Use a microwave, episode I

I've always liked the convenience of the microwave for making some actual food, rather than just reheating leftovers.* For example, it's a great shortcut for cooking the potatoes partway for gnocchi. But some things I love are cooked start to finish in the microwave, including what is (or at least should be) everyone's favorite Thanksgiving condiment, Dried Cherry Chutney. And it's nice to have the option of a quick-and-easy chocolate mug cake made with pantry ingredients when you're desperate for something sweet. (Apricot marmalade and homemade ricotta are good too.)

 

Still, I haven't explored the microwave for "real" cooking as much as I should have, even though I've had a classic microwave cookbook—Microwave Gourmet (1987) by Barbara Kafka (50¢ at the book sale!)—on my shelf for years. That's going to change though, now that I've been inspired by Dylan and Moriah sending me the Cooking at Home (2021) book, in which David Chang, in particular, extols the virtues of microwave cooking, including the Microwave Eggplant Parmesan that Moriah wrote up in her guest post. Chang goes so far as to say that he "could not live" without his microwave, which he thinks is "the single best piece of equipment in a kitchen. Here is this machine that will save you 60 percent of cooking time and a bunch of dishes to clean up for almost anything you make," yet it's collecting dust in most American homes. Chang's love for his microwave also led me to the website of Anyday, a manufacturer of high-end microwave cookware designed with Chang's help, which has an extensive collection of simple recipes, a number of which look interesting.

 

---------

*In addition to reheating leftovers, your microwave is great for a bunch of other kitchen tasks, including: melting chocolate; clarifying butter; caramelizing sugar; toasting dried chiles; making an emergency roux; getting more juice out of citrus (nuke for a few seconds before juicing); releasing flavor compounds in herbs or spices (nuke for a minute in some oil); and mellowing raw garlic (nuke for 10–15 seconds; makes the cloves easier to peel too).

 

*********

But before getting to any of those recipes, I'm starting with the simplest one of all: four-minute scrambled eggs. If you ever get home late from school or work feeling hangry, this is the ticket to get you through. Pop a piece of bread in the toaster, cook the eggs in the microwave, then eat them on or with the toast; it's enough to take the edge off. Or supplement with some cheese and you've got a perfect lunch. This is a perfect way to cook eggs for kids, too.

 

Wondering what microwaved eggs might taste like? Well, they taste like good scrambled eggs, so long as you don't overcook them and make them rubbery, which you can do just as easily on the stovetop anyway. Be conservative in the cooking time to start, until you figure out just how long it takes to cook the eggs properly in your microwave; it only takes a minute total in our ancient 700-watt microwave (wedding present!). Once you get that down, you'll be able to fix this on auto-pilot (even if you should be doing it mindfully).

Perfect lunch: A cup of 4-minute scrambled eggs upended onto a piece of Mom's delicious sourdough bread, with some chunks of Trader Joe's Asiago Cheese with Rosemary & Olive Oil

4-Minute Scrambled Eggs

 

Time: 4 minutes (once you get the hang of it)

 

You can cook at least two eggs at a time this way. Double the other ingredients as well, and increase the cooking times as needed.

 

1 large egg

1 tablespoon dairy or nondairy milk (plain unsweetened almond milk works great)

kosher salt or fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

 

    1. Put some bread in the toaster now if you're so inclined. Spray the inside of a small mug or teacup lightly with nonstick spray.

    2. Crack an egg into the cup. Add the milk, a pinch of salt, and a grind or two of black pepper. Mix with a small whisk or fork until homogenous; don't overbeat.

    3. Microwave on full power until partially cooked but still with some liquid in the bottom of the cup. I went for 45 seconds in my 700-watt microwave; adjust your time accordingly based on the wattage of your machine.

    4. Using a fork, lightly break up the curds just a bit. Now is the time to sprinkle in a big pinch of grated cheese if you're going that route (see the variations below). Nuke again on full power until just set (it can still look just a little wet), another 15 seconds in my microwave; ditto on adjusting your cooking time. Eat right out of the cup or slide onto a piece of toast to quell the hangries.

 

Variations

You can fancy things up just a bit by adding a pinch of chile flakes or some harissa or chile sauce or some snipped chives or other herbs to the mix in step 2, or some grated cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, whatever) as directed in step 4.