For popcorn we bought a covered bowl setup that air pops perfectly. First bought it for D in dorm, liked it so much bought one to keep at home.
After earlier comments about unhealthy MW eating habits, wanted to clarify! No prepackaged microwave popcorn in our house. We season with butter spray (Pam type product) and seasoned salt.
We have an air popper for popcorn. It sits on the top shelf of our pantry and I can’t remember the last time it got used. No one in our house eats popcorn.
What I do use the microwave for:
Heating coffee - I like it hot and the French press process doesn’t make it that hot to start with
Melting and softening butter
Heating leftovers
A handful of recipes from Mogul Microwave
Taking the edge off garlic - I chop it up and zap it in a bit of olive oil - add to vegetables or yogurt
I don’t like heating most bready thing in the microwave - they get nasty and tough. Pizza takes ten minutes in a real oven and will often be better than it was as lukewarm takeout.
We delayed getting one. I used to say, “Anything I need to cook, I can wait for the oven to finish.” We’d pop something in and go to the gym or decompress from a work day. Lol.
Ours is built in over the stove. I’d love to move it and get a handsome vent hood. But lots of projects ahead of that.
I usually use my microwave for heating up leftovers. For instance…I made chicken enchiladas last week. How would you even reheat that in the stove? I mean, I know it’s possible but not with as much ease, plus it’s extra cleanup. Ds was at practice so I put his serving on a plate for him to reheat when he got home. I personally can’t stand reheated meat unless it’s a shredded or ground meat/poultry but a chicken breast or steak, etc, no. It’s a texture thing for me.
I don’t use mine for cooking really-I prefer to steam my veggies on stove, and cook any casserole type dish in my oven. I don’t defrost anything in it either.
Someone above mentioned egg sandwiches-i make them for my kids all the time. English muffin in toaster oven, and a custard dish with a scrambled egg would cook perfectly in a minute in my microwave-the size fit perfectly on an English muffin with cheese and bacon. This was my go to quick, balanced breakfast for my kids, esp days when I wanted them at their best (exams, standardized testing, etc). Then about a year ago they decided they don’t like the egg in a microwave dish.
When the kids were little, I was a wiz at grilled cheese. Put the cheese on toast, butter a little and melt just enough in the MW. Kids were none the wiser.
I’m not a coffee aficionado so reheating coffee in the micro works fine for me.
I also use it to defrost.
H makes his oatmeal in the micro.
It depends on what I’m reheating if I use micro or oven or toaster oven.
We use our microwave ovens daily. I prefer the cheap Sharp counter top one to the built-in Wolf. The Sharp is more powerful and easier to access.
The cost difference between counter top microwaves and built-in ones astounds me. If we should end up remodeling our kitchen (since dh really does not want to move), we may skip the built-in and instead have two counter top ones in a large pantry (along with other counter-top appliances.)
Love the microwave for many of the ways already stated. But I noticed several people mentioned heating things with tortillas…that’s not something I’d do as I think it doesn’t work well with bread products. Can someone enlighten me?
And @gouf78, we used to microwave our “baked” potatoes until we discovered how delicious they are with some olive oil and kosher salt and baked in the oven for an hour. Would love to cut that hour down–how long do you microwave yours before putting them in the oven? And do you dress them? If so, before the microwave or after?
“several people mentioned heating things with tortillas”
Corn tortillas heat really nicely in the microwave. If you’re preheating them so people can add their own filling, you just stack a few on a plate with a paper towel and a few sprinkles of water between each one and 20/30 seconds later… soft, tender, warm corn tortilla.
If they’re incorporated in a prepared dish and you’re just reheating them, as long as there’s enough moisture in the dish to give a little steam, they also reheat very well. If the dish looks a little dry, again just a sprinkle of water on top is all you need.
“I think it doesn’t work well with bread products”
It doesn’t work well with things that are supposed to be crispy. It works great with things that are supposed to be soft and pliable, like tortillas. The microwave is basically a steamer.
I didn’t begin drinking coffee until I was in high school, maybe 13 years old? Microwaves were already pretty normal to have in homes by then.
But our home setup was the plastic filter holder over the cup that you describe. Doesn’t help with RE-heating though, just making it in the first place.
I just got really good at making microwave hollandaise, and sugar-free chocolates. Of curse I can stovetop cook both but it does heat up the kitchen, and takes a bit longer with more cleanup.
We’re in Florida. None of our family drinks coffee - drinking a piping hot beverage when you’re already struggling to avoid spontaneous combustion seems illogical.
Some of you are, um, younger than I am.
The whole reason I got the Keurig, btw, was the fresh cup, rather than the drip maker where the pot sat for an hour or more. I haven’t used my oven in months. Toaster oven and MW.
@collage1 – depending on number of potatoes usually 7-9 minutes in MW. Until you can stick a fork in easily.
Favorite way–Put potatoes in MW/oven dish. Coat with oil and kosher salt . MW until fork tender (depends on number of potatoes… Oven bake 350 for about 30 min. Yum…
Thing I like about this is that you can MW (pre-cook) a potato earlier and then just turn on oven for 30 min. Then you can also heat up bread, veggies and/or meat all at the same time for the 30 min–all ready at the same time.
^ and the skin gets crispy.
My son didn’t have a microwave for years and claimed they were appalling devices. Then he found a girlfriend. A microwave suddenly appeared in his apartment. Love conquers principles.
changing the subject slightly, is there such a thing as a combination microwave oven and toaster oven? There must be. Looking for recommendations. Something not bigger than say 1.2 cu ft. We are desperate for counter space and I’d like to get rid of my toaster oven since my kid is off to college now. We decided to get rid of our over-the-range microwave a while back and replace it with a professional exhaust (made by Fotile in case you were interested). I kinda regret doing this now since we don’t cook that much anymore. How things change when the kid moves away.
When we traveled to Central Asia, I was surprised that everywhere we went hot tea was served even though it was 95 degrees in the shade. Why? Drinking hot beverages promotes sweating, and sweat is a body’s natural way to cool off in dry, hot climates. Might not work in humid Florida.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on-a-hot-day-can-cool-you-down-1338875/
Hasn’t anyone here nuked a sweet roll before eating??
For tortillas, with us it’s usually a one off thing, just nuke it maybe 12 seconds, maybe flip and nuke another 10 seconds…now you have a warm soft pliable tortilla.
You can do the same thing for bread or a roll. Strictly for immediate consumption.
@collage1 We do “make your own tortilla” dinner frequently. Everybody puts their own flour tortilla on a plate, sprinkles it with shredded cheese, then zaps it for 15-22 seconds, depending on how melty you want the cheese and how warm the tortilla. Anything longer than 25 seconds will affect the texture of the tortilla. Then we fill them with whatever other ingredients I have put out. A current fave this summer is shrimp and slaw, aka shrimp tacos. Grilled chicken is another gold standard, with ranch dressing and salad fixings. But always we each warm our tortillas and melt our own cheese in the MW. Great for the summer because no heat coming from stove or oven.