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11-15-2018, 10:44 PM
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#1
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Assistant Cook
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Mohave County, Arizona
Posts: 49
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REAL Cooking by Microwave
My wife way back when, sold microwave ovens at retail for stores which sold nothing else (except accessories), Friedmans Microwave Ovens. We were in Phoenix/Mesa then. As part of the new requirement for her, she was given the assignment of becoming the stores' new microwave cooking teacher, classes being offered free to all buyers.
Before you knew it, our old kitchen stove was nearly obsolete! A blessing, in Summer, in Phoenix, AZ, anyway.
Any others "into" real microwaving, rather than heating coffee? The cakes and such that she created were amazing. So were the customers, many being "Snowbirds" from north of the border! imp
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11-15-2018, 11:44 PM
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#2
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Executive Chef
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 2,984
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Quote:
Originally Posted by imp
My wife way back when, sold microwave ovens at retail for stores which sold nothing else (except accessories), Friedmans Microwave Ovens. We were in Phoenix/Mesa then. As part of the new requirement for her, she was given the assignment of becoming the stores' new microwave cooking teacher, classes being offered free to all buyers.
Before you knew it, our old kitchen stove was nearly obsolete! A blessing, in Summer, in Phoenix, AZ, anyway.
Any others "into" real microwaving, rather than heating coffee? The cakes and such that she created were amazing. So were the customers, many being "Snowbirds" from north of the border! imp
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Welcome to DC, Imp!
When I was living in Japan, my kitchen heat sources consisted of two gas burners with a “grill” in between them and a large toaster oven. I had a microwave, it was, I think, a whopping 600 watts! Initially, I only used it to heat already cooked foods. Then I discovered Barbara Kafka’s The Microwave Gourmet. What an epiphany! Real cooking in a microwave!
Alas, she never updated her book to reflect cooking times and vessel sizes for today’s much more powerful ovens.
I don’t do much “real” cooking in the microwave any more, but I don’t just heat up coffee with it either. A lot of prep can be done in the microwave, and it’s great for steaming fish and chicken. If you have some of the recipes that your wife developed, please share them!
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11-16-2018, 06:47 AM
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#3
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Master Chef
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 6,044
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It does great for baking potatoes, bacon, steaming some vegetables and its main purpose reheating leftovers.
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Emeralds are real Gems! C. caninus and C. batesii.
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11-16-2018, 09:41 AM
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#5
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Park Drive Bar/Grill Los Angeles
Posts: 12,587
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I like my microwave. It is a convenience appliance.
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11-16-2018, 06:31 PM
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#6
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Assistant Cook
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Mohave County, Arizona
Posts: 49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tenspeed
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The key to safe, effective microwave cooking, especially of big chunks of meat like roasts, is to use an insertable thermometer without fail. Regarding BIG jobs, my wife has for years done large turkeys by microwave alone, with results that must be seen and tasted: white breast meat is juicy and tender, unlike my Mother's old long-time oven baking, where the meat required liquid with a mouthful, to swallow it!
I found an Air Conditioning service thermometer in my tools, about 6 inches long, pointed probe about 3/16-inch diameter, with a calibrated scale reading to 250` F. It reads very quickly, is stainless steel, and I find it very useful; my wife, however, does not, sticking to the "old school" fly by seat of pants...
imp
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Bound to be someone here recognizes me; I'll be in trouble, sure!
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11-16-2018, 11:14 PM
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#7
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Master Chef
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: California
Posts: 9,136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by imp
The key to safe, effective microwave cooking, especially of big chunks of meat like roasts, is to use an insertable thermometer without fail. Regarding BIG jobs, my wife has for years done large turkeys by microwave alone, with results that must be seen and tasted: white breast meat is juicy and tender, unlike my Mother's old long-time oven baking, where the meat required liquid with a mouthful, to swallow it!..........
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Ummm....imp, you seem to be focused on the microwave as your primary cooking method, which is all good and fine if that's your deal. Never before have I ever heard of anyone having a large enough microwave to cook a whole 'large' turkey, let alone wanting to.....  Sorry...just sounds odd to me.
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Grandchildren fill the space in your heart you never knew was empty.
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11-17-2018, 12:29 AM
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#8
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Chef Extraordinaire
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: East Boston, MA
Posts: 21,742
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tenspeed
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I love my skin on baked potatoes to be crispy. I start the tater in the microwave, but always finish it in the oven.
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Illegitimi non carborundum!
I don't want my last words to be, "I wish I had spent more time doing housework"
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11-17-2018, 01:23 AM
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#9
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Executive Chef
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Dallas
Posts: 4,534
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Quote:
Originally Posted by imp
The key to safe, effective microwave cooking, especially of big chunks of meat like roasts, is to use an insertable thermometer without fail. Regarding BIG jobs, my wife has for years done large turkeys by microwave alone, with results that must be seen and tasted: white breast meat is juicy and tender, unlike my Mother's old long-time oven baking, where the meat required liquid with a mouthful, to swallow it!
I found an Air Conditioning service thermometer in my tools, about 6 inches long, pointed probe about 3/16-inch diameter, with a calibrated scale reading to 250` F. It reads very quickly, is stainless steel, and I find it very useful; my wife, however, does not, sticking to the "old school" fly by seat of pants...
imp
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I hope you will put up some detailed recipes for your microwave cooking. I'm not a big fan of microwave ovens, other than warming things up, but I have an open mind. If you post up a recipe that looks good, I'll give it a try.
On the other hand, I hope you will try some other methods, too. I hope you won't just be an evangelist for microwave cooking.
As I mentioned elsewhere, my dad is an engineer, and in his 80s, has adopted my interest in cooking. I got him a sous vide set-up for xmas last year, and he loves it -- we share our sous vide cooks on the phone on a regular basis.
Go figure, artist and engineer sharing recipes and cooking techniques.
CD
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” Winnie-the-Pooh
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11-17-2018, 01:24 AM
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#10
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Executive Chef
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Ring of fire. So. Calif.
Posts: 3,119
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Addie
I love my skin on baked potatoes to be crispy. I start the tater in the microwave, but always finish it in the oven.
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Good idea to get the potato going in the microwave first, tho I wonder if it saves electricity (cooking time maybe). I've found that drizzling some olive oil on the potato and sprinkling coarse salt on it, then wrapping it in aluminum foils gets the skin crispy when baked.
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