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Microwave cookery In today's kitchen the microwave is king. It has rightly taken the place of the oven and stove of yesterday and is a focal point in the kitchen. Unless you have been inspired by this website to make a home cooked meal; chances are you have prepared the majority of your warm meals in the microwave recently. Most people are simply too busy to wait for 2 1/2 hours for a roast to cook. I want my food now. But with a baby in the house, if you are using formula, a good microwave is essential. You may find it handy to heat a coffee cup of water and then let the formula heat though the bottle. Or you can simply heat the bottle with the top off for about 40 seconds. Either method is acceptable, just remember to shake the bottle and then test to make sure it's not too hot before serving to baby. Cooking with the microwave Today's better quality microwave ovens often contain a moisture sensor. This often overlooked feature is far superior to the "full-blast" mode of microwave ovens of the past. The sensor turns off the power when the cooking has been completed. This is archived when the sensor detects an even heat throughout the portion or it reaches a certain temperature/moisture content. Try it; just add the ingredients choose the proper setting; the microwave itself will determine how long to cook your food. Neat. Menu Selection. If you have used the microwave recently to heat up a prepared and ready-to-eat meal, take a 2nd look. Why not try and replicate the same recipe of the one that you just ate and portion it into separate containers to be heated up later? So, what did you have? Frozen Pasta. How hard can that be? Check out Uncle Bucks Recipe HomePage The microwave can also be your friend as an extra timer. Sometimes you want to know how long something takes. Set your microwave for the desired number of minutes at a power level of "0", and voila... Soups Prepare your own hearty soups and use up your leftovers. Purchase pre-made soup "bases" and add pasta, meat, vegetables. If you prefer your soup a bit thicker (want to "eat it with a fork") try using a bit of cornstarch to thicken the base once it is cooked. Freeze and then take to work later. Check out our page on preparing your meals to go
Microwaves are also excellent when baking. I always suggest melting your butter or shortening THEN adding the sugar when making cakes and cookies; this makes the batter easy to work with and all the ingredients get mixed evenly. Why use a double-boiler for your powdered chocolate? Why not the microwave for 1 minute, twice, mixing between cooking. Makes a nice even chocolate paste without boiling water and working too hard. |
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