LSLGuy
January 31, 2024, 4:53pm
58
wolfpup:
Microwaves can also make decent poached eggs. I once had a microwave egg poacher for that purpose, which had six little bowl-shaped compartments and a cover, but I seem to have misplaced it. Here
A microwave egg poacher is a useless bit of single-task kitchen clutter. Try this for soft boiled eggs which are similar but not quite the same. (I mislabeled the recipe as “poached” in that post and don’t want to misquote myself
Quickly Poached No-Fuss Egg(s):
Start with an individual ramekin or Pyrex bowl big enough to comfortably hold the cracked egg(s). I have some hemispherical dessert bowls ideal for this, but almost anything that size will do.
Put ~1/2" of water in the bowl. A little less is better than a little more.
Microwave the bowl+water on full power for 30 seconds to get the water good and hot. In the dead of polar winter you might need 45 seconds. No need to boil the water, just get it close.
Carefully crack your egg(s) into the bowl of very hot water. A broken yolk means a disgusting but still nutritionally adequate result.
Pierce each yolk with a toothpick, knifepoint, etc. CAUTION: Skipping this step results in needing to wash out your microwave.
Microwave on 50% power for 50 seconds for 1 large egg, up to maybe 110 seconds for 2 jumbos. You’ll have to experiment with times versus your own microwave, size & number of eggs, etc. No need to cover the bowl with anything. CAUTION: Skipping the “50% power” part results in needing to wash out your microwave.
Use a slotted spoon to carefully get under the cooked egg(s), then tip the bowl into the sink to drain as much of the liquid as you easily can. The bowl will be very warm to the touch, but not too hot to comfortably handle. No awkward mitts are needed. You’ll lose a bit of runny white in the water if the eggs are less-done. So be it. Rinse the slotted spoon and set it aside to dry.
Eat the egg(s) with whatever toppings you enjoy. The bowl & spoon are the only utensils needing to be washed afterwards.
My standard breakfast is one such egg, some dairy like cottage cheese or non-sweet yogurt, some fruit like berries or a tangerine / mandarin, and a small slice of low-carb bread with a thick smear of PB. Sometimes I skip the bread in favor of more fruit, but still eat the PB.
During the ~2 minutes total that the microwave is running I can get out the bread & drop a slice into the toaster to warm, get out the PB, fruit, and dairy, and pull out the slotted & regular spoon. Plus a paper napkin to serve as a plate & placemat for it all. Before the spoon gets eggy, eat your serving of dairy out of the container, then spoon out a lump of PB onto the toast & spread it a bit with the back of the spoon. Then eat the egg, fruit, and toast together in whatever order.
When you’re done, close up the napkin full of bread crumbs, dripped whatever, and perhaps fruit peel. Into the trash it goes after a quick face-wipe. Rinse the egg bowl & spoon & into the dishwasher they go. Done.
With practice, you can put the whole thing on the table in 4 minutes flat. The key is to do all the non-egg prep work while the microwave is running. If the eggs sit 20 or 30 seconds in the cooking water before draining while you’re busy with other prep, they’ll continue to firm up a bit, but not too badly. This meal definitely takes longer to eat than it does to make. Clean-up is all but instant too.
You’re welcome.
And that is the one and only thing I cook (not heat/reheat) in a microwave. I used to do baked potatoes in there, but since finding a far superior oven method the nuked ones are too sucky to bother eating.
For the folks who swear by microwaved corn on the cob, you might try steaming your corn rather than boiling (ugh!). I have a tall narrow asparagus pot which also works great for corn. Shuck the corn, trim the stalk end close, then put up to 4 ears of corn stalk-end down in the basket in the pot in about 3/4" of water. Put on the stove, set the burner to high, and 10 minutes later the corn is cooked to perfection and not soggy. Do not forget them on the stove; the pot will boil dry at about 15 minutes.
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