Using the Microwave

Oh I forgot, most of you use fresh or frozen vegetables. I meant canned vegetables.
Oh and since I found a pampered chef microwave pasta pot cheap, it does make good pasta and good macaroni and cheese. Especially helpful if he is supposed to get off at 730 and it is way closer to 8 or later when he gets off.
 
Cinisajoy said:
Where did you read that?
Microwaving is no where close to steaming though you can steam in a microwave.
It makes vegetables taste weird. I can't really describe it. And it changes the texture some.
I know how you can test this. Cook your mushy peas in the microwave and see if there is a difference.
You can boil in a microwave, you can just reheat, you can steam. Heck you can even bake a cake.
You just have to use the proper vessel.
So microwave and steam are two different things altogether.
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I wouldn't DARE try to bake a cake in mine!! It won't come out right, wouldn't be brown on the outside and it would just be rubbery with no texture! Might come out dense and weigh a ton!! :headshake::eek::wacky:
 
Kake Lover said:
As well as the usual reheating food in the microwave, I use it a lot.
I defrost meat when I have forgotten to take anything out in the morning. Keep it loosely wrapped though. Two slices of bread are removed from the pack in the freezer, put in a cellophane bag and defrosted for 30 - 40 seconds for sandwiches.

I don't use it for anything that needs regular stirring, like porridge, scrambled egg or sauces because it's too much faff to keep opening the door.

I particularly use it for poaching fish, and all fresh or frozen vegetables.
I have a range of dishes with lids that are used all the time. The glass pyrex ones are perfect but the plastic ones (designed for cooking not just reheating) are invaluable.

So, when poaching fish, I use the largest pyrex dish, cover the fish with milk and cook on medium for a few minutes. The milk is drained off for the sauce and the fish is kept warm in the dish with the lid on.

The largest pyrex dish is also used for making mashed potato. The potatoes are chopped into smaller pieces than you would normally, cooked in a small amount of water until soft. The water is mashed into the potatoes so no vitamin C is lost, then I mash in a knob of butter or margarine and any seasoning, after that I add milk to the desired consistency. Because the milk is cold from the fridge, the whole lot is then reheated with the lid on, for two minutes in the microwave before serving.

Frozen vegetables are cooked straight from the freezer in a dish with the lid on. No extra water is needed so no vitamins are lost.
Fresh vegetables are all cooked in a dish with the lid on in a small amount of water.
Any water that appears from cooking frozen vegetables and all the water used in cooking fresh vegetables are drained off and added to any sauce, gravy, stew etc.
So cauliflower cheese tastes amazing because all the cooking water goes into the roux before adding milk and cheese.

I have been doing this since microwaves came out so I have got used to juggling and coordinating what's being cooked as the same time as whatever main dish I am doing on the cooker.

The key is to always cover everything appropriately with a lid or a piece of kitchen paper and not to overcook anything.
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I'm getting lots of new ideas from you all. We both love fish but haven't cooked it in the microwave. So that is on the list for sure. Thanks guys!
 
I'm another one who only uses the microwave to reheat things. I don't even really use it for defrost because this new aussie microwave of mine is useless at it having a whole load of preprogramed options (and very little else) and they are all meat or fish...

So I generally reheat (almond or soya) milk, hot meals where they are on a second time around (left overs that we are having hot), and scrambling eggs that the chooks are getting.
My husband will use it to cook frozen peas in and also rice, which defeats me on both counts because it takes just as long as the cooker.

But I think that is it. It's main purpose for both of us is to swear at when it overheats my almond milk yet again in the morning!
 
Corn on the cob comes out great in the microwave. Don't even have to remove the husk. Sometimes I use the microwave to make oatmeal, rice, steamed artichokes. During the summer I've cooked kabobs on wooden skewers. Back in the day I made meatloaf, lasagna etc. I had a kitchen gadget called fasta pasta, where are you add water, pasta. I wound up donating it though because I only used it once. I have seen a lot of mug recipes like macaroni and cheese and dessert recipes, but have not tried them. As most have said, I use it for reheating or making popcorn on occasion.

I forgot baked potatoes, when I don't want to turn on the oven for just one thing. The microwave is particularly helpful to me during and after Thanksgiving.
 
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Karen W said:
Corn on the cob comes out great in the microwave.
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Absolutely. I'd forgotten that I used to cook it that way for my kids. Really easy.

Karen W said:
steamed artichokes.
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That too - we are talking globe artichokes. They take a fraction of the time in the microwave. With baked potatoes I often start them in the microwave and finish in a hot oven to cut down on cooking time.
 
I reheat Many a casserole. Tonight i was using canned refried beans for tacos and didn't have the time to refry them on the stove so a minute in the nuker and they did fine...not the same but fine. I also heated the taco shells. My morning grits are made in the microwave. Also frozen pancakes. And my baked potatos are really nuked potatos. I also soften butter. And use it to make peanut brittle.

My mom used to make rice in it but i prefer the stove. She also used it to cook acorn squash.

Now the reason you don't see a lot of boiled things coming from the microwave is cause bringing water to a boil in the microwave seems to take forever.
 
Wandering Bob said:
Yeah - I used to do that a lot: in fact, I think that's all I ever used a microwave for.

Don't forget to prick the spuds before putting them in a microwave ...
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I also give them a couple of minutes each (medium size ≈ 200 gm, 3 spuds, six minutes*) to "start them off" however, since @morning glory told me that I didn't need to prick them I've ceased to do it with no detrimental effect.

* a little longer if larger.
 
Wandering Bob said:
Yeah - I used to do that a lot: in fact, I think that's all I ever used a microwave for.

Don't forget to prick the spuds before putting them in a microwave ...
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I prick the potatoes with the times of a fork as well, so they don't explode. As I understand it, microwaves cook food from the inside.

I like to nuke one big potato for myself, cut it in half, and top it with cottage cheese, sour cream and chives. Sliced tomatoes on the side make it a whole meal for me.
 
Yorky said:
since @morning glory told me that I didn't need to prick them I've ceased to do it with no detrimental effect.
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I think when I said that I was referring to cooking them in the oven not microwave - but I really can't remember! I suppose that technically they could split in the microwave if not pierced. I've never had that happen though.
 
morning glory said:
I think when I said that I was referring to cooking them in the oven not microwave - but I really can't remember! I suppose that technically they could split in the microwave if not pierced. I've never had that happen though.
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Since I stopped piercing them neither have I (Obviously I didn't when I was piercing them either). Although they are only in there for minutes. Then they go in the oven........

halogen jackets 7 s.jpg
 
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