero effort outside of “wait for it to be done.” But hardly constitute a full meal.
All in all – if it takes me less than 15 minutes of manual work, then it’s low effort. If it’s more than 15 minutes of me standing in the kitchen, then it’s not low effort.
What you call low effort is what I call high effort. Low effort for me is no dishes and no chopping and no more than one pan or tray.
For me, a low effort meal can involve the stove top, like making pasta with pesto or heating up leftovers. Anything that needs chopping is no longer low effort.
Effort is subjective. For me it’s not just the prep but the clean up. I can easily add frozen veggies to instant noodles with a big spoon of kimchi, but as soon as I have a pan I have to wash it become effortful.
More than three ingredients, more than five minutes prep time, more than one step to cook it, more than one appliance used, would disqualify it as low effort.
I make similar ramen and to me it is low effort. I am used to cooking so anything that has a minimal amount of thinking or planning to me is low effort. Last night I made, what i consider low effort, spaghetti with meatballs using a jar of sauce and frozen meatballs, granted i still chopped and sauted some garlic and Shallots, added a touch more seasoning for my taste, and grated some fresh parm. My wife on the other hand anything outside of heating something in the microwave is too much effort.
Low effort meal for me is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or it was until I found out my son has a peanut allergy and now I have to make do with sunflower butter and jelly. Honorable mentions are quesadillas and cereal.
If I use more than one pot/pan that’s not low effort. I might cut precooked meat, but that’s the only cutting I’m willing to do. Microwaveable, pre made, throw it in the oven or a pot with some water meals are ideal.
Pasta & jarred sauce
Homemade deli sandwiches
Red beans & rice
Black eyed peas & rice
I would absolutely not consider what you made a “low effort meal”. I’d say if it takes any more than, say, 5 minutes of active preparation, it is not low effort. My low effort meals consist of turkey and cheese on toasted bread, maybe some air fried bagged sweet potato fries. Some ppl would even argue that the air frying fries disqualifies this from the low effort category
Sandwiches is about as low effort as you can get.
If you use more than one appliance, or pan, or etc. it is not low effort.
Low effort is throwing something in something and getting it out when the timer goes off.
In my opinion less than 15 minutes, and no more than a total of 2 plates/cutting board/pots/pans needed to prep it.
Example: A quesadilla. I have a plate to microwave it on and a cutting board for whatever cooked leftover meat I have. Low effort.
I think what he means is even if you added toppings and sides, the “main meal” is still just instant noodles. Personally I would think the same, if the main base of the dish is low level the average of the meal becomes low level, but it’s a gradient. Some packaged sauces don’t need editing, while some are bases that you have to put vegetables or other stuff in.
Ramen with stuff in it can be a low effort meal for me, but it depends on the prep for the stuff. Like boiling water and throwing the noodles, flavor packet and some pre-chopped veggies or an egg in, low effort. Chopping and sautéing things turns it into a higher effort meal. For me it’s generally things that require little to no prep.
My low effort meal is whole wheat bread with peanut butter and jelly.
Low effort for me is something that 20 minutes regardless of how or what you’ve done take it.
My husband once ate a freezer pizza after it defrosted. Couldn’t be bothered baking it. So… there’s that, lol. (ADHD is a hell of a thing)
Sautéing something, not low effort. Boiling water for noodles? Sure that still counts as low effort. So not the same distinction at turning on the stove as I’ve read from others.
Sandwich or microwaving something
Rotisserie chicken and a salad kit. Just mix. Or my favourite, rummaging through the cupboards and eating whatever you find.
Your meal to me seems high effort since it involves the stove.
My typical low effort meal:
Season some chicken and air fry it. Use foil so I don’t have to wash anything.
microwave a bag of frozen broccoli and put some shredded cheese in it.
Aside from cook time, prep and cleanup takes 3 minutes.
My low effort meal is a frozen pizza, an omelet (stir up 3 eggs, easy), or frozen shrimp
Cereal, microwaveable food, instant noodles, most sandwiches, anything you can do under 5/10min are low effort meals
Grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla, or anything similar that can be cooked in like 5 minutes with minimal effort.
Pasta, Eggs and Sausages boiled in one water simultaneously
I regularly will eat brats with no buns lol.
Pb sandwich, cereal, microwaved leftovers are low effort meals
Low effort entirely depends on how much you enjoy cooking.
For me, low effort = ramen, reheated pizza, or something frozen I can throw in the air fryer.
For my partner, low effort = pasta, French fries made from scratch, chicken salad made from scratch, eggs and sausage with home fries (with the home fries being made from scratch).
Not saying those are difficult things to make, but when I’m feeling lazy I don’t like to use a frying pan or chop anything lol.
For me it comes down to how many dishes are used / dirty. I’d say a single pan / single cutting board is a low effort as long as I’m not chopping a bunch.
So for your example I’d agree if it was a one pan sautee and cook noodles with the air fryer items being plopped directly on something you don’t have to immediately clean (ie it came in cook ready packaging, put directly on wire rack for a standing air fryer) then yes I’d agree it’s low effort. If you had a sauté pan, pot to boil noodles and had to wash the vessel for the air fried items it’s not low effort.
What you described sounds like a low effort meal to me. Ramen with more stuff added to it to make it really tasty or more nutritious is something I go to a lot when I want low effort. For me, if 80% of the work is already done, like the meat is already cooked and just needs to be heated, or the vegetables are already chopped or were frozen and just needs to be heated, or if the carbohydrate option is a just add hot water and boil option that’s especially low effort.
But that’s because for me, high effort meal means something where I’m working with raw meat, raw vegetables in their original form, and either uncooked pasta or uncooked rice. High effort meal is where I have to do all the steps myself.
But just throwing some gyoza and pre cooked rice cakes into your ramen is fantastic low effort! No worries about wether you have to make the damn gyoza first. No prepping raw meat.
A pizza in the oven or a premade burrito in the microwave are 0 effort in my mind.
If you don’t have to prepare it all day and it is simple for you it’s a low effort meal
Anything that can cook itself so throwing chicken in the air fryer or oven.
chicken, some sort of carb and one veggie is my usual low effort meal.
Egg salad sandwich