My first exposure to microwaves was the ones in the hospital and office building snack bars when I was in high school. I was so fascinated that food could be heated in the package. For several years I’d buy cookies or brownies from the vending machines and heat them. Heck I even tried heating my FRITOS® and peanut butter crackers just for the fun of it. Heating something in a package was so freaking awesome the first few times I did it. I only had access to those vending machines maybe once every month. The thrill lasted awhile.
Mom finally got a microwave (Christmas Present from Dad) when I was 17. Like most people then she dutifully took some local Microwave cooking classes. Most recipes were a big disappointment. Let’s be real, Microwaves are best used on spuds and reheating food.
I’m not sure the word leftovers applies anymore. Yesterday the weather forecast predicted heavy, heavy rains and possible flooding the next two days. I went by my local cafeteria and got a meal with broccoli cheddar chicken, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Put it in the fridge. I always split the meal and get two days out of it.
Today was meal one and I guarantee you that wasn’t my momma’s nasty leftovers. That was a quality, lip smacking dinner. Food doesn’t really degrade when reheated in a Microwave. IMHO.
Think way, way, way back to the bad, primitive days before microwaves. How did you typically reheat food?
Mom usually put everything in a foil covered pan and used the oven. Twenty minutes later you might have hot food that had only dried out a little. Green beans usually turned to much. Mashed taters turned into glue. Nasty leftovers.
In the oven, for items that were served crispy (e.g., leftover pizza*) or which were roasted (e.g., leftover meat loaf). It took some skill, but you could make decent leftovers this way.
In a pot for items with a lot of liquid (e.g., leftover Chinese). This really is just the same as microwaving (both boil water to heat) and the only difference is that it takes more time and needs to be watched to prevent burning.
I have discarded the use of the microwave for many leftover reheatings; it’s too spotty, even with a turntable. I’d much rather use a low temp oven to reheat pizza. Only takes 20 minutes; I can wait. A toaster oven, if I had one, would probably be cheaper and just as fast.
Reheat soup? Works better on the stove in a small saucepan, and I can add noodles at the same time. Tricky in a microwave.
Microwaves have their uses, but they are not a universal heating device, IMHO. About the only thing I do in mine is reheat cold coffee or melt butter.
My mother did, and still does, toss everything into the frying pan on 3…
I had a dinosaur of a microwave when I was married…I cooked potatoes in it and melted butter and margarine for baking. Otherwise, it was a very expensive breadbox.
Yeah, to us old-timers whose first experience with a microvewave was when they were already 20 years old, it is pretty much o box to warm a cup of coffee.
You forgot making a cup of tea, much easier than the tea kettle.
Left-overs:
In the oven wrapped in tinfoil so it didn’t dry out - meats, casseroles, lasagna
In a big skillet, covered or with a sauce to keep it from drying out - vegetables, potatoes, everything really. A skillet is actually better, but I don’t have a deep enough one anymore. Hmm, Christmas gift idea for the spouse.
We use our microwave for reheating coffee, making popcorn, and making tortillas/chips and cheese. Anything else goes into the oven or a pan on the stove, just like it did back in olden times. I got my first microwave when I got married in the early 90s, and I discovered early on that trying to heat anything through and get it hot enough in the microwave meant overcooked edges and chilly centers.
My mom had these little Pyrex individual sized casserole thingies with glass lids. They were perfect for reheating leftovers. Just big enough for one serving. Though it took a half an hour to heat in the oven. The results for some things were much better than a microwave, but I really only use a microwave now because I am impatient.
In a family of six, we didn’t really run to leftovers. Usually any ‘leftover’ portion was already claimed to go into someone’s sandwich the following day. My mother also saved scraps of beef and pork to go into a hash. My dad loved hash.
But in this day of truly gargantuan restaurant meals, I usually take a doggie bag home to be reheated on the following day. Waste not, want not.
I agree. Whenever possible I try to get two meals out of a restaurant meal. That’s why I prefer take out at restaurants that offer it. That way I can more easily divide the food into two servings. Helps a lot on my waistline and my pocketbook too.
Someone mentioned soup. I agree soup heats better in a pot. I’m not sure why, but soup heated in a microwave seems to turn cold quicker.
I don’t have a microwave at the moment. I either use a toaster oven or put the food in a bowl in a pan full of water with the lid on, and simmer the water gently. Works very well.
For several years I’d buy cookies or brownies from the vending machines and heat them. Heck I even tried heating my FRITOS® and peanut butter crackers just for the fun of it. Heating something in a package was so freaking awesome the first few times I did it. I only had access to those vending machines maybe once every month. The thrill lasted awhile.
That was a quality, lip smacking dinner. Food doesn’t really degrade when reheated in a Microwave. IMHO.