To ask what you use you microwave for?

[Afternooninthepark]

At 47 and having lived together for 23 years, dh and I have never had or felt the need for a microwave.
However, ds (15) is badgering me to get one, he says he can make things quicker in it and in the future when we are away or out he and his sister can make quick and easy meals for themselves.
I remember having one when we lived at home and it was only used for heating beans and defrosting stuff.
They are obviously still popular as they are for sale everywhere.
So what do you use yours for?
Does anyone actually make proper meals in there microwave?

[ilovemyrednosedaymug]

@BackforGood - personally, I boil the kettle, put boiling water in a mug and then crack the egg into it then pop into the microwave for 30 seconds. (It might take some playing with the time to get it right for your microwave/your taste). The egg starts cooking because of the boiling water anyway, so the microwave finishes it off. You need to pierce the yolk as exploding eggs are very dangerous and people have been scalded by them. I am very careful taking it out as one did explode anyway even after piercing the yolk

Or you can buy microwave egg poachers and use one of them. Amazon do a good one.

[TheBestSpoon]

Porridge, defrosting, making quick chocolate sauce for ice cream, cooking veg quickly for lunch time side dishes (courgette, sugar snap peas, mangetout, baby corn, asparagus, spinach - all take about 90 seconds and don't end up soggy and overdone), occasional mug cake, even more occasional ready meal. I use it almost every day in lockdown for lunch. Not mastered microwave eggs though - hob for those all the way.

It was absolutely invaluable when DS was weaning and had puree / batch cooked little meals to defrost and warm, but now I guess I could do all the above on the hob, it'd just take longer and mean extra washing up!

[ItsAlwaysSunnyOnMN]

Steaming broccoli (this with most meals)
Rice (comes out perfect in my microwave rice cooker)
Heating up leftovers
Making readybrek/ porridge
Starting off baked potatoes
Warming up milk for ds, mash, hot chocolate
Frozen mash And veg

Still haven’t mastered making poached eggs in the microwave

Descaling the kettle hows that done? my kettle would set off a fireworks display if I put it in the microwave

[Sarahandduck18]

I use it everyday and couldn’t live without it!

Reheating everything from the freezer.
Reheating cold tea.
Reheating kids meals when they take hours to eat them!
Scrambled eggs
Beans
Melting butter
Warning diluted drinks if I dont want it ice cold
Melting cheese
Cooking mushrooms
Defrosting
Pocket warmers in winter
Popcorn
Ready meals
Heating tins of spaghetti etc for the kids

[InconvenientPeg]

Mostly gets used when we're not eating together. So DS snacks after school, DH reheating leftovers for lunch. Popcorn, baked potatoes, mug cakes (both kids are proficient at these!) And the odd bit of defrosting when I forget to get stuff out of the freezer.

Mine is built like a tank, my brother bought it for me when I got my first house 22 years ago! I will be bereft when it does, as all the new ones I've used in holiday places and stuff seem to have very complex controls and do far too much!

[InconvenientPeg]

Ooh and rice. I love my rice pot!

[Lemonyfuckit]

Like a lot of other people have said:
Defrosting stuff, re-heating leftovers, heating milk for coffee, starting jacket potatoes off before they go in the oven, peas, and frequently cooking other green veg which is going as a side as it's quicker and the plastic microwave veg steamers we have can go in the dishwasher whereas the saucepans don't usually.

[BertieBotts]

Ooh and couscous. This is my new revelation, it's ridiculously easy, quick, filling and goes with loads of things.

[dementedpixie]

I just tried the microwaved poached eggs thing - ½ a cup of cold water, crack in the egg, pierce yolk - cook for 1½ minutes on high

[Lemonyfuckit]

@dementedpixie

I just tried the microwaved poached eggs thing - ½ a cup of cold water, crack in the egg, pierce yolk - cook for 1½ minutes on high

Ooo that looks like it's worked really well, might have to try that

[Lemonyfuckit]

I managed absolutely fine without one for years, but got one when I had an accident meaning I was on crutches and couldn't easily stand at a cooker / worktop making meals from scratch for a period, but now I use it all the time, to supplement main job / oven, not for making a whole meal, but it is extremely useful.

[midnightstar66]

Reheating leftovers, especially when you make a big batch day of soup and don't want to keep heating it through for one bowl or on days when we all need to eat at different times. Steaming veg. The steam fresh bags are super handy for a quick mid week meal or fresh veg when making a larger meal and jobs are used up with other things. Dc like making mug cakes they are super simple and one portion so not loads of waste or extra calories consumed by me. Beans, the occasional ready meal/takeaway box. Noodles, porridge. Definitely handy for busy lifestyles and older dc

[midnightstar66]

Oh and movie night popcorn, how could I forget!

[Doingitaloneandproud]

I love the microwave, if I meal prep for the week I'll keep them in the fridge/freezer and pop in to reheat. Otherwise frozen veg, and porridge go in there

[dementedpixie]

@dementedpixie

I just tried the microwaved poached eggs thing - ½ a cup of cold water, crack in the egg, pierce yolk - cook for 1½ minutes on high

Forgot to say; cover cup with a plate while cooking

[Mintjulia]

Apart from the normal cooking veg and reheating leftovers, microwaves are brilliant at:

cooking jacket potatoes - 5 mins instead of 30
steamed puddings - 10 mins instead of an hour
Xmas pudding - 1 min instead of an hour


How does it help descale a kettle?

[Afternooninthepark]

I’ve just ordered a cheap, basic one for the kids to use really. I can’t see that there is much I’d use it for (apart from one of those wheat bag things, I like the idea of those) but at £35 it’s not breaking the bank so if it sits there and only used every now and then it’ll be ok.

[BackforGood]

Thanks @ilovemyrednosedaymug and @dementedpixie I will have a play.
When you say 'pierce yolk' can I translate that as 'stab with a fork' ?

[tabulahrasa]

@BertieBotts

Ooh and couscous. This is my new revelation, it's ridiculously easy, quick, filling and goes with loads of things.

Couscous? But... that’s just add hot water, put a lid on it and leave for 10 minutes... what does the microwave do?

[chocolatespiders]

What kind of steamers work well? To be able to do rice would be a revelation for me.

I have found this on M and S
www.marksandspencer.com/microwaveable-steamer/p/hbp22400656?extid=ps_ps-gpla_ggl_home_ch__-UK---&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnqH7BRDdARIsACTSAdvmbgZSv2m6cPsXigFj0ZD7T8ZjK7FwB-eiiprvs6T11dq2j8nEIwgaAsOqEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[coconutzzz]

I microwave porridge when I can't be bothered cleaning the pan out 🙈

[pinkbalconyrailing]

• warming up leftovers
  
• steaming veg
  
• cooking things that otherwise need a lot of time and energy! in the oven (baked potatoes for example, they then just go under the grill for a short time to melt the cheese)
  
• hot chocolate
  
• rice pudding
  
• heating up that cuppa that's gone cold

[pinkbalconyrailing]

oh, and the dc have a microwave toastie maker which they use for between school and hobbies.

[SparkyTheCat]

Porridge, reheating leftovers, defrosting, the occasional ready meal, place to hide food from marauding DCats!

[inappropriateraspberry]

Ready meals, defrosting, bacon, scrambled eggs, hot dogs, jacket potatoes, reheating cold cuppas! Melting chocolate or butter, cooking small amount of veg for kids tea.