Microwave Blues

firelily99

firelily99

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I am staying with a friend who is having their kitchen refurbished which means the only thing we have to cook with is the microwave. Yuck! I am not an expert with nuking food so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for healthy cooking recipes using only a microwave.
 
well... you can basically cook most things in the microwave. They will most definitely not taste as good as they would normally, but if you've got nothing else then you've got nothing else. What I would recommend is getting one of those tiny electric stoves that you can just plug into the wall, they are cheap and serve their purpose.
 
Hm. I don't use my microwave for anything but re-heating. (My husband cooks grits in there, but I can't stand that method.)

Did your friend think in advance and get anything cooked that just needs to be reheated? If not, I'd probably head to the pre-cooked section of the grocery store deli and get those ready to make meals. I'm not talking about the stuff in the freezer section (that is expensive and kind of gross), but the store-brand pre-prepared meals. Most of them are pretty good around here anyway, and you could always grab a chicken or something at the deli that is already cooked and warm.

Otherwise, canned soup? Sandwiches? Salads....
 
  • Anything that needs boiling can be cooked in a microwave, from rice to peas to pasta etc. So there should be plenty of meals you can cook (pasta with tomato sauce & bacon added if you want) to dedicated microwave ready meals (hate the things myself but it will give you options).
  • Jacket potatoes can easily be done in a microwave, though I'm not a great fan of them done that way, but with baked beans and/or melted cheese you have a meal to serve with salad.
  • Rice can also easily be cooked in a microwave, my step-father actually prefers this method for some reason, but I have noticed it takes a touch longer. Just do what you would normally for boiling it in a pan.
  • All veg can be cooked by boiling it in a pot of water in the microwave as well.
 
I cook with the microwave sometimes, but only barely, as of course I still prefer to utilize the other methods since they are still available. Anyway, whenever I do, it's usually a soup of some sort - usually macaroni soup, because boiling water in it seems to be the best use of it. I try to heat it up in intervals because I'm afraid the boiling will make it spill over and I'd make a mess inside the microwave. I imagine pasta dishes would also be achievable in microwaves, and I'm thinking baked lasagna or baked macaroni would be good for this as well, although you just won't get the charred cheeses on the top, but I'd guess it's good enough.
 
I don't eat processed foods so that is out of the question. I'm looking for healthy ways to cook in the microwave and not just how to warm up a can of processed soup.
 
I have made rice and it came out tasting fairly good. I've done a few veggies such as broccoli and baked potatoes and they also worked out well. I've made cheese and veggie sandwiches which were good although it was a process to make sure that the cheese didn't melt all over the plate. Once that happens you need a knife and fork to eat it. I may try and make some mac and cheese since I have the boiling the water part down. Thanks to all who posted suggestions.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
  • Anything that needs boiling can be cooked in a microwave, from rice to peas to pasta etc. So there should be plenty of meals you can cook (pasta with tomato sauce & bacon added if you want) to dedicated microwave ready meals (hate the things myself but it will give you options).
  • Jacket potatoes can easily be done in a microwave, though I'm not a great fan of them done that way, but with baked beans and/or melted cheese you have a meal to serve with salad.
  • Rice can also easily be cooked in a microwave, my step-father actually prefers this method for some reason, but I have noticed it takes a touch longer. Just do what you would normally for boiling it in a pan.
  • All veg can be cooked by boiling it in a pot of water in the microwave as well.
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Exactly! The microwave is surprisingly good for steaming, too, believe it or not!

Also, try searching online or book shelves for "college cooking." A lot of students who live in dorms end up using their microwaves a lot because it's the only appliance allowed in the dorms usually.

Check out this pinterest page, too: http://www.pinterest.com/smartcollege/dorm-cooking/
 
You can make pasta in the microwave rather easily. Just go with something sturdier like Rigatoni, instead of something like Spaghetti or Angel Hair. Then just heat the sauce to go with it. You could either go with a basic red sauce, or maybe even do a Primavera with some fresh vegetables that have been lightly steamed for color and texture. There are a number of recipes for cheese sauces that can be made in the microwave if you look around online.

Rice is very easy in the microwave, just get the fast cooking parboiled stuff. I use chicken broth for the liquid instead of water, then toss the rice with some steamed fresh vegetable medley that's also been steamed for a bit - stuff like broccoli, red peppers, carrots, etc... You could make a vegetarian filling for burritos or enchiladas, then assemble your burritos and heat them through (top with enchilada sauce and cheese if you like) and accompany it with a fresh salad.

I suppose you could cook some ground beef or ground sausage in it too if you microwave it in short amounts, and toss the meat around each time so it cooks evenly - maybe make a ragu sauce and serve it over polenta that's also been cooked in the microwave.

Or cook a bunch of bacon and make a fresh salad with crumbled bacon on it and use the bacon drippings to make a dressing. You could hard boil your eggs in there too to cut up and crumble over the salad - maybe make a Cobb Salad.
 
OhioTom76 said:
I suppose you could cook some ground beef or ground sausage in it too if you microwave it in short amounts, and toss the meat around each time so it cooks evenly - maybe make a ragu sauce and serve it over polenta that's also been cooked in the microwave.
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Just to confirm, this does work! I have cooked ground beef in the microwave before. It's not the most fantastic, but it's still edible. Cook it in short spurts or even on power 70 instead so it doesn't dry out too quickly and get spongy. When it's about 75% cooked, go ahead and mix it with a sauce and finish heating that way.
 
I'll have to try that with the ground beef or maybe ground turkey. I tried cooking some whole wheat spaghetti but it wasn't great, just okay and I was really hungry so I ate it. I do miss the kitchen, right now it feels like this renovation is the longest in history.
 
Using the microwave for cooking is nearly impossible. I never do it. I just have a problem imagining my food being heated up with microwaves. Seems most unnatural.
 
Yes meat does work too, but it does lose most of it's flavour in the process. I've tried it twice and both times the meat ended tasting quite neutral, so definitely not a good way to cook it. But it does work if no other options are available.
 
I just use our microwave at home whenever I want to heat and melt the cheese of a baked macaroni or heating pizzas and heating soft tofu before we eat them as dessert then mixing it with caramelized sugar and tapioca. We never use it for boiling water and for cooking foods. It is still best to cook our main dishes using the regular stove.
 
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