Alternative: make this incredible Moroccan orange cake, which takes less than ten minutes (in my experience) to prep and can be baked while you cook dinner and left to cool on the stovetop while you eat.
Tag Archives: microwave
Make Tasty, Chewy Oat Bars in the Microwave
Q: If the British call these “flapjacks”, then what do they call flapjacks (aka pancakes)?
We don’t eat what you call pancakes.
What we call pancakes, you call crepes.
Make a 3-Minute, 3-Ingredient Caramel Sauce in Your Microwave
This easy recipe gives you caramel sauce anytime you want it. Use it to make our Gooey Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake, or drizzle over ice cream, pancakes, or into your morning mug of coffee.
Source: 3-Ingredient Microwave Caramel Sauce
Why would you start with unsalted butter, only to add salt? Control. Consistency. There’s no guarantee the right amount of salt is in the salted butter.
Microwave Potatoes Before Frying for Perfect Texture
…after almost 6 years of trial and error, I’ve finally figured out how to make really good fried potatoes.
Source: How to Make Really Good Fried Potatoes
It’s important that the potatoes are cooked when you eat it, since hard potatoes are no fun. I boil my potatoes before making home fries, though I wonder if people do it for french fries.
The Safest Ways to Reheat Leftovers and Avoid Food Poisoning
The microwave is everyone’s go-to when it comes to reheating the previous night’s meatloaf, but you should take extra care to make sure those leftovers are safe enough to be today’s lunch. Here’s how.
Source: The Safest Ways to Reheat Leftovers and Avoid Food Poisoning
I’m surprised no one has mentioned using an actual thermometer here. People are notoriously bad at estimating temperatures and most foods need to be reheated to at least 74° C/165° F. Your finger will hurt long before you get to that point.
The Best Way to Freeze Cooked Rice and Other Grains for Easier Reheating
For quicker weeknight meals, packages of pre-portioned cooked grains stashed in the freezer are one of our secret weapons. No waiting for rice or other grains to cook while your dinner companions prowl hungrily around the kitchen. No need to plan ahead. No need to do much more than pull a package out of the freezer and carry on with making the meal.
Source: How to Freeze & Thaw Rice, Quinoa & Other Whole Grains
The article says the vacuum sealer is optional, but seems like it’d be the weapon of choice. A sealable plastic bag will take up less space in the freezer, and most importantly, it will thaw much more evenly later on. You won’t be left with frozen grains in the middle of your rice clump while the outside is ready to eat. You can also write the quantity and day it was cooked right on the bag.
Dehydrate Fruit in Your Microwave With the Defrost Setting
Instead of buying a fancy fruit dehydrator or spending all of your money on the packages of unsweetened dried mango from Trader Joe’s (don’t pretend you don’t do that), you can dehydrate fruit in the microwave.
Source: How to Dehydrate Fruit in the Microwave (Yes, That’s Right)
- The microwave is one of the most healthy ways of preparing food
- The defrost setting runs at ~500W, and in use for 30 minutes. The national average of ~12 cents per kWh, it should thus cost $0.03 to dehydrate an apple in a microwave.
Bring a Pot of Water to a Boil Faster by Microwaving Half of It
We love a great big labor-intensive all-day cooking project as much as the next crew of food writers, but that doesn’t mean we’re above cutting corners—especially when those corners save time and effort without compromising deliciousness. And yes, sometimes we even buy pre-made tomato sauce. From last-minute meals to do-this-all-the-time hacks, here are our go-to cooking cheats. May they serve you well.
Source: Staff Picks: Our Favorite Kitchen Shortcuts
I have to make some hummingbird food, and it takes a while for 6 cups of water to come to a boil…
Someone should run a test comparing the time and energy consumed for various techniques.
- Do as above, microwaving half until 200 degree F, and placing half on the stove top for heating, then combining and cook.
- Microwave all the water to say 200 degrees F and then place the water and pasta on the stove top to complete the cooking.
- Heat the water in two pans on the stove top and then combine and cook to completion.
Which leads to another question; what is the comparison on electricity use? Am I spending more money to microwave half my water than if I had heated it all on the stove? Consider that electricity use will be different depending on the cooktop. Microwaving the entire thing is the most energy efficient solution, short of an electric kettle. If you have an induction stove, it will be close. (note that this doesn’t account for the fossil fuel -> electricity conversion or the variance in fuel costs).
Microwave a Complete Spaghetti Squash Dinner In 15 Minutes
Your favorite pasta impersonator just got a whole lot easier to make. In about 15 minutes in the microwave, you can turn a rock-hard spaghetti squash into a bowl of tender “noodles,” ready for some sauce. I’ll even throw in a trick for making it easier to slice the squash in half. What are you waiting for?
Source: How to Cook Spaghetti Squash In the Microwave
Typically I just quarter it, remove any seeds, etc and throw it in some boiling water for ~10 minutes. Pull them out, let them cool, hand squeeze the water out, and use a fork to pull the noodles.
I also love cutting acorn squash in half, adding a little butter and throwing it in the microwave for a minute or two. It’s already in a bowl and it’s really easy to clean up.
