I got them all right.

Me, too. But they were pretty common sense.

I have a friend who does not grasp the concept of bacteria in un-refrigerated left overs. She leaves them out for 6 to 8 hours before refrigerating and believes they are safe to eat if you heat them to a boil. They often have what they believe to be the "24 hour flu". It's food poisoning. Nice gal. But we dine out with her😄

I also got the microwaving question wrong. I guess I didn't understand the way it was worded either.

We seldom use our MW, basically to warm up a leftover dish or pre-heat a baking potato for 4 minutes before finishing it off in the oven (saves time and better results than 100% MWed potato).

I was puzzled by the expression ’ready to eat foods’. If it’s ready to eat why do they talk about heating it? A doughnut is ready to eat. A frozen pizza isn’t.

Btw Microwaves are “unsuitable for cooking.” I’m not sure what that statement means. Lots of things can be cooked in a microwave. Or do you just mean you don’t like the results?

I knew someone who would put leftovers in the microwave if she didn’t want to refrigerate them. She thought that sealed out bacteria.

The problem with discussing food safety is that people tend not to get sick. My MIL will cook dinner early in the day and leave it out all day. Cold cuts, out for several hours throughout the middle of the day, day after day. Who am I to say something if they’re not having reaction to it?

Me, I’m a slob but when it comes to food safety I’m borderline fanatical. And yes I got them all right.

Floral, I agree that many things can be cooked in the microwave. I cook oatmeal in there regularly, and corn on the cob from the garden, occasionally broccoli. I CAN cook a potato, but it's not baked, it's just cooked.

I actually like corn on the cob cooked in the microwave better than I do in boiling water, it stays less watery or soggy or something.

That said, my microwave is far more often used to heat water for a single cup of tea, or the grandkids use it to cook ramen noodles or re-warm leftovers.

And I got all the questions right, but like others, I think it was pretty common sense.

Annie

We haven't had a microwave for many years, so I'm not super familiar with using them. They are very handy and I'd like to have one, but there's not much room in our tiny kitchen.

I will add that you may not be privy to everyone's digestive woes, FOAS - pun intended...

FOAS.....She thinks the microwave seals out bacteria? OMG!

I too often preheat potatoes in the MW if I don't get them in the oven early enough to finish with the rest of the meal.

It makes great popcorn, reheats coffee, makes cocoa, steamable vegetables, softens butter or cream cheese, heats soups, leftovers and so many more things.

I got them all right. I also use my MW for cooking oatmeal and we do a lot of our veggies in it and DH bakes his potatoes in it. I also make my "egg mc woofums" in there which is egg scrambled with cheese which I then spread on a toasted english muffin. But most of the time, we use it for reheating leftovers.

Fresh corn put into boiling water for 3-4 minutes comes out crisp and fresh tasting. Never soggy.

My preference is that a microwave oven is suitable for reheating liquids and warming (not heating) leftovers from fridge temps but little else. The problem we found before abandoning use with veggies is that the microwaves nuke (overcook) veggies rather than steaming them. The veggies themselves are being heating by the waves just as is the liquid. By the time the liquid in the vessel is producing steam, the veggie may already be overcooked.

Another data point - when you get beyond anything larger than a lunch counter operation, few restaurants (including decent casual ones) seem to have microwave ovens in their kitchens. Between a grill, broilers and ovens, and stovetop pans and pots, they seem to be able to deftly produce far more than I can. All home kitchens have this equipment, what you see pros doing is something to learn from.

I can't think of anything cooked in a microwave (eggs included) that taste as good as the same item cooked conventionally.

My DH makes amazing "Dad Eggs" in a bowl in the MW. Fluffy, buttery and never dry or tough. The kids always liked his eggs best. Like the song says, You gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.

“The problem we found before abandoning use with veggies is that the microwaves nuke (overcook) veggies rather than steaming them. The veggies themselves are being heating by the waves just as is the liquid. By the time the liquid in the vessel is producing steam, the veggie may already be overcooked.”

If you’ve got ”liquid in the vessel” then you’re doing it wrong.

Sorry, no. You read my comment too literally. There's liquid in the vessel. The microwave radiation is equally heating the veggies and the liquid in the vessel. Important to understand the process the equipment uses.

When cooking fresh items, presuming they've been at least rinsed first, they're wet. The technique I recall reading at the time (over 10 years ago when we stopped doing it), which I've just verified from several sites, say to add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. That's water in the vessel.

When cooking frozen veggies, they have frost on them (equivalent to the water from fresh rinsed ones). The packages we have in the freezer say to add several tablespoons of water.

That's what I was referring to. While that water in the vessel is heating and eventually turning to steam, the veggies are simultaneously being heated by the RF waves and there's a very short window of time to take them out before they get too soft and lose texture and flavor. We prefer veggies firm and not mushy. Part of the problem is the veggies often get too hot. If you've ever experienced exploding superheated water in a cup left in a microwave oven just a bit too long, you know what I'm talking about.

It's a cinch to do properly by steaming or in boiling water because only the water is being heated by the heat. In a microwave, too often the food came out overcooked. And because of the nature of the microwave process, how much time it required is directly proportional to the volume of food in the vessel. More food, more time. Less food, less time. Using conventional steaming or boiling, so long as the pot isn't crowded, the cooking time is the same over a normal range differing amounts.

Food in boiling or steaming water never really gets above 212F. Food in a microwave can get much hotter and indeed, too hot.

"The technique I recall reading at the time (over 10 years ago when we stopped doing it)..."

MW technology has improved since perhaps the last time you tried it. Our current and our former MW have special buttons...one for fresh veg and one for frozen veg...and use humidity sensors to cook them just to the point of being crisp without being overdone. Moreover, there is some thinking that, as the cooking time is reduced, more of the nutrition is maintained when done in the MW vs. other methods.

“You read my comment too literally. There's liquid in the vessel.”

What part did I read too literally? You talked about water in the vessel, I referenced that, and you continue to talk about water in the vessel.

I recall you holding Kenji in very high regard. He covers the veggies with a damp paper towel, but I wouldn’t call that water in the vessel.

Of course microwaving cooks the veggies in their own steam. That’s literally the intention. If the veggies get overcooked it’s because they’re being overcooked.

https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-steam-vegetables-in-the-microwave

“[Steaming vegetables] is the use I put it to most.

See, just as with brief blanching, the goal of steaming is to very lightly cook vegetables just until they lose their raw taste, but not until they begin to turn mushy. Since a microwave very efficiently and rapidly uses the liquid inside the vegetables themselves to heat them from the inside, you can micro-steam vegetables in a matter of minutes.”

The only things i can think of that i use it for is last nights leftovers for lunch, melting butter, or heating water for sonethung. Never for popcorn, vegetables, reheating pizza

annie, maybe it's your word choice, but microwave devices don't cook anything to "just to the point of being crisp without being overdone". It's rather the opposite. Fresh veggies, just as an example, are firm when raw and soften from cooking, no matter which process is used. A microwave oven can't crisp anything unless that "anything" is coated in oil.

food, there's water in a microwave vessel cooking vegetables, both added and from the food itself. When you remove a cover, doesn't steam come out?

I do hold Kenji in high regard. But a high percentage, maybe as much as half, of his recipes and techniques I come across I don't like or follow. For a variety of reasons. Sometimes I try them and don't like the outcome. Sometimes, it's because I find the procedures or steps he prescribes are things I don't want to do. In such cases, sometimes I'll try to adapt or abbreviate what he prescribes, sometimes I pass.

I'll stick with my consistent empirical observations as good examples to follow. Even casual, unpretentious restaurants don't cook vegetables in microwave ovens. There has to be a reason why. Neither do a lot of ordinary people who like cooking, joyfully do so at home and try to get reasonably good results with the means they have. I'm in that category. If I don't have the few minutes needed to boil water or raise it to steaming, for the additional few minutes it takes to properly cook vegetables, I'll cook them another time.

You're all welcome to use your microwave ovens as you wish. For those of you who do, when you come to have dinner at my house, I think you may find the veggies seem to taste better when we cook them. Or, at least so dinner guests we've had have frequently said over the years.

I’m happy to see a healthy relationship with his/SE’s recipes. Perhaps I took a previous comment of yours too literally; I’ll admit it really raised an eyebrow at the time:

”But you can be sure all of the recipes on that site are the very best to be found in the English language.”

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6130724/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-yesterday#n=37

Of course you can cook veggies "crisp" in a microwave. They are crisp when they go in, they get cooked and are still crisp (if that's the way you want them) before they get soft. So cooking in the microwave until still crisp but not overdone is the goal of most of us who cook some of our veggies in the micro. I won't do asparagus in the micro because it cooks too unevenly for me and I'm very particular that it not be overdone, but lots of other veggies work well in the microwave.
I mostly heat other foods instead of cooking them in the microwave, but I find that a few things I cook work well using the lower power option....like at 50% power instead of full power. I cook popcorn in it using the popcorn setting, I cook bacon using a lower power setting and it turns out perfectly without splattering or needing close watching.

I actually don’t cook much in the MW. My primany use is sanitizing sponges (I believe there’s some misinformation about that floating about but I do it several times a day), defrosting things I don’t need to be too particular about, and taking the chill off butter. Combined that’s gotta be well in to the 90’s percent of my use.

I almost always cook veggies in the microwave, but for very short times so they are still firm and not overcooked. I don’t care for overcooked veggies.

I think the microwave answer in the quiz is incorrect. It even states in the explanation that if you don’t follow the directions, that any bacteria present will not be killed and may even be encouraged to multiply.

I’m with Annie, I prefer corn on the cob done in the microwave.

When I cooked for more than me I found that there were a number of foods that cooked far more easily in the microwave than on the stovetop…. custard being on of those.

I think it all comes down to knowing how to use any appliance/tool to its optimum efficiency. Any cook who wants to can get lots of good instruction as to how to best use anything.

I'm another who uses their microwave mostly for reheating. I do make a simple fast white sauce sometimes in mine (flour, butter, milk) and I have a chicken thigh recipe we both like that I do occasionally. Hold on to your hats, it also uses a can of soup - golden mushroom - that makes a nice sauce for a rice side.

Back when microwaves were first becoming readily available, my sister taught microwave cooking classes for a while. I don't remember exactly through who, possibly her county extension?. She could make all from an acceptable fudge, to a whole small turkey that was flavorful although not entirely attractive - that pale color thing. I think she was sent a complimentary microwave from every company that made them. All of the family and some of her friends benefited from the free microwaves.

I know she no longer particularly cooks in one and hasn't for years, but does heat her tea water in it in the mornings.

"I’m happy to see a healthy relationship with his/SE’s recipes. Perhaps I took a previous comment of yours too literally; I’ll admit it really raised an eyebrow at the time:

”But you can be sure all of the recipes on that site are the very best to be found in the English language.”"

Oh my, you most certainly did. There was nothing at all serious in what I said. You may have missed that in that thread, the sentence before my sentence that you've just quoted was

"I wouldn't expect something on Serious Eats to be more than fun hyperbole."

Which was what my saying that the recipes were the best to found in the English language was intended to be another example of.

There's no better example of a recipe that I pick and choose how much to follow is his recipe for beef stew. The very best of this recipe in my opinion is his discovering the significant benefit of unconventional ingredients - chicken broth instead of beef broth, a fair amount of unflavored gelatin to thicken the broth, and lastly an "umami bomb", to include mushrooms, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and anchovies (I usually use Thai fish sauce as an anchovy source), There are probably a half dozen things I do somewhat differently from what he suggests to streamline the process and make it easier for me. The end result that I've tailored for my own conveniences is still his stew, because the essence of what makes it so very good comes from his knowledge and his experimentations.

I use my microwave for defrosting, for cooking frozen veggies (no, I don’t add water), sometimes cooking fresh veggies, especially carrots, beans and broccoli,  for par- boiling potatoes before they go into the oven , for reheating leftovers and melting butter.  I find it a very useful (and safe) tool for all these purposes.  Oh, and popcorn.

Whew! I’m really glad I brought that up so that we could straighten it out. I was so floored at the time that I couldn’t respond. And that doesn’t happen often!

The word ”but” threw me off. As if to say, “in contrast to the hyperbole…” Even knowing your intention now it’s hard for me to read as anything but sincere.

But I’m glad I’ve been corrected. Your credibiity around cooking related topics is up a few notches in my mind this morning!

I got 100% it really was not much of a test.

With modern microwaves, There are various modes and buttons and features. The cook has to understand and have some experience playing around with these to get optimal results. That is to say it is not a brainless operation and one still has to read and think and understand how the process works.

We have a small microwave and use it largely to reheat rewarm items and to sometimes defrost. We Defrost and cook frozen vegetables, but not to the point of them being overcooked. My husband uses it to make wonderful rolled oats oatmeal which is not overcooked.

We make fantastic jasmine rice in the microwave. But it’s not a brainless mindless button pushing operation. We have a rice cooker that’s well rated, but I think that the white rice cooked in the microwave might be a bit better. Briefly, we rinse the white rice in fresh, cool water rubbing the rice together to get all the chalky dust off it and until the water comes clear. We drain it and put it in a Pyrex bowl to which we add the appropriate amount of cold water. We cover the bowl with a plate or a cover for the bowl. Then we use what’s called stacked cooking. First we cook it at full power for about six or seven minutes and that’s mostly is to get the water and the rice to the boiling point. The next step which the microwave does automatically, without having to attend to it, is to cook the rice at 30% power for about 12 to 13 minutes (of course it depends on the volume of rice and water you start with). When the microwave signals that the cooking has stopped, we remove the bowl of rice from the microwave and set it on the counter. We carefully remove the cover and let the steam out and then let it sit for a couple of minutes with the cover on. We then take a large spoon and turn the rice over a couple of times to give it loft and to release more steam. We put the cover back on, let it sit, and continue with cooking the rest of the dinner. The rice is perfect — not undercooked and not over cooked and with discrete rice grains.

Sure, you have to understand how microwave radiation cooks food, or heats food or any item. I have found that the defrosting program on our small microwave is pretty much on the money without cooking the food that we want to just barely defrost.

With my current MW I can easily defrost frozen meat without cooking the edges. Great improvement over earlier models.

From https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/foods-chefs-always-microwave, here is an article about how these chefs use their MWs.

For me, the real take away of that linked article is in the second sentence:

"almost every chef we reached out to for this story made a point to say that their restaurants don't even have microwaves on-site. But what goes on inside their homes is a different story."

Many have professions or occupations they depend on for their livelihoods, that involve capabilities they can use for their own needs, away from work. I did. And when doing so, it's rare that anyone always follows the same steps or techniques on their own stuff that are necessary on the job, when they're held accountable for outcomes by 3rd party, paying customers. When one is accountable only to oneself, different standards and expectations apply. Take a risk, take a shortcut, get it done, save time for other things.

Someone who's now called "chef" is likely not now spending 60 hours a week in a kitchen but certainly did so for years at some time in their career. When home and wanting to eat something, the priority is likely to be simplicity and speed, not an outcome requiring a lot of work or time. I've read surprisingly many interviews with chefs who, when asked what they like to make at home on nights off, reply with some version of "I roast a chicken. Salt and pepper on the outside and cavity, nothing more. I put it into the oven, take it out when it's done and enjoy it. It's easy and delicious"

Referring back to the quoted sentence - I'm not a good home cook. I'm just okay. I have a limited repertoire of what I make but that which I do make, I want to make the best I can do. If when the money matters, no chefs resort to using microwave ovens for cooking, that's good enough for me. That's the message of the article - they use one when it doesn't matter and don't use one when it does. It's the difference between "what can you use this for" versus "what do you want to use when it matters".

I’d imagine practicality and scale comes into play. Restaurants have ovens running and many burners available. Plus the cook is there in the kitchen anyway. Throwing a sheet pan of garlic in the oven for an hour makes a whole lot more sense than microwaving a few heads at a time. Conversely, maybe it makes less sense to preheat and run a home oven for an hour for one head of garlic. Similarly a big pot of oatmeal on the stove makes a lot more sense in a restaurant setting, while microwaving is more practical for one bowl at home. Chicken stock comes to mind - I can’t imagine pressure cooking it in a restaurant rather than having a big vat simmering, but at home the PC makes a lot of sense and produces a quality stock.

Getting back to vegetables, I did find this comment interesting: "I really like to steam vegetables in the microwave because it keeps their shape, flavor, color, and nutrients intact (versus steaming with water)." That sounds more like an actual endorsement of quality than a subpar shortcut.

Microwaves have a stigma attached to them. Many are deserved, but not to use a tool that works well and efficiently becaise of the stigma is more about perception than logic. While no restaurant is likely to tell F&W that they make regular use of MW’s, you’ll find pretty convincing posts from chefs on places like reddit suggesting it’s more common than we may think, even in high end restaurants.

FWIW, when I've stayed somewhere with a microwave, I found it super handy for heating water for tea - much faster than a teakettle. Pretty sure if we did have one, I'd likely use it for reheating leftovers more than almost anything else - except hot water 😄

I know they're good for melting chocolate too.

OTOH, when I make jasmine rice on the stovetop, it cooks in 25 minutes, so using a microwave doesn't seem that much faster to me. My rice always comes out perfect too, so that's not an issue either.

The main draw to me, ahead of convenience, is the energy saving aspect.

Also FWIW, that quiz is basically a PSA. I like to see things like that shared to help spread the word. While we replying here may already know this info, there are surely many people who could benefit from it.

The reality of cooking every day for kids and husband comes down to quick, less pots and pans and any time-saving methods to get the food on the table. My kids were never gourmets until they became adults. Great, they can cook for me!

I use the Micro to bake potatoes, frozen vegetables (we like them soft, not crispy), heating coffee, tea. I will melt butter, defrost frozen meat/chicken, etc.

I do like fresh corn cooked on the stove.

If I were having guests for dinner, I would rarely use the micro except to reheat something.

I'm not running a 5-star restaurant. Daily meals have to get done without taking up half my day.

Jane

I’m interested that people use their MW for boiling water. i just did an experiment bringing a cup of water to the boil. 30 seconds in my electric kettle. 120 seconds in the MW. perhaps someof you are using a stove top kettle?

I too find heating water in the MW a slow process. My induction cooktop is much faster as is our hot shot.

@floral - I've never used a microwave for boiling water (hubby is a tea drinker so it's a kettle or nothing).  

I cook every day, mostly just for two, mostly from scratch.  A microwave is great for cooking all kinds of veggies, frozen or fresh, and that's a huge plus in putting a healthy meal on the table. And my veggies come out just right, not soggy or overcooked.

I'm more interested in providing tasty, healthy meals every day than trying to replicate a chef every now and then. It's a useful tool, just as blenders, rice cookers and slow cookers are.

Use one, don't use one, but they are a useful tool and there's a reason chefs use them at home.

30 seconds, floral? That’s amazing. You’ve got 220, so thet helps.

I just raced my electric kettle, gas cooktop, and microwave and they heated in that order.

Of course all of these appliances vary greatly individually. I’ve got both a weak cooktop and countertop microwave, I’d not be surprised to see some MW’s beat my cooktop.

My kids have all had hot pots at one time or another an since we all cook with electric stoves they are easy twice as fast as a kettle on the stove. Gas cook tops may be faster--seems like they would be. Back in the day I lived with a gal who did a teaching abroad placement in Chile. Countries with less resources think of these things. When they warmed up a kettle for tea they only put the water they would be drinking in it. Less liquid=heats up faster=less propane used. That has kept me using the microwave to warm up one serving items vs all the fuel used for larger appliances.

30 seconds for a single cup. The base is broad so the water is very shallow for a small amount like a cup.

I haven’t looked at the power usage for the two appliances.

If you don’t have an electric kettle that automatically shuts off, heating water in the microwave has the advantage of no worries about walking away and forgetting something on the stovetop. I am easily distracted thinking I can do something while it heats, like go out and turn on the sprinkler and then end up pulling some weeds. I might not hear the stovetop kettle’s whistle. The micro is foolproof when I’m the fool!

I use the stovetop for heating water, and I measure out exactly how much water I'm using too. 1 cupful of water in a microwave usually takes 1 minute, while on the stove it's 4 or more. I don't make potfuls of tea, unless it's iced, and I don't heat water for that, just cold brew.

I'd use an electric teakettle, but as I've stated before, counter and storage space in our kitchen is limited.

Back to the quiz topic, I used to wonder if freezing would kill germs, but learned the truth some years ago. I believe there are others who think ovens seal out germs too. I recall seeing an anecdote about it in one of those list thingies - maybe @ Ranker.com? Somebody's friend stored their leftovers in the oven.

The electric kettle is ubiquitous in British kitchens and has been for decades. I don’t believe you can even buy one without an automatic cut off. Every office, shop, student room and workplace has one. It’s the first item anyone buys for independent living.

Electric kettles have been in Canadian kitchens and lunchrooms for as long as I can remember.

Yes, to automatc shutoff and yes to removable from base. (cordless) 🙂

(They weren’t always that way)

I know from my own experience living in Europe that electrical resistance appliances (like toasters and tea kettles) operate with noticeably more speed and umph under 220-240 voltage there than the 110 v common here. I just checked - my Hario gooseneck kettle (designed for pour-over coffee making) holds like 800 ml and is 900 watts. A quick look on Amazon UK shows they sell tea kettles in the 2500-3000 watt category (watts are watts, regardless of voltage). So a standard tea kettle for sale there would provide 3 times as much heat as the one I use. Yes, that will work faster.

Microwave ovens don't work with electric resistance, and I suspect the wattage (power) of units there and here would be more comparable.

PS - I would expect electric kettles to be more often a staple in homes and offices in regions where tea drinking is more common than coffee drinking. The equivalent here, where coffee drinking is more common, is the countertop coffee maker. Which are perhaps less common than they used to be as people have discovered other and better ways to make coffee than what comes from a $35 Mr Coffee unit from Walmart.

Elmer, I agree with you about the microwave. I dont have one and I have been turning out wonderful meals for over five decades. I have had them before but find no use for one at all anymore.