The Microwave Oven: A 50-year-old appliance still helpful and valuable in the kitchen

A couple of decades ago, the world got on this fast and furious rollercoaster of technological evolution and we’ve seen a hundred changes and inventions in almost any field of life. But as technology and innovation grew on some of them, for example, work, we’ve started to feel we need to optimize our time at home, so that we can spend less time with the house chores and more time with our families or at work.

Start in the kitchen

And that’s where the gastronomy innovation began: hundreds of appliances that make cleaning and cooking easier and, as a consequence, more satisfying. Who wouldn’t want the assistance of a robot vacuum cleaner? Or who wouldn’t like to make a dish that only requires some ingredients, some other appliances, and just a couple of minutes in the making?

And this, new as it may sound, is not so new, not so recent. If you come to think about it, there’s been this one appliance that has been in your kitchen, saving you both problems and time for quite a long time now. That’s right, the microwave is probably the most basic kitchen appliance. Once you’ve got it and tried it, there’s no going back. Just a few clicks, a couple of minutes and there’s your dish (a fresh one or some leftovers) waiting for you to serve and enjoy.

Why or why not?

There are just a few cons to using a microwave and they are not enough to beat a hundred benefits it may bring not only to the cooking but to your lifestyle.

Unless that’s the point, nobody wants (nor does for that matter) to spend two hours cooking. A microwave, even if it’s never the same as a traditional oven, is a time-saver, but it’s also safer and cleaner. Let’s see why.

• Microwaves don’t need to be preheated as they start cooking at the time you set them on. Time saved there is not really significant, but what really matters is that it’s safer as you don’t have to worry about a gas leak or anything similar. Besides, they all have a timer included so you know it will turn off when the timer goes off.
• Energy consumption, although not the lowest among kitchen appliances, is noticeably lower than that of electric stovetops or ovens.
• As for the clean part, cooking in a microwave will help you use fewer pots, pans, spoons, and forks to cook just one meal which you will eat in twenty minutes tops.

All this said a microwave may be great for quick meals, but not for elaborate dishes. However, it’s great for leftovers which is a great pro considering you can always organize your week and meal prep in advance, using a day or two to cook and just a microwave to heat up and serve.

Microwave recipe

In spite of that, there are some meals you can make from scratch in your microwave, so here’s a recipe for you can make the most of fried rice with egg, an ideal dish for a quick lunch. It’s adaptable to meal prep as you can leave all the chopped ingredients in your refrigerator and use them when you’re going to eat it.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of rice.
• 2 cups of water.
• 2 chicken breasts.
• 1 cup of peas.
• 1 carrot.
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp of salt.
• A pinch of pepper.
• 2 eggs.

Preparation:

1. In a glass medium-size bowl, place a cup and a half of rice and two cups of water.
2. Chop one or two chicken breasts and add them to the bowl.
3. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of salt. Mix and take it to the microwave for eight minutes.
4. Take the bowl out and add the previously chopped carrot and the peas. Take it back to the microwave for two more minutes.
5. As that cooks, take a cup and place two eggs. Whisk them and season with some salt and pepper. Whisk again and take it to the microwave for two minutes.
6. Take the cup with the eggs out and break the eggs. Add the egg to the bowl and mix all the ingredients together.

It will be ready to serve and enjoy in ten minutes and you’ll have almost no utensils to clean up.