Another microwave disaster !
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
May 23, 2012 12:56am CST
I wanted to put some lemon curd on my bread for breakfast and I tried a microwave recipe, advertised as "it can't be any more simple". Maybe, but at the end it was not lemon curd but a sort of omelet just good to go to the garbage !
I am asking myself why I bought a microwave : the dough becomes too soft when I reheat a pizza, and the pizza tastes bad, carrots are too tough, whatever the time I cook them, and eggs... well, the only time I tried another "you cannot miss it" recipe to make a soft boiled egg in 30 seconds instead of 3 minutes in boiling water, the egg exploded and I spent 20 minutes to clean the microwave 
!
Except to defrost quickly frozen food, to have hot water for a tea or to prepare an instant hot milk chocolate, I have found absolutely no use for a microwave. I am not speaking of the grill : it is worth nothing compared to the grill of my oven....
Any microwave disaster you remember and are courageous enough to share 
?
Checking on YouTube, I find that microwaves are quite popular to cook iphones or ipads 
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se4Rd4pMIuI
Have you found an usage for your microwave ?
!
Except to defrost quickly frozen food, to have hot water for a tea or to prepare an instant hot milk chocolate, I have found absolutely no use for a microwave. I am not speaking of the grill : it is worth nothing compared to the grill of my oven....
Any microwave disaster you remember and are courageous enough to share ?
Checking on YouTube, I find that microwaves are quite popular to cook iphones or ipads : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se4Rd4pMIuI
Have you found an usage for your microwave ?2 people like this
17 responses
@NoWayRo (1061)
• Romania
23 May 12
Cooked mobile gadgets are absolutely awesome. You know how it goes, don't try it at home and so on - but really, it's better than recycling them.
Sorry to hear about your breakfast. I love my microwave, but I never use it to cook anything - only to heat stuff - and it saves a lot of time, and a lot of mess on dishes that would otherwise go into the regular oven. Oh, I make instant popcorn, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as cooking. I don't even use the defrost option, I tried a couple of times, and I noticed the meat started to get cooked in some parts, so I gave that up.
2 people like this
@billutheguy (179)
• India
23 May 12
Try defrosting at 90 watts instead of the default 160 watts setting, then it may not happen.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Hello NoWay,
Pleased to see you back on myLot
. I have no ipad to burn : I have bought recently a cheap android tablet, but for the moment I have another use for it
.
I never tried instant popcorn : I keep the idea. The defrost option works fine for me. The problem with microwaves is that all of them have not the same power and programs, and it makes difficult to do any online recipe correctly. Except for liquids -- milk, soup, etc --, I don't use it to heat dishes : maybe I am wrong and is it only in my head, but I think that they did not taste the same than when they are heated with a cooker or an oven.
Instead of lemon curd, I opened a jar of apricot jam for my breakfast.
. I have no ipad to burn : I have bought recently a cheap android tablet, but for the moment I have another use for it.
I never tried instant popcorn : I keep the idea. The defrost option works fine for me. The problem with microwaves is that all of them have not the same power and programs, and it makes difficult to do any online recipe correctly. Except for liquids -- milk, soup, etc --, I don't use it to heat dishes : maybe I am wrong and is it only in my head, but I think that they did not taste the same than when they are heated with a cooker or an oven.
Instead of lemon curd, I opened a jar of apricot jam for my breakfast.1 person likes this
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
23 May 12
oh this is the kind of thing i need to read. See i have been planning on buying one microwave lol as i love the 5 minute cake recipe, it would be nice to be able to make those in the morning that fast...
but since you have been enumerating some microwave disaster, i might as well think it over again.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Hello Jave,
For a tea or an instant coffee -- for all liquids, I think -- it is a quick and good solution, but don't expect miracles when you cook with a microwave : only a few recipes are giving good results -- maybe the choco cake is one of them : I have not tried it yet --, and it will never replace a cooker or an oven. My disasters are mainly due to the fact that all microwaves have not the same power and options, thus it is difficult to be immediately successful with a recipe found online
.
.1 person likes this
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
23 May 12
Yes i believe because microwave do have different settings.. different makers different types..
oh well i might still buy one to see it for myself too right?
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Why not ? Anyways, it is perfect to have a hot chocolate ready to drink in a minute, so you will have the use for it
. If I had to buy one today, I would not go for an expensive model with a grill, but just for a basic model, as I have no use for the grill.
. If I had to buy one today, I would not go for an expensive model with a grill, but just for a basic model, as I have no use for the grill.1 person likes this
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
23 May 12
Is this the recipe that you tried http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Microwave-Lemon-Curd/ ? Perhaps you should have tried one for the grill rather than the microwave.
1 person likes this
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
23 May 12
The item that got both over and undercooked shows the flaws in that particular oven..there were "hotspots" created where the energy wasn't being distributed evenly..was it a model with an automatic turntable inside,or just a base shelf? if there's a turntable,there's a more even spread..
2 people like this
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
23 May 12
LOL! Leave my grill out of this, because I can even do better with my grill than you can with your microwave oven.
I can remember my sister used to try to cook with her microwave when she first got it. There were some things that turned out alright, but more often than not things were either undercooked or overcooked. On a few very special occasions there dishes that were both overcooked and undercooked at the same time, although I am not entirely sure how she managed to do those!
I can remember my sister used to try to cook with her microwave when she first got it. There were some things that turned out alright, but more often than not things were either undercooked or overcooked. On a few very special occasions there dishes that were both overcooked and undercooked at the same time, although I am not entirely sure how she managed to do those!1 person likes this
?!
@allknowing (130064)
• India
23 May 12
I have a novel method for warming up my food. I have no faith in the microwave having heard so many bad stories about it. I put some water in a bowl and place my plate with whatever I want to eat on the bowl. I close it and keep it on the stove and keep there for a few minutes. Care should be taken to see that the water does not evaporate fully.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130064)
• India
23 May 12
I use the corelle brand of plates which are heat resistant. Placing food in an oven will render it dry I feel while the method I use gets moisture from the steam and becomes as fresh as it has just been cooked. Except salads I put everything else there. Even cake gets its freshness back and so does left over slices of bread and rice.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Except a thunderstorm when I forgot a spoon in a mug
, I have not had any problem with my microwave. I have read that a mobile phone sends more microwaves outside than a closed microwave, so I don't think it is a dangerous gadget, but it is not very useful for me. I prefer to use my oven to reheat a dish, I find the taste of the food better. Your method is interesting, but have not you some problems with the steam knocking out the plate ? I will test it... carefully.
, I have not had any problem with my microwave. I have read that a mobile phone sends more microwaves outside than a closed microwave, so I don't think it is a dangerous gadget, but it is not very useful for me. I prefer to use my oven to reheat a dish, I find the taste of the food better. Your method is interesting, but have not you some problems with the steam knocking out the plate ? I will test it... carefully.
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
23 May 12
I use my microwave for defrosting foods, for scrambling eggs (they cook beautifully in the microwave so long as you keep an eye on them and don't cook them for too long, melting chocolate (again with a watchful eye)but mainly it is used for reheating meals. My son is often home much later than when we eat dinner and so I cover his meal in clingfilm and he reheats it in the microwave when he comes home.Personally I couldn't manage without mine.
Many years ago, when microwaves were first popular in this country, I was the manageress of a kitchen were the men worked strange shifts. The company changed the whole way of serving their meals by installing several microwaves and vending machines. We cooked and plated the meals, wrapped them and put hem in refrigerated vending machines and then the men could buy their meals when they wanted them and heat them in the microwave.
2 people like this
@purplealabaster (22094)
• United States
23 May 12
I think that sometimes it does depend upon the meal whether it is better reheated in an oven or in a microwave, but overall I think that most things taste the same when reheated in a microwave as long as you are careful. It is best to reheat things using small intervals rather than long ones. For example, if you think that it will take a minute to reheat something in the microwave, then it is better to heat it for thirty seconds and check it rather than cooking it for the entire minute. It is quick and easy to stick something back in the microwave and heat it further, but once something is overcooked it cannot be undone.
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Hello oldchem,
I never tried to melt chocolate, but I use mine to melt butter : I have a working recipe for a Bechamel sauce. I should make a list of recipes giving a good result with a microwave : it would be a short list for me. Except when I buy a dish ready to go in a microwave, I prefer to use my oven to reheat a dish -- it tastes better --, but I agree that it is a perfect solution for a company.
1 person likes this
@mysticalecstasy (472)
• Pakistan
23 May 12
So you mean to say something rather than me can take the blame! Great lemme try it out with mum!
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 May 12
I am not sure that you followed all the instructions. It happens also with water when it is too hot, and can be dangerous when you see a geyser in a mug when you want to take it. I have also had this disaster : I am a specialist concerning disasters happening in microwaves.
. It happens also with water when it is too hot, and can be dangerous when you see a geyser in a mug when you want to take it. I have also had this disaster : I am a specialist concerning disasters happening in microwaves.@mysticalecstasy (472)
• Pakistan
24 May 12
Come one at least let me lay the blame on the microwave this time round!
1 person likes this
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
23 May 12
You are not supposed to boil eggs in a microwave oven.THe pamphlet that comes with your oven clearly spells out instructions.
I use it extensively and even for cooking vegetables this can be used. You need to take care thatyou cook them in a good heavy glass vessel.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Hello kalav,
I am not always following the instructions for use : my notebook has a "Designed for Windows" logo, but runs better with Linux. I found the egg recipe on a blog, and it was reported to work by several persons. I reported the explosion.
I use plastic/silicon containers with covers designed for microwaves and I have managed to cook some vegetables, with various results depending of the vegetable.
. I found the egg recipe on a blog, and it was reported to work by several persons. I reported the explosion.
I use plastic/silicon containers with covers designed for microwaves and I have managed to cook some vegetables, with various results depending of the vegetable. @ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
23 May 12
I wouldn't use a microwave much for "from scratch" cooking..I'd use it to cook rice,porridge (Oatmeal,to some!),and preparing frozen veggies..and A microwave oven is highly recommended for doing scrambled eggs..I saw a daytime TV show a while back that did a cook off between egg scrambled in a pot and in a microwave..the audience doing the taste testing afterwards voted for the microwave version..just don't for get to whisk or stir occasionally,and don't cook it until it goes rubbery..
And there's quite a good microwave chocolate cake recipe going around online!
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 May 12
You are the third to recommend a microwave for scrambled eggs, and I have definitely to try : I think I have never eaten scrambled eggs
. When it comes to microwaving I am a real donkey -- I should have guessed that a lemon curd attempt would turn bad -- : why others are successful and not me ? I have only a few working recipes and I would like to use it for other things than hot drinks : it is useful, but actually limited for me...
. When it comes to microwaving I am a real donkey -- I should have guessed that a lemon curd attempt would turn bad -- : why others are successful and not me ? I have only a few working recipes and I would like to use it for other things than hot drinks : it is useful, but actually limited for me...
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 May 12
I have never managed to get simple carrots Vichy tasting good in a microwave, even by cooking them 20 mn... As they need only 25 mn in a frying pan and are always perfect, I have stopped my microwaving experiments with carrots. For eggs, yes, I have learned now that they can explode, even when they should not. I am limiting myself to omelets now -- not speaking of my lemon curd omelet --, and I do a cheese omelet in 3 mn when I am hungry. I will also try to use it for scrambled eggs.
. I am limiting myself to omelets now -- not speaking of my lemon curd omelet --, and I do a cheese omelet in 3 mn when I am hungry. I will also try to use it for scrambled eggs.1 person likes this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
23 May 12
Hi topffer
I was planning to get one for me... then just days before when I was to buy one.. the electricity bills increased to more than double of their then rates... I was discouraged.
The next time, I was sure to buy the microwave when they had a news in the newspaper of a baker charred out due to some mishap with their microwave... Discouraged again...
And this final time... oh! so many responses about mishaps...
Maybe I am not destined to eat nutritious... gadgets or food...
I was planning to get one for me... then just days before when I was to buy one.. the electricity bills increased to more than double of their then rates... I was discouraged.
The next time, I was sure to buy the microwave when they had a news in the newspaper of a baker charred out due to some mishap with their microwave... Discouraged again...
And this final time... oh! so many responses about mishaps...
Maybe I am not destined to eat nutritious... gadgets or food...1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Hi thesids,
If it is just for the electricity, the consumption is less important than an electric oven for the things a microwave can cook : it seems to be pretty good to burn an ipad, but I would not recommend it for meat, and I doubt that the baker was charred. It is also not the good tool to dry a cat after a bath : the cat will still be wet, but a bit cooked internally. Not that I have done it with my cat, but I have read it in a newspaper. What I have seen is a small fly leaving alive my microwave after 2 mn -- I did not noticed the fly when I closed the door --. It shows that it gives very different results depending of what you are microwaving. I find it useful for hot drinks and I have a few working recipes, but it will never replace an oven...
,
If it is just for the electricity, the consumption is less important than an electric oven for the things a microwave can cook : it seems to be pretty good to burn an ipad, but I would not recommend it for meat, and I doubt that the baker was charred. It is also not the good tool to dry a cat after a bath : the cat will still be wet, but a bit cooked internally. Not that I have done it with my cat, but I have read it in a newspaper. What I have seen is a small fly leaving alive my microwave after 2 mn -- I did not noticed the fly when I closed the door --. It shows that it gives very different results depending of what you are microwaving. I find it useful for hot drinks and I have a few working recipes, but it will never replace an oven...
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 May 12
I use mainly my freezer for meat and fish, and I use the microwave to defrost them. I have also some junk food in the freezer, like pizzas and coated fish : there are days where I don't want to cook. But I buy only fresh vegetables and fruits : I have joined an association of consumers and producers where I get every week a full basket of bio veggies and fruits for a small amount. I don't choose the content of the basket -- it depends of what the producers have in their gardens --, and I have discovered with this association some veggies that I had never eaten, like rutabagas and parsnips. I should have joined this before. I have also started last year to grow a few -- bio -- vegetables in my garden -- easy things to grow : actually carrots, radishes, garlic, shallots and chive --.
. But I buy only fresh vegetables and fruits : I have joined an association of consumers and producers where I get every week a full basket of bio veggies and fruits for a small amount. I don't choose the content of the basket -- it depends of what the producers have in their gardens --, and I have discovered with this association some veggies that I had never eaten, like rutabagas and parsnips. I should have joined this before. I have also started last year to grow a few -- bio -- vegetables in my garden -- easy things to grow : actually carrots, radishes, garlic, shallots and chive --.@topffer (42156)
• France
28 May 12
Hi Jennyze,
I use mainly my microwave for hot drinks : I am a complete donkey when it comes to cooking in a microwave, and I have only a few working recipes for it. I have learned something with this discussion, and maybe I will use it more.
I don't use the grill of the microwave at all, not because I am against grills -- my "anti-grill" discussion was only for asparagus --, but because the grill of my oven is a lot better.
And for healthy food, yes, I am careful about what I eat, but I don't exclude the microwave as a cooking tool like another : we cannot eat only raw food.
--, but because the grill of my oven is a lot better.
And for healthy food, yes, I am careful about what I eat, but I don't exclude the microwave as a cooking tool like another : we cannot eat only raw food.@jennyze (7029)
• Indonesia
29 May 12
I thought the most healthy food is when you eat it raw... raw fruits, raw veggies, raw meat... hm sounds like a cannibal...
Great to hear you don't hate grill. At first I thought you need microwave to defrost frozen food. Again, I don't think you would store any frozen foods with your attitude to healthy food.
Great to hear you don't hate grill. At first I thought you need microwave to defrost frozen food. Again, I don't think you would store any frozen foods with your attitude to healthy food.1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
30 May 12
our microwave conked out a long time ago, and never thought of buying another one again, simply because electricity in our country is very expensive but I keep it simply because it's original and plan to have it repaired in the future when electricity cost goes down. Now why did I say original? You see I pick and buy stuff that I can strip down for copper and other metals for resale to the export market, newer microwave have aluminum inside ( that's why they are lighter) instead of copper, made in you know where, never been keen on the microwave and don't know exactly if what is inside could affect the produce haha, I'm old fashioned cook and still prefer charcoal grilled stuff.
, never been keen on the microwave and don't know exactly if what is inside could affect the produce haha, I'm old fashioned cook and still prefer charcoal grilled stuff.1 person likes this
@The_Red_Death (273)
• Indonesia
23 May 12
i buy and used microwave just to heat milk in the morning, i under stand why my parent advice me to buy oven instead
1 person likes this
@raganator27 (104)
• United States
24 May 12
I haven't really had any microwave disasters, but I have bought just a bad microwave. I used to have a really really good one, until it's days just ran. I bought a new one which was more expensive than my old microwave and seemed to be better. After I started using it, it was awful.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 May 12
Hello raganator,
Congratulations for your 8 star, which is a good one when you just reach (100).
I would not say that my microwave is bad, but that I have never managed to tame it. There are certainly bad microwaves, but the main problem is that all of them are different -- more or less powerful, with more or less options --, and it is why the online recipes for microwaves are more vague and hazardous than those for a normal cooker : everything has to be adapted to your own microwave.
.
I would not say that my microwave is bad, but that I have never managed to tame it. There are certainly bad microwaves, but the main problem is that all of them are different -- more or less powerful, with more or less options --, and it is why the online recipes for microwaves are more vague and hazardous than those for a normal cooker : everything has to be adapted to your own microwave.
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
23 May 12
I can never cook oatmeal in the microwave oven. It is always a disaster where I always end up without any oatmeal to eat and an oven to clean. It doesn't matter if I follow the instructions on the package, it always spills over the bowl and ends up on the glass plate. I now only use my microwave to heat left over food or to heat my coffee. But I don't cook anything in it anymore. It's not that I hate microwave ovens. It may be just that the one that I have is really old (more than ten years already). So I might buy a new one and see if I will have some success in cooking oatmeal in it
.
.@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Hello anne,
I have to thank you for this response : you are the 10th responder to this discussion, and the first recognizing a microwave disaster. I feel less alone. My microwave is 4 or 5 years old, but I don't think they have evolved a lot since their beginnings : they are just a bit more powerful, and the manufacturers have added functions more or less useful, like grills and convection cooking. My main use is for hot drinks, though I have tried to cook several things in it. My morning lemon curd omelet was my last disappointment with this gadget. I have got some ideas in this discussion -- popcorn, chocolate cake, bacon, heating plates... -- that I will try in order to use it for something else than a tea or a chocolate.
. My microwave is 4 or 5 years old, but I don't think they have evolved a lot since their beginnings : they are just a bit more powerful, and the manufacturers have added functions more or less useful, like grills and convection cooking. My main use is for hot drinks, though I have tried to cook several things in it. My morning lemon curd omelet was my last disappointment with this gadget. I have got some ideas in this discussion -- popcorn, chocolate cake, bacon, heating plates... -- that I will try in order to use it for something else than a tea or a chocolate.
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
23 May 12
I think my microwave is just there for show. Well, I don't use it as often as I use my other appliances, I guess I only use it when I'm really hungry and want to heat something up. But apart from real hunger, my reason for using it is mostly to make popcorn.
I guess I don't have much use of it after all.
Have a great MyLot experience ahead!1 person likes this
@chicksdigscars (5483)
•
23 May 12
my microwave i have to say comes in fairly handy. i use it to defrost, same as you, i use it to make scrambled egg, which i find tastes nicer in the microwave than in a pot. i use it to heat up plates for dinner, so the food doesn't go onto a cold plate. i use it to make frankfurters and heat up soup directly in the bowl rather than dirtying a pot.. emm.. i will heat up left overs in the microwave, and also find that bacon cooked in the microwave is fantastic if you are making carabonara.. or something similar, rather than frying or grilling.. so all in all, i couldn't be without my micro :)
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 May 12
Wow, chicks, you take really advantage of your microwave. I will keep on mind to use it to heat up plates : the idea is so simple that it is brilliant ! I don't eat often bacon -- I do a carbonara with minced beef meat -- but it gives me the idea to do the experience. I hope I am not going towards another disaster.
! I don't eat often bacon -- I do a carbonara with minced beef meat -- but it gives me the idea to do the experience. I hope I am not going towards another disaster.