Do You Need Any of These Microwave Cooking Gadgets? The Kitchen Gadget Test Show
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Date: 2020-05-20
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Comments and reviews: 10
Rino
You can do a lot with a microwave so it's an essential appliance for any modern home, but you really have to know how it works to get the best results. Microwaves basically vibrate water molecules which produces heat. This ends up cooking your food from the inside out or even dehydrating it as the water content escapes out of the food as vapour. Dehydration along with surface heat from vessels that heat up(but not nearly enough)is what causes the crisping. It's possible to get a Maillard reaction (browning) in the microwave, but it will be very inconsistent since the margin for error is very high. You can go from cooked to burned in a matter of seconds and this is why any kind of browning you get is inconsistent. Bottom line is: only use the microwave for applications in which you heat up foods with consistent hydration levels such as melting, steaming, boiling. Also the reason why all these microwave-use gadgets are plastic/silicone is because they are specifically made to heat up and not explode in the microwave. Glass and ceramic can get so hot that they crack/explode, but not plastic which usually doesn't react to microwaves(if you microwave in a plastic vessel and it's hot it's because of the heated food in it making it hot, not the microwaves themselves. BUT microwaving with plastic often is problematic because they leach chemicals especially when exposed to high heat. Silicone is fine, but due to the flexibility it doesn't make a great vessel.
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You can do a lot with a microwave so it's an essential appliance for any modern home, but you really have to know how it works to get the best results. Microwaves basically vibrate water molecules which produces heat. This ends up cooking your food from the inside out or even dehydrating it as the water content escapes out of the food as vapour. Dehydration along with surface heat from vessels that heat up(but not nearly enough)is what causes the crisping. It's possible to get a Maillard reaction (browning) in the microwave, but it will be very inconsistent since the margin for error is very high. You can go from cooked to burned in a matter of seconds and this is why any kind of browning you get is inconsistent. Bottom line is: only use the microwave for applications in which you heat up foods with consistent hydration levels such as melting, steaming, boiling. Also the reason why all these microwave-use gadgets are plastic/silicone is because they are specifically made to heat up and not explode in the microwave. Glass and ceramic can get so hot that they crack/explode, but not plastic which usually doesn't react to microwaves(if you microwave in a plastic vessel and it's hot it's because of the heated food in it making it hot, not the microwaves themselves. BUT microwaving with plastic often is problematic because they leach chemicals especially when exposed to high heat. Silicone is fine, but due to the flexibility it doesn't make a great vessel.
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Chris
a positive review from esther on a microwave product certainly piqued my interest and after reading the reviews on amazon i bought the maconee sandwich grill and boy does it live up to the hype. my first go was a rib sandwich which cooked great, though it did compress the hoagie roll more than i would've liked. the next day i dialed in a hot pocket for a 3: 30 cook time and two corndogs about 3: 30 also. mind you the grill was designed to work in 900w ovens. the times i gave were with a 1kw oven. this is a great little device that's not quite as good as oven cooking but way better than using a microwave alone. this would be great for dorms or other places your cooking abilities are limited. also great for summer when you don't want to fire up the oven for 20-30 mins for a decent sandwich. the booklet that comes with it has instructions for veg, fish, chicken, steak, what have you. of coarse as microwaves vary, it's going take a bit of playing around to find what works for you, but that's the fun, ain't it? i mean what's the fun of a new toy if you don't get to play with it? anyhow five stars and i'm seriously thinking about buying a second one to keep at work. oh, and at 28 bucks for the large model, a pretty good value for a device that can accomplish the impossible task of making microwaved food crispy.
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a positive review from esther on a microwave product certainly piqued my interest and after reading the reviews on amazon i bought the maconee sandwich grill and boy does it live up to the hype. my first go was a rib sandwich which cooked great, though it did compress the hoagie roll more than i would've liked. the next day i dialed in a hot pocket for a 3: 30 cook time and two corndogs about 3: 30 also. mind you the grill was designed to work in 900w ovens. the times i gave were with a 1kw oven. this is a great little device that's not quite as good as oven cooking but way better than using a microwave alone. this would be great for dorms or other places your cooking abilities are limited. also great for summer when you don't want to fire up the oven for 20-30 mins for a decent sandwich. the booklet that comes with it has instructions for veg, fish, chicken, steak, what have you. of coarse as microwaves vary, it's going take a bit of playing around to find what works for you, but that's the fun, ain't it? i mean what's the fun of a new toy if you don't get to play with it? anyhow five stars and i'm seriously thinking about buying a second one to keep at work. oh, and at 28 bucks for the large model, a pretty good value for a device that can accomplish the impossible task of making microwaved food crispy.
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Jnc
a) I don't know why you would return the grill back into microwave IF the grill is already sizzling. Cuz; yeah it's going to boil it (the steak) instead of grilling when you return the steak into microwave. I have a feeling you did that wrong. b) With the pressure cooker; wouldn't you brown the meat first to seal in the juices before putting it in the pressure cooker? Then after waiting 40 mins on any pressure cooker device the release should be underwhelming. Personally, I would microwave at least 40 mins with the pressure cooker, remove it from the oven, then let it sit for another 40 mins. But also, as exciting as the pressure cooker sounds, it kinda defeats the purpose of the Insta-Pot. Convenience, 8-in-1, grill, can, steam (rice, energy efficient, etc, etc. Running the microwave that long; using radiation and plastic does not sound appetizing to me. I think I'll stick to my battlion of clay pots, Dutch ovens, slow cookers and cast irons to get that all day, slave away, home cooked taste. Overall, I was very excited to see these gadgets, but in the end it's the taste that matters.
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a) I don't know why you would return the grill back into microwave IF the grill is already sizzling. Cuz; yeah it's going to boil it (the steak) instead of grilling when you return the steak into microwave. I have a feeling you did that wrong. b) With the pressure cooker; wouldn't you brown the meat first to seal in the juices before putting it in the pressure cooker? Then after waiting 40 mins on any pressure cooker device the release should be underwhelming. Personally, I would microwave at least 40 mins with the pressure cooker, remove it from the oven, then let it sit for another 40 mins. But also, as exciting as the pressure cooker sounds, it kinda defeats the purpose of the Insta-Pot. Convenience, 8-in-1, grill, can, steam (rice, energy efficient, etc, etc. Running the microwave that long; using radiation and plastic does not sound appetizing to me. I think I'll stick to my battlion of clay pots, Dutch ovens, slow cookers and cast irons to get that all day, slave away, home cooked taste. Overall, I was very excited to see these gadgets, but in the end it's the taste that matters.
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Rob
I wanted to watch this to see how these products compared to similar products I sell as a home party plan consultant. It definitely confirmed that you get what you pay for in microwave tools. I'm not mentioning the company name on purpose because my comment is more to the fact that the quality of the tool makes a difference. In addition, as with all cooking, technique can also make or break results. With regard to the pressure cooker, it appears that one had a bad seal because there definitely should have been steam released when you hit the valve. Most of the time, however, you should use a natural release where the valve will pop open on its own. This provided extra cooking time that helps. With the grill product, when you do meats with a higher fat content it's best to stop 1/2 way through the cycle, flip the meat and empty any juices, otherwise you end up with steamed and unevenly browned meat as shown.
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I wanted to watch this to see how these products compared to similar products I sell as a home party plan consultant. It definitely confirmed that you get what you pay for in microwave tools. I'm not mentioning the company name on purpose because my comment is more to the fact that the quality of the tool makes a difference. In addition, as with all cooking, technique can also make or break results. With regard to the pressure cooker, it appears that one had a bad seal because there definitely should have been steam released when you hit the valve. Most of the time, however, you should use a natural release where the valve will pop open on its own. This provided extra cooking time that helps. With the grill product, when you do meats with a higher fat content it's best to stop 1/2 way through the cycle, flip the meat and empty any juices, otherwise you end up with steamed and unevenly browned meat as shown.
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BenRangel
Microwaves are kinda underrated as they are dismissed as inferior for everything and only necessary for quick shortcuts. But in theory usin a micro to boil/steam vegetables would be better than doing a regular pot of boiling water cause less flavor and nutrients would be lost in the water. Some chef on Chef Steps argued for it a lot. Biggest issue though is getting an even cooking of larger pieces.
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Microwaves are kinda underrated as they are dismissed as inferior for everything and only necessary for quick shortcuts. But in theory usin a micro to boil/steam vegetables would be better than doing a regular pot of boiling water cause less flavor and nutrients would be lost in the water. Some chef on Chef Steps argued for it a lot. Biggest issue though is getting an even cooking of larger pieces.
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Emilie
I live in Korea, and I have a microwave rice cooker, there are a few more components than this one. But I remember the directions saying to leave the cooker in the microwave for 5 min, or at the very least to not remove the lid for 5 min after cooking. But my cooker has a bit more of a seal to the lid, there are like 2 lids for mine
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I live in Korea, and I have a microwave rice cooker, there are a few more components than this one. But I remember the directions saying to leave the cooker in the microwave for 5 min, or at the very least to not remove the lid for 5 min after cooking. But my cooker has a bit more of a seal to the lid, there are like 2 lids for mine
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Bee
7: 34 why is the pressure cooker on the counter behind her? conspiracy theory they faked the results now lmao. edit: it also switches to the set up for her cooking the steak at this moment, i realized (plus a second already cooked steak for some reason) so guess they just used stock footage of her waiting for something else.
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7: 34 why is the pressure cooker on the counter behind her? conspiracy theory they faked the results now lmao. edit: it also switches to the set up for her cooking the steak at this moment, i realized (plus a second already cooked steak for some reason) so guess they just used stock footage of her waiting for something else.
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Pallavi
I'm indian so fluffy well separated rice (not the sticky stuff east asians eat) is part of my everyday diet and i always make it in the microwave, don't even need a special steamer just a regular micro safe pot is enough-20mins tops half-one inch of water on top of the rice on medium
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I'm indian so fluffy well separated rice (not the sticky stuff east asians eat) is part of my everyday diet and i always make it in the microwave, don't even need a special steamer just a regular micro safe pot is enough-20mins tops half-one inch of water on top of the rice on medium
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Roshi
I see people talking about putting foil and metal utensils in the microwave! THIS IS VERY VERY DANGEROUS PLEASE DO NOT STATIC AND SMOKE WILL APPEAR AND THE MICROWAVE WILL EXPLODE. These are probably ceramic coated in the video but please be careful.
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I see people talking about putting foil and metal utensils in the microwave! THIS IS VERY VERY DANGEROUS PLEASE DO NOT STATIC AND SMOKE WILL APPEAR AND THE MICROWAVE WILL EXPLODE. These are probably ceramic coated in the video but please be careful.
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truebluekit
Lady, are stuff you review gigantic, or are you tiny? First, the food processors you reviewed looked like Buicks when you stood next to them. Now, that microwave looks a bank vault. Or is it the camera's fault?
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Lady, are stuff you review gigantic, or are you tiny? First, the food processors you reviewed looked like Buicks when you stood next to them. Now, that microwave looks a bank vault. Or is it the camera's fault?
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