Microwave Cooking

Microwaves are useful for snacks and some meals, but sometimes you can't beat a fried egg or a grilled cheese and you can't use the microwave for that.

I do prefer the microwave for soups as they are less messy, but sometimes I like the actual act of cooking on a stove. I know you can do more things with a microwave these days such as bake a cake, but I haven't been brave enough to try that one yet.

 

Microwave cooking was very popular back in the day, when they first came out and their were all kinds of microwave cookbooks floating around. I do use the microwave to cook sometimes in the summer, but I think I tend to use the stovetop and the toaster oven more often. They seem to be more functional. I am not sure how to use all my microwave power settings to be honest...

 

I can cook a few things in the microwave, but I prefer it for warming stuff up rather than cooking. I like your idea though, and your reasoning. I use the toaster oven in the same manner, for the same reasons.

Any form of cooking that can produce less heat during hot weather, is a good thing in my book. I don't want the air conditioner to run any more than it has to (and I don't want to be hotter than I have to be either!).

I also use the Foreman grill or the outdoor barbecue grill a lot in the summer. I have no intention of turning on the oven if I don't have to and certainly not the broiler. Even the kids liked the Foreman grill. They have made too many grilled sandwiches to count.

 

I don't want to sound negative here, but I must say that I absolutely can't stand microwaves. I've never possessed one and I never will. Every time I stay in a hotel or motel where they have a microwave in the room, I push my bed as far away from it as possible. Microwave-prepared food will affect your health as it's not a natural way of heating up food. Also, not to forget the level of radiation that such a machine emits, especially if the seals are not working properly any more.

 

Well I am sorry to hear about this hatred @venusflytrap - but I get it. I actually somewhat agree, and if I had the option and everything was ideal I would beer have to use one, but of course that is not the case and there is a thing called life which does not wait around for us. It that sense the convenience always wins, but I know that it is not the most healthy or tasty way tto prepare your food.

 

I mean so many things have microwave directions now, and it is such a timesaver, and I think money saver as well as items are cooked so quickly using less power. I just think that everyone should make use of a microwave, if not that, than a toaster oven would be useful. I can not imagine not having a microwave actually..even though I don't honestly cook that many items in it.

 

When it's really hot I don't feel much like using the oven either. Mine really heats up the house in the summer and I don't have air conditioning either, which makes it really difficult to cool the house down again after having the oven on for hours. I'd rather use the microwave or a food steamer on days like that. Sometimes I'll even opt to cook on the barbecue outside to avoid heating up the house any more than necessary.

I find that cooking things like pasta in the microwave is great. Most of the time though I only use it for heating up food like soup or curry. I don't like to use it all the time, but some days it's just too hot to stand over the oven to cook!

 

We don't freeze food items like meat so our main use for the microwave is in re-heating leftover food. But my sister who buys their food supply once a week has a freezer full of meat and even fish. She uses the microwave to thaw the meat before cooking because it is faster that way, she said. However, I know that microwave oven consumes a lot of electricity so I advised her to just thaw the meat in a natural way - taking it out of the freezer some 3 to 4 hours before actually cooking the meat.

 

rz3300, it's not exactly hatred. That word is too strong in my personal dictionary. No, it's about preserving one's good health. I believe in prevention rather than cure. I don't like the energy that those things give off. In my experience certain conveniences don't pay off in the end. But, I'd like to tell you, if it means anything, that I don't judge anyone who is using a microwave.

 

Having used a microwave since they were first introduced some 30 plus years ago - this is for sure one kitchen appliance that I would now never want to be without.

Simply because - apart from being a very cost effective means of preparing food - as meals are so much easier and quicker to prepare in the microwave - with less washing up - they save a huge mount of time too - the latter of which is a big bonus for me.

In fact so much so that mine is probably my most used kitchen appliance - particularly as because I do a lot of bulk cooking - it gets used daily throughout the year - for anything from defrosting, making drinks/lunchtime snacks to reheating and preparing meals and almost always for cooking vegetables and fruits - especially as - not only is the color, flavor and texture of food so much better - but as microwaving retains more of the nutrients in food - its generally a much healthier way of cooking too - the latter of which can be verified here

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In all fairness - with regard to the above - I would just add - that although being aware of anything that has the potential to endanger our health - is a good thing - it is generally very wise to stand back and evaluate any information obtained prior to - believing it, putting it into practice or passing it on to others - the latter of which I have to say - is particularly so in this case.

For the simple reason that - even though “ your microwave, cell phone or laptop may be killing you “ have been popular somewhat alarming social media topics for several decades - they are in fact not something to be concerned about - as not only is there absolutely no solid scientific evidence to substantiate any of the claims that the small amount of low frequency/low intensity radiation emitted from microwaves, cell phones, laptops etc - will result in cancer, any other disease or be harmful to humans any way - but they are nothing more than age old myths that have been debunked many, many times over.

In fact to put it into perspective - bearing in mind that radiation comes in multiple forms and most objects we encounter on a daily basis all contain some naturally occurring radioactive atoms and therefore its only radiation that has enough energy to damage DNA that we need to worry about - a good example of which would be - the ultra violet rays from the sun - which as they are at least over 400,000 times more energetic than those emitted from microwaves or any other regularly used electronic devices - there is way more concern about protection from the sun than there is regarding the possibility of radiation exposure from microwave ovens.

 

I really do not like using the microwave for cooking just re-heating leftovers. During the summer we don't have supper till later (when it cools off) and make enough that we have leftovers the next day for lunch (reheat in the microwave). For breakfast I have oatmeal or waffles (we make a big batch and freeze them that way we an throw them in the toaster) or something on the stove top (eggs, toast and gravy etc). While I think the microwave is a useful tool it is not my favorite thing to cook with.