Serious Green: Saving Energy By Using The Microwave
The much-maligned microwave--conjuring up images of scary invisible waves and mysterious molecular science--isn't what most of us think of as environmentally friendly. (After all, how could "nuking" something be good for the planet?) But though it sounds counterintuitive, the microwave is one of the most energy-efficient options for cooking our food.
Think of the microwave as a high-pressure shower, and the oven as an overflowing bathtub. The shower delivers only the blast of water to clean you off, whereas taking a bath requires you to fill a whole sloshy tub of water, just so you can soak inside. In the same way, heating up a whole oven for the sake of a little potato uses a lot more energy than a two-minute stint in the microwave.
Indeed, in The Big Green Cookbook, chock-full of tips and recipes for environmentally sound cooking, dietician and microwave fan Jackie Newgent writes, "The microwave oven can reduce energy use by roughly two-thirds compared to a conventional oven." Good news for the planet, and for your busy schedule.
Of course, over-nuking can turn good meat to rubber and fresh bread to a brick. But here are a few ways to use your microwave wisely, after the jump.
Play with the wattage. Just because your microwave goes up to 1200 watts doesn't mean you have to leave it on high power. (If you only used your oven at 500°F, it wouldn't always cook too well, either.) Some foods respond better to lower wattage, for longer times.
Think about steaming. Anything you can steam, you can microwave. Squash, artichokes, and spinach are all pretty safe bets.
Go halfway. Microwaves cook efficiently, but food tends to remain limp. For anything that needs a bit of crisping--say, skin-on chicken, or cheese-topped enchiladas--try starting in the microwave, then finishing under a broiler. (Or in a toaster oven, even more energy-efficient.)
Serious eaters, how do you use your microwaves?
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11 Comments:
I've cooked salmon in the microwave oven. A few minutes for a decent piece and it's ready. Just drizzle some olive oil, citrus juice and season before you nuke it.
I actually find it easier to cook fatty fish in the microwave than in the conventional oven.
xutopia at 11:24AM on 05/06/09
Microwaves for cooking? Maybe if I was held at gunpoint. I use my microwave for quick reheating, and that's the extent of it. If there's time, I'd much rather reheat leftovers in a toaster oven or on the stove, where texture won't be zapped out of my food.
unpocojmoney at 11:33AM on 05/06/09
We use the microwave all the time for steaming veggies, baking sweet potatoes, cooking bacon, boiling water for oatmeal, cream of wheat and couscous. I haven't tried cooking meat but based on xutopia's suggestion, Im going to try salmon.
hammondcheese at 12:03PM on 05/06/09
I don't even HAVE a microwave at the moment :/
Anything that's small enough will go into the toaster oven rather than the conventional oven, of course. Anyone know the energy difference between the toaster oven and the microwave?
lawofmurphy at 12:28PM on 05/06/09
I was a late comer to the microwave (not crunchy enough for this gal) but can't do without it now. Barbara Kafka's classic "Microwave Gourmet" is high on my list of must-have cookbooks. Scoff if you will, but her recipe for microwave risotto is indistinguishable from the stirred (and stirred and stirred and...) version!
GoodStuffNW at 12:38PM on 05/06/09
i took a culinary arts elective this semester and we did one class on microwave cooking. we steamed fish perfectly in 30 seconds, made stir fry, risotto (still took about half an hour but it's definitely do-able), eggs, cakes, and pretty much everything. the point was to show us college students that we can do anything (almost) in a microwave, because unless you live off-campus, that's all you have access to.
jrmanor at 1:33PM on 05/06/09
I have had great success with fish, some veggies, reheating left overs of course, in a microwave. I will also admit to making packaged pasta noodles in it - you know those Lipton numbers with the sauce. With a big family on some nights, well, you know.....
Maureen at 1:51PM on 05/06/09
If it makes people feel better, I know from experience that high end restaurants use them all the time for reheating, or steaming vegetables. One un-named recent James Beard winner even has a microwave at nearly every station in the kitchen - they couldn't function without it!
There's nothing wrong with them. They have their limitations just like any cooking method, and you can't expect them to take the place of any other piece of cooking equipment, but in many cases, food comes out faster, and more evenly cooked in a microwave than through other cooking methods.
For example:
try microwaving corn still in it's husk for about 2 minutes. Perfectly steamed!
Place green vegetables on a plate, cover in food-safe plastic wrap, and microwave for about a minute. Again - perfectly cooked!
Also really great for dehydrating things like eggplant or zucchini before sauteeing - much more effective than salting alon. Just put the veg on a paper towel-lined plate and microwave for about 5-10 minutes until they start to dehydrate.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 3:35PM on 05/06/09
So nice to talk about microwaves without being lectured on the evils of using them (a gal in my organic produce co-op belittled me for using my microwave to dry some fresh herbs). I also use mine for softening butter and cream cheese for mixing if I forgot to take them out earlier, making peanut brittle, pralines, and toffee (!!), and almost all the ideas already mentioned.
cholmaneee at 1:18AM on 05/07/09
Is the "two-thirds" figure accurate? Cooking on the gas stove or a conventional oven wastes a lot of energy as heat but my microwave gives off heat from it's vent. The microwave uses electricity that probably from an oil or natural gas plant which aren't particularly environmentally friendly, lose energy in the conversion process, and loses even more energy as it travels along the power grid to your house.
That said I use my microwave almost everyday to boil water, reheat rice, and sometimes cook potatoes. I've even melted chocolate in it. GoodEaterKenji, I'll be trying corn soon too!
digt at 9:20PM on 05/07/09
Microwave ovens can save lots of energy - there have been many serious scientific studies on the topic all showing savings of up to 50% or more for specific heating or cooking uses. The food is usually far more nutritious than any other method than steaming: it is almost waterless cooking so the water soluble vitamins are not leached out. Also, the cook time is largely reduced. I'm a microwave scientist who has worked with microwave ovens for nearly 50 years and I own about 50 ovens, and have created many of the microwavable foods you buy in the supermarket. Finally, regarding Barbara Kafka's cookbook - if it is still in there - don't EVER try to fry inside the microwave - it is very dangerous!!!
microwaveguru at 2:54PM on 05/08/09