No Oven? How to Choose Frozen Meals for a Microwave or Stovetop
You can choose Providoor meals without an oven by checking the published method for every dish, including the sides. Butter Chicken, Thai Green Chicken Curry and Pumpkin Soup currently have microwave and stovetop instructions. Aromatic Rice lists a microwave method.
These are high quality meals that are easy to cook and finish, with a different cooking time for each dish. Start with the appliances you have, then use the current product page and the instructions on your pack to choose and prepare your order.
Browse Providoor meals for your next order, then use the appliance checklist below to choose dishes that match your kitchen.
Photo: Butter Chicken serving suggestion with rice and garnish. Rice is sold separately.
Product methods, listed servings, prices and availability checked on 12 October 2026. Prices below are in Australian dollars. The menu and instructions can change.
Start with your kitchen
- Microwave only: choose products with an explicit microwave method. Check whether the instructions use the original pack or a microwave-safe container, and whether the dish should be defrosted first.
- Stovetop only: choose products with a saucepan or pot method. Check your sides too: a curry with stovetop instructions does not make its accompanying rice suitable for the same method.
- Both: you have more combinations, but each product still needs its own method, packaging steps and timing.
This guide helps you select an order. For more detail on preparing individual dishes, use the meal preparation guides.
Which meals have a microwave or stovetop method?
“Not listed” means the current Providoor product instructions do not provide that appliance method. It is not an invitation to improvise one.
| Product | Listed servings per pack | Microwave | Stovetop | What to check on the pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter Chicken | 2 | Listed | Listed | The current instructions recommend thorough refrigerated defrosting for best results. The microwave method specifies piercing the film or transferring to a microwave-safe container; the stovetop method uses a saucepan. |
| Thai Green Chicken Curry | 2 | Listed | Listed | Check the refrigerated defrosting, film handling, stirring and standing steps for the method you choose. |
| Pumpkin Soup | 2 | Listed | Listed | The microwave instructions say to snip a top corner of the pouch and give separate frozen and defrosted timings. The stovetop method is for defrosted soup poured into a pot. |
| Aromatic Rice | 2 | Listed | Not listed | The published method says to pierce the bag and put it on a microwave-safe plate. Frozen and defrosted timings differ. |
Follow every step for your exact product. For example, the current Butter Chicken and Thai Green Chicken Curry microwave instructions include stirring and standing time. Those steps should not disappear when you plan the rest of the meal.
Check the packaging as well as the appliance
A tray, pouch and bag can have different handling instructions. The examples above include piercing film, snipping a pouch corner, transferring contents and removing packaging. Use the steps for the product you have, rather than borrowing them from another meal.
Plan any refrigerated defrosting before the meal. Providoor’s preparation guidance recommends defrosting under refrigeration for best results and using a from-frozen method only where the product supplies one. Never submerge the meal or its packaging in water to defrost it or heat it.
If you need help interpreting tray compatibility, read the CPET tray guide. Packaging compatibility and a complete cooking method are separate checks.
Two real orders for a kitchen without an oven
These examples use products available when checked on 12 October 2026. They assume you can follow each pack’s storage and refrigerated defrosting instructions. They are food-only totals before delivery and any discounts, not fixed-price bundles. Serving counts come from the product listings; adjust quantities for your appetite and any extra dishes.
1. Microwave-only: four curry-and-rice dinners for two
| Product | Packs | Price per pack | Food total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter Chicken | 2 | $23 | $46 |
| Thai Green Chicken Curry | 2 | $22 | $44 |
| Aromatic Rice | 4 | $9 | $36 |
| Food subtotal | $126 | ||
The order provides eight listed curry servings and eight listed rice servings: four two-person curry-and-rice dinners. All three products have a published microwave method. Check the curry and rice instructions separately and allow for their different timings; this is not a promise that both packs can cook together.
2. Stovetop-only: three curry packs, plus soup
| Product | Packs | Price per pack | Food total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter Chicken | 1 | $23 | $23 |
| Thai Green Chicken Curry | 2 | $22 | $44 |
| Pumpkin Soup | 1 | $16 | $16 |
| Food subtotal | $83 | ||
This order provides six listed curry servings and two listed soup servings. It does not include rice, sides or other extras. Budget separately for your chosen accompaniments and check their own preparation requirements. Use the soup as a starter for two or at another meal; it does not add extra curry servings.
Each product in this selection has a stovetop method. Aromatic Rice is left out because its current instructions list only a microwave method. Check the individual methods before starting and plan your pot space: the curry and soup instructions are separate, with no single cooking time for the whole order.
Leave out products that need an appliance you do not have
Garlic & Coriander Naan might look like an obvious addition to a curry order, but its current instructions list an oven and an air fryer. They do not list a microwave or stovetop method, so it is excluded from these two examples.
Apply the same check to every extra side or dessert. A familiar product name or a tray that looks suitable does not establish a method for your appliance.
Check delivery before placing the order
The minimum order is $80 after discounts, excluding delivery. Both examples are above that minimum at their listed food prices, but a discount can change whether a basket qualifies.
Standard free delivery starts at a food subtotal after discounts of $179 for eligible Sydney addresses, or $199 for eligible addresses in Victoria and Queensland. The $126 and $83 examples are below those standard free-delivery thresholds. Check your address, available dates and delivery fee in the delivery checker, then confirm any eligible offers and the final total at checkout.
Common questions
Can every frozen meal go in the microwave?
No. Choose a product with an explicit microwave method. Garlic & Coriander Naan, for example, currently supplies oven and air-fryer methods, so it is not included in the microwave-only basket.
Can I cook straight from frozen?
Only when the instructions for that product give a from-frozen method. Pumpkin Soup and Aromatic Rice currently include frozen microwave directions; that does not create a from-frozen method for another dish.
What should I check if I only have a stovetop?
Check both the main dish and every side for a stovetop method, including any defrosting and packaging steps. Aromatic Rice is left out of the stovetop-only example because its current product page gives a microwave method.
Keep the product instructions close
Choose the appliances first, the dishes second, then check the complete instructions on the latest packaging when your order arrives. Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s food-safety guidance also advises following all cooking instructions on the pack.
To plan the full cost of your order, use our worked Providoor dinner baskets and meal-cost calculator.
Choose your Providoor meals and build your order using the microwave or stovetop methods above. For more detail, use the curry preparation guide and check Providoor delivery to your address before checkout.
Source note: this selection was checked against current Providoor product listings, preparation instructions, listed servings and available variants on 12 October 2026. Food prices exclude delivery and discounts. Recheck the linked product pages before ordering and follow the latest packaging for your exact pack.