89
votes
Accepted
Are there any dishes that can only be cooked with a microwave?
Yes!
In 1969, the physicist Nicholas Kurti gave a talk in which he demonstrated a variant of Baked Alaska called "Frozen Florida": a shell of frozen meringue around a center of hot liquor. This was ...
- 26.8k
79
votes
Accepted
Why do my mini pizzas have microwave trays?
The piece of cardboard is a microwave browning element.
Ordinarily, most of the heating energy in a microwave is absorbed by water in the food. The result is similar to steaming. The material on the ...
- 26.8k
73
votes
Accepted
Is my microwave damaged if I can smell the food inside it?
Microwave doors don't have an airtight seal; the window between the electronics and the cooking compartment is also not airtight, and the electronics are cooled by a fan. It would be surprising if ...
- 43.7k
45
votes
Accepted
Why do we need to reheat food?
The primary reason for reheating is just that warm food is more pleasant to eat. How warm, that is a personal preference - and stirring or heating longer can ensure more throughout heating.
Reheating ...
- 566
44
votes
Accepted
Why is putting an egg in the microwave not recommended?
This probably refers to whole eggs mostly...
A microwave can boil water very rapidly, and a tight but fragile container like a whole egg will violently rupture if such rapid boiling happens inside it,...
- 15.3k
41
votes
Accepted
Why didn't microwaving a stainless steel spoon set my kitchen on fire?
Metal has a lot of potential issues in the microwave (electric charge buildup + arcing, and microwave reflection). There are too many variables to make general statements like "such-and-such metal is ...
- 2,176
36
votes
Accepted
Can you pop microwave popcorn on a stove?
After I found the pack of microwave popcorn again I decided to do a quick search on the English web.
I found that the corn in the bag is just normal popcorn mixed with some fake butter and that there'...
35
votes
Why use a kettle to heat water?
I think the primary considerations are convenience (how much effort is it to set up and use the system?) and time spent (how long does the system take to heat the water?).
A standard electric stove ...
- 1,729
35
votes
Accepted
Why use a kettle to heat water?
Bear in mind that I'm using an electric kettle, rather than a stove-top one.
First, the advantage of a kettle is that it is quite efficient, and turns itself off once the water is boiling.
This as ...
- 11k
32
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't a microwave heat the air around food, in addition to the food itself?
With all electromagnetic radiation, including visible light and microwaves, absorption depends on the molecules doing the absorption. Air is mainly oxygen and nitrogen, and these don't absorb very ...
- 43.7k
32
votes
Exploding shelled egg in microwave
Oh lordy. You're lucky you didn't get hurt. Ann Reordan did a good video about these microwave egg hacks. The segment with her many experiments starts around 6:00. (other hacks/myths are at the ...
- 5,204
31
votes
Why didn't microwaving a stainless steel spoon set my kitchen on fire?
Spoons (most metal, in fact) are generally not a huge problem in the microwave. My microwave has metal parts...many do. Forks are sometimes a problem due to a build up of charge between the tines, ...
- 73.8k
25
votes
Why is putting an egg in the microwave not recommended?
As someone who tried this out at a young age, I thoroughly DO recommend it! The microwave makes a huge bang and jumps 2 inches off the bench. Good times! (However, you need to do some heavy duty ...
- 452
25
votes
general principles of piercing the protective cover of unfrozen microwave ready meals
I assume it is simply to allow some steam to escape during heating, so that you don't have a big mess to clean up when the "balloon" pops, or, as Chris H wisely points out below, a potential ...
- 73.8k
22
votes
Accepted
Products that can be microwaved and "pop" just like popcorn
Popcorn should be considered one of "nature's little miracles" - & a way to make a huge profit out of air.
Yes, you can pop other dried grains/seeds, but don't expect anything quite so ...
- 29.7k
22
votes
Exploding shelled egg in microwave
In 2017 researchers from Charles M. Salter Associates in San Francisco looked into the exploding microwaved eggs. They'd been hired to offer testimony in litigation of a case where a consumer claimed ...
- 321
21
votes
Why didn't microwaving a stainless steel spoon set my kitchen on fire?
There are actually two things worth considering with metal in microwaves.
The big danger is arcing and that happens with pointy things like forks and apparently grapes. It's also worth considering, ...
- 2,307
20
votes
Accepted
Microwave-safe cups becoming less safe
Whenever something gets hot in a microwave, it indicates the presence of water. If something that used to stay cool suddenly heats up, you have water present where previously there was none.
I assume ...
- 58.5k
19
votes
Are there any dishes that can only be cooked with a microwave?
The "instant" sponge cake, innovated at El Bulli, can only be made in a microwave. Here is an example. Basically, a batter is poured into a whipping siphon. It is charged. The aerated batter is ...
- 73.8k
18
votes
Why do we need to reheat food?
You don't. Reheating food does not improve food safety, it is purely a matter of taste. Even "piping hot" is not hot enough to kill off any pathogens. If it's safe to eat warm, it's safe to ...
- 10.6k
16
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between Microwave, Microwave Oven, and Oven?
First off, the terminology issue.
So, can someone please clear up this fog? What's the difference between Microwave and Oven and Microwave Oven?
"Microwave" is just short for "microwave oven". ...
- 58.2k
15
votes
Accepted
Why does food cooked in the microwave heat inside-out?
Your microwave isn't exactly cooking your food from the inside out. Instead, what is happening is that some parts of your food that happen to be on the interior are being heated faster than those ...
- 950
14
votes
general principles of piercing the protective cover of unfrozen microwave ready meals
2-in-1 Trick: Don't Pierce, Lift a Corner of the Cover.
While piercing the cover to allow steam to escape is the recommended approach -- on the packaging -- it's not the best solution.
The next step, ...
- 331
13
votes
Why is putting an egg in the microwave not recommended?
A simple undamaged raw egg in a microwave at full power will explode. Unless you have a deep desire to thoroughly scrub your microwave I can not recommend that approach.
The problem is that the egg ...
- 58.5k
12
votes
Microwave oven first time use — "10 minutes with water"?
The directions are in fact asking you to place a bowl of water in the Microwave Oven and run it for 10mins.
The reason is, it allows things to "break-in" and assures that you don't have any direct ...
- 191
12
votes
Are there any dishes that can only be cooked with a microwave?
At least for smallish and thin objects, microwaves heat foods “everywhere and throughout at the same time” (for lack of a better description). Exactly what isn’t desired for a steak, as discussed in ...
- 58.5k
12
votes
Is my microwave damaged if I can smell the food inside it?
It's totally normal to smell the food in a microwave as they aren't meant to be sealed. Microwaves have fans to circulate the air and keep the electronics cool, so they will circulate aromas.
- 75.4k
11
votes
Accepted
Is it safer to wrap or cover your food when warming them in the microwave?
Many plastics used in the kitchen are unsuitable for use in contact with hot food, whether wrapping it or sagging onto it when used as a cover. Freezer bags are a relevant example. These may melt, or ...
- 43.7k
11
votes
Frying in a microwave?
While creative, this sounds like an especially poor idea, fraught with disaster.
If the water turns into vapor at 100 C, it certainly would not transfer all that heat to the surrounding oil before ...
- 3,634
11
votes
Accepted
How can I thicken/firm up this caramel?
The problem with quick caramel recipes is that they aren't reliable due to the variations of water content in the butter and brands of condensed milk. Butter can vary between 15-30% water, if your ...
- 75.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible