Microwave ovens

[lenard]

I basically use my microwave for three things, heating up bottles for my children, heating up leftovers and a kitchen timer. Is there anything they can do better than a conventional oven? What do B&B members use their microwaves for (apart from melting shaving soap )?

 

[galopede]

They poach fish really well.

 

[buyandhold2018]

I've never owned one and I never plan to. To heat bottle, I simply boil some water in the kettle and pour it in a bowl and drop the bottle in. For me, microwaves promote fast cooking, which I don't believe in.

 

[wimbouman]

I recently started using my microwave for cooking rice and bulgur (*).
Never used it much, for the same reasons Razorock just mentioned.

(* bulgur)

I find it does the job better than my gas stove.
It's not faster, it's just better for me sometimes.

That said, at the same time I also started using the slowcooker.

Which is also nice, and also does a great job with rice and bulgur.

We'll just see which one gets the most time in the end

 

[Edcculus]

Hmm, what have I used my microwave for in the last month...Thats a really good question.

I reheated some shrimp and grits last week. My fiancee uses it occasionally to melt chocolate for baking (microwave on 1/2 power is great for this), I think I used it to soften/melt butter for crepes a while back. I'll also reheat some coffee if the pot has gone cold. I find that gives less harsh taste than turning back on the hot plate on the coffee maker.

Its also a good way to heat up a small amount of water quickly. I like the steam oven method Peter Reinhart describes for bread baking. I need about a cup of hot/boiling water. Microwave in a pyrex measuring up is easier and faster than a pot.


Other than that, I don't really use the microwave for cooking. I never eat frozen dinners any more. I'm glad I bought the smallest cheapest one I could find.

 

[SiBurning]

Popcorn!!!

The nice thing about a microwave is it doesn't heat up the kitchen. I bought a small convection oven to complement it. It's basically a toaster oven with a fan. It works great and makes up for what a microwave can't do. So basically. the microwave just melts chocolate or heats leftovers.

 

[galopede]

They melt a lot of shaving soaps well too!

Gareth

 

[maxman]

Pizza pops and burritos.
Oh yeah, that's the good stuff.

We use it for re heating leftovers mostly.

 

[DFrancis]

Warming up cinnamon rolls, so just heating things. For me fast cooking is using the stovetop instead of the oven.

 

[_JP_]

Microwaves are wonderful at cooking a huge variety of foods. I have prepared things in them the same results that you can get with traditional cooking methods short of deep frying or smoking. The trick is to understand how microwaves work and having the proper equipment for what you are doing. Basically they cook from the inside out instead of the outside in that other methods of heating food does.

I have poached, steamed, fried on a microwave skillet, made roasts, baked bread, and even made coffee with a microwave percolator (the coffee was acceptable like any perked coffee). I even have a microwave pressure cooker that I have been using for 25 years. My covered bacon grill is such a treasure that I have two of them. The result is perfect bacon every time without the mess and fuss of having to tend it while cooking in a skillet. Mom used to cook large turkeys in our first microwave, which had a browning element.

Grab a book on microwave cooking and have fun learning how to use it.

 

[Kouros]

Microwave popcorn is just wrong. Better to use a hot air popper and melt your own butter. Much better.

The best thing to cook in the microwave is bacon.

I make a great baked potato in the microwave. Roll potato in olive oil and sea salt. Poke some holes and heat 8-9 minutes until soft. Remove from microwave, wrap in aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes to steam the inside soft. Pound potato lightly to soften the inside. Remove from foil and enjoy.

 

[Jwolf24601]

Microwave popcorn is just wrong. Better to use a hot air popper and melt your own butter. Much better.

+1

Read the chemicals in that microwave popcorn...

I use a microwave for:
Leftovers
Baked Potatoes
Quesadillas
Timer

that's pretty much it. It's convienent but I dont think it can do anything better than a more traditional method.

 

[Granaura]

Potatoes for sure!

A baked potato in the Microwave is waaaay faster than waiting for the whole oven to heat up for a lonely little spud!

 

[AlanL]

I've never owned one and I never plan to. To heat bottle, I simply boil some water in the kettle and pour it in a bowl and drop the bottle in. For me, microwaves promote fast cooking, which I don't believe in.

Tell that to the hungry, waiting baby.

 

[AlanL]

+1

Read the chemicals in that microwave popcorn...

You can pop regular popcorn in the microwave. Skip the chemicals.

 

[lstorie1971]

Microwave popcorn is just wrong. Better to use a hot air popper and melt your own butter. Much better.

The best thing to cook in the microwave is bacon.

I make a great baked potato in the microwave. Roll potato in olive oil and sea salt. Poke some holes and heat 8-9 minutes until soft. Remove from microwave, wrap in aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes to steam the inside soft. Pound potato lightly to soften the inside. Remove from foil and enjoy.

Whirley Pop. My kids love it.

 

[biomesh]

You can pop regular popcorn in the microwave. Skip the chemicals.

+1

Brown paper lunch sack
Some popping corn (a few tablespoons)
Salt (or seasoning of choice)
Cooking oil (a teaspoon maybe - just enough to cover kernels)

Shake in bag, fold over top twice, and microwave on high about 1 min to 1 min 30 seconds (YMMV due to microwaves - listen to the popcorn and stop when the popping slows down).

Quick and easy microwave popcorn that tastes great!

 

[Jwolf24601]

+1

Brown paper lunch sack
Some popping corn (a few tablespoons)
Salt (or seasoning of choice)
Cooking oil (a teaspoon maybe - just enough to cover kernels)

Shake in bag, fold over top twice, and microwave on high about 1 min to 1 min 30 seconds (YMMV due to microwaves - listen to the popcorn and stop when the popping slows down).

Quick and easy microwave popcorn that tastes great!

Air popper does it in bout 2min without oil. I use the Microwave to melt butter

 

[jlanger]

Tell that to the hungry, waiting baby.

I found that the microwave always heated the darn bottles unevenly, so we just boiled water in the electric kettle and poured water in a bowl with the bottle sitting in it, this allowed you to swirl the milk and help it get more evenly warmed. Better yet just have the wifey feed the kiddo!!!

I find the microwave to be really handy at steaming vegetables.

I do like my microwave popcorn, even with the nasty chemicals

 

[mdunn]

you mean you guys dont keep a microwave in your bathrooms to heat hot towels for prep?