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Budget Stir Fry Gear I Wish I Had When I First Moved Out
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items When I moved into my first apartment, I ate sad microwaved ramen for weeks because I had no clue how to cook fast, cheap meals. Stir fry saved me, but only after I wasted money on wrong pans and bland sauces. This is everything I actually use now, fr...
Sections
5
Frozen Vegetables That Don't Turn to Mush
Sauces and Seasonings That Actually Taste Like Takeout
Rice and Noodles That Cook in Minutes
Protein on a Budget That Isn't Boring
Cookware That Won't Ruin Your Stir Fry
Frozen Vegetables That Don't Turn to Mush
I used to dump any random frozen bag into a pan and wonder why dinner tasted like soggy cardboard. These specific blends actually hold up to high heat and taste like you chopped them yourself.
Toss these in a screaming hot pan and they actually stay crisp. Perfect for anyone who gets home at 7pm and needs dinner in ten minutes. I go through two bags a week now.
Birds Eye Asian Style Stir Fry Vegetables, 3g of Fiber per
Grab a couple bags when you're trying to stretch groceries. The snap peas and water chestnuts in here give real takeout vibes. Way better than I expected for the price.
Great Value Deluxe Stir Fry, Mixed Vegetables, 20 oz Bag
Keep a bag in the freezer for when you want to bulk up a stir fry without adding cost. My roommate who hates vegetables actually eats these when I toss them with soy sauce and garlic.
Birds Eye Steamfresh Broccoli Florets, Frozen, 10.8 oz Bag
Use these when you're bored of the usual stir fry mix. The baby carrots and green beans add a different texture. I started throwing these in after months of eating the same thing.
Green Giant Simply Steam Broccoli & Cheese Sauce
Three colors of peppers already sliced for you. Saved me from crying over an onion at 9pm on a Tuesday. Stock up because they sell out faster than you'd think.
Great Value Frozen Pepper and Onion Blend
Switch to these if you want slightly bigger vegetable pieces that get a nice char. For anyone with a cast iron or wok, these caramelize beautifully in about four minutes.
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry Recipe
Sauces and Seasonings That Actually Taste Like Takeout
Plain soy sauce gets old after the third night in a row. I spent months testing different combos before landing on these, and now my stir fry tastes better than the $14 pad see ew down the street.
Keep this next to your stove at all times. I literally use it every single day, not just for stir fry. A couple tablespoons in the pan while veggies are sizzling and suddenly you're cooking for real.
Kikkoman Soy Sauce, 15 oz Bottle
Pair this with soy sauce and you get that deep savory flavor you can never replicate with just one bottle. My brother asked if I ordered takeout the first time I used it. I had not.
Lee Kum Kee Panda Oyster Flavored Sauce 9oz Glass Bottle
Drizzle this on top right before eating. For anyone who thinks stir fry is bland, a good squeeze of this fixes everything. Wish someone had told me sooner instead of letting me suffer through plain rice.
Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, Medium, 17 Oz
Snag this for nights when you're too tired to mince fresh garlic. Half a teaspoon thrown in with the veggies does the job. No peeling, no sticky fingers, no complaints.
Mccormick Garlic Powder, 8.75 Oz
Try this on nights when you want zero thinking. Just pour it in and everything tastes right. Great for whoever in your house claims they can't cook. Hand them this and a pan.
Kikkoman No Preservatives Added Stir Fry Sauce
Use just a tiny splash at the very end. Seriously, like half a teaspoon. It makes the whole plate smell like a real restaurant kitchen. Overdoing it ruins everything though, learned that the hard way.
Kadoya Pure Roasted Sesame Oil, 5.5 fl oz Bottle
Rice and Noodles That Cook in Minutes
Stir fry without a carb base is just sad vegetables on a plate. These are the fastest options I found that don't require watching a pot for 20 minutes while you're already starving.
Get this if you refuse to wait 20 minutes for rice. Boil water, dump it in, five minutes later you're eating. Saved me on nights when I forgot to start cooking until I was already hangry.
Minute, Instant White Rice, Light and Fluffy
Ditch the seasoning packet and use your own soy sauce mix instead. The noodles themselves are perfect for stir fry. Way cheaper than buying fresh noodles that go bad in two days.
Maruchan, Yakisoba Noodles, Teriyaki Beef Flavor
Grab the big bag if you eat stir fry more than twice a week. Costs almost nothing per serving. I meal prep a huge batch on Sunday and reheat portions all week.
Great Value Long Grain Enriched Rice, 5 lbs
Try these for a change from regular noodles. They cook in about four minutes and soak up sauce like crazy. Perfect for anyone who's gluten free but still wants real noodle texture.
Annie Chun's, Rice Noodles, 8 Oz, Whole Grain Brown
Swap your usual instant noodles for these when you want something slightly less processed. They hold up in a hot pan without falling apart, which is more than I can say for most cheap ramen.
Lotus Foods, Organic Wide White Rice Ramen Noodles
For the person who burns rice every single time, this is foolproof. Drop the bag in water, wait, cut it open. No measuring, no scorched pots. I used these for a full year before I bought a rice cooker.
Success, Aromatic Jasmine Rice, 14 oz, Gluten Free
Protein on a Budget That Isn't Boring
Frozen veggies and rice alone won't keep you full past 9pm. I kept waking up hungry until I started adding cheap protein to every stir fry. These are the ones that don't taste like cafeteria food.
Keep a bag in the freezer and toss a handful into any stir fry. Already cooked, already sliced. For anyone working late who doesn't have time to deal with raw chicken on a weeknight, this is it.
Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, 22 oz (Frozen, Fully Cooked)
Thaw these under cold water for five minutes and throw them in at the last second. My girlfriend thought I was showing off the first time I made shrimp stir fry. Took me twelve minutes total.
Great Value Frozen Cooked Medium Shrimp Tail-On 12 oz
Press it with a towel, cube it, get your pan ripping hot before it goes in. Crispy tofu in stir fry is unbeatable for the price. About a dollar per block and it fills you up.
Nasoya, Refrigerated Soy Extra Firm Organic Tofu, 14 oz
Slice this thin against the grain and it cooks in two minutes flat. Tastes like the pork in actual Chinese restaurant dishes. Way cheaper than buying pre-sliced stir fry meat.
Farmland Gold Medal Smoked Pulled Pork Meat, 5 Pound
Scramble two eggs right in the pan before adding vegetables. Gives you that fried rice situation everyone craves. Cheapest protein in the store and nobody's stir fry has ever been worse for adding eggs.
Great Value Large White Eggs, 12 Count
Sounds weird but dice this up and fry it crispy as a quick protein add. For broke weeks when the chicken runs out, this works better than you'd expect. My college roommate put me onto this trick.
Hormel Natural Choice Applewood Smoked Turkey Deli
Cookware That Won't Ruin Your Stir Fry
I ruined so many meals using a tiny nonstick pan that couldn't hold heat. The second I switched to proper stir fry cookware, everything clicked. You don't need to spend a lot, just stop using the wrong tools.
Ditch whatever pan you're using and get this. It holds heat like nothing else and food actually gets that smoky char. Took me three years of mushy stir fry before someone finally told me to buy a real wok.
Joyce Chen Classic Series 14-In. Carbon Steel Wok
Grab this if a wok feels intimidating. A big flat skillet works fine as long as you don't overcrowd it. For anyone just starting to cook, this plus frozen veggies is the whole setup.
Mainstays Classic Ceramic Nonstick Aluminum 12
Toss vegetables around the pan with these instead of awkwardly pushing them with a fork. They grip everything perfectly. I use them for literally every meal now, not just stir fry.
Oxo, Food Tongs, 12-inch, Locking Handle Stainless Steel
Keep this on the back burner for rice while stir fry happens up front. The lid actually stays put and the handle doesn't get hot. Simple, cheap, does exactly what you need.
Customer reviews for Farberware Style 3 Quart Nonstick
Lay one of these on the counter for slicing protein. Rolls right into the pan when you're done. Cleanup takes seconds, which matters when you're already exhausted and just want to eat and sit down.
Prepworks by Progressive Large Cutting Board