Microwave Tips

[liuzhou]

I have finally succumbed. Despite having reached a ripe old age, I have never bought a microwave until this week. I have used one very occasionally - mainly to reheat or defrost and I'm not at all interested in supermarket ready meals etc. Ready to bin, if you ask me.

 

The reason for my purchase is that I have allowed myself to be talked into a year long project which means travelling out of town for one night a week. There is no problem with that night, but after a 5:30 am start, I don't get back the next night until around 8 pm by which time I'm too tired to cook properly. So, I thought I could prepare something to be nuked when I get home. Then I bought the cheapest model I could find (but from a reasonably respected manufacturer, so it's fairly basic - what I wanted.).

 

 

So far so good. But then I wondered if there is anything else interesting or amusing that I can do with the thing. I am not really interested in cooking with it as such, but I know things like zapping a lemon for a few seconds to maximise juice when pressed or roasting nuts/seeds. In fact, I just roasted some pumpkin seeds. That's the sort of tip I'm after.

Anything else along these lines? Please, assume I am a complete beginner who has just woken up from a century-long sleep.

[sartoric]

You'll probably be horrified to hear this, but I have a bamix brand MW rice cooker, and always cook my rice in it. Thirteen minutes to perfect rice.

Pappadams work a treat either sprayed with oil or not.

Heat Peking duck pancakes, or any other flat bready/batter type things. Paper towels moistened can help.

I zap frozen peas, steam green beans and blanch other green veggies, par cook cauliflower florets, it's an endless list.

A bechamel sauce is so easy and much less mess than in a saucepan. 

Invest a few yuan in glass or MW appropriate cookware. 

I could go on.

Signed MW tragic...

[liuzhou]

44 minutes ago, sartoric said:

You'll probably be horrified to hear this, but I have a bamix brand MW rice cooker, and always cook my rice in it. Thirteen minutes to perfect rice.

 

Not horrified. Mystified! Although, I've seen it done. I'll be sticking with my rice cooker though.

 

That said, one friend back in London made wonderful microwave risotto. A Barbara Kafka (?) recipe from Microwave Gourmet, she tells me.

 

I have the appropriate cookware.

[liuzhou]

I would sell my proverbial grandmother for a bag of Bird's Eye or Findus or whatever frozen peas and yes, possibly cook them in the evil box of alien technology. I like peas. A lot!

But Chinese peas are dire. None are frozen - China doesn't really do frozen food other than bad dumplings (they come with MW instructions.).  No, the peas are dried out lumps of starch which will never cook into anything edible. They are one of the few foods to remain intact, but still inedible in nuclear tests (I made that up, but I bet I'm right).

They even sell canned greyish-green things which they call peas. I call them ammunition. Bullet hard with a half life of centuries or longer.

/endrant

[teonzo]

Fist things that come to mind.

If you just washed a wood utensil (spoon, whatever) and you need it perfectly dry, put it in the MW for about 1 minute (30 seconds on one side, then turn upside down and other 30 seconds). Beware to not keep it for much more time otherwise it will burn (literally).

Kitchen sponges are one the favourite places for microbes and so on, so after using them you can put them in MW to dry.

Some fruits (like apples and pears) get a nice texture (cooked but firm) and not oxidize if cooked (after peeling and coring) for few minutes in the MW.

You can heat water for tea in the MW (hahahahhaha, I'm running for cover).

 

 

 

Teo

 

[dcarch]

Two tips:

 

1. Be careful making hot water in the MW. Google "superheated water". 

 

 

2. quick sanitizing kitchen towel. Wet towel and MW.

 

dcarch

[HungryChris]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I would sell my proverbial grandmother for a bag of Bird's Eye or Findus or whatever frozen peas and yes, possibly cook them in the evil box of alien technology. I like peas. A lot!
 

I just have to wonder why that is. I do not MW them, but just get a bit of water boiling on the stove top and toss in however many I want. I would be lost without them. They are one of the perfect frozen foods! I like peas a lot as well, but never thought of them as a black market item, until now.

HC

[lindag]

This actually happened to me just a couple days ago.  I routinely boil up about a half cup water every morning to use for my dogs' dehydrated food.  I use the same Pyrex 16 oz. measuring  cup (that's been around for years and years, so it is not super smooth on the inside anymore).

Water blew out of the cup and onto the turntable, however, it did not blow the door open.

Odd that it should happen after this many years of doing the same thing.

[Alex]

Some foods, when reheated, get really happy and start exploding or otherwise moving around -- tomatoes and beans, to name just two. Sauces also can bubble and pop. I'm always cautious and cover what I'm reheating with a paper towel. If anything does escape, clean it up asap, before it hardens.

 

Microwaved food continues to get hotter after the unit turns off.

 

Most microwaves don't heat the food evenly. Once or twice, pause the unit and stir the food or otherwise redistribute it. Do it again after you think it's done.

 

Your unit has a turntable, yes?

 

Do be careful about drying kitchen sponges. Based on personal experience, they *will* catch fire (and smell awful and do bad things to your lungs while doing so).

 

After shampooing your small animal, do not dry it in the microwave.

[cyalexa]

Perfect if you only need 1 or 2 servings. The cooking instructions are for my 900 watt microwave. Experiment to find what's best for you.

Microwave Sweet Potato Chips

Adapted from Cooking Light 

Peel sweet potato and slice on mandolin. 

Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit a microwave-safe plate; coat parchment lightly with cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in a single layer on parchment, leaving center of plate uncovered. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with salt, and a dash of pepper. Microwave at power level 7 for 4 minutes. Check for crispness. Continue to cook at 30-second intervals until done. Repeat procedure with remaining potato slices.

 

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, cyalexa said:

 

Microwave at power level 7

 

Microwaves have no standard setting scales. Power level 7 is meaningless to me. No numbers on my machine.

 

Anyway, I hate sweet potatoes. But I'm sure others will appreciate your recipe 

[chefmd]

Cooking beets in MW when I do not have time to roast or sous vide them.   Make a few punctures with fork or paring knife, wrap in paper towel to avoid the mess, cook for about ten minutes for golf ball size beets on full power.  

 

Asparagus with oil, salt, covered loosely with plastic wrap for about 4 minutes.  

 

Warming plates.  Never had a plate explode but some people are concerned about it.  I have mostly plain white Villeroy and Boch and Corelle.

 

Warming up bread without toasting it.

 

Warming up tortillas.

 

Warming up soft cheese for a few seconds if I do not take it out of the fridge ahead of time.  Please don't judge me, I want eGullet to remain my safe space

 

Nucking ice cream for 8-10 seconds to make it easier to scoop.

[Alex]

36 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Microwaves have no standard setting scales. Power level 7 is meaningless to me. No numbers on my machine.

 

Anyway, I hate sweet potatoes. But I'm sure others will appreciate your recipe 

 

I don't know about cyalexa's unit specifically, but power level 7 normally means that the unit runs at 7/10 of its maximum effect -- by either turning the actual microwaving on for 7/10 of the time then off for 3/10, or, if using "Inverter Technology" simply reducing the effective power level by 30%.

[liuzhou]

43 minutes ago, Alex said:

 

I don't know about cyalexa's unit specifically, but power level 7 normally means that the unit runs at 7/10 of its maximum effect -- by either turning the actual microwaving on for 7/10 of the time then off for 3/10, or, if using "Inverter Technology" simply reducing the effective power level by 30%.

 

Yes, I know that and it still means nothing. 70% of "its maximum" rather depends on what its maximum might be.

That said, I'm not sure that 7 or 8 or 9 aren't random settings settled upon by the intern kid. I repeat, there is no standard.

Many years ago, I worked for a high-end hi-fi manufacturer. Someone (probably an accountant) decided that we should rate our award winning amplifier from 1-12 instead of 1-10. Sales increased and respectable reviewers praised our increased volume.

There was no increase.

These numbers are meaningless.

Edited December 18, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[Alex]

8 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Yes, I know that and it still means nothing. 70% of "its maximum" rather depends on what its maximum might be.

That said, I'm not sure that 7 or 8 or 9 aren't random settings settled upon by the intern kid. I repeat, there is no standard.

Many years ago, I worked for a high-end hi-fi manufacturer. Someone (probably an accountant) decided that we should rate our award winning amplifier from 1-12 instead of 1-10. Sales increased and respectable reviewers praised out increased volume.

There was no increase.

These numbers are meaningless.

 

 

Yes, sometimes. However, cyalexa did say her unit was 900W. If yours is more or less, you adjust accordingly. And no, the numbers generally aren't random settings; I'm willing (even if you're not) to trust major manufacturers to be reasonably accurate regarding their power levels. The bottom line, naturally, is whether one's outcomes are more or less consistent with the settings.

 

You're absolutely serious about the amplifier, aren't you? The person who made that decision probably knew about the Marshall amp that goes to 11, you think?

[liuzhou]

2 minutes ago, Alex said:

The person who made that decision probably knew about the Marshall amp that goes to 11, you think?

 

No. it pre-dated that.

But really I was looking for tips on using the thing, not the "science" of the scales on the knob.

[dcarch]

Tip #3:

Don't leave the door open. The inside  light will go on if the door is open. All light bulbs have short life span. It is almost impossible to replace the light bulb.

 

Tip #4:

Do not MW fine china that has gold / trim silver designs.

 

Tip #5:

When you throw away CDs/DVDs which may have private information. MW them a few seconds. 100% destruction.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2016 by dcarch (log)

[shain]

Toasting bread real hard - good for firm croutons that stay crisp.

Lighly warning baked goods and cake slices (I find to prefer most cakes slightly warm and not room temp)  

Melting chocolate, butter, etc. 

Making bombs out of hard bolied eggs. 

[dcarch]

29 minutes ago, Alex said:

 

You're absolutely serious about the amplifier, aren't you? The person who made that decision probably knew about the Marshall amp that goes to 11, you think?

 

Audio scales are different than power scales.

 

Each noticable (3 dbs) increase in volume requires doubling in power (1 watt, 2 watts, 4 watts, 8 watts ------ ). That's logarithmic scale in human hearing. 

 

dcarch

[Arey]

I use a 25 year old Amana 700 watt microwave, and I don't do any actual cooking in it.. I use it to nuke potatroes a bit if I'm making homefries, for thawing and heating meals I've cooked and then frozen portions for later.  It's useful for getting things started defrosting.  I nuke things using the "defrost" setting on mine for a minute to a minute and a half, and then put it the fridge to finish defrosting. If, when I'm ready to cook it isn't as thawed as I'd like I nuke it for a few more seconds.  However, even on "defrost" thin things such as fish and boneless chicken breasts will start to cook if not watched carefully.

I also use it as a proofing box for when I'm baking bread.  I put a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave and get it good and warm, and then   put the bread dough  in to rise.  I remove the pyrex measuring cup if the bread pan or brotform won't fit in with the pyrex cup still there.

I always try to keep a few baked chicken thighs in the freezer and I have rice frozen in one cup portions in the freezer.  When too tired to cook, or if by the time I decide what I want for dinner it's actually too late to start cooking, I can always a nuke achicken thigh and some rice and have dinner. I usually also have frozen peas and Brussels sprouts in the freezer.  

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, shain said:

Making bombs out of hard bolied eggs. 

 

Not just from hard boiled eggs! Do not cook eggs in the microwave unless the yolk is thoroughly scrambled/whipped/beaten (choose your method) to eliminate air pockets. Some of our favorite family lore is about how Dad learned that the hard way. One egg exploded inside the microwave; the other waited until his guest began to eat it.  :-D

[ElsieD]

And then there is the  potato that exploded in the microwave.  You know, where you forget to prick the potato and.....who knew that a potato had so many tiny, tiny particles?  Not that I would know anything about that, of course.

[cyalexa]

I specifically said those numbers were for my 900 watt microwave and experimentation would be necessary to find the correct settings/times for a different machine. Sheesh.

[jayt90]

I use it to start bread dough rising, not just in proofing.  I nuke the ball of dough at level 1 for 1 minute. Then repeat two or three times until it is nicely warm. The yeast will respond to the internal heat without getting cooked, and the dough will rise quickly.

[Martin Fisher]

43 minutes ago, jayt90 said:

I use it to start bread dough rising, not just in proofing.  I nuke the ball of dough at level 1 for 1 minute. Then repeat two or three times until it is nicely warm. The yeast will respond to the internal heat without getting cooked, and the dough will rise quickly.

  

I used to do this but in a different way.

I never microwaved the actual ball of dough.

I heated a cup of water in the microwave to warm the interior and then (warm cup of water remaining) introduced the dough.