Microwave Ovens

jd50ae

Our microwave died, quite spectacularly I might add.

When was the last time you went to buy food and you did not pick up something that required a MW?
Now I know a lot of you are he man types and a fire and a dead animal is all you need.
But there are a lot of folks who need that reassuring bing/bonk/ding to eat.
Think about it.
Shelf after shelf of MW only products and they are growing. Good thing I can boil water, Raman is safe. But, how do I cook a sausage biscuit? Remember the one great thing about MWing is the lack of dirty dishes.

dirtdude

Just heat up the MW sausage in a pan, throw the biscuit on top for a few and munch, nothing to it bro

0patience

We lost our 10 year old microwave a few months ago.
Ended up going from store to store looking for one we (the wife) liked. 
It's amazing how many different types of microwaves there are now and all the fancy options. 
Under cabinet, hood type, counter top, with convection and so many different settings, it boggles the mind.

I finally did figure out where the time and start is on our microwave though, so there is that. LOL!

jd50ae

0patience said:

We lost our 10 year old microwave a few months ago.
Ended up going from store to store looking for one we (the wife) liked. 
It's amazing how many different types of microwaves there are now and all the fancy options. 
Under cabinet, hood type, counter top, with convection and so many different settings, it boggles the mind.

I finally did figure out where the time and start is on our microwave though, so there is that. LOL!

They are like cell phones. You want one for a simple reason and have to put up with a bunch of crap which is not part of the reason.

ForMud

I use a toaster oven whenever I can over a microwave. I like my food crisp not mushy like how it comes out of a microwave. Another plus is I can fit a plate in there so it heats up and keeps the food hot longer.

Markwell

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lAD6Obi7Cag

Got an installed microwave oven...custom kitchen deliverayyyy!! Sorry, couldn't resist lol.

jd50ae

You know, I started this as a tongue in cheek topic which obviously did not take off as I had envisioned. Guess I should leave that sort of thing to @Amos_Umwhat and @webmost.

But it started me thinking.
I use to be a great cook, tinkered with the idea of being a chef. 
It has all become too easy and too simple and imagination is no longer needed.
There is no longer anything that suits its reason for invention in the first place.
What happened to the scrub board and yellin across the hollar(?).
Why do I cherish my Mother's old cast iron skillet over the expensive new stuff?

Julia sweetheart, it is time to reacquaint ourselves. 

jlmarta

With regard to it all becoming too easy, JD @jd50ae, things seem to evolve into what they need to be. For example, as we get older and less able to stand in front of a stove for long periods, there are now frozen meals that come in a bag and they’re really quite good. 

Theyre mainly casseroles but other dishes as well. And they’re just enough for two people with (usually) no leftovers. Definitely suitable for the microwave although you can also do them on the stovetop. 

Some of the brands are Bertolli, PF Chang, Lemon Grass Kitchens, Birds Eye, etc. And there are numerous selections among them. A couple of my favorites are Sesame Chicken or Mongolian style Beef. Some are to be served over rice but it’s easy to cook up a cup of rice on the stovetop. 

These meals are done in 10 - 11 minutes in the microwave or on the stovetop. These things worked very well for me when I had to be Chief Cook and Bottle Washer and this kind of evolution is, as I said earlier, great for us oldfarts.... 

silvermouse

We bought a rice cooker last year and use it all the time, measure and turn it on, it turns itself off when the rice is done. 

Dark_Roast

jd50ae said:

You know, I started this as a tongue in cheek topic which obviously did not take off as I had envisioned. Guess I should leave that sort of thing to @Amos_Umwhat and @webmost.

But it started me thinking.
I use to be a great cook, tinkered with the idea of being a chef. 
It has all become too easy and too simple and imagination is no longer needed.
There is no longer anything that suits its reason for invention in the first place.
What happened to the scrub board and yellin across the hollar(?).
Why do I cherish my Mother's old cast iron skillet over the expensive new stuff?

Julia sweetheart, it is time to reacquaint ourselves. 

JD in my opinion there is no such thing as use to be a great cook. If you had the ability then, you have the ability now. Microwaves in my opinion are great for heating leftovers and well that's about it. I have seen them used in many different ways in the restaurants I sell to and quite frankly it's puzzling to me. Granted they are fast but don't think they replace a hot oven or the person being served doesn't know it was just heated in a micriwave. Your mother's cast iron skillet is probably well seasond and once brought up to temperature will hold that heat evenly and dependably. That's why you cherish it. Good day. 

jlmarta

silvermouse said:

We bought a rice cooker last year and use it all the time, measure and turn it on, it turns itself off when the rice is done. 

I just use a stainless pot with a lid. For a cup of rice I put 1 3/4 cups of water in the pot with a pinch of salt. I also drop in a tbsp of butter but that isn’t required. I set a second burner on my stovetop to the ‘2’ setting and the first burner at high to bring the water to a boil. 

When the water boils i dump I dump in the rice, stir it, put the lid on it, and slide it over onto the second burner. Let it simmer on that second burner for 20 minutes WITHOUT RAISING THE LID TO PEEK. When my timer goes off at 20 minutes I slide the pot to a cool spot and let it sit for 5 minutes WITHOUT RAISING THE LID. After 5 minutes just raise the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve. 

Its really pretty simple and I didn’t have to buy a rice cooker. I’ve never had the rice stick to the pot. Maybe the dab of butter helps with that, I don’t know. 

0patience

A toaster oven was my choice of cooking things when I was single.
Didn't have a microwave for a long time.
They were expensive back then.

Then again, I can't cook anything, except Salmon, Dungeness crab and Top Ramen.

Yakster

Top Ramen + shrimp = gourmet

Amos_Umwhat

jlmarta said:

 Let it simmer on that second burner for 20 minutes WITHOUT RAISING THE LID TO PEEK. When my timer goes off at 20 minutes I slide the pot to a cool spot and let it sit for 5 minutes WITHOUT RAISING THE LID. After 5 minutes just raise the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve. 

Its really pretty simple and I didn’t have to buy a rice cooker. I’ve never had the rice stick to the pot. Maybe the dab of butter helps with that, I don’t know. 

That made me laugh, when I was a kid learning to cook I could never get rice right, because I couldn't stand not to see it!  Finally learned, and now we have see-through lids, so my temptation is finally satisfied, without raising the lid!  

jlmarta

Amos_Umwhat said:

jlmarta said:

 Let it simmer on that second burner for 20 minutes WITHOUT RAISING THE LID TO PEEK. When my timer goes off at 20 minutes I slide the pot to a cool spot and let it sit for 5 minutes WITHOUT RAISING THE LID. After 5 minutes just raise the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve. 

Its really pretty simple and I didn’t have to buy a rice cooker. I’ve never had the rice stick to the pot. Maybe the dab of butter helps with that, I don’t know. 

That made me laugh, when I was a kid learning to cook I could never get rice right, because I couldn't stand not to see it!  Finally learned, and now we have see-through lids, so my temptation is finally satisfied, without raising the lid!  

Yeah, those see-through lids are an absolute boon. In recent years I finally acquired a pot with both a see-through lid and an inner strainer which makes pasta easier. Unfortunately, the pot went with most everything else in the estate sale. 

jw517

Tune into the program, THE LAST Alaskans . That's how it's done. Chop through the river ice to get water. Cut wood for fuel. Hunt/Gather for food. I wonder where they get toilet paper? Maybe Bald Face Hornet nests?

ForMud

jw517 said:

 I wonder where they get toilet paper? Maybe Bald Face Hornet nests?

Sounds like a pain in the ass to me.

jw517

Ahhhhh Haaaaaaa! Good one. My grandma use to say ,when she was a girl, in the out house they had corn cobs. Some were white and some red brown. You used the brown ones first and then a white one to see if your clean. S.T.G. that's what she said.

Amos_Umwhat

There's a reason they're called paper-bark birch.

jd50ae

This stove top stuff is great, boiling water is fun.

Gonna try this next.

Slow-Cooker Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup diagonally sliced carrots 

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup) 

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips 

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

2 tablespoons grated gingerroot 

2 tablespoons fish sauce 

2 tablespoons red curry paste 

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 

1 1/2 b boneless skinless chicken thighs 

2 cups chicken broth (from 32-oz carton) 

1can (14 oz) coconut milk (not cream of coconut) 

1package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms (about 3 cups) 

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 

Directions:

1. Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix carrots, onion, bell pepper, garlic, gingerroot, fish sauce and curry paste. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 6 minutes, turning once, until browned on both sides. Place chicken over vegetables in slow cooker. Pour broth over chicken.

    

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from slow cooker to plate; shred, using 2 forks. Return chicken to slow cooker. Stir in coconut milk, mushrooms and basil. Cover; cook 30 minutes longer or until mushrooms are tender. Stir in lime juice before serving.

Darn. Gotta order the fish sauce and red curry paste.