REAL Cooking by Microwave

[imp]

Bakery

We get these big (29 0z.) cans of fruit at our 99-cent store for a buck each! U.S.A. product. The have Apricot, Cherry, Plums, Peaches.




Here is a Czech. Kolach I made in that Sharp oven:


I will get some recipe/cooking ideas together by tomorrow (drool!). imp

 

[JustJoel]

Since we’re talking about microwaves...
Mark and I both notice that foods heated or cooked in a microwave seem to cool faster than foods heated or cooked conventionally. I’ve never actually tested it, though. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

 

[Addie]

You are so right. I put my cup in for express two minutes. The cup is too hot to handle at first. I let it sit for 30 seconds or so before I remove it from the micro. By the time I add sugar, it is just the right temp for drinking. The same thing happens with solid food.

 

[caseydog]

You are so right. I put my cup in for express two minutes. The cup is too hot to handle at first. I let it sit for 30 seconds or so before I remove it from the micro. By the time I add sugar, it is just the right temp for drinking. The same thing happens with solid food.

LOL, I have experienced many occasions where something out of the microwave was too hot to touch, but when I went to eat it, it was lukewarm, at best.

I have found that heating in the microwave oven for five minutes is best done in two or three steps, with stirring between each step.

CD

 

[Addie]

LOL, I have experienced many occasions where something out of the microwave was too hot to touch, but when I went to eat it, it was lukewarm, at best.

I have found that heating in the microwave oven for five minutes is best done in two or three steps, with stirring between each step.

CD

The more dense foods always require additional time to become hot like a meal that is from the oven or stove top.

Years ago there was a chef on TV. His name was Donavan. First or last? I don't remember.

He was touting cooking everything in the microwave. He had about 20 or so ovens, and cooked a leg of lamb to heating up some water. During his spiel, every few seconds another oven was beeping for attention. He never missed a beat. He just kept putting in and removing food from an oven. Of course he also wrote a book and that was the whole reason for the TV spot.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I think we’ve had the Great Baked Potato Summit before...

If this is in reply to my "wiggly skin" remark, I was talking turkey, not potato. I already do the micro/finish in oven thing with potatoes most of the time.

 

[tenspeed]

Also note, it has the infamous turntable, and, it's made of METAL! How that's possible, I dunno. No metal to be placed in a microwave!!

MIT's School of Engineering has the answer.

https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/why-cant-we-put-metal-objects-in-a-microwave/

 

[tenspeed]

Since we’re talking about microwaves...
Mark and I both notice that foods heated or cooked in a microwave seem to cool faster than foods heated or cooked conventionally. I’ve never actually tested it, though. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

That's simply not true. There are other factors involved. For example, if you boil water on the stovetop, the container is heated to boil the water. If you boil water in the microwave, the water is heated, but the container isn't. There will be some heat transfer from the water to the container, but the container won't be as hot as the boiling water. Kind of like putting hot food on a cold plate.

 

[Andy M.]

Since we’re talking about microwaves...
Mark and I both notice that foods heated or cooked in a microwave seem to cool faster than foods heated or cooked conventionally. I’ve never actually tested it, though. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

How fast something cools is a factor of what it's made of rather than how it was heated.

Microwaves do not heat food evenly. this is why, where possible you're instructed to stir the food part way through the heating. If a food item 'cools faster' heated in the microwave, it's probably because the heat wasn't evenly distributed so the hot parts transfer heat to the cooler parts.

 

[msmofet]

Here is our luckiest buy recently! Big Sharp Micro/convection oven, bought from a couple moving away to Colorado, they were pressed for space, my wife tested it in their garage, worked fine, both micro and convect (heat), the guy asked thirty-five bucks! My wife was delighted.

Note that the door opens downward, instead of sideways. Only one she's seen made that way, though she sold hundreds! Also note, it has the infamous turntable, and, it's made of METAL! How that's possible, I dunno. No metal to be placed in a microwave!!





It will swing a 16 lb. turkey, easily; my wife prefers 12-14 lbs. Baking such a bird will take between 60 and 80 minutes. I remember my Mother starting the Thanksgiving Day bird around 6AM; we ate about 1PM. Those were the days!

I have learned from several sources over the years that metal in micro is ok so long as there is more food than metal for the microwaves to cook/work on.

I used to steam artichokes in the micro. I would cover top of bowl with foil so the microwaves cooked from the bottom up.

Also years ago my first micro had a second metal rack that attached to pins half way up the inside walls of micro so 2 dishes could be cooked at the same time. This was before turntables were the thing.

 

[msmofet]

Since we’re talking about microwaves...
Mark and I both notice that foods heated or cooked in a microwave seem to cool faster heated or cooked conventionally. I’ve never actually tested it, though. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

I find micro turns liquids into lava. And stays hot alot longer than stovetop boiled. JMHO

 

[imp]

I'll Do a Beef Roast!

Please be aware, I am no expert at this! Still learning, but know anyone can consult a microwave cookbook for recipes and info, so instead of giving out a recipe, I believe seeing it done is better by far!

Awright! Before even joining here, we had taken out a beef roast to thaw: several days ago. It's been thawing in the fridge at 40 degrees. So, I thought, why not? I knew I could consult my wife but little; she is recovering from eye surgery done 3 days ago, so I "winged" it. Label said it is "Top Round Beef Roast", whatever that means! Weight: 3.45 lbs. I called it 3.5. Here it is after I trimmed a bit of fat off:



I decided to cut it in 4 roughly equal parts. Shown is our big Corning Ware er....Casserole Dish (?), or whatever it's properly called. Has a nice clear lid.



I use a cooking bag, designed for crock-pots, but adequate for our baking dish, it keeps the nasty cooked-on stuff from forming in the dish. Yeah, I'm lazy about dish-washing!



Here's the shebang in the Sharp Microwave Oven. I consulted the Sharp Manual, which suggested a 2-3 lb. beef roast be done on Medium Power 50 minutes, then turned over and continued until 160+ degrees temperature is reached in the center of the meat. 50 sounded high to me, but I set it thusly, and opened the bowl up after 20 minutes. Should add, I sprinkled some Poultry Seasoning on the meat before starting. Also note, the big heavy Sharp METAL turntable beneath the metal rack I placed the bowl on. Idea is that more microwaves reach through the bottom of the bowl when it is suspended above the turntable.



Here's what it looked like after 20 minutes. I assure you no coloring gunk, "browning sauce", or any other material other than Poultry Seasoning was placed on the meat. "But you can't brown things in a microwave"......Crisp them like a conventional oven, no, but that meat was lookin' good!



At 20 minutes, I turned all 4 pieces over. Here's the bottom view, as faced the bowl. Not quite as brown, meaning less well-done (?) as the top-side.



I gave it 25 more minutes, still on Medium Power, yanked it out, gave a few jabs with the thermometer. As high as 180, the thinnest piece, about 165 the thickest. This told me when I cut it open, there will be no "pink" left. There wasn't. Under an hour to bake 3.5 lbs. of roast. Quite a bit of juices collected, they inject water nowadays, I hear, charge you big bucks for added water, but, ah, well, whaddaya gonna do?

 

[tenspeed]

I find micro turns liquids into lava. And stays hot alot longer than stovetop boiled. JMHO

If that is what you observed then there are other factors involved. Microwave ovens do not change the laws of thermodynamics.

 

[taxlady]

I make a cornstarch pudding in the microwave. I just use the regular recipe, but I stir every 2 minutes and then every minute. It works great. I don't have to worry about the milk scorching. Lots of things that need a double boiler on the stove are well suited to using the microwave instead

 

[taxlady]

I find micro turns liquids into lava. And stays hot alot longer than stovetop boiled. JMHO

If that is what you observed then there are other factors involved. Microwave ovens do not change the laws of thermodynamics.

I have been told that it is because some liquids easily become super heated. They may not have started boiling, but if one adds sugar to the super heated liquid, it will bubble violently.

 

[caseydog]

I have been told that it is because some liquids easily become super heated. They may not have started boiling, but if one adds sugar to the super heated liquid, it will bubble violently.

Water can become super-heated in a microwave. A hitch in the laws of thermodynamics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_OXM4mr_i0

CD

 

[Andy M.]

Please be aware, I am no expert at this! Still learning, but know anyone can consult a microwave cookbook for recipes and info, so instead of giving out a recipe, I believe seeing it done is better by far!



Awright! Before even joining here, we had taken out a beef roast to thaw: several days ago. It's been thawing in the fridge at 40 degrees. So, I thought, why not? I knew I could consult my wife but little; she is recovering from eye surgery done 3 days ago, so I "winged" it. Label said it is "Top Round Beef Roast", whatever that means! Weight: 3.45 lbs. I called it 3.5. Here it is after I trimmed a bit of fat off:







I decided to cut it in 4 roughly equal parts. Shown is our big Corning Ware er....Casserole Dish (?), or whatever it's properly called. Has a nice clear lid.







I use a cooking bag, designed for crock-pots, but adequate for our baking dish, it keeps the nasty cooked-on stuff from forming in the dish. Yeah, I'm lazy about dish-washing!







Here's the shebang in the Sharp Microwave Oven. I consulted the Sharp Manual, which suggested a 2-3 lb. beef roast be done on Medium Power 50 minutes, then turned over and continued until 160+ degrees temperature is reached in the center of the meat. 50 sounded high to me, but I set it thusly, and opened the bowl up after 20 minutes. Should add, I sprinkled some Poultry Seasoning on the meat before starting. Also note, the big heavy Sharp METAL turntable beneath the metal rack I placed the bowl on. Idea is that more microwaves reach through the bottom of the bowl when it is suspended above the turntable.







Here's what it looked like after 20 minutes. I assure you no coloring gunk, "browning sauce", or any other material other than Poultry Seasoning was placed on the meat. "But you can't brown things in a microwave"......Crisp them like a conventional oven, no, but that meat was lookin' good!







At 20 minutes, I turned all 4 pieces over. Here's the bottom view, as faced the bowl. Not quite as brown, meaning less well-done (?) as the top-side.







I gave it 25 more minutes, still on Medium Power, yanked it out, gave a few jabs with the thermometer. As high as 180, the thinnest piece, about 165 the thickest. This told me when I cut it open, there will be no "pink" left. There wasn't. Under an hour to bake 3.5 lbs. of roast. Quite a bit of juices collected, they inject water nowadays, I hear, charge you big bucks for added water, but, ah, well, whaddaya gonna do?

Tall us. How was the “roast” beef ?

 

[imp]

The Proof in the "Puddin' "

Tall us. How was the “roast” beef ?

In a word, very good. I might have included half of a cut-up sweet onion before starting, but did not. This particular cut of beef had very little "marbling", which might explain it's low cost. I expected toughness, ahead of time, and got it. Not to say, however, that conventional baking would have produced otherwise.

We cut up and froze about 1/2 of it, the two of us splitting the rest. My wife, adhering to her "keto-kick", cut her meat into small pieces, ~ 1 cm cubes, took some of the broth created from baking, added a smidgeon each of sour cream and cream cheese, tossed all of this in a small skillet for heating together, and had a most tasty dish.

I packaged about 1/2 of the remainder, tucked it away in the freezer, and consumed my share in the frypan after adding 1/4 can cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 can cut green beans, and a bit of milk........simmered about 10 minutes, sat down to a delicious beef repast!

 

[tenspeed]

Water can become super-heated in a microwave. A hitch in the laws of thermodynamics.

CD

That's a little misleading (but not fake news ). Impurities generally increase the boiling point of water (refer to chapter 8 in Gourmet Engineering EN43ME Lecture Notes ). Dissolved impurities is not the same as adding particulate matter to near boiling water. Here's an explanation of what is happening in the video Superheating and microwave ovens .

Refer to Chapter 7 in Gourmet Engineering for an explanation of how microwave ovens cook food ( EN43ME Lecture Notes ).

 

[Andy M.]

Tall us. How was the “roast” beef ?

In a word, very good. ...

That's great. Glad you liked it. How does it compare to a traditionally prepared roast beef?