What are microwaves used for?

[Greensleeves]

I have got a microwave from Freecycle, it is pristine and lovely andI have never had one before. Our oven has been broken since we moved in here, so I am used to managing with grill/hob/turbo cooker.

What do people use their microwaves for? What can I cook in it? Can I do cakes/quiches in it? I don't really know wht they do

see, i was including the water from washing it as being steaming water, iykwim? do you wash yours first or do you dry them or just assume that the cooking will kill bugs?

You have to put a couple of tbs of water in with peas though or they go all shrivelled and sad.

The basic ones are good for cooking veg, jacket potatoes (no crispy skin though), scrambled egg and reheating food as mentioned above.

The fancy combined ones you can use like a conventional oven (as my mum now does)

I think mine is a basic one. So could I make ordinary cakes or shortcrust pastry in it? I'm going to try the sponge pudding one, thank you Ursula

agree re peas

bascially, the problem is that the antioxidants leech into the water, yes? So provided you eat the water somehow, no problem.

Except water soluable a/o of course, like vit C but they would be steamed off anyway, surely?

What are microwaves used for - good point! Thought long and hard and worked out ours is used for:

• a cupboard to leave meat in to defrost
• somewhere to put the post on top of in the kitchen where dd won't reach it and open everything
• reheating the occasional cup of tea that's been left too long

Hmmm - glad it was something passed on to us and we didn't pay for it!!!

porridge

jacket pots

hot milk for hot choc

small amounts of veg for LO

rice

scrambled eggs

you can put mistrells/smarties in there for a few secs and the shell is still hard but the choc inside is yummy.....(so i'm told )

Loads of things! I have one with a grill and oven blah blah. I use little plastic containers vith vents similar to the "steam cuisine" ready meals to steam veg with a splash of water in the microwave. Very quick and means you can get everything perfect by knowing how long it takes and the vitamins are preserved.
Combi micro/ oven great for speedy cooking/ crisping of whole chickens and pre-baked bread type things. I use my microwave every dinner time. I haven't a clue how to cook veg on the hob.
Mash is fab in the microwave. Potatoes for 3 cut into chunks, splash of water, need about 8 mins. Drain water, add some milk and butter, but don't mash yet. Cook for a further minute as this heats up the milk and stops mash getting sticky. Then mash. Lovely. My dd's mates think I make the "best mash".

As for cakes... There are lots of recipes for sponge microwave puddings and things on the bbc recipes site. They work well for me.

Microwaves are the bees knees for christmas puddings. A few minutes insteard of steaming for hours. Its the reason I bought my microwave.

Also brilliant for individual mugs of cocoa . Then there isnt a crusty cocoa saucepan to wash up.

I do scrambled eggs, hotdog sausages , frozen veg, I part cook my jacket potatoes in it before sticking them in the oven (only takes like 25 mins in the oven that way) or if I am in a hurry I completely cook them in it, I reheat frozen bolognaise etc, porridge, warming up milk, hmmm I could eaily live without it tho. I have only recently just stopped sharing a house and so this is the first time I have had my own microwave and I have been surprised at how little I use it.

DP uses it to heat up ready meals.

GS - microwave do not cook pasrty at all well Don't try it.

rice
jacket potatoes
veg, fresh and frozen
reheating anything tinned or anything really
scrambled eggs
packet pasta things or noodles
erm can't think of anything else at the mo
if you have a combi one then you can do lots more I think you can bake cakes then and stuff

chewing the crust

Fortunately for all you impatient pie lovers, manufacturers are now putting their pastry products in foil sleeves that heat up and create a crust in much the same way as a conventional oven. However, normal pastry is almost impossible to cook well in a microwave since water from inside the pastry makes it soggy and the temperature never gets high enough to produce a nice brown crust.

from here

atm i only have a microwave or a bbq to cook on as we still have no cooker 6 weeks after moving in

you can do great potato gratin, i've been putting layers of mushrooms or tomatoes with cheese in mine, lots of garlic, cream and bit of milk, takes about 8-10 mins. microwaves may be the work of the devil but for us, its a godsend. i am dreaming of the day my big shiny duel fuel range cooker arrives to join my brand new fitted kitchen though, for now, its a case of sweeping aside the brick dust to find somewhere clean to prepare microwavable tea.

ps, the idea for doing potato gratin came from mn, i was desperate for ideas a few weeks ago as we'd exhausted about every sandwich filling there is

Oooh, loads of great advice here, thanks everyone. I have had no oven since 16th December - did Christmas dinner for 10 with a grill, hob and small turbo cooker, even made mince pies using the grill and lots of ingenuity...so am determined to get the most out of the microwave now I have got it!

I do - defrosting meat
Starting off jacket potatoes (cook them for about 5 minutes in there and then finish them off in oven for crispiness)
Cooking peas
Melting chocolate (So much easier)
Hot Chocolate.
erm thats about it - lived without one for ages and did fine.

and lodger uses it for his ready meals and dp does same if I am out.

these are brilliant for use with mocrowave
The other day I put some carrot, babycorn, mangetout, shredded spring onion and a little soy sauce in one and it was soooooo nice!

mocrowave = microwave obv!

reheating and defrosting.
Also babked beans!