Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84 chuqui version 1.7 9/23/84; site nsc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!nsc!chuqui From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Zonker T. Chuqui) Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: Re: Microwave Features - Help! Message-ID: <1829@nsc.UUCP> Date: Mon, 5-Nov-84 15:53:08 EST Article-I.D.: nsc.1829 Posted: Mon Nov 5 15:53:08 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 6-Nov-84 05:23:21 EST References: <8115@watarts.UUCP> <1016@hplabs.UUCP> <> Reply-To: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Zonker T. Chuqui) Organization: The Warlocks Cave, Western Annex Lines: 82 Summary: In article <433@tpvax.fluke.UUCP> inc@fluke.UUCP (Gary Benson) writes: >Well, I finally decided I can't live without a microwave oven any longer, > >Here's my situation: I am a single male who likes to cook, but hates to cook >for one; I want to speed up and simplify my time in the kitchen. I foresee >using the oven for occasional fast defrosting, and regular use in casserole >or pot roast type meals. I am an avid popcorn freak, and I also think it >would be nice to boil water in 10 seconds. I doubt I would ever do a turkey, >so cubic-footage is relatively unimportant, and I also would probably not >use any "programmable" features. Here are my questions: Welcome the the club. I don't think I could easily live without my microwave any more. I use it for a number of things-- vegetables, cooking pasta, reheating (I have never learned to cook for one, so I keep leftovers around instead-- at least until I find someone else to help me eat them), defrosting. I don't cook popcorn in it because I don't like the taste for some reason-- I prefer an air popper. I will cook casseroles and some meats in it, but I'm still rather old fashioned in some ways-- roasts and things taste better in a real oven and I'd rather use the microwave for steaming my veggies. I also tend to bake in a real oven-- breads just don't cook right. > 1) What advantages are there to a "carousel" other than for large chunks > of meat? The problem is one of hot spots. Some ovens deal with hot spots with carosels. Mine (a quasar) uses a rotating spreading bar between the tube and the food. If you have a carousel, use it all of the time-- it is more important than you might think. > 2) How important is a heat probe for the uses I have in mind? I haven't used mine once, and I've had this microwave four years. Unless you cook large chunks of meat I haven't found a use for it. > 3) How important is an energy-level control? Some models I've seen have > no control, others have two positions (defrost and cook), and some > have an infinite range. If you're primary purpose is boiling water, it is useless. I use mine a fair amount-- some foods break down if you zap them too quickly. It is pretty much like having an oven that cooks at 375 or an oven that cooks at a range of temperatures. You can cook ANYTHING at 375, but it might not come out perfect. > 4) What other features or accessories are desirable? Do those "browning > dishes" work? I much prefer to brown things in a real oven. Browning dishes are a real hassle. My model has an auto-cook feature. It samples the humidity in the oven to check how well cooked specific items are. It works great for things like quiches, baked potatoes, etc... I don't need to try to figure out how long to cook 5 potatoes instead of 4, it does it for me. it is also smart enough to slightly undercook things so I can finish them to my taste. > 5) Is there any such thing as an energy-efficient model? How much juice > do these things use? Significantly more efficient than the alternatives. Ovens tend to cook the kitchen at least as much as the food. I've found their energy use negligible. > 6) Is it true that some foods taste different in the microwave? And that > some are impossible? Is it possible to boil eggs, for example? Hmm... haven't tried eggs. As I said, baking doesn't work well. You can cook cakes and breads in a microwave but the texture is off. Things with sugar tend to carmelize. You have to modify your cooking for some things-- cheeses tend to get stringy if you aren't careful, so you tend to add them in at the last minute if possible. > 7) Will I learn anything about microwave cooking in my first month or so > that will make me strike my head in anguish over not having purchased > some feature or other? (Or worse, anguish over spending the money in > the first place?) Probably. You ought to pick up a couple of the specialty cook books for microwaves and see how the pros recommend using it. They'll give you a good idea of how to modify your recipes as well. These books tend to be written to a fairly low denominator, but it should be obvious how to use the special features you are considering, and whether they are worth what they cost. chuq -- From the Department of Bistromatics: Chuq Von Rospach {cbosgd,decwrl,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA I'd know those eyes from a million years away....