On 7/19/2012 1:55 PM, gregz wrote:
> Hell Toupee > wrote:
>> On 7/19/2012 3:54 PM, Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>>> In article >,
>>> KenK > wrote:
>>>
>>>> If it's indeed possible, what's the secret to making a 'baked' potato with
>>>> crisp shin in a microwave? I've tried various ways with no success. Very
>>>> hot to use the oven - been over a 100 for weeks now.
>>>>
>>>> TIA
>>>
>>> I don't think you can get a crisp exterior without heat from an oven or
>>> a broiler. Maybe a grill. But a microwave steams the vegetables.
>>>
>>
>> You could try burying a potato in a pan of rock salt and then microwave
>> it. The salt would draw the moisture out of the potato as it cooked. You
>> might get a modicum of crispiness that way. At least it works like that
>> in a conventional oven.
>
> Might also start to see sparks. If the salt gets wet, it's like aluminum
> foil.

That's interesting - I'll have to check that out.

My vanilla extract was progressing at a slow rate so I thought I'd speed
it up some by heating the vodka and vanilla bean mixture in the
microwave. I was using a plastic container and when I turned on the oven
it went POW! Near as I can tell, there was some foil near the cap where
the seal for the bottle was which created a spark and ignited the
alcohol. I had loosened the cap to release the air when it warmed up. It
was lucky that I did this cause the bottle might have ruptured and I
could have had a microwave oven on fire. That would be cool. :-)

OTOH, the next time I make vanilla extract, I'm gonna chop up the beans
finely and make an infusion of that. No more slow extraction for me.
Maybe I'll stick the pulp in my drip coffee maker and brew me a cup. :-)

>
> Greg
>