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Microwave cooking

(33 Posts)
Teetime Fri 13-Oct-17 15:43:26

I had just had to reluctantly replace our microwave cooker (bits were falling off). I say reluctantly as I never/rarely use it preferring conventional cooking. DH uses it for his porridge in the morning and won't be without one - I would quite happily it takes up precious work surface and I cant see the point of it. Can anyone convince me that its worth the space it takes up and the £45 I have just paid for it?

Tottylimejuice Fri 13-Oct-17 16:03:24

Well we would starve without ours, I am the queen of pierce and ping cookery!

M0nica Fri 13-Oct-17 16:24:29

1) Defrosting food. I defrosted some sausages at lunch time before cooking on the stove as normal.

2) Reheating food and drinks,

3) Cooking vegetables I also use it to wilt vegetables when required for recipes. Wilted vegetables hold far less water than veg blanched in hot water. Again, made bubble and squeak to go with the sausages and, as I had no left-over cabbage, wilted some kale before making the b&s.
I cook cauliflower in the microwave because it doesn't hold water the way it does if cooked in water, which makes cauliflower cheese work well.

4) Melting food, whether butter or making chocolate sauce for ice cream, profiteroles etc

5) The dishes used in a microwave are much easier to wash up than those used on a stove, whether washing by hand or in a dish washer. No burnt on bits.

tanith Fri 13-Oct-17 16:25:37

I mainly use mine for cooking veg and microwave sponge desserts. I could live without it though.

shysal Fri 13-Oct-17 16:30:31

I like to cook bacon in mine. Spread on a plate, cover with a sheet of kitchen paper and cook on full power for a minute a rasher , adding another minute if not crisp enough. Otherwise mine is used just for heating previously cooked stuff.

Charleygirl Fri 13-Oct-17 16:38:38

I like scrambled egg with cheese made in my microwave. As already said, the dish is so easily cleaned. I also use it for re- heating food and for defrosting. I cook vegetables in it and also do baked potatoes. I could not be without mine.

kittylester Fri 13-Oct-17 17:01:34

I only cook peas in mine! blush

Nanabilly Fri 13-Oct-17 17:16:23

I cook peas in mine , defrost bread occasionally,part cook fish when making fish pie as it comes off the skin easier.
We have recently got a new caravan and I wanted to remove the microwave but couldn't . I'm the one who has used it most up to now, mainly though with pop and ping bits on first night away which is what we normally take unless we are at the coast when we have fish n chips .

ninathenana Fri 13-Oct-17 17:35:51

Ping meals, baked beans, scrambled egg, I use it for porridge (H insists on doing on the hob) warm left overs, defrost, jacket spuds .
Teetime do you have anywhere to put it on a bracket above your worktop. That's how mine was until we revamped kitchen, now have a built in one.

kittylester Fri 13-Oct-17 17:41:54

Mine is very handy for stacking cat food boxes!

ecci53 Sat 14-Oct-17 21:50:06

I cook scrambled egg every morning in mine, also mini cakes and puddings, very quick and easy.

Franbern Tue 17-Oct-17 16:49:34

I have a basic microwave, but it is in use every day. Porridge for brekkie, then at lunch I often have poached eggs on toast, eggs poached in microwave. Sometimes also have baked beans, (cheap and healthy), one tin does for twice, done in microwave. Scrambled eggs are done beautifully using this machine. Jelly cubes melted into small amount of the pint water, then remaining ice cold water poured in (Jelly then sets v. quickly). Custard, - milk warmed up in microwave. I use microwave rice - ideal for one person portions, again one packet does for twice. I keep small, fresh cream cakes in my freezer, so when I have an unexpected visitor I can take out three or four of these, defrost in seconds in microwave (on defrost setting) and these can accompany tea or coffee. When I cook for family visits, I always make enough to freeze into single person amounts for me (shepherds pie, Fish pie, etc. etc.). These can then be given a few hours defrost in the 'fridge, and then into microwave on plate for an excellent meal. Probably lot of other things but this is why it is an essential part of my kitchen.

Franbern Tue 17-Oct-17 16:51:20

Oh yes, of course, jacket potatoes. I know people say these do not come out quite the same as from the over, but due to a medical condition I cannot eat the actual jacket, and love how fluffy the inside of these potatoes are in such a short time.

Jalima1108 Tue 17-Oct-17 17:00:54

Defrosting food
Starting off jacket potatoes (then finish off in the conventional oven to crisp them)
Cooking vegetables (I use a Lakeland steamer)
DH makes his porridge in the microwave

I did try 'microwave mug cakes' recently with the help of the DGD but should have used one very large mug because they were like bullets.

Scribbles Tue 17-Oct-17 17:21:46

I use mine for re-heating home made soup; poaching fish - you don't get the lingering fishy smell when you microwave it; and it's the best way I know of cooking asparagus.

jusnoneed Tue 17-Oct-17 20:57:12

Heating beans, spaghetti, soups etc. Cook (from frozen) peas, sweet corn. Fresh carrots. I make my white sauce, cheese sauce, sweet & sour sauce, custard in there. Sponge puds are quick and easy, light as a feather.
Porridge, scrambled eggs quick and no messy saucepan. Fish easily steamed.
There aren't many days mine isn't used.

GrandmaKT Tue 17-Oct-17 22:16:23

I always use mine for rice - it cooks it really well and no danger of boiling over and messing up the hob. Other than that it's porridge for breakfast and warming plates!
My DIL who is a radiographer won't have one in the house - I do wonder if she knows something we don't....

Shirleyw Wed 18-Oct-17 05:41:42

Use mine for re- heating and melting also I use steam bags for some of my veg in it, they are good. DH prefers his bacon done in microwave too.

Imperfect27 Wed 18-Oct-17 06:27:14

Teetime are you convinced yet ? grin

There is definitely a case for 'some things that taste better from the oven,' e.g. warmed croissants, but like others, we find our MW very useful indeed.

BlueBelle Wed 18-Oct-17 06:34:24

Use mine quite a lot for all the above,
I must be incredible greedy because one of the microwave rice packets doesn’t do me twice !!!!

Greyduster Wed 18-Oct-17 06:39:38

I don't use mine a lot but I wouldn't be without it for porridge; starting off baked potatoes; microwave rice; defrosting food, and cooking some, but not all, vegetables. I was in a supermarket yesterday and passed two young women perusing some boxes of something or other. One said “what do you do with this then?” To which the other replied “I dunno, but if you can’t stick it in the microwave I don’t want to it!” confused

MawBroon Wed 18-Oct-17 07:58:10

Thinking back to when they were all the rage, I remember even evening courses in Microwave Cookery ( not content with pierce and ping) which spent a lot of time changing perfectly adequate traditional recipes into “microwave food.”
The awfulness of microwave meringues was eminently forgettable. One such pretentious tutor attempted to tell us how we could ripen a Camembert in the m/wave for a dinner party. DH disowned me when I asked if you could also use it to “chambré” the Beaujolais grin

Greyduster Wed 18-Oct-17 08:39:13

I remember us spending a week with my sister in law who had just bought one of these new fanged microwaves. Everything we ate was cooked in it. Some of the most dismal, unappetising food I had ever come across. By the end of the week I wanted to die! It was a long time before we bought one.

Greyduster Wed 18-Oct-17 08:39:44

“Fangled”!!!

Gagagran Wed 18-Oct-17 09:03:10

I use mine for many of the things listed above. I also love and use my halogen cooker - every day in fact. I only really use my big oven when entertaining or doing batch baking.