In praise of the microwave

Some professional kitchens and ultra-home-chefs pride themselves on not owning a microwave, as if this handy device would somehow cheapen the cooking experience. To that I say fooey! This is the 21st century and while the microwave is not God’s gift to the chef it can come in really handy.

Take my dilemma last night. I was making a peanut butter sandwich and wanted to add honey. Except the honey had become slightly harder than an uncut diamond. While I could have softened it underneath hot water, that would have taken several steps. First getting the water hot, then making sure the cap was screwed on tight enough to not allow water, then letting it warm up for a minute and then having to rinse off the bottle. Instead I zapped it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Presto! Same results, a lot quicker.

Or take the process of melting butter. When you don’t have a gas stove-top (and I don’t) it can be a several-minute process getting electric burners hot enough and then melting it. Versus throwing it in the microwave for 30 seconds. (Just make sure to stick it on its end as that helps it melt more evenly.)

Today I learned a new trick from sister food blog Fork in the Road. I’m eager to try it out with the microwave.