Any Affordable Buffets on Maui? (Lahaina, Kaanapali: for sale, lease, condos)

[TwoByFour]

Buy a grill, like a Weber if you are a meat eater. We use ours probably 3 nights a week. Huli huli chicken, steaks, Ahi. We bought a vegie cooker for the BBQ and it works great - slice some red peppers, onions, squash, mushrooms. Sprinkle some olive oil over it and put it in the grill with the lid closed. Stir a couple times and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and sprinkle some soy sauce over it. Goes great with the huli huli chicken.

[FallenIntoGreatness]

I'm not sure what you are close to on Maui but have you tried the usual chains that offer buffet during the day like Pizza Hut or KFC? Pizza Hut here puts up banners for their lunch buffet and it is less than 10 bucks.

[MitchTempo]

Originally Posted by FallenIntoGreatness

I'm not sure what you are close to on Maui but have you tried the usual chains that offer buffet during the day like Pizza Hut or KFC? Pizza Hut here puts up banners for their lunch buffet and it is less than 10 bucks.

I've never heard of a KFC buffet o_O. They have those on the mainland? Our KFC's didn't do well so we're down to 1 for the whole island in Kahului. Same for the Pizza Hut, we used to have one, that did buffets, in Kahului where Walgreens currently is. I remember our elementary school used to take us there for the buffet as a treat. The new one in Maui Mall doesn't do buffets.

The Pizza hut in Lahaina shares their restaurant space with Taco Bell so isn't really an eat in restaurant. They do have personal size pizzas ready to go though.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by FallenIntoGreatness

..........usual chains that offer buffet during the day like Pizza Hut or KFC? Pizza Hut here puts up banners for their lunch buffet and it is less than 10 bucks.

Or, you could buy a whole pizza in the evening and wrap up individual slices and put them in the fridge. That should cover at least 6 lunches. What does a pizza Hut pizza cost? $20? For 6 lunches, that comes to $3.33 cents per lunch.

A Costco pizza to go would provide a lot more than 6 lunches and it costs less than $20.

I've never heard of a KFC buffet, but again, a whole bucket, taken home, individual servings wrapped up and refrigerated. Just that it is not too healthy because of all the salt and grease. But, always moderation. It's not unhealthy to eat KFC every now and again, with 1-2 pieces, not 15 pieces in one sitting.

I don't happen to like KFC, but the grocery stores around here sell some pretty good fried chicken in their deli. Grocery store delis can be a good place to buy lunch stuff for someone who can't cook. They cost a lot more than making it at home, but they are a lot cheaper than eating in restaurants.

Rice cooker is a good idea because it is very easy. I would bet that with a little coaching, the cooks here could walk OP through how to fry a hamburger in a frying pan to go with that rice.

Personally, I prefer most veggies raw, so an option for OP is to buy a bottle of Ranch dressing for dip and then all he has to learn is how to wash and peel veggies. He doesn't even have to cook them (most of them)

People who can't cook can feed themselves without paying restaurant prices 3 times a day.

[davephan]

I think eating pizza many times a week would pack on the pounds. Then the clothing wouldn't fit anymore, requiring spending more money for larger clothes. Besides that, the extra weight would probably cause a drop in energy and wellness.

Sometimes I haven't used our stove for several years. I use a rice cooker, microwave, and a slow cooker. Get a slow cooker at Costco or Target. Slow cookers are usually one large pot or a unit with three small pots. I think the three mini pot slow cooker units are more flexible to cook with smaller batches. Sometimes might only cook one small batch or up to 3 small batches at the same time. Also pickup cans of chicken broth and an 6 to 10 pound bag of unbreaded chicken at Costco. Fill up the slow cooker with chicken and then fill it with the chicken broth. Then turn it on low heat and let it run overnight or all day. When you return to the slow cooker many hours later, the chicken will be done. One batch of chicken cooked in a slow cooker will last for many meals. You can add rice or vegetables, supplement the meal with fresh fruits.

You can put the cooked chicken in the refrigerator and heat up the chicken in the microwave later. One batch of slow cooked chicken will last for many meals.

Another cheap food is the small packages of noodles that are available at Asian food stores. All you do is heat up the noodles in the microwave with water. Very quick, easy, and cheap.

[MitchTempo]

Originally Posted by davephan

Another cheap food is the small packages of noodles that are available at Asian food stores. All you do is heat up the noodles in the microwave with water. Very quick, easy, and cheap.

Oh those are the ones I set fire to my microwave with. =D.

[davephan]

Noodles shouldn't catch your microwave on fire if you cook them correctly with a microwave. Microwaves cook the water content in food. You cannot cook the dry noodles in the microwave without adding water first.

Also, you have to be very careful about heating water alone in a microwave. Unlike a stove, a microwave can heat water past the boiling point into super heated water. If you have glass of super heated water and break the water tension at the top of the glass, the water will explode upward as much as 10 - 12 feet. People have been seriously injured by super heated water. The super heated water might not occur if there are enough impurities in the water, but it is best to be safe.

Here's a small video of super heated water in a microwave:


Microwave Superheating - YouTube

[joenorwood77]

Sorry I have not been able to respond to many of you yet. However, I am reading the posts and extremely thankful for the support. I will try to respond more when I have some down time.

Regarding buying a rice cooker, I prefer to buy things from Amazon when possible so I can get a decent idea of ratings and comments that people have. Hopefully it is ok for me to post a link here of a rice cooker that is affordable yet has excellent reviews. Is this all I really need?

Amazon.com: Oster CKSTRCMS65 3-Cup (Uncooked), 6-Cup (Cooked) Rice Cooker with Steam Tray, Black: Kitchen & Dining

As far as different types of rice, I may just try different types to see which I prefer. I hear the white rice does not have much nutritional value but the others do. I will likely go to Costco or Walmart and buy a bulk bag and if there is a limited variety, I am go to an ethnic place.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by joenorwood77

Regarding buying a rice cooker, I prefer to buy things from Amazon when possible so I can get a decent idea of ratings and comments that people have. Hopefully it is ok for me to post a link here of a rice cooker that is affordable yet has excellent reviews. Is this all I really need?

Yes, that's all you need. Although originally designed as a rice cooker, this type of appliance is actually a small general purpose cooker that you can use to steam vegetables, scramble eggs, make chili, and maybe best of all, make saimin or ramen in. Because it is low wattage (probably 300 watt for this size) it is safe to use anywhere, which is why you will find these in countless college dorm rooms across the country.

As far as different types of rice, I may just try different types to see which I prefer.

The main choices are long grain, medium grain, and short grain. And white or brown. Long grain are firmer and fluff up better, short grain are stickier, like sushi rice. Basmati is preferred for Indian cooking, Jasmine rice is fragrant and preferred for Thai cooking.

I hear the white rice does not have much nutritional value but the others do.

White rice is basically just starch, and is eaten for the calories it provides. White rice is brown rice that has had the exterior layers polished off. The nutrition is almost all in that brown outside layer, but white rice has a finer taste and texture, so it is a staple in many of the world's cuisines... Asian, Indian, Latin American... as the base, with cooked vegetables and meat topping it to complete the meal. Also beans and rice are a classic combination, used all over the world, that combines two inexpensive staples to form a complete protein in the body.

I will likely go to Costco or Walmart and buy a bulk bag and if there is a limited variety, I am go to an ethnic place.

Every supermarket in Hawai'i carries lots of choices. Start with one pound bags until you find out what you like.

And the same goes for noodles, which are also extremely easy to fix in a rice cooker. Every supermarket has many different choices of the inexpensive dried ramen soup packages, and most supermarkets in Hawai'i also carry packaged fresh saimin noodles (look in the cold case of the produce section, or ask), which are even better.

Saimin is Hawaiian soul food, and you can make it to your taste. Heat up the noodles in the soup broth (included) and add whatever you like... meat, fish, vegetables, seaweed, eggs... whatever tastes good to you. And anybody can do it. If you like hot sauce, add that. If you like shoyu, add that. If you like toasted sesame oil, add that. If you like pico de gallo, add that. No rules, just make it to your taste!

[daryn.lu]

Originally Posted by davephan

Noodles shouldn't catch your microwave on fire if you cook them correctly with a microwave. Microwaves cook the water content in food. You cannot cook the dry noodles in the microwave without adding water first.

Also, you have to be very careful about heating water alone in a microwave. Unlike a stove, a microwave can heat water past the boiling point into super heated water. If you have glass of super heated water and break the water tension at the top of the glass, the water will explode upward as much as 10 - 12 feet. People have been seriously injured by super heated water. The super heated water might not occur if there are enough impurities in the water, but it is best to be safe.

Here's a small video of super heated water in a microwave:


[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC_NtH8vWSc"]Microwave Superheating - YouTube[/URL]

pretty cool!