Will a Microwave Oven be Very Useful To You? (Microwaves in General)

Member Name: DaisyDuck

Product:	Microwaves in General
Date:	19/09/01 (939 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, Clean

Disadvantages: Poor results with some foods., Unsafe if you have a pacemaker.

I have owned and used a microwave oven for some years now,and I often get asked whether I actually use it and would I miss it if wasn't there?

The answer to both these questions is yes. I use it every day and I have grown to rely on a microwave enough to replace it a couple of times when old or broken.

My current microwave is a DeLonghi DLT2 which I have owned for about two years. It's a basic machine 900 watts power, 5 power levels, turntable and autocook buttons for Popcorn, Pizza, Potato, Drink and Reheat.

So what do I cook in the microwave.
Foods that cook really well are fish, vegetables, poultry, soups, sauces and sponge puddings.
Fish is particularly good as it says moist and you don't get a fishy smell throughout the house.
Anything that you would normally boil or steam works well. Pastry and other food that requires browning and crisping is not as successful unless you have a combination microwave which I haven't.

The kids love chocolate sponge pudding and custard, but I don't have the time to steam a pudding for an hour, so being able to make the pud and custard from scratch using the microwave in about 15 minutes is a real help.

Defrosting.
Some microwave owners use their machines for this alone. I have found the machine useful for this in two ways. If I have to defrost something quickly (kitchen emergency time) I use the defrost function in the traditional way. If on the other hand I remember to take the food out to defrost, I still put it in the microwave but don't turn it on. The reason for this is that I have two cats who can open every other door in the kitchen, so it is an excellent "safe" to stop them devouring a defrosting chicken or pork chop.

Re-heating.
If my husbands train is delayed or the children go to their various clubs, it's great for warming through a plate of food.
Also excellent for heating baked beans and tinned soups,
as you don't end up with a sticky saucepan.

Milk.
I also use it every morning to make my son a cup of hot chocolate ( got this habit on a trip to France), milk heated in the mug and no pan to wash. Also great for heating milk for porridge, custard and other sweet sauces.

Jam Making.
You can make small quantiites of jam, the colour stays a brighter and again the washing up is much simpler.

Time saving.
If you pre- cook potatoes for about 5 mins before roasting you can save half an hour on the roasting time.

Averting Disasters.
Now and again I have taken a chicken or joint of meat out of the oven and it is not cooked through properly, everything else is ready and the gannets are waiting in the dining room. Simple solution, slice it up, cover with gravy and whack it in the microwave for a few minutes to cook through thoroughly.

Special Cooking Dishes.
I find that most ceramics, glass and some plastic dishes are fine. But have bought one or two special microwave dishes, as they do seem to give a better result and do not get as hot as Pyrex bowls can.

Safety.
I would not recommend heating babies milk bottles as you can get hot spots and you don't want to scald you child.
I have used it to warm babies meals, but stir them thoroughly and test before feeding.
Leave a cup of water in the microwave, so that if it is switched on accidentally your machine will not be damaged.
Buy a monitor, and test for power leakage around the door from time to time, mine cost about £10.

I also have a perfectly good gas oven and hob which I use everday, but the microwave still has its benefits.
I rarely buy ready meals, but if I did it would be even more useful.

Summary: