I use the microwave for the following with good success:
** Frozen veggies like corn or peas
** Reheat soups and stews
** That’s about it!
I agree that bread products or any fried foods do not do well in the microwave. Many people heat up pizza in the micro, but I prefer to use the toaster oven because the bread factor makes the pizza crust spongy. If I want a luke warm pizza, I might put it in the nuker for like 10 seconds tops.
Also for some reason mac & cheese does not do well reheated in the micro. It’s better just to eat the leftovers cold.
I agree, bacon is good/better in the microwave. I also like microwaved eggs to go on a McMuffin style sandwich. Cook for exactly 1 minute, YMMV.
I don’t get the love for microwave baked potatoes. Maybe only a potato connouisseur can tell the difference, but that’s what I am. They have a wet, off taste. No fluffy goodness. Not rated above 50, that’s for sure.
I forgot another thing I always nuke: corn on the cob. Wrap a raw, shucked ear of corn in a wet paper towel and nuke it for about four minutes on high. It’s always come out very well for me.
Chicken and dumplings work out marvelously, as least when you make them like my family does to begin with. (Cook chopped celery and onions in chicken broth, dump in pre-cooked chicken in bite-size chunks, a little bit of flour, and black pepper, heat to boiling, throw on some sage, cover with Bisquik dumplings but make sure you make them with egg, and microwave until the dumplings are done. Store left-over dumplings separately from left-over “stew.”) To reheat, you warm up the stew part until it’s nearly hot enough to serve, then put a dumpling on top and microwave it just until it’s all steamy and warm.
Broccoli is fantastic in the microwave the first time around. Wash the heads but don’t dry them and maybe peel the bottom of the stems, cut into serving-size florets, put it into a microwave safe container with a lid and in about 5 minutes it’s ready. You can throw in some sliced garlic cloves if you like. Reheating it is more of a challenge, and you’re better off topping it with something flavorful, like sesame oil or ketchup, because it’ll end up with more sulphur flavor when it’s reheated.
A microwave is (usually) fine for reheating meat, but not for cooking it. And IME, you shouldn’t use the “Defrost” function, either; you’ll get meat that is not just defrosted but partially cooked, and not cooked well – the cooked bits are hard and tough and the mass is still frozen in the middle.
This is about what I got when I attempted to defrost some frozen chicken before pan-frying. The top half of the chicken was reasonably thawed, but the bottom half was quite cooked. The finished product didn’t turn out too badly, but that sort of unevenness in meat makes me uneasy.
I concur, cooked until bright green. I primarily use the microwave for steaming vegetables. Meat has the above mentioned nasty taste to me after being in the microwave.
Mrs. Plant’s new microwave with a sensor of some sort-I presume it is measuring boiling water vapor at 100 C-and various incantations can get a potato in the condition to spend a few minutes on the charcoal grill with a steak and be edible.
Brief hijack: a couple of years ago I learned that the best way to reheat cold pizza is in a dry frying pan, covered, over medium heat. Makes it taste like it just came out of the oven.
I learned to nuke corn recently. I don’t shuck it until it comes out of the microwave, though. I only nuke it for about 2 minutes, but that might be because I have a higher-watt MW than you. You have to be careful shucking the corn, but I like the part where I don’t have an extra paper towel to throw away.
As mentioned above, frozen veggies work very well in MW. No water. Never burnt.
I also make oatmeal in the MW. 1/3 c old-fashioned oats, 1/3 c. water. Zap 2 minutes. I also add cinnamon (or Penzey’s Baking Spice) and raisins (or dried cranberries or dried tart cherries) before adding the water. The only thing that gets dirty that way is the bowl.
I love to use my microwave to defrost meat. It uses the weight of the food to calculate time of defrost. I always go under a bit, especially for chicken or fish. Then let it sit out on the counter to finish defrosting. By the time I’m through prepping everything else, it’s thawed and ready to cook.
When I reheat leftovers, I rarely get it super hot when it has pork or chicken in it. They taste really off, but are ok if lukewarm.
I don’t like to nuke bread or pizza. It gets tough and chewy.
I do soften butter in the microwave. But one time I put 1:15 minutes instead of 15 seconds - oops! Thank Og I have a lip on the glass tray! That was a mess.
I steam frozen veggies all the time, and don’t add water. They come out perfect!
