Microwaves

[Monica Bhide]

I am really curious about this...do people use their microwaves for cooking or just re-heating? What are your opinions? Do you cook a smashing dish in the microwave that you would care to share? Why are microwaves "looked down upon" -- that is my naive understanding -- am I wrong?

Are they necessary to your cooking or just a nice to have or a total nuisance?

[jackal10]

I guess they are looked down on as they de-skill food service. Its too easy to take a cold or even frozen pre-prepared or bought in dish, and just re-heat. The slight loss of freshness (and the too high internal temperature) won't be noticed by most diners, alas.

Not that chefs don't reheat using conventional means (dump the par-cooked veg into a chinois in boiling water, for example) in the throws of service, but many have the expectation that at high level each dish is freshly prepared for them, in house.

Properly used they are a great tool. I must admit to using a microwave to reheat food at home quite often, and especially to take the chill off, for example cheese or slices of rare roast beef for a sandwich. Taken out of the fridge 20 secs in the microwave makes all the difference.

There are a few things that can be done much more easily, or only in a microwave. Steamed puds, for example, or ice cream with a boiling jam centre

Edited April 14, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[eatingwitheddie]

Microwaves are great for tempering food.

Some of my top uses are:

1) Ice cream - from rock hard to perfectly creamy soft

2) Defrosting a frozen stock (or anything).

3) Precision cutting for Chinese food, thin slicing and shredding, is best done from a semi-frozen state. The mic rules for this one alone!

4) Heating or reheating moist foods: heating side dishes such as a puree, or a buttered veggie, creamed spinach or mashed potatoes for example.

5) Great tool to have when your serving a number of hot things at the same time - Thanksgiving for example.

6) Great for cooking mussels and fish. Some vegetables too.

[Monica Bhide]

3) Precision cutting for Chinese food, thin slicing and shredding, is best done from a semi-frozen state. The mic rules for this one alone!

This one is interesting.. more please.. more information.. insights

[DaveFaris]

When I moved to an apartment without one, I chose to get a rotisserie instead of a microwave. I've decided that microwave ovens are good for reheating left-overs, conveniently heating up frozen foods (like Green Giant frozen veggies, esp.), and making popcorn.

[Liz Johnson]

Melting butter.

[Jim Dixon]

Monica,

Read through this thread from last month for a few more uses.

I also use it to semi-thaw hard-frozen meat so I can slice it thinly. For example, I buy 1 lb packs of boneless chicken thighs to freeze. I can pull one out, nuke it for a minute, and it's thawed just enough to get a knife through it (when meat is still semi-frozen, it's much easier to cut it thinly). The slices are now ready to cook quickly even if partly frozen.

Jim

[=Mark]

Cooking bacon for a fast BLT. Only 3.5 months to good fresh tomatoes and BLTs!

[Monica Bhide]

Monica,

Read through this thread from last month for a few more uses.

I also use it to semi-thaw hard-frozen meat so I can slice it thinly. For example, I buy 1 lb packs of boneless chicken thighs to freeze. I can pull one out, nuke it for a minute, and it's thawed just enough to get a knife through it (when meat is still semi-frozen, it's much easier to cut it thinly). The slices are now ready to cook quickly even if partly frozen.

Jim

Thanks, i will!

[Anna N]

Threw mine out as it was not pulling its weight - occupied too much space in a tiny kitchen for the few jobs it could do. Use the hob on my coffee maker to reheat small quantities of sauces, to melt chocolate, to melt butter and to keep small quantities of things at serving temperature - it pulls its weight and doesn't take up extra counter space - after all I have to have a coffee-maker! Defrost now per USDA recommendations - 30 minutes in cold water, change water, repeat until defrosted - and my food is not half cooked in the process. That said, when they first appeared on the market I was one of the first in line to buy one - so huge it took up half the kitchen and I tried, honestly I tried, to make it cook something palatable but never succeeded with anything - it all looked and SMELLED horrible!

Anna N

[Ron Johnson]

I use my toaster oven a lot.

I use my microwave for defrosting frozen things maybe once a month.

[Jason Perlow]

We recently replaced our 9 year old 600 watter with a brand new 1200 watt SHARP. Still, we primarily use it for reheating food, and sometimes rachel uses it to cook steamed vegetables. I occassionally heat cups of water in it for tea, although nowadays we are making tea a whole pot at a time.

Our Cuisinart convection toaster oven, however, gets much more general purpose use than the microwave.

[fifi]

I second the convection toaster oven. It is, without a doubt, the best thing I have bought in years. I have a DeLonghi and it now gets more use than the microwave because it is so versatile. For some reason, meat thawed and reheated in the microwave has a "funny" taste to me. I have taken to freezing single portions of meat and meat dishes in foil so I can throw it in the DeLonghi. It also does other frozen "microwave" products better (e.g. individual pizzas) and, thanks to the convection, it doesn't take a whole lot longer.

The microwave is now relegated to some defrosting, heating a cup of water for tea, popcorn, the usual suspects. I don't plan to spend a lot of money on one in the new kitchen.

[Suzanne F]

I'm curious about heating water in the nuker. Doesn't it take as long as -- or even longer than -- heating it on the stove? That's what I've always thought. Because H2O molecules don't jiggle as much as, say, sugar or fat.

I have a big old one, from my in-laws' first house in Florida, from 1986. I cannot imagine thawing meat in it. I reheat leftovers, and heat milk for cafe con leche. I "steam" potatoes (new, yukon gold, etc.) that will be cooked further. The only other thing I actually cook is corn on the cob: remove the silk, close up the husks again, and nuke 7 minutes per ear. Oh yeah, and popcorn.

[Jinmyo]

I often use mine to time eggs.

[fifi]

Suzanne, I agree on time spent. The only thing is, when I am making a mug of tea, I just put it in there, hit the 2 minute button and go do something else. I don't have to watch the stove and worry about forgetting and having the kettle boil dry. I do that a lot. I am easily distracted.

I just thought of one recipe that I make that can't be done anywhere else but a microwave. It is a microwave fudge. I don't do it often because I am not big on sweets but around the holidays, even my non-candy-eating friends always ask if I will make some. It is somewhat tedious in that you nuke a couple of minutes, stir, repeat ad nauseum. But there is something about the way the microwave does it that I can't duplicate on the stove top or in the oven.

If anyone is interested, I will post the recipe if i can confirm that there is no copyright problem.

[scamhi]

I am really curious about this...do people use their microwaves for cooking or just re-heating?

My microwave is a valuble part of my kitchen equipment.

I use it for preparing vegetables

•corn on the cob...silk and husks in tact

•cauliflower to "blanch" prior to other cooking.

•potatoes, new potatoes to steam,

•baked potatoes to prebake and then I finish in oven 20-25 minutes total- in microwave 8-9 min and then oven for crispy skin and moist inside

•reheating all sorts of things...does a great job reheating grains such as rice, couscous

•hard ice cream gets soft in there

I never defrost raw meat in the microwave. It always cooks the edges a little...yuch.

I also use the timer on it for all kitchen timing.

[Nick]

I don't have one - never have. I guess I can get along without one for a few more years.

[torakris]

In Japan most microwaves are microwave/oven dual combos, so you get 2 for the price of 1!

I use mine everyday, mostly to heat up rice. I don't like the taste of rice that has been kept warm in the rice cooker, so after cooking I turn it off and transfer it to the refrigerator. Then I microwave some every morning for my husband's breakast (onigiri) and his bento lunch. I also use it to warm up indivual portions of curry, stew, chilli's etc for the kid's and my lunches.

I aslo use the defost for meats, frozen bagels, etc.

Popcorn too

melting butter/and or chocolate

[NeroW]

I often use mine to time eggs.

We use ours to remind us there's beers in the freezer.

[elyse]

Torakris, I am so sad to hear that you put bread in your microwave.

[KateW]

My mom freezes bread (I'm not sure if there's a real point to this) so I have to microwave a couple pieces for about 20 seconds for a sandwich.

I use it to take the chill off refrigerated red wine (about 7 seconds). Microwaved popcorn (that way I can have lots of butter without seeing how much I actually put on it), noodles in a cup, frozen meals and snacks, melting butter (although I do this on the stove sometimes too), making bacon. Oh and microwaving Peeps! (18 seconds)

I used to use it for reheating food but I am happy to say I now use the oven and the stove.

I saw something about 'too high internal temps' and I am curious, how high is too high and what is the problem with this (other than burning your mouth)?

[Jinmyo]

Before anyone disses Torakris for microwaving anything, they'll have to come through me.

Space is at a premium in Japan, especially in major urban centres.

Actually, they are good for reheating rice. And for heating up sake.

[torakris]

Before anyone disses Torakris for microwaving anything, they'll have to come through me.

Space is at a premium in Japan, especially in major urban centres.

Actually, they are good for reheating rice. And for heating up sake.

Thanks Jin!

[Suzanne F]

Before anyone disses Torakris for microwaving anything, they'll have to come through me.

Me too!

Please note that it's only to defrost it, not to actually heat it (rubber bread, anyone?). Have you ever tried to separate a frozen English muffin? Twenty to thirty seconds in the nuker, (well, 40 for the sandwich size), and you can pop those guys into nice, nook-and-cranny halves ready for the toaster oven!