Gadgets that make you a microwave masterchef Fluffy omelettes. Crispy bacon. Even spaghetti! Now you can cook them from scratch in an instant
MICrOWAVes used to have an image problem. students loved them, gourmets sneered at them, and they were best known for warming up greasy, unappetising ready-meals. Now, however, they are gaining a whole new lease of life. For an ever-increasing range of ingenious gadgets means that there are now few cooking jobs which can’t be done — and done faster — in the microwave.
These devices enable you to boil eggs, fry bacon, steam vegetables or even make an omelette.
And this month Lakeland launched a microwave pressure cooker which promises to cook a chicken casserole from scratch in just 15 minutes.
But is the result really as good as cooking, frying and boiling? And how much time can they save you? We put the latest gadgets to the test . . .
PRESSURE COOKER
£34.99, Lakeland
TrADITIONAL pressure cookers are notorious for exploding and leaving food dripping from your ceiling, so I’ve always been wary of them.
But they’re enjoying a revival as they cook food more quickly and seal in more nutrients than conventional cooking, where nutrients are lost through evaporation.
Lakeland’s new microwave pressure cooker promises to make the process even faster — just 15 minutes for a whole casserole — and also features a tray that can be placed inside for steaming veg over water, if you like.
I tried lemon and basil chicken from the accompanying recipe booklet and it couldn’t have been simpler. I sliced onions, threw them in to the pot, put the chicken on top, added garlic, basil, white wine and chicken stock, then screwed the lid on.
I turned the microwave on to full power and 15 minutes later it was ready — though you must wait two minutes for the steam to dissipate before removing the lid. TIME: 20 minutes (three minutes of prep, 15 minutes’ cooking plus two minutes’ waiting). TASTE: Delicious — the meat was tender and the flavours were lovely and delicate. The kitchen smelt wonderful and I’d cooked an entire family lunch in a flash. VERDICT: This will change my life! 5/5
BACON RACK
£5.99, Kitchencraft
ThIs is a rectangular ridged plastic dish upon which you l ay your bacon slices out flat — as many slices as you like at a time. You then microwave it for three and a half minutes — or until cooked.
The bacon spat and hissed loudly and I worried the whole thing might explode. But the bacon looked wonderful — though my microwave did need a wipe down.
Far preferable to scrubbing a pan, though, and the rack can go straight into the dishwasher. And I didn’t need to heat and supervise a frying pan. TIME: Three and a half minutes — around half the time you’d spend frying bacon if you like it crispy.
TASTE: To my surprise, the bacon was crispy and tasted exactly as if I’d fried or grilled it.
VERDICT: If you fry bacon often, this would be well worth trying. 4/5
‘NO BOIL OVER’ JUG
£5.99, Lakeland
We ALL know the problem: you leave the milk heating in the microwave for a couple of seconds t oo l ong and — volcano! Milk everywhere and a horrible burning smell. This promises to put an end to that.
This litre jug has a domed, rimmed lid with tiny holes in it, so if ( or when) the milk boils over, it rises up through the hole then drains back into the jug.
I filled the jug with milk and put it on for two minutes, then another two minutes and another, until it was bubbling up through the hole. While some people might prefer watching a pan on the hob, I often use my microwave to make hot chocolate for the children, so for me this is a must-buy. TIME: It took just under ten minutes to get a full jug to boil — so no faster than normal. TASTE: It tasted exactly the same. VERDICT: This will save me valuable time on cleaning. 5/5
VEGETABLE STEAMER
£4.99, Sistema, John Lewis
NO MAjOr science involved in this one — it’s a big plastic box with a basket insert in which you pop the vegetables to steam. I sloshed some water into the bottom, put some tenderstem broccoli i nto the basket, closed the lid and microwaved it for three minutes. All of which was only marginally easier than using the hob as there wasn’t the faff of boiling water in a pan. TIME: Three minutes — slightly quicker than on the hob. TASTE: The broccoli seemed soggier than if done in a pan, maybe because it was getting cooked twice over — by steam and microwaves. VERDICT: I’m not sure the benefits are worth the cupboard space. 2/5
PASTA COOKER
£9.99, Lakeland
A pLAsTIC box i nto which you put dried spaghetti a nd cold water, before placing it — without the lid — into the microwave.
First, though, check the size of your microwave, as the box is big — 30cm (12in) long — and will only fit in a pretty large model.
It comes with a clever card which shows you how much spaghetti and water to use, and you then heat the spaghetti in the microwave for two minutes longer than the packet instructions advise for boiling.
When the time was up, I checked the spaghetti and it was just right. You then pop on a lid covered with holes and drain the box over the sink. Far easier than balancing a heavy pan full of boiling water and pasta over a sieve. And not one piece of pasta ended up in the sink! TIME: eleven minutes — longer than the pasta’s recommended nine minutes cooking time, but you don’t have to boil water first. TASTE: Lovely — beautifully cooked and the perfect texture. VERDICT: Great taste and slightly easier than using a pan. 3/5
OMELETTE MAKER
£14.99, Lekue, Lakeland
I hAD low expectations for this one. The low-tech piece of silicone consists of two joined semi-circles with raised edges — one side of which you tip egg mixture into. You then close the other side over as a lid, like a calzone pizza.
I cracked two eggs into a jug, added a dash of milk, handful of grated cheese, twist of salt and pepper then whisked with a fork.
I tipped this mix into one half of the silicone, closed the lid, and microwaved for two minutes. After that, I flipped the whole gadget over and microwaved for another 30 seconds, before opening and slipping the cooked omelette onto my plate.
And yes, it slipped straight out without any scraping or sticking — result! TIME: Under three minutes — only a little quicker than in a pan, but without the angst of sticking and tricky washing up. TASTE: The most delicious, soft, moist and un-rubbery omelette I’ve had in years, even if it looked a little pallid. VERDICT: A lovely omelette, fast, and barely any washing up! 4/5
RICE STEAMER
£14, Debenhams
ThIs clear plastic pot has a steaming basket inside, which lets the water drain out, but not the rice.
After rinsing dry rice in the basket, cover it with water and microwave for ten minutes with the lid on, stirring halfway through.
After two minutes resting time, you pull the basket out and fluff the rice with a fork. Not only is this all far simpler than boiling, but the rice doesn’t stick to the pan. TIME: Twelve minutes — roughly the same as boiling in a pan. TASTE: Fluffy, wonderful and not waterlogged, which I’d feared. VERDICT: I’m a total convert. 5/5
EGG BOILER
£3.49, Kitchencraft
CrACk an egg inside one of these plastic pots, put the li d on and microwave for 2030 seconds.
At least, that’s what the instructions claim. After 30 seconds in my 900W microwave the egg white was still mostly raw. I gave it another ten seconds, then another, then five more, until eventually the egg was cooked through in just under a minute. But it was overdone! TIME: A minute of microwave time in total, though I spent so long checking on it that I’m not sure I saved much time at all. TASTE: I could barely bring myself to taste the unappealingly rubbery looking egg. It actually tasted the same as a normally boiled egg, but the consistency was horrid. VERDICT: I’ll stick with my trusty little saucepan. 2/5
POTATO BAKER
£4.99, Kitchencraft
The microwave is both loved and loathed by f ans of baked potatoes, which it can both cook fast and cook ba d l y. This white plastic cross with spikes on each of its four arms promises to solve such woes — press a potato on to a spike, so they can’t roll away, before popping the device into the microwave.
There’s no guidance on how long they require so I turned to the internet for advice and opted for six minutes for one smallish potato.
Not only was it simple but I could cook my potato straight away without waiting for the oven to heat up. TIME: six minutes — versus at least an hour’s cooking time in an oven. TASTE: Instead of lovely crisp, baked skin, my spud is shrivelled, soggy and unappetising. Not a patch on the crispy skin and fluffy insides of a conventionally baked potato. VERDICT: Under no circumstances would I use this again. 1/5