You can use your microwave for a lot more than making popcorn and
reheating leftovers. It drastically cuts cooking time on things like
veggies, fish, and shellfish. Baked potatoes can be zapped in the
microwave and finished in the oven.
Steam and poach.
These water-based cooking methods are ideal for the microwave and make
moist, tender vegetable and seafood dishes. To steam veggies, place them
in a microwave-safe dish with about a tablespoon of water and cover (if
you use plastic wrap, don’t let it touch the food). Zap for a couple of
minutes until done.
To poach chicken, put boneless, skinless
breasts in a microwave-safe dish. Pour white wine or other liquid over
the chicken and cover. Cook until chicken reaches 165° F on a food
thermometer (about 5 to 8 minutes).
Precook. Nuke a
potato before crisping its skin in the oven or par-cook corn, ribs, and
chicken before grilling. Finish cooking immediately.
Defrost.
Although chicken and meat tend to toughen when fully cooked in the
microwave, you can still put that defrost setting to good use. Place
meat in the microwave just for a short time, until it begins to soften,
then finish cooking immediately in a conventional way.
Melt.
For a quick dip for fruit or an icing for cake, place chopped chocolate
in a microwave-safe dish—but don’t cover it, because any water from
condensation will make the chocolate stiff and grainy. Heat on medium
for a minute, then stir until smooth. If not melted, nuke for 15-second
intervals, stirring after each.
You can melt butter in the microwave in seconds. And if you like nachos, the cheese will melt nicely in about a minute.
#Microwave #Mr.Appliance #TampaFL
