Category: Grub Garage
Hi all,
I'm a microwave cooker, at least for things I like. I have chocolate pop tarts every morning, I mean I have one every morning, and just heat it in the microwave for 25 seconds. Mom had to label the numbers, and the start and clear buttons, since there aren't any actual buttons, no way to tell what's what without labeling them. When mom has a sitting job she goes to, I can heat the microwave tv dinners, there is a macaroni and fish dinner, which is pretty good, a corn dog dinner, which has french fries and a brownie, a chicken finger meal, which has little chicken nuggets, fries and a brownie. There is also the mc and cheese dinner with steak, which is pretty good, at least to me, at least if you get the pieces of onions out of it. I know most people like onions, but I can't stand them, there are just one of a hundred things that make me gag. I cooked one of the macaroni and cheese and steak dinners, but it took me several minutes to get the onions out of it. How many use a microwave? most all the tv dinners say cook on high, but our microwave is old, and there's no high, low, or medium.
wonderwoman
Microwaves are wonderful! I use one quite frequently, since that's the only option I have for cooking if i don't feel like going to the dining hall. I don't mind the microwavable soups. I also have a recepie for microwave fudge that comes out pretty good.
Hi Megan,
Microwaves are certainly easier than regular stoves, though I have to admit, some things taste better from a regular oven,tater tots for instance. If they're pan fried, the way mom use to make them before we got the microwave, they're really moist and juicy inside. In my opinion, if some foods aren't a little greasy, they aren't good. But microwaves aren't quite as hot as regular stoves, and I can't stand at the stove that long, for some of the things where you would have to stand there and stir things for long periods of time.
wonderwoman
notice the complete lack of vegetables and healthy vitamin rich food there...
I prefer a meal on the stove to a microwaved one any time! lol
goblin, wll said, where are the salads, fruit, vegetables, fresh stuff. I hate microwave meals, they all taste so well dead/frozen and, just not at all like fresh food. It's ok in an emergency but mixing up a fresh salad is so much better, George Foreman grill is one of the best kitchen invetnions I know off, takes about 10 inutes to cook meat, .. you can also cook chicken breast in the oven, spice them up nicely, even add a bit of marinade and then put them in there for 30 to 35 minutes, at 350F. You don't have to stand over them at all, you can also make french fries or whatever that way too if you prefer, then cut it up with some cheese, vegetables and a tortilla or pita or something and you got yourself good stuff that is way healthier than microwave food just an idea.
Whenever someone says healthy, I know the taste is going to be horrible, but then again, I have sensitive taste buds, and there are just some things that make me gag. I don't know why this is, but once I get it down, I'm ok, just a bit weak from struggling to get it down. Mom says I could cook with the George foreman grill, but I haven't done it yet. She cooks neeces sausage in it, and it's great. Maybe the thing that's a bit wrong with microwave food is that there's no grease, and in my opinion, if food doesn't have a little bit of grease, it isn't good. You can cook meat balls on the stove or microwave them, anyway, microwave is simple and easy for me. I wonder why there aren't more microwave cook books?
When we have ice in the winter, and can't go for our weekend burgers, mom makes homemade burgers and fries, and they're good.
wonderwoman
when I hear microwave, I think, tasteless, the microwave in my opinion is only good for defrosting or warming certain things. Woner woman, don't be afraid to try some new things, just because it takes longer, it might be worth it.
Hi Texas red, well I tried cooking a few things in the oven once, mom tried to teach me, she hates cooking, and I really can't stand at the stove that long. I've eaten plenty of microwave foods, and really, they're not too bad, not overly tastey, but not bad to be quick.I have a real dread of getting burned too.
wonderwoman
Ick... I'm glad not to have eaten any of those tv dinner things... sounds like someone needs to improve their eating habbits, greacey food is not good for ya. Who knows, it might improve your bone situation as well as other things (eating vegetables more often that is)
James
nothing healthy was ever cooked in a microwave. The microwave dinners are full of additives and totally devoid of any nutrician. the only things microwaves are good for are for re-heating things.
Have to disagree there Sugar, apparently cooking veggies in the microwave is more healthy than boiling, and they are very good for fish aswell. Frey.
well I have a TFal steamer which is electric and steamed vegetables are far healthier than either option
well good for you! I know I always intended to get one of those but haven't got around to it, I do hope I'm not boiling all the vits. out of me veggies............
Yeah, if you don't eat healthy, well it increases health problems but, each ot his or her own I think.
I got these suer long and thick oven mits, it's impossible to get burnt with them and it's just a matter of trying a couple of times by yourself to get over the heat fear, I did it, was afraid of it too but couldn't be once living on my own and faced with the risk of eating microwave dinners (hehe, you may find them ok but I can't stand them, the only microwave things I eat now are the green jiant frozen vegetables, they're actually really good and quick with meat or something else).
Cheers
-B
oh yeh absolutely. I learned to cook because I wanted to. and i quickly learned that it isn't that much slower or more difficult to throw in a tin of tomatoes an onion, some garlic ... etc than it is to make a pasta sauce out of a jar.
Microwaves exist for those idle, impatient, overweight, fat addicted eejits, who can't be bothered to create a decent nutritious meal....I just use it for reheating home made soup ect...
the george forman is really good. Chicken and stuff comes out really good on it.
People, and Goblin. Fat, inpaicent, over weight people are not the only ones who use microwaves for cookings. When I lived by my self I didn't want to have t wash all those pots and pans and all the left over food geesh. There are microwave recipes for exsample I made garlic shrimp, as well as orange chicken all in the microwave. Just google microwave recipes you'll be surprised! Nutrition facts, and serving sizes are all at your finger tips. The microwave s just another tool, when used properly it can make your life easy as one two three.
granted but judging by the disgusting tripe that's going into certain microwaves..wellcan you blame me..there is no substitute for good home cooking as the majority of microwave "food" is choc full of additives, chemicals and who knows what...no I would rather join my dog in a bowl of winalot...
Thanks dragonfire, I've been eating microwave food for years. In fact, the microwave is getting quite old, but it's still kicking. As for vegetables, there are just so many things that make me gag, I just can't help it. I'd rathereat microwave dinners for the rest of my life than eat stuff like onions, tomatoes and garlic. Cream potatoes are doable if I ever had to, even though I don't enjoy them, but most vegetables, I just can't swallow them without gagging. Maybe I'm the only person who can't eat some things without gagging but that's me. Thanks again dragonfire, I'llhave to type in microwave recipes on google and see where it takes me. Now if they could only figure out a way to have microwave fried oakra.
wonderwoman
WW do you not think that this attitude may make your diet just a tiny bit unhealthy. Existing on microwave meals is not a good idea, neither is eating no vegetables.
We had a new kitchen fitted just over two years back now. I wanted a talking microwave as mum's had really tiny symbols on it and it was a touch screen microwave, so we simply got me a talking microwave. If ever I want to cook something or heat something up for lunch, for example, mini pasties, sausage rolls, some beans Etc Etc, while mum's at work, I just go for it. I like the chinese microwave meals if Mum's ever out with friends and I need to get my own tea. I agree some aren't brilliant, but then some double cookers aren't great either. Mum still hasn't found time to mark ours up so I can use it to fix bacon or sausage sandwichess or cook things under the grill or use the main oven, even thoug we stuck a braille number 2 on 200 degrees centigrade, which is the temperature for cooking most things, we've got a brailled FR for the front right hand ring so I can boil eggs or pasta or heat soup and beans on the hob, but microwaves are quicker, safer and easier as far as I'm concerned.
I've spent much time in front of the stove or using the oven. pasta, browning hamburger or sausage, eggs, hash browns, rice, cookies, etc. and haven't had any problems. As far as burns go I've had more issues with the George Foreman grill than anything else. lol but still, it's worth the very occasional discomfort.
I don't really like using the stove either and usually only use it for those packages of Rawman soup. I don't mind using the microwave or oven, though. But what I'd like to get is one of those conventional ovens for my room or for whenever I move out. It seems like you can do a lot with those things, so I'd probably be using that one pretty often if I had one. I also like eating both fruit and vegetable salads, cereals and milk, and sometimes sandwitches. So If I just had that oven, a steamer, and maybe one of those George Forman grills as cooking appliances, I think thatd be good enough for me. *smiles*
I mostly use the microwave, ain't nothing like coming home from a long day of work and sticking a frozen dinner in the microwave, call me lazy, but when it comes to cooking, I am. Now granted I do use the oven sometimes and also george forman. I also microwave baked potatos.
As far as old microwaves go I have an old one myself that uses the dial instead of the buttons. You may need to cook things longer then the directions say.
Troy
goblin, if you don't have anything constructive to say, don't come on here and criticise people for how they cook, anyways. we have a microwave, which mum marks up with bump ons. i use the oven, wearing oven gloves and a talking timer, and george foreman grills, simply the best. there's even a fat tray where the fat drips into, so, you get healthy sausages. i use the microwave for things like warming up my drinks when they go cold, but mainly it's the oven and grill for me.
You can cook a lot of great foods in the microwave. Fish, potatoes, and eggs come out tasty. I lived in a place for a couple years and only had access to a microwave and toaster oven; lol, I learned how to get creative and cook many items in the microwave. BTW, the george rules! Burgers, pork chops, chicken, steak, tons of yummy recipes. The slow cooker is another good idea. WW, do you like lasagna? Stofers has an excellent one, that is easy to do in the microwave.
You can cook eggs in the microwave, and actually have them turn out alright?
Eggs never come out nice in the microwave. I gave up doing scrambled eggs in there when they always came out in a thousand tiny shreds, a globulous mass or just all hard and dry. If none of you guys on The Zone has a sandwich maker/press, you haven't lived. They can turn out the most gorgeous toasted sarnies. You can toast nearly any kind of bread in mine downstairs, providing you don't let it go over three minutes, or you have one very burnt snack lunch! ha ha ha, so just be aware of that, anyone who plans to purchase one. All our crockery is microwave safe too. It was my Birthday present to Mum when we first had our now two-year-old kitchen fitted.
I've had great success with scrambled eggs. Yummy and fluffy! Lol, weirdly, it worked out more easily in our older microwave, but I haven't gave up. I'm going to mess with it for a bit.
Yay for microwaves !!
I do a lot of things in the microwave but a lot of things on the stove top as well. For example, something like bacon is much easier to cook in the microwave! Also, you can do rice in the microwave and assuming you get the ratio of water to rice correct, it comes out perfect! Also, doing steamed vegetables in the microwave is pig easy as well... Don't be afraid to try the stove though. Someone could help you braille label the controls; like you did with the microwave. There are many microwave cookbooks out there which have everything from appetizers to indian and thai main courses, deserts, etc. Cooking is something you have to take in steps but the more you do it, the easier it becomes and the more confident you'll be. And as a side note, pop tarts are much better done in the toaster!
Woah woah woah, tell me more about this bacon in the microwave! Like you cook it from raw? Post a recipe and directions please! smile!
yeah please, i did it once and it exploded damn it, hey jen, your scrambled eggs turn out mushy, uh okay, i'll have to show you how they're done when you next come over. yeah pop tarts done in the toaster definitely and anyone that hasn't got one, get, a george foreman grill, so blind user friendly, better than those ones in the oven.
Well they don't exactly turn out mushy. More like gooey and sloppy, like a big smooth blob of jelly or all dry and flaky like dandruff.
Okay, regarding the bacon. Just get a plate which is microwaveable, put two paper towels on it. Lay the bacon out straight, lay the slices next to each other, working from the middle of the plate outwards. When you've put on the desired amount, put a paper towel over the top and put the plate in the microwave. Run it at medium and your time will be determined by approx 40 seconds per slice. It's going to pop and make other noise but don't worry about it.
Also, here is a trick to see if meat or fish is cooked all of the way through. take a knife or fork and stick it in the middle of the meat or fish all the way through. Leave it there for five seconds and then take it out. touch it and if it's hot, then you're good to go.
I am one of the odd ones too. I don't neccissarily gag, but I lose my appitite and won't eat for the rest of the day. Things like onions, they taste horrible, tomatoes don't like those and they feel slimy so hell no, and mushrooms, and all that junk. the only vegetables I like are potatoes, lettace, green beans, corn, carrots (raw, not cooked) and that is all I can think of right now. I could never be a vegitarian. I try not to use the microwave too much though because it takes the nutriets out of the food, so they say. But I like my fried foods better and pastas without all that other junk in there.
Wonderwoman, you and I have something in common. I can't stand onions as well. Eggs from the microwave have a different consistency than those from the stove, but they're okay to me. The texture just takes some getting used to.
Hey pp can you explain to me about the grill How is it blind friendly?