I wake up at 10:15 a.m. Class starts at 10:30 a.m. The thought of skipping yet another breakfast because I’ve overslept makes my stomach rumble angrily. Luckily, my roommate came to the rescue with an article on Oprah’s website explaining how to cook pancakes in the microwave in under two minutes. Thank you, Oprah! I have now discovered the importance of using a microwave to its fullest potential to save time, money and energy. It can do more than heat up leftovers: It has the power create meals with the push of a button. When I oversleep or I’m too lazy to leave my dorm to get food, my dorm’s microwave awaits, a glowing beacon of hope promising delicious food in the immediate future. Today, I would like to share that beacon of hope with you in the form of some of my favorite microwave recipes.
1. Pancakes
Yes, you read correctly! You can cook pancakes in the microwave. The recipe is simple: Make the pancake batter from a box of pancake mix, pour it onto a plate and microwave it for a minute and a half. I find that microwave-cooked pancakes retain the same flavor and fluffiness as pancakes cooked on a stove, but they lack the crispy coating from frying them. However, they’re a great option if you don’t have much time to make breakfast in the morning!
2. Bacon
To cook bacon in the microwave, simply put two paper towels on a plate, lay the slices of bacon flat on top of the paper towel without overlapping, cover the bacon in two more paper towels, and cook it on high for four to six minutes.
3. Eggs
Scrambled: First, beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl. Then, microwave the mixture for 45 seconds. Take the eggs out of the microwave, stir them and then cook them in the microwave for another 30-45 seconds.
Poached: Fill a bowl with ½ cup of water and a pinch of salt. Crack an egg into the bowl and ensure that it is completely submerged. Then, cover the bowl by placing a plate on top of it, and microwave on high for one minute. Check if the egg is cooked. If not, microwave it for another 15 seconds.
4. Potato chips
Coat potato slices in vegetable oil; then, lay them flat on a plate and microwave them for 3-5 minutes (until crispy). For some variety, you can follow this recipe with sweet potato slices and olive oil.
5. Baked potato
Poke the potato with a fork several times and place it in the microwave on high for five minutes. When the potato is soft, take it out of the microwave and cut it in half. Then season it however you like and enjoy!
6. Macaroni and cheese
In two-quart microwavable bowl, mix water and macaroni. It’s important to use a steep bowl and watch it as you microwave it, in order to ensure that the macaroni does not boil over. Next, microwave the macaroni uncovered on high for 11-15 minutes, stirring once, until the pasta is cooked. Carefully drain the pasta. In another bowl, mix cheese, milk, butter and salt. Microwave uncovered on high for 3-5 minutes (until the mixture is smooth). Stir in macaroni.
After doing some research on non-traditional microwavable foods, I discovered that you can also cook brownies, risotto, corn on the cob, steamed vegetables, salmon (though some sources warn about making your room smell like fish), nachos, enchiladas and frothed milk for coffee in a microwave. You can also cook blueberry muffins, French toast, and banana bread in a mug in the microwave. If you’re feeling ambitious and would like to explore more microwave food recipes, they are only a Google search away!
Got any more fun microwavable meals you want to share? Contact Phoebe Quinton at pquinton ‘at’ stanford.edu.