do you use a Microwave often?

[boomchakabowwow]

I warm my office lunch with one. at home, I am less frequent at the microwave. I like stovetop warming soups, and I tend to use the oven a lot as well.

I do wish I had a Bagel right now. I would microwave myself an egg patty to make a breakfast sando.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I am a convert to the multi function microwave with convection oven and grill features. The Germans love their freshly baked bread and croissants and this is a perfect way to create bakery items without firing up the full size oven. Also great for quick meals that aren't only nuked by microwaves and perfect pizzas, fries etc. I also use a special container for cooking rice. No mess, no fuss with the built in dedicated programs. I wouldn't be without one at home.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

No. We use ours so infrequently that when our last one died we just bought a little dorm-sized one.

Now, when the kids were home, it was a workhorse.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I bought the absolute smallest one I could. I use it for reheating leftovers like pasta or rice, stuff like that. I use a larger microwave sized toaster/convection oven for most things though.

 

[Tekkz]

All the time. I'm lazy I like to make big batches of food and then reheat it throughout the week.

 

[ian]

Every day.

 

[stringer]

One of the most used tools in my kitchen. I have never understood microwavophobia.

 

[marc4pt0]

2 kids and a busy wife & life. Use ours all the time. But I’m meticulous about how I use it. It’s not a blast and set method. I crank down the watts and slow cook sometimes. Or I’ll do short blasts and rotate/stir in between (even though it has a turn table inside). A couple chef buddies and I were having this same conversation a little while back. It concluded with microwaves (reconstitution ovens) are a thing of joy when used creatively.
With that said, the only thing I cook from ”raw” to finish is our beloved microwave popcorn.

And as a side note, believe it or not, it’s also a fine way to reheat sous vide items still sealed in their pouch. There’s technique to it, but this assuredly will cause quite the commotion amongst other professional kitchen heads. I wouldn’t throw that out here if I didn’t do the research, leg work and testing.

 

[Jovidah]

I rarely use mine. Whenever I do it's mostly for stuff like leftover rice, which it really does better and easier than reheating it in the pan or oven - which is usually my preferred method for leftover reheating. Not that I have anything against microwaves, I just never really got into a habbit of using them.
I'd still be inclined to get a new one if my current one broke (originally bought it as a combi to use as a small oven in my student days) but it'd be a small and modest one.

 

[stringer]

Mostly I use it for reheating leftovers but also regularly for:

Defrosting raw frozen chicken breasts, pork chops, steaks, etc.

Heating up sauces, syrups, liquids

Melting butter, chocolate, crystalized honey

Baked potatoes

Making quick grits, oatmeal, rice



And my current cafe has no hoods. I do all the prep in a shared commissary and then we reheat everything that can't be cooked on an induction burner or toaster in microwaves. People love our food.

And when I used to work in steakhouses when someone wanted their steak real well done. Drop it in the deep fryer for a minute and then you "ask Chef Mike to bring this one up to extra well done please." He never fails.

 

[M1k3]

"ask Chef Mike to bring this one up to extra well done please." He never fails.

 

[MarcelNL]

never, actually because we don't have one...we used to have one but thawing food works better (IMHO) in cold water and for anything else I prefer longer lasting heat.

 

[Corradobrit1]

never, actually because we don't have one...we used to have one but thawing food works better (IMHO) in cold water and for anything else I prefer longer lasting heat.

Doesn't surprise me. My experience is that Microwave's are not as popular in Continental Europe. Probably says something about their approach to food and cooking in general. Purists and traditionalists.

 

[Jovidah]

I'm not sure that's entirely true; I think you can still find a microwave in at least 90% of households. There's just some variation in how much people use them, but even if only for reheating purposes most people tend to have one.

I do actually agree that defrosting in water is preferable. Was never a fan of doing it in the micro.
Where it really shines - and what I should probably use it more for, is steaming vegetables.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I'm not sure that's entirely true; I think you can still find a microwave in at least 90% of households. There's just some variation in how much people use them, but even if only for reheating purposes most people tend to have one.

I do actually agree that defrosting in water is preferable. Was never a fan of doing it in the micro.
Where it really shines - and what I should probably use it more for, is steaming vegetables.

Yes, if they have them they tend to be smaller, low tech ie rotary dialled, used for very basic reheating duties. Most people I know live in apartments where space is at a premium so Microwaves have a harder time justifying their footprint.

 

[MarcelNL]

I'm not sure that's entirely true; I think you can still find a microwave in at least 90% of households. There's just some variation in how much people use them, but even if only for reheating purposes most people tend to have one.

I do actually agree that defrosting in water is preferable. Was never a fan of doing it in the micro.
Where it really shines - and what I should probably use it more for, is steaming vegetables.

I favor a proper full steam oven OR even a low tech bamboo steam basket for steaming veg over a microwave. In the microwave the veg cooks in two ways that IMHO makes it unpredictable and uncontrollable, 'direct' energy from the micro waves and the steam.

 

[Rangen]

I use my microwave all the time for heating leftovers, and occasionally for defrosting little containers of stock, when I have failed to plan ahead.

I hate my microwave, but that's only because it is pretending to be a proper hood, and it really, really isn't.

 

[blokey]

Destroying hard drives

 

[False_Cast]

For eggs in a ramekin and warming sauces.

 

[mengwong]

I am a convert to the multi function microwave with convection oven and grill features

We put in one of those as a secondary.
https://www.miele.sg/domestic/ovens-1451.htm?mat=11093470&name=H_7240_BM
It sits above the regular oven. Just moving in this week, haven’t used it yet.

There is an inverse relationship to the price of a kitchen and the amount of cooking that is actually done in it

Will this $6000 gadget ever see $6000 worth of food? Only time will tell…

 

[AT5760]

Every day. Reheating meals, steaming veggies, oatmeal.

 

[M1k3]

We put in one of those as a secondary.
https://www.miele.sg/domestic/ovens-1451.htm?mat=11093470&name=H_7240_BM
It sits above the regular oven. Just moving in this week, haven’t used it yet.



Will this $6000 gadget ever see $6000 worth of food? Only time will tell…

Microwaved A5 Wagyu for a dinner party?

 

[Dan-]

We put in one of those as a secondary.
https://www.miele.sg/domestic/ovens-1451.htm?mat=11093470&name=H_7240_BM
It sits above the regular oven. Just moving in this week, haven’t used it yet.



Will this $6000 gadget ever see $6000 worth of food? Only time will tell…

I’m very interested in your experience with that. I assume you also put in other Miele stuff too.

 

[rob]

Use to be known as the “Tucker F**ker”

Use mine for reheating lunch at work regularly now.

 

[mengwong]

I’m very interested in your experience with that. I assume you also put in other Miele stuff too.

Ok, I’ll push some Xmas Eve leftovers through this thing, just to reheat.

We bought it because when we didn’t have a microwave we felt the lack – melting cheese for Keto pizza etc. Combination convenience for when you need two ovens going at the same time.

Aside from that I wasn’t expecting to explore the more sophisticated cooking methods like @marc4pt0 outlined above.

I sell these things for a living

Maybe @ModRQC can drop some wisdom?

 

[ModRQC]

Maybe @ModRQC can drop some wisdom?

That was another thread and not so definitively speaking of microwaves - while I do sell these also.

A Miele microwave must be worth like twice the price of all my countetop appliances together. I can’t be bothered to check. Admittedly I own very little countertop stuff so it must be about right. I wouldn’t shell as much for a microwave - if I use one two times a week it’s probably overlapping some other week I didn’t use it at all - nor do I sell brands like Miele.

Floor is yours guys!

 

[Corradobrit1]

“Tucker F**ker”

Aussie colloquialism, I presume?

 

[Corradobrit1]

That was another thread and not so definitively speaking of microwaves - while I do sell these also.

A Miele microwave must be worth like twice the price of all my countetop appliances together. I can’t be bothered to check. Admittedly I own very little countertop stuff so it must be about right. I wouldn’t shell as much for a microwave - if I use one two times a week it’s probably overlapping some other week I didn’t use it at all - nor do I sell brands like Miele.

Floor is yours guys!

He is talking Singers $ which equates to $4500 US but still a chunk of change. Miele gear is horrendously expensive outside Germany. Now that I live here thats all I buy when shopping for large appliances though. So far thats a C3 silent vacuum cleaner and a washing machine with integrated detergent dispensing. The MW is a Bauknecht which was bought with a hefty discount through my employers commercial partner scheme, of which Miele is sadly not a part. They tend to sell themselves for full retail.

 

[Jovidah]

Will this $6000 gadget ever see $6000 worth of food? Only time will tell…

That's actually a really nice 'rule' I try to follow; a purchase is justified only when it will see at least the same cost in ingredients. Nice way to limit the knife spendings.
I think most stuff in my kitchen will actually reach this criterium, largely because I don't have much underused appliances.

 

[rickbern]

I think this woman is doing a great series of videos from bon appetit and, while I’m not much of a microwave user, I found this pretty informative