The New York Times' Dining Section takes on the much-maligned microwave oven, and Mark Bittman wonders aloud if it ought to be renamed the "the whiz-bang steaming oven." Vegetables and steamed puddings come out of the microwave just great, and Bittman's whole piece on cooking in the microwave is a great read. Also see food science guru Harold McGee's On Food and Zapping - a look at the science of cooking in the microwave and how to leverage it for the best food.
Cooking in the microwave - what are your thoughts? We're curious to give ours another try. More from the Times below, including good news on food prices, rebuilding cod populations, and new uses for old chickens.
I don't tend to cook food in the microwave, but that's because I love the aesthetic of cooking on the stove top. I like the boiling and bubbling and the process by which I cook my food (season, taste, stir, taste, season, etc). Weirdly enough it gives me a mental downtime (or, maybe rather, a mental other time) where I get to think about things other than what has been the focus of my thoughts throughout the rest of the day.
I guess I see the microwave as a way to escape cooking for a bit (stick it in there and push a button! it comes out done!) whereas, for me, cooking is my escape and I wouldn't want to give that up to a machine.
view laetitiae's profile
I love traditional cooking and cook just about every night, but there are times when I have to speed things up without giving in to takeout or the drive thru, and the microwave's actually helped me do that reliably. It's handy for steaming veggies, especially those that otherwise usually need a long cook time, like squash and potatoes. I've tempered chocolate in the microwave. And sometimes, when I just didn't have an hour to spare, I've "baked" chicken leg quarters in the microwave, finishing with a pass under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the skin up. And of course, I've nuked cups of water for quick cups of hot tea or a speedy step to make iced tea.
view OneWallKitchen's profile
To me, the microwave serves two purposes: speed up and heat up.
I'll use the microwave to nuke my baked potatoes before transferring them to my toaster oven to get crispy, melt butter, and to reheat leftovers. Oh, and most often: a quick 10-second nuke to tomatoes when they're too cold from the fridge.
But for regular cooking -- no way! I did that as a kid, when the units first got big, but it's just not the same.
view Alyce Smythee's profile
I honestly don't like to cook in the microwave, despite what Bittman says, I don't think things taste as good as they do cooked on the stove or in the oven. Not to mention the entire sensual experience of cooking is eliminated.
The only thing I use the microwave for is defrosting frozen spinach and heating up (some) leftovers.
view rachel's profile
I got rid of my microwave in favour of a toaster oven. I've been without it for a year now and it's been so easy. To me, the microwave is for melting butter. I don't like cooking in plastic and I enjoy waiting for my food to reheat in the oven or on the stove instead of that instant gratification of 1min 30sec cooking.
No microwaves for me.
view revolution9's profile
I love using my microwave for zapping sweet potatoes in their jacket. Just pierce and zap for 5 minutes.
view peacelily's profile
Isn't it more ecologically sound to use your microwave to heat things than your oven? It takes a whole lot of energy to warm up an oven to warm bread or reheat leftovers whereas the microwave will do it in seconds.
I think that the idea that microwaves are about impatience or laziness should be set aside in favor of the energy conservation and less heat waste production issues. I agree completely that some food really needs to be cooked on the stovetop or oven, but reheating is really a good place to save energy as there isn't as much of a qualitative loss in the food when using a microwave as compared to other methods.
Also, keep in mind that you don't have to use plastic in the microwave. You can use glass.
view Orchid64's profile