I've largely moved to using the air fryer / toaster oven to heat things up, but the biggest "life hack" for microwaving is doubling the time and halving the power. That, and stirring halfway through.
I used to have one of those. Think it was 600W on highest setting. Only problem with it was it was tiny and barely anything fit in it. Pretty sure it was meant for RVs but it was $10 at a garage sale and I needed a microwave at the time.
Also if possible leave a void in the center of the plate/bowl. If I remember correctly something about the distribution of microwaves around something like 1" of the center are weaker than the area around it.
I think the general reason for that is more about the turntable. There are always going to be hot and cold spots in a microwave just based on how they work, they can't eliminate them. So spinning the food around means that sometimes it is in a hot spot and sometimes in a cold spot... Except the very center where it is basically just rotating in place. It is either going to be a hot or a cold spot more than likely, and whatever food is stuck there is going to burn or never cook.
Only if there isn't any food at the center of the plate. If you are doing something like a bowl of soup it is better to put it toward the edge of the turntable so it moves more. Basically, you want the food to go on an adventure and see as many different places inside the microwave as possible.
Edit Whoops, misread your "isn't" for "is" somehow, lol. Basically yea.
1000w microwaves for me are 50% more time and either 70 or 80% power depending on how evenly the food heats up. Sometimes I do stuff at 90 if I want edge cheese to overcook a little.
Popcorn in a pan is so much better, really easy, and SO much cheaper than bagged microwave popcorn. I bought a flat-bottom wok specifically for cooking popcorn because I like it that way so much, but I made it for years in just a normal pasta pot.
Also get one that says "inverter" in the marketing(all microwaves have an inverter, but what they usually mean is it varies the power with a variable inverter, instead of just turning on for 5 seconds and then off for 5 seconds when at 50% power)
Tbf most microwaves are designed in a dumb way where half power means turning on the magnetron to max power anyway just for half the time, with something like 20 second on cycles. They're like putting food into the oven to 450F but pulling it out every so often.
Pretty sure that is how all of them work and it is perfectly fine. Stopping the blast of energy frequently lets the heat evenly distribute while cooking to keep any part from overcooking.
Panasonic owns the patent for an inverter microwave that can actually do 50% power.
With inverters being common in solar installations and electric cars, it would seem that someone else could just put that part in a microwave, but fortunately the patent prevents that.
It's nice to know that although I can't buy the model of microwave that I want with the features I want, at least a single company can prevent everyone else's progress and even make a tiny bit of extra profit at the same time.
Panasonic does sometimes licence the patent to other companies. I would love an inverter microwave, but they aren't made with the other features I want.
It's the emporia app, I installed whole home monitoring in my breaker panel. It's occasionally useful, expensive, but I've had it long enough to make it worth it in my mind 🤷♂️
Seriously, is it really that fucking difficult for the average person to understand how the power setting works? My microwaved food comes out evenly-heated every time, because I'm not a fucking idiot.
It would help if most of them didn't completely cheap out on the power modulation. Most of them do this half assed PWM over like 10 seconds, so they're on at max power or off, which to be fair is a pretty unintuitive way to cook for most people. It would be much better if they just put out some fraction of full power continuously. It makes much more sense and removes the annoying complexity. Some microwaves do it but they're few and far between.
Literally every microwave I've ever known uses PWM for power control, but alternating between off and full blast still heats more evenly than just leaving it on the default non-stop full blast setting that literally everyone uses and never changes.
Most definitely. Learn what the power button on the microwave does, and use it every time you heat up food. The only time you should ever leave it at the default of 100%/10/HIGH is when you're boiling water.
Problem with sensor microwaves is that they still blast the food at full power when you use the Sensor Cook setting, and I don't know of any microwave that lets you reduce the power by half when in Sensor Cook, resulting uneven heating regardless. They're usually just a one button operation. I need finer control!
What? That’s why you have 9 different options, they are different power levels and approximate cooking times to adjust for that stuff.
Most run at 50% for around 3-5 minutes. It can’t cook it unevenly unless you fuck it up, it only stops when it detects moisture, sounds like you just had a faulty or fake one.
It seems as if there's a large chunk of multiple generations that were never taught by their guardians and teachers how to use a microwave properly.
You wouldn't use an oven the same way as a frying pan and expect the same results. Microwaves are great for some things and not for others, and can easily heat things through evenly.
It's not the fault of people who don't know though, it's a fault of their educators.
So my advice to James is simple: Use a lower power level, stir your food partway through microwaving, and let it sit for a few minutes before you eat it.
My only interface complaint with my current microwave is that the turntable doesn't do a full revolution in an even amount of time. That is, it takes about nine seconds to do a full revolution, but since I put the food in for one minute, or some number of 30-second intervals, the bowl, or cup always ends up away from the front of the oven, so I need to reach in to get it. What's needed is a variable speed drive that ensures the cup always comes back to the same point at which you put it in, regardless of time.
But, really, I'd put up with almost anything for a microwave that lasted 20 years, like my old microwave did.
Until this day I assumed that everyone put their food in the centre of the turntable, where presumably the cooking power is most concentrated. But now I know that people like you exist.
There are meals you can make by setting the stovetop on high and leaving the pot for 30 minutes but expecting it to work for everything and blaming the tool is just showing a lack of understanding of the tool.
I'll give the microwave a pass. It doesn't heat up food evenly but all You have to do is stir it half way through. It's not like You can heat up anything on the stove without stirring.
While on the subject. I have a microwave, electric oven combo. I can use it both to heat things up quickly and to bake. It takes space for only one allowance and is smaller than an average oven so it heats up quicker and I could fit one more drawer into my kitchen. I'm always wondering why they aren't more popular. Whenever I tell people about it, they are surprised that a thing like that exists.
My wife learning about inverter microwave models was one of the greatest upgrades in our kitchen when the old microwave went out. The shorter pulses for power reduction is such a game-changer over something that puts burning the fuck out of your food on a temporary pause.
90s at 70%, 45s at 50%, then 45-90s at 30% gives us perfectly hot milk that doesn't boil over and no skin ring that's been baked on the inside of our mugs.
My hotplate recently broke, but I successfully used the microwave yesterday to make a simple syrup without relying on short bursts and frequent stirring breaks.
It's certainly one of the more forgivable boneappleteas I've ever seen... but the rest of the comment is such a hot mess of typos and unwarranted aggression that my sympathy evaporated.
There are entire cooking books centered around microwave cooking.
They don't waste your money and are generally a lot quicker prepared. And whether or not they waste your food is subjective. You can't do everything in them, but you can do a lot more than you think.
74 Comments
IcedRaktajino@startrek.website · 75 pts · 155d
I've largely moved to using the air fryer / toaster oven to heat things up, but the biggest "life hack" for microwaving is doubling the time and halving the power. That, and stirring halfway through.
Unleaded8163@fedia.io · 40 pts · 155d
The real life hack is having a crappy low powered microwave so you don't even have to set it to half power.
IcedRaktajino@startrek.website · 14 pts · 155d
I used to have one of those. Think it was 600W on highest setting. Only problem with it was it was tiny and barely anything fit in it. Pretty sure it was meant for RVs but it was $10 at a garage sale and I needed a microwave at the time.
fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works · 21 pts · 155d
Honestly 3-5 minutes at 50-60% reheats food perfectly for me most of the time.
IcedRaktajino@startrek.website · 13 pts · 155d
Can confirm, lol. For breakfast, I heated up some leftover spaghetti and meatballs I made last night, and 5 minutes at 60% was the perfect amount.
Asafum@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 155d
Also if possible leave a void in the center of the plate/bowl. If I remember correctly something about the distribution of microwaves around something like 1" of the center are weaker than the area around it.
Crozekiel@lemmy.zip · 9 pts · 155d
I think the general reason for that is more about the turntable. There are always going to be hot and cold spots in a microwave just based on how they work, they can't eliminate them. So spinning the food around means that sometimes it is in a hot spot and sometimes in a cold spot... Except the very center where it is basically just rotating in place. It is either going to be a hot or a cold spot more than likely, and whatever food is stuck there is going to burn or never cook.
maccentric@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 154d
So ideally, just make sure your plate isn’t centered and you’ll be good?
Crozekiel@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 154d
Only if there isn't any food at the center of the plate. If you are doing something like a bowl of soup it is better to put it toward the edge of the turntable so it moves more. Basically, you want the food to go on an adventure and see as many different places inside the microwave as possible.
Edit Whoops, misread your "isn't" for "is" somehow, lol. Basically yea.
snooggums@piefed.world · 7 pts · 155d
1000w microwaves for me are 50% more time and either 70 or 80% power depending on how evenly the food heats up. Sometimes I do stuff at 90 if I want edge cheese to overcook a little.
100% power is for popcorn!
Crozekiel@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 155d
Popcorn in a pan is so much better, really easy, and SO much cheaper than bagged microwave popcorn. I bought a flat-bottom wok specifically for cooking popcorn because I like it that way so much, but I made it for years in just a normal pasta pot.
Soggy@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 154d
Microwave popcorn hits different.
driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br · 5 pts · 154d
Half the power, double the time. This is how I use it and it works great for me.
Venator@lemmy.nz · 3 pts · 154d
Also get one that says "inverter" in the marketing(all microwaves have an inverter, but what they usually mean is it varies the power with a variable inverter, instead of just turning on for 5 seconds and then off for 5 seconds when at 50% power)
Solumbran@lemmy.world · 65 pts · 155d
People really don't know how to use a microwave.
snooggums@piefed.world · 25 pts · 155d
They think the timer is everything.
That is like cooking everything in the oven at 450F.
MoffKalast@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 155d
Tbf most microwaves are designed in a dumb way where half power means turning on the magnetron to max power anyway just for half the time, with something like 20 second on cycles. They're like putting food into the oven to 450F but pulling it out every so often.
snooggums@piefed.world · 8 pts · 155d
Pretty sure that is how all of them work and it is perfectly fine. Stopping the blast of energy frequently lets the heat evenly distribute while cooking to keep any part from overcooking.
18107@aussie.zone · 9 pts · 154d
Panasonic owns the patent for an inverter microwave that can actually do 50% power.
With inverters being common in solar installations and electric cars, it would seem that someone else could just put that part in a microwave, but fortunately the patent prevents that.
It's nice to know that although I can't buy the model of microwave that I want with the features I want, at least a single company can prevent everyone else's progress and even make a tiny bit of extra profit at the same time.
hereiamagain@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 154d
But my microwave does this?
This is real data from my LG microwave just now. The first peak is at 100% power, the second peak is 30% power, the last three peaks are 10% power.
You can see that under 30% it has to cycle the inverter on and off like old microwaves, but still it's way better than doing that at 100%.
I love my inverter microwave, I feel like I'm living in the future. Bought this thing like 4 years ago 🤷♂️
18107@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 154d
Panasonic does sometimes licence the patent to other companies. I would love an inverter microwave, but they aren't made with the other features I want.
What app is that?
hereiamagain@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 154d
Fair enough.
It's the emporia app, I installed whole home monitoring in my breaker panel. It's occasionally useful, expensive, but I've had it long enough to make it worth it in my mind 🤷♂️
Psythik@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 154d
Seriously, is it really that fucking difficult for the average person to understand how the power setting works? My microwaved food comes out evenly-heated every time, because I'm not a fucking idiot.
applebusch@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 154d
It would help if most of them didn't completely cheap out on the power modulation. Most of them do this half assed PWM over like 10 seconds, so they're on at max power or off, which to be fair is a pretty unintuitive way to cook for most people. It would be much better if they just put out some fraction of full power continuously. It makes much more sense and removes the annoying complexity. Some microwaves do it but they're few and far between.
Psythik@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 154d
Literally every microwave I've ever known uses PWM for power control, but alternating between off and full blast still heats more evenly than just leaving it on the default non-stop full blast setting that literally everyone uses and never changes.
Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 154d
Most heating elements turn off and on real quick in order to heat up more slowly. They are electrical devices. They really don't care.
plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 154d
Wait until you find out how stoves and ovens work.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 33 pts · 154d
Doxin@pawb.social · 3 pts · 154d
You're not using microwave save dishes. Microwave safe dishes barely heat up at all in a microwave.
Digit@lemmy.wtf · 19 pts · 155d
WanderingThoughts@europe.pub · 2 pts · 155d
Let's make one side too hot and the other side too cold. Everybody happy!
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca · 17 pts · 154d
skill issue
Psythik@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 154d
Most definitely. Learn what the power button on the microwave does, and use it every time you heat up food. The only time you should ever leave it at the default of 100%/10/HIGH is when you're boiling water.
Jumi@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 153d
Do you actually boil water in the microwave?
Psythik@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 152d
No but a lot of people do. I have a coffee machine.
plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 155d
Have a microwave with a steam sensor perfectly cooked food everytime.
neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 155d
Came here to point out most microwave's auto-cook features, or just using lower power settings and longer cook times.
I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 155d
Mine works really well on sensor reheat unless it’s soup, then it’s gonna boil it dry after exploding it all over like a crime scene.
Psythik@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 154d
Problem with sensor microwaves is that they still blast the food at full power when you use the Sensor Cook setting, and I don't know of any microwave that lets you reduce the power by half when in Sensor Cook, resulting uneven heating regardless. They're usually just a one button operation. I need finer control!
plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 154d
What? That’s why you have 9 different options, they are different power levels and approximate cooking times to adjust for that stuff.
Most run at 50% for around 3-5 minutes. It can’t cook it unevenly unless you fuck it up, it only stops when it detects moisture, sounds like you just had a faulty or fake one.
jack_of_sandwich@lemmy.sdf.org · 15 pts · 154d
Microwave: just for that, I'm giving it to you BOTH too hot and too cold
obinice@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 154d
It seems as if there's a large chunk of multiple generations that were never taught by their guardians and teachers how to use a microwave properly.
You wouldn't use an oven the same way as a frying pan and expect the same results. Microwaves are great for some things and not for others, and can easily heat things through evenly.
It's not the fault of people who don't know though, it's a fault of their educators.
applebusch@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 154d
Boomers:
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de · 7 pts · 155d
This https://what-if.xkcd.com/131/ should be helpful to everyone who has these kinds of problems.
aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 155d
Nice that they Dep. of Ag. Microwave safety page is gone.
8oow3291d@feddit.dk · 1 pts · 154d
Rhaedas@fedia.io · 6 pts · 155d
May not be on the cheaper microwaves, but the combination of the sensor heating button and inverter technology makes reheating perfect every time.
snooggums@piefed.world · 3 pts · 155d
I have had zero luck with any of the sensor options on the handful of microwaves that I have tried it on. Might just be bad luck.
Zorque@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 155d
Wait more than two seconds after the microwave dings before cramming it down your gullett and maybe the temperature will be a little more even.
Psythik@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 154d
No, just learn how to adjust the power setting, and enjoy evenly-cooked food every time.
rizzothesmall@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 155d
whynotboth.gif
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 155d
My only interface complaint with my current microwave is that the turntable doesn't do a full revolution in an even amount of time. That is, it takes about nine seconds to do a full revolution, but since I put the food in for one minute, or some number of 30-second intervals, the bowl, or cup always ends up away from the front of the oven, so I need to reach in to get it. What's needed is a variable speed drive that ensures the cup always comes back to the same point at which you put it in, regardless of time.
But, really, I'd put up with almost anything for a microwave that lasted 20 years, like my old microwave did.
mech@feddit.org · 4 pts · 155d
Put it in the back of the microwave, then it's at the front when you take it out.
tynansdtm@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 155d
Until this day I assumed that everyone put their food in the centre of the turntable, where presumably the cooking power is most concentrated. But now I know that people like you exist.
Hawke@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 155d
That’s how you get the center burnt and the outside cold. The food should move through the microwave, not sit in one place.
RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 154d
Well, then you presumed poorly, because it cooks better along the outside. Why would it even have a turn table, otherwise?
Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de · 5 pts · 155d
There is an easy solution to this.
Don't put your food in the middle.
Drusas@fedia.io · 2 pts · 154d
Also, stir.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 154d
And pause a couple times throughout to rotate and/or stir. Even if it's already on a carousel.
LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 153d
Someone has NEVER used the power setting before...
TypFaffke@feddit.org · 1 pts · 153d
I'm alway running it at full power. Doesn't decreasing the power just slow the whole process down?
turmacar@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 153d
It depends what you're doing.
There are meals you can make by setting the stovetop on high and leaving the pot for 30 minutes but expecting it to work for everything and blaming the tool is just showing a lack of understanding of the tool.
mlg@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 154d
Western society if their citizens knew how to use the power setting:
hOrni@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 155d
I'll give the microwave a pass. It doesn't heat up food evenly but all You have to do is stir it half way through. It's not like You can heat up anything on the stove without stirring.
While on the subject. I have a microwave, electric oven combo. I can use it both to heat things up quickly and to bake. It takes space for only one allowance and is smaller than an average oven so it heats up quicker and I could fit one more drawer into my kitchen. I'm always wondering why they aren't more popular. Whenever I tell people about it, they are surprised that a thing like that exists.
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 154d
Sensor Reheat
selokichtli@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 154d
I'm gonna ignore all the microwave oven cook experts comments and just be blunt. They don't do it like they used to anymore, I feel you OP.
fartographer@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 155d
My wife learning about inverter microwave models was one of the greatest upgrades in our kitchen when the old microwave went out. The shorter pulses for power reduction is such a game-changer over something that puts burning the fuck out of your food on a temporary pause.
90s at 70%, 45s at 50%, then 45-90s at 30% gives us perfectly hot milk that doesn't boil over and no skin ring that's been baked on the inside of our mugs.
My hotplate recently broke, but I successfully used the microwave yesterday to make a simple syrup without relying on short bursts and frequent stirring breaks.
Pechente@feddit.org · 1 pts · 155d
mech@feddit.org · 1 pts · 155d
Just wait 2 minutes after it dings, then the heat spreads through the food evenly.
saltesc@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 155d
I've never lived in a society where a microwave is used for anything other than heating things up—all be it, poorly.
Then I hear of people in some countries use themi cook. What a waste your time, food, and mone?
In the apocalypse; Microwavers.are.day 1 done at best.
Zorque@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 155d
Albeit... I mean, pedantically at least.
Agrivar@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 154d
It's certainly one of the more forgivable boneappleteas I've ever seen... but the rest of the comment is such a hot mess of typos and unwarranted aggression that my sympathy evaporated.
Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 154d
There are entire cooking books centered around microwave cooking.
They don't waste your money and are generally a lot quicker prepared. And whether or not they waste your food is subjective. You can't do everything in them, but you can do a lot more than you think.