TDG: A Man & His Microwave

[=Mark]

I like to half an acorn squash, put butter and black pepper into the seeded cavity, place in a covered dish and nuke till tender...

[Jim Dixon]

Doesn't the clockwise/counterclockwise turntable in the microwave disturb the direction of the risotto? 

We have a relatively ancient unit without a turntable (a repairman told us to keep it, though, because the newer models aren't nearly as powerful). So I have to spin the little cart it sits on instead.

Jim

[Jim Dixon]

I've been making polenta lately using half coarse cornmeal (I buy it in the bulk section) and half Moretti with buckwheat (Moretti comes in vacuum bricks...plain, white, or with buckwheat called, I think, taragna)..and cooking in milk instead of water. The results are creamier (duh) and I like the texture better than just using one or the other.

Jim

[Dave the Cook]

Jim's oven reminds me of another trick: microwave ovens have hot spots. Most units have a metal stirrer that disperses the waves, many have turntables. These days, almost all of them have both. But you'll still have hot spots.

If you want to find out where they are, go to the office supply store and pick up some thermal fax paper. Dampen it (a spray bottle works well), and put it in the bottom of your oven.

Turn the oven on. You'll see a pattern develop in the paper where the waves "cook" the encapsulated coating. At some point, the whole paper will turn dark, so don't let it go too long. When you see a distinct pattern, turn the oven off and remove the paper. The imprint is a map of the microwave distribution in your oven.

[elyse]

You are so cool!

[Dave the Cook]

You are so cool!

[mamster]

I did a stupid microwave trick yesterday. My microwave is on a table at about waist height, and it has a turntable. I put in a bowl of Korean grilled pork, microwaved for a minute, opened the door, and the entire bowl was gone! For about two seconds I was questioning everything I knew about the universe, then I realized that I'd put the bowl in at the very front of the turntable and it was now at the very back, and I couldn't see it from where I was standing.

This should have been in Dave's article, I think.

[Dave the Cook]

I did a stupid microwave trick yesterday.  My microwave is on a table at about waist height, and it has a turntable.  I put in a bowl of Korean grilled pork, microwaved for a minute, opened the door, and the entire bowl was gone!  For about two seconds I was questioning everything I knew about the universe, then I realized that I'd put the bowl in at the very front of the turntable and it was now at the very back, and I couldn't see it from where I was standing.

This should have been in Dave's article, I think.

It was. Fat Guy cut it.

[hensonville]

Superb nut cakes with no flour.

Barley.

Kasha.

Zucchini.

Sugar syrup.

And, yes, Barbara Kafka with some time adjustment.

[fifi]

BRAVO DAVE! Another triumph for science. I sure hope you keep this up.

In addition to the other uses already mentioned, nothing does spaghetti squash like a microwave. It also works as well on other hard winter squash. Just poke a few holes in it with an icepick and nuke it until it begins to yield to a good squeeze. This avoids having to hack it in half, which also avoids episodes that are better reported on the "I will never again..." thread. Just don't forget to poke the holes or you will have another entry to make there.

[Jim Dixon]

My favorite stupid microwave trick...

Ours has the typical numerical touchpad, so to cook something you touch 'time cook" then enter a value. But it always bugged me that entering 1-0-0 for a minute only gave you 60 seconds. You end up wasting that third touch. So, in the interest of classic time and motion saving techniques, I always enter the time in repetitions of the same numeral.

If something needs a minute, enter 66.

A bit longer, 99

222, 333, 444 etc.

Jim

[Gavin Jones]

Excellent article.

I've always been bemused by the conventional 'gourmet' disdain of the microwave in the kitchen. It's an energy source, with some different characteristics to some of the others in your kitchen, why not explore it.

I hope to market some low-level radioactive rods for domestic cooking purposes soon.

The microwave performs, as previously noted, very well on cooking gloopy liquids. Fish, also, I have heard, is responsive to those tender waves.

[Arey]

A co-worker of mine gave her octogenarian mother a micro-wave oven, and her mother really liked it. However, she kept on trying to preheat it, which lead to problems.

My own octogenarian mother wouldn't use the micro-wave because she had read it was dangerous for people with pace-makers to use one. When reminded that she didn't have a pace-maker, she would point out that a lot of people in their 80's did.

Arey

[elyse]

A co-worker of mine gave her octogenarian mother a micro-wave oven, and her mother really liked it. However, she kept on trying to preheat it, which lead to problems.

That is so funny!

Dave the Cook,Mar 19 2003, 02:52 PM

You are so cool!

[Xanthippe]

I adapted Barbara Kafka's techniques and make polenta and risotto in mine all the time.

Jim! At last! Someone else who takes Barbara Kafka seriously on her microwave books.

The two recipes you mention work every time, and like you, I use them for preference now. The first time I tasted her microwave risotto I sent a prayer up for her. She freed up untold hours of my life. The results are first rate.

Eggplant. A few whirls in the micro speed cooking time. And gets rid of the extra water.

Uh, make that three of us who embrace Barbara Kafka's "nuked" polenta and risotto as methods of preparation. I was embarrassed to admit to this in the presence of such exalted company , but having seen Jim's and Maggies posts, I can "come out" at last!!

Fridge-cold maple syrup warms up beautifully in the 'wave . . .

[jhlurie]

Never owned a microwave - never will. I can't determine the purpose of this device.

Does anyone know anything they're good for?

I can think of better kitchen uses for an old pair of sneakers than a microwave. At least the sneakers get brown with time.

Good for reheating leftovers W/O drying them out.

Cooking bacon for a quick BLT.

Quickly heating a single cup of water for tea.

Steam cooking stuff. Sort of.

[JAZ]

Inquiring minds want to know: does the grape go in skin side up or skin side down?

(fun article, by the way)

[Dave the Cook]

Inquiring minds want to know: does the grape go in skin side up or skin side down?

(fun article, by the way)

Reports indicate that it works either way. I did it cut side up.

Thank you.

[Rachel Perlow]

When we redid our kitchen, I didn't bother replacing our microwave. "Why should I?", I thought "it works fine." This afternoon, while reheating some stew, it just stopped. No smoke, no sparks, no aluminum foil where it shouldn't be. It just stopped. I wasn't sure if maybe the circuit blew for some reason, but no, I plugged it into another outlet (which I confirmed worked) and it still didn't work. Well, it is 9 years old. A good lifespan for a microwave, and probably not worth repairing if a new one will cost the same, huh?

So, what microwaves have people in eGulletland recently purchased? Any features I have to get or shouldn't bother with? What does Consumer Reports recommend?

[elyse]

Rachel, I looked at CR Buying Guide 2002, and it says Sharp is the biggest seller with 30% of sales, followed by GE, Kenmore, Panasonic. It does not, however, give a break down. Anything you want me to look up specifically? It's too long to type.

[=Mark]

Rachel, have you checked to see if there is an internal fuse that might have burnt out?

[Stone]

While I always get a raft of shit for saying it, I'll repeat my stand on the appliance we love to hate: you can cook serious food in the microwave.

Didn't there used to be a cooking show where a guy cooked a dish in his microwave side by side with someone cooking conventionally?

[Rachel Perlow]

elyse - thanks for looking that up, I got the Jan 03 article to read.

Rachel, have you checked to see if there is an internal fuse that might have burnt out?

How do you check for that? I mean, there are no real user servicable parts, and it'll cost about half what a new one would cost to have it serviced, and if so, I'd rather have a new one. Anyone want a dead microwave to tinker with?

[Jim Dixon]

Rachel,

The door switch (safety device that turns off oven when door opens) broke on ours (we couldn't microwave with door open, which might've been cool...it just quit working), so I'd check that, too. When we looked into repairing vs buying a new one, the repair guy said keep the old one because it has more power.It's more than 13 years old and still nuking daily.

Jim

[Rachel Perlow]

The door opens & closes fine, the power is just completely off to the microwave. Do you have a built-in or countertop model? The built in or over the range models are significantly more expensive, so I could see it being worth repairing one of those. But this one cost under $150 in 1994, so I don't think it is as powerful as your's probably. Besides, I may as well get one that matches the kitchen better.