cindym@sri-unix (12/10/82)
I just spent big bucks on a microwave oven. I have been experimenting with different foods but am curious if there are experience cooks on the net. Are there some things that work wonderfully? What about tricks for converting regular recipes into microwave recipes? For instance, the cookbook that came with the oven says that you can simmer things using the temp. hold feature at 180F. But a lot of foods that simmer, like spaghetti sauce, cook moisture out while simmering. I don't think that this will happen in a closed microwave. I tried cooking white rice. It cooked in 10 minutes and was the correct consistency but boiled over during cooking. It was easy to clean but annoying. Should I have cooked at a lower power level (my oven is 720 watts)? Any thoughts?
vax1:fmd (12/13/82)
Since the liquid in foods cooked in microwave ovens does not evaporate as fast as it will in a conventional oven, you must cut down on the amount of liquid used in recipes. I often omit about 1/2 cup. White rice (long grain) can be cooked quite well in the microwave - however, it does have a tendency to boil over. I cut out a smidge of the liquid, cover it *loosely* with plastic wrap to keep the steam in, and cook it about 5-6min on high, then about 10-11 on 50%. It still bubbles over a little, but not nearly the gargantuan mess produced otherwise. I don't know the wattage of my oven offhand, so it may take a little experimenting. Notice: this method assumes you put rice, salt (only a dash, please - not nearly as much as the recipe on the box says) and cold water in the bowl all at once. Amy Heidner decvax!microsoft!fluke!amyh John Fluke Mfg Co Everett, WA
lsk (12/13/82)
I can tell you one thing that did NOT work in micro wave. I have a chicken and rice dish where the chicken sits on top of the raw rice and liquid mixture. When I microwaved it the chicken cooked, but the rice did not . I guess the chicken sucked up the microwaves before the rice could have a shot at them (don't you love highly technical explanations?). Well, I took the done chicken out, and then left the liquid and rice in, and it cooked ok. Moral: This dish is best done in conventional oven. What is it good for: Contrary to what you hear, I have made excellent steaks and roasts. Can't be beat for veggies and melting butter. I know there is a book out about converting regular recipes to microwave recipes but I can't recall details. Larry S. Kaufman, WECo, NSC, Lisle, Illinois
lsk (12/20/82)
I believe studies have shown that microwave cooking uses LESS energy than conventional methods.
kathleen (12/20/82)
I am still looking for a recipe for a cookie that looks like a mushroom when completed. I need this recipe by December 22.
johnl (12/21/82)
#R:hplabsb:-122500:ima:2600001:000:1030
ima!johnl Dec 20 11:33:00 1982
I'm no big fan of microwave cooking, but the claim that microwave
cooking uses a lot of power compared to conventional is just not true.
Microwave ovens couple power into the food sort of (very sort of, no
flames, please) like a transformer, while conventional ovens and stoves
just throw heat at the food and lose most of it into the kitchen. Just
think about how much power the microwave uses and how long it's on
compared to the numbers for the stove. Then consider that if you have a
gas stove the transmission losses are less than for electricity.
The whole issue is a red herring, since in practice your
refrigerator, which runs more or less continuously, uses more power than
your stove and your microwave put together.
Lest my attitude be misconstrued, I think that a microwave is the
best thing ever invented for reheating instant coffee, except perhaps for
a $1.98 immersion heater. For real cooking, I use a real stove.
John Levine, decvax!yale-co!jrl, ucbvax!cbosgd!ima!johnl, Levine@YALE (arpa).tpchmara@wateng.UUCP (Tom Chmara) (01/12/84)
Does anyone out in net.land have any opinions/information concerning
the quality of machines currently available? I'm looking at a machine
with electronic controls, meat probe; other gadgets are not necesssary,
but not necessarily undesirable. Most important is a reduction in the
severity of hot spots which evidently plague these things.
I'm currently looking at a Hotpoint/GE Model RK9090 ( or similar
numbers; the "090" is the critical part ) vs a Quasar model. They're
both retailing for about $600 Cdn. Sorry no more information on the
model; all the stuff's at home.
Thanks in advance.
---tpc--- ( Tom Chmara @ wateng, University of Waterloo, Ont, Canada )jlmalito@watdaisy.UUCP (Jeanine L. Malito) (02/22/84)
i've been wondering what microwave ovens do to the nutritional value of food. i am careful to prepare food in ways that do as little damage as possible, but i often bring soup to school, and there's this microwave oven across the hall, and, well, ... i have never seen anything describing what microwaves do to food. could someone point me to some literature on the subject? i would also like to hear what others have read or heard. thanks, jeanine lynda malito