Are You Getting The Most Out Of Your Microwave? | Gear Heads

Microwave ovens have a solid place in our kitchens today. Sure, they’re great for reheating leftovers, but increasingly we’ve been calling for them in recipes to take over jobs that they can do easier and faster than traditional methods. Hannah and Lisa give you tips to make the most out of your microwave and show you their favorite countertop models and microwave cookware.

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[jeanvignes]

I have a "new to me" microwave trick. When my kitchen is smelling musty, I can grab a bowl, fill it with about a cup of water, toss in some sliced lemon, spices, or a little bit of grated apple or roughly chopped apple peel, and then microwave for three minutes. When it's done, I open the microwave, set the bowl on my high counter, leave the microwave open for a few minutes, and that funky smell is replaced with the delicious scent of lemon, cooked apples, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, or nutmeg. This idea would work with (for example) apple, grapefruit, or tangerine peels set aside in the freezer in a Ziploc bag just for this purpose.

[cmarkn]

When I heat something big and liquidish like a pot of chili, I use a silicone angel food cake pan. The hole in the middle helps it heat more evenly and prevents that big, cold glob in the middle, saving stirring.

Also, those Anyday pots look like they need the big handles on them that you like so much on Dutch ovens.

[nancyoffenhiser]

Lisa, I am so grateful to hear you say 900 to 1, 000 watts because all these recipes on frozen foods call for 1100 watts and my little 900 watt Emerson cooks so efficiently with various power levels and also so well that I don't need 1100 watts. It cooks better than our over the stove microwave and I think I got it for like 100 bucks, if that, at Target 10 years ago. Works like a champ!

[Zuginator]

A thing I learned that really improved my microwave usage. Keep a small spray bottle of distilled water. When you put something in give it a light spray to add more moisture.
This is especially great for breads that are starting to stale, which is water loss. You spritz it with water, microwave it for ~30-45 seconds. That makes it warm and hydrated, and depending I might toast it a bit or eat it like that.

[maha]

I recently bought this exact same microwave and LOVE it, love the look, love the dial, the ease of use, the quiet door, the ability to turn off all beep sounds. Breville rocks

[singtweetypie]

It was Stephanie Cheng, the daughter of Stanley and Helen Cheng (Meyer Cookware) who came up with the concept for Anyday. This family has brought the world Circulon, Anolon, Bonjour and more than 200 lines of cookware and are the 2nd largest cookware company in the world.

[zanne]

I used to think corn on the cob was best with butter and salt, but I tried it with lime and Tajin seasoning, and changed my mind! So good!

[Katy]

I've been cooking in-the-husk corn in the microwave for many years. Its the best!

[afolsom]

Love Lisa and Hannah. The whole gear head thing is helpful and great. Thanks.

[richarde]

I’ve cooked in the microwave for 40 years, and I still use my Corningware. My vintage Corningware is super easy to use and easy to clean, and has handles on the side for easy removal from the microwave. For me, microwave is pretty much the only way I cook broccoli - fast and oh so yummy!

Fish can be so good cooked in the microwave. Try parchment paper bags - place in it a piece of fish, a few pieces of asparagus, a little herbs of your choice and salt and pepper to taste, overlay these with thinly sliced lemons, roll the bag closed, put on plate in the microwave for, say, 4 minutes depending on your microwave’s power and the fish thickness, and you’re done. The food steams in the bag. No container to clean, toss the bag. Healthy, fast, no muss, mess, or fuss!

[peggymallon]

Lisa, thanks so much for the tip about placing foods on the outer edge of the turntable. It is definitely a game changer, especially doing a scrambled egg.

[ackack]

'Gear Heads, ' ALWAYS worth watching.

[lorr.jones]

This video made me smile. I used to sell microwaves in a big box store way back in the 90's. For a time, if you bought one you got TEN free 1-hour cooking lessons!
We hired a lady to come in and teach it and she made all sorts of dishes, one being an Oreo cheesecake.

Also back in those days, my boyfriend's mom would cook a whole Christmas turkey in her microwave!

[ewalker]

Love when you do the posts of kitchen gadgets, equipment, utensils, tools... Thank you. Really appreciated the one on air fryers.

[BobGrissom]

I especially like the Panasonic Inverter microwave for the RV. At lower power levels, it draws less current and there's less chance of blowing the circuit breaker if I have something else on the same circuit (very likely in an RV). The pulsed style of microwave draws full current whenever it is on, and I used to trip the breaker occasionally before I replaced the unit with the Panasonic. I also found that cooking at lower power levels gave the heat more time to spread out through the food for more even cooking.

[hogie]

I bought a set of Anyday when they first came out, after seeing them being used on social media. I absolutely love them - I've bought multiple sets for wedding gifts and baby showers. It's the only way I'll make pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, and frozen fish. I can go on and on - they're the real deal.

[pamcadd]

Corn on the cob - I don't remove the silk before cooking. Just chop off the "stem" as needed to make it fit in the oven, remove any loose husks, then microwave 4-5 minutes (depending on your oven, and doneness you prefer). The husks and silk slip off easily after cooking - easier and less mess.

[darrylrichman]

I cook in the microwave often and use lower power settings all the time. We have an older Panasonic "Inverter" type microwave. This tech is supposed to actually run the magnetron at a lower power instead of cycling it between full on/full off to achieve lower power settings. I do find that it never seems to splatter food, it's great for melting butter or reheating fatty meats. I saw that you had a Panasonic Inverter in your testing, did you find that it worked better/worse than regular microwaves?

[lemongrove]

I discovered the microwave this year, and for daily family cooking I will never go back. It beats the pressure cooker and air fryer by FAR for speed, but with all 3, I can do anything. I also get by just fine with my pyrex, though I do occasionally drool over cookware. I'd heard of Lekue, and considered buying a vintage browning dish, but this brand is new to me.

[privatenexus]

1:L33 Inverter Microwave allows you to use a lower power sett8ing to slowly heat and does not cycle on and off. Its brilliant for defrosting or heating smithing quickly when needed. Best of both worlds.
3:15 Inverter lets you use HIGH to boil water or lower to simply warm.
7:38 Another way to cook some things you would normally boil (I do potatoes before baking) by microwaving in a bowl of water. Both MW & water heat transfer; similar to normal boiling.

One thing that always has caugfht my interest, are those "browning" plates/bowels you see in infomercials. Do they work? I have noticed they are off the rotation, which makes me think they were a fad that does not actually work?