I dont find much use of microwave in your receipes. Microwave dishes are quick to make especially cakes. Do u have any section of such receipes?

Hello Charu

I use microwave to steam/boil/heat things and very occasionally for cooking, preferring conventional methods over it. It is purely a personal choice. I find that the food (including cakes) do not taste the same cooked in microwave. Even rice tastes a little leathery to me :-(! Neeta Mehta has written a book about microwave cooking, as have a few other Indian chefs. If you live in India, it is worth browsing through their cookery book section.

Mamta

hi mamta,

I received a kenstar microwave as gift 4 months and i havent started using it.

I just want to know that if i will use it once then is there a need to use it regularly and tell me how to take good care of it in long run.

((using a coffee cup)

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of butter

2 cup of self raising flour

1-2 eggs

Mix sugar and butter together to make a cream then add the flour, followed by the eggs.

Place in small bowls and cover with a lid (or microwaveable cling film, but bowls have to be deep so the hot contents don't touch the cling film)

Microwave for around 2-5 minutes on full (depending on microwave power)

This gives you a very basic/bland sponge pudding, which once you get right can be the base for any number of additions (like chocolate, cinnamon, lemon, mixed fruit etc)

Steve

Microwaves are generally used my most people for re-heating food and not so much for cooking although I have a very good book - Microwave Subzis by Tarla Dalal - 89rps. and was also given a good one when I bought my cooker.

Re-heat left over food (could be a meat or veg curry) for a couple of minutes - in a microwave safe dish with a lid - if possible - if not use a plate to cover and leave a small gap for the steam to escape. Stir and return to the cooker until reheated all the way through. Rice only takes just over a minute to reheat a single portion. If you like scrambled eggs mix a couple in a microwave safe dish - a large one as they do tend to rise up the bowl - add a tablespoon of water (spices is you like) mix again and microwave for a minute - stir and cook for another minute. This is the time I like them for - you could do the second half of cooking for less if you like them a little runny.

Very easy to clean - just wipe over after use and if there is any food which will not come off put a cup of water in the microwave and put on "full" for a couple of minutes - the steam will soften anything in the cooker which you can then wipe off.

Be very careful if you make a "liquid only" drink in it - say hot milk. When you have heated the liquid take it from the cooker and let it rest before you stir it or add anything. If you mix it straight away sometimes the liquids have been known to "jump" out of the cup which could land on your hand and arm and give you a nasty burn.

Enjoy your microwave - when you get to know how to use them they are a very usedful addition to your kitchen.

Hattie

If this allowed

I have just had a look at Tarla Dalal website and she has 53 microwave recipes which have been contributed by guests. There are lots of sweets and cake recipes but not many savoury ones.

I think the problem with savoury dishes is not being able to brown things properly. If you try to cook any meat you don't get the caramalized outside with the lovely tender middle, you get a hot peace of meat that is usually quite tough.

Same thing goes for other things like onions, you just get them hot, not brown.

I think the other problem is there are 2 sorts of things you cook, one is an all in one sort of braise or roast that goes in the oven, which usually wants long slow cooking and the browning of the oven - which the microwave fails on both.

The other sort of thing is a stove top / bbq type thing where you need to put this in and soften, then add that, some of this, stir that, put this in, etc Which is painful when you try to do it in a microwave (even if you ignore the lack of browning).

I use mine for cooking jacket potatoes if I'm in a rush (but more often than not put them in the oven to crisp up a bit), heating baked beans adn occasionally re-heating a meal. For a couple of goes I did the microwave pudding but found it still came out better when done in the oven.

Steve

I always cook fish in the microwave - quick and easy.

Lots of the Indian Veggie meals cook in the microwave very quickly and are tasty. Khumbh Lajawab by Tarla Dalal (basically mushroom curry)is brilliant cooked in the microwave - takes no more than 12 mins from start to going on the plate which includes cooking onions with ginger garlic paste - rest of ingredients - stirring - finish off cooking and eat.

Dum Aloo Posta - baby potatoes stuffed with paneer and and cashews holds together well when cooked in the micro as they need little stirring.

Once you get used it the dishes are endless.

Hattie.

Hello Hattie

I have had a microwave since it first came out. I use it to de-frost, steam various things and re-heat and occasionally. I am not a great fan of microwave cooking, food is passable, but not really as good as when cooked conventionally. I even did a course 25-30 years ago, but never took to cooking food in it. Like Steve AskCy, I do sometimes make jacket potatoes in it, finishing it off under grill/ in oven. Microwave doesn?t give the food that special ?roasted? or ?fried? or ?grilled? flavour that you get from conventional methods. Like Steve, I might use it to half cook/steam things, but never to make a full dish. I make idlies sometimes, but they are never the same texture as when steamed. Passable, but not as good, in my opinion. How can Dum aloos be good, unless you give them a little ?dum? treatment!

I have seen Tarla Dalal?s books, nice but recipes often do not come out as good as they look. She is a well known cook, with a huge turnover of her books and a huge business. May be it is just me doing something wrong or not following her recipe properly. However, I do wish you well with your new microwave and may you have a long and happy time experimenting with it.

Best wishes

Mamta

We recently bought our first microwave oven, because the ovens in both of our cookers have died on us.

I agree that they're good (in fact, invaluable) for defrosting and re-heating, but that 'Microwave Cooking' is a bit of a contradiction in terms.

Phil

I have purchased a piegon microwave but I don't know the receipes to cook in microwave please inform.