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Questions tagged [microwave]

Covering cooking with a microwave, selection of appropriate cooking times and powers, cooking from fresh and re-heating, differences and techniques for microwave cooking.

286 questions
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Are there any dishes that can only be cooked with a microwave?

I read this question for microwaving chicken, and it left me wondering: Are there any dishes that can only be prepared with a microwave? If such dishes exist, what are their characteristics and why will in this case only a microwave work? What is…
Soulis
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Why is some metal safe to use in a microwave, but others not?

This might be a more scientific question, but it relates to cooking and I thought it was interesting. I just made my lunch which was a microwavable bowl of chunky soup. The directions said: Remove metal lid, remaining metal rim is microwavable.…
JD Isaacks
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Why does a microwave rotate the food being cooked? And is there ever a time when it shouldn't rotate?

Most microwaves I've used have a plate at the bottom that rotates when the microwave is running. I presume that rotating helps more evenly heat the food. Interestingly, my microwave rotates by default but has a button you can press to disable the…
Scott Mitchell
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Rule of thumb for cooking multiple things in a microwave at the same time?

Is it possible to cook multiple things at the same time in a microwave and how do I adjust the cooking time? What if the two items are identical, do I double the time or multiply it by some other factor? What if the two items are different and have…
Daniel Ristic
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Microwave oven first time use — "10 minutes with water"?

My Samsung ME731K microwave oven just arrived. There is this instruction (in less than perfect English) and I'm not sure how to interpret it. Before using the your oven first time, oven should be operated with the water during 10 minute and then…
user26951
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Is my microwave still safe to use after accidentally heating metal in it?

My small kid used a metal bowl in a microwave oven and there was a spark. I immediately switched off the oven. There was a burnt mark on the left side of the oven. Though the microwave oven switches on (Light is one), I am not sure if it actually…
RHLK
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general principles of piercing the protective cover of unfrozen microwave ready meals

The microwave ready meals I tend to eat all say the same thing: pierce the protective plastic cover before heating at %POWER%, usually around 800W for %TIME%, usually 4-5 minutes. Most of them say to use a fork to make around half a dozen holes in…
Nzall
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How do I know if a food or recipe can be made in a microwave oven?

We've got a lot of questions about specific microwave cooking here - for example, "can I cook hamburgers in the microwave oven?" But rather than asking about specific foods, I would like to see some more general guidelines or widely applicable…
Cascabel
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Microwave sparks

My children always leave silverware in the microwave and all of my microwaves stopped working. Is there a microwave if you accidentally leave silverware in that will not cause sparks?
esther
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Where can I buy susceptor film?

This week I was introduced to "susceptor film" by some folks from Japan. It's used for cooking things such as fish at high temperature in a microwave, by absorbing some of the microwave energy and re-emitting it as infrared…
Steven Bell
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Can I safely run the microwave for an extended time with just a bowl of water?

I would like to leave a microwave running for several minutes (2-5, the longer the better) as part of a research project (I'm measuring the microwave emissions). Is it safe to put a bowl of water in the microwave to prevent the magnetron from…
user2562609
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Should I default to higher or lower power when the recommended power is not an option in a microwave?

I often cook takeaway dishes at home. Some of these dishes ask for 4 minutes at 850 Watt (for example, ravioli with mascarpone sauce). My microwave oven supports 750 Watt and 950 Wattt, but not 850 Watt. Should I go for 4:30 at 750 Watt or 3:30 at…
Nzall
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Is there a way to cook hot dogs in a microwave without them bursting?

Whenever I cook hot dogs in the microwave they invariably split and/or burst open. I've tried shortening the cooking time, but haven't found a happy medium where they are thoroughly cooked, but remain unmutilated. Is there some trick to cooking them…
JohnFx
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salmon + microwave = BLAM, any suggestions?

Salmon fillets tend to go 'pop' and spatter bits of themselves around the container in the microwave. Anyone got a procedure that discourages this?
bmargulies
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Stainless steel vs ceramic Enamel microwave ovens

I want to buy a convection microwave oven. I plan to buy either from LG or from samsung .Almost all LG products have stainless steel cavity and Samsung comes with ceramic enamel cavity. What is the difference between stainless steel vs ceramic…
Geek
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