at Fri, 22 Apr 2005 18:31:54 GMT in <1114194714.443167.47340
@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>, (aem) wrote :

>I was surprised to see microwave ovens listed by several people in the
>'outlandish/useless...kitchen gadget' thread....

In my *opinion*:

> * partially cooked bacon slices -- makes the bacon lie flat in the
>pan

A cast iron skillet does a better job of crisping. As for perfectly flat
bacon - I find that eerily artificial.

> * reheated coffee -- better to let it go cold and reheat than to
>keep it (insufficiently) warm for hours

Coffee should never be made in quantities far above what's going to be
drunk immediately.

> * defrosted frozen berries before blending them for a sauce for
>ice cream

Poor planning. Admittedly, it's often easy to forget to take something out
of the freezer, but after a few lessons learned the hard way and then being
forced to do something else, it becomes much easier to remember always to
remove frozen foods in advance.

> * cooked frozen peas, cooked fresh broccoli,

IMHO *infinitely* better and just as easy boiled (peas) or steamed
(broccoli). What's difficult or time-consuming about boiling a pot of
water?

> pre-cooked potatoes before baking

Why would you pre-cook potatoes that are to be baked?

> * reheated a variety of leftovers

I find that virtually all leftovers are more evenly reheated on the
stovetop or in the oven. And an oven does a LOT better job with things that
need to be crisp (e.g. pizza), and things with pastry crusts (i.e. pies).

> * poured chicken stock into a pot for heating, then briefly zapped
>the jar to liquefy the gelatinous stock still clinging to the insides -
>no wastage

A spatula accomplishes the same task in less time.

> * zapped refrigerated tortillas soft/flexible for making burritos

Better results by steaming them.

> * zapped a large lime for 10 seconds to maximize squeezing juice
>from it

Now that sounds truly bizarre. And perhaps carrying frugality a bit to
obsessive lengths. Sorry if this sounds judgemental. I'm not meaning it to
be so.

> * heated milk/butter mixture before mashing potatoes

Invariably I find the hot potatoes do a good job of heating the milk and
butter. And the cool dairy prevents the potatoes from being scalding hot
when you bring them to the table. If you *had* to heat it, though, I can't
see how the microwave would offer any advantage to stovetop.

> * zapped frozen peas to defrost/warm before adding to fried rice

See above. Blanch them briefly.

> * defrosted various meats for supper -- didn't have to decide
>which hours in advance

That's where fresh meat is preferable anyway. I think of freezing meat as
mostly a way of saving some large buy (in which case you can plan to use it
up and integrate the cuts into the plan) or in order to buy something
unavailable unfrozen (which usually means you have a specific plan for it
anyway). My experience with microwaves and meat defrosting also suggests
they do a poor job - much worse than putting it in the fridge.

>Could I have accomplished these things without the microwave?
>Absolutely. Would the alternatives have been as effective, as fast, as
>easy? No way.

From my POV the alternatives seem to be just as fast and easy. The things
the microwave seems to address are the problems of absent-mindedness and
poor planning. My personal view is that these are issues better solved by a
few trips through the school of Hard Knocks - a few disasters and you learn
not to forget to do something, and also to think creatively when you do
forget.


--
Alex Rast

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