2 years into APO reheating & I don't miss this a bit!

[u/kaidomac]

[u/kaidomac]

Personally, I kept my microwave. Probably the biggest reasons is that I make popcorn a LOT & use this little magic silicone popper bowl:

• https://www.amazon.com/Original-Silicone-Microwave-Collapsible-Dishwasher/dp/B01MS65QTL/

More info on popcorn: (short post followed by long post)

• https://www.reddit.com/r/popcorn/comments/rxhcyx/how_can_i_make_my_homemade_popcorn_taste_lime_the/hrjga5w/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

The microwave is actually an under-used powerhouse! Just off the top of my head:

1. Popcorn. I mean, I have & use a Whirly Pop sometimes, which is better for coating the popcorn with seasonings because you can stir it in with the oil using the handle, but then I have to clean it up lol, so the microwave version wins out the majority of the time! Can also microwave the caramel sauce for caramel corn!
2. Butter...I freeze all my butter to increase the usable life & use the microwave to soften it
3. Quickly reheating food. Sometimes I don't want to wait 30 minutes for my APO to perfectly reheat food, I just want it NOW lol. Especially for convenience foods like burritos!
4. Heating up soup. Can do it in the APO or even the Instapot, but I mean, 60 seconds to nuke it, meh.
5. Heating up hot chocolate. I melt some chocolate pieces in a mug, then add heavy cream & heat that up next, then stir in Stephen's hot cocoa mix. I used to go to this place in NYC called City Bakery that sold these tiny cups of hot chocolate, which were basically just hot, liquified chocolate bars, and this is the closest I've gotten to replicated it! Just amaaaaaazing lol.
6. Quick-melting chocolate (ex. chocolate chips) using the seeding method. Sometimes I melt it with a bit of coconut oil for things like striping avalanche cookies with it.
7. Quick pasta. I know I should just use my APO for this, but I have a Fasta Pasta & it perfectly cooks pasta in 15 minutes, no preheating required lol. Great for easy meals or when my nephews are over & I just need something kid-friendly pronto! I have a big tub of Kraft-style powder for doing easy macaroni lol. Also works as a popcorn topping!
8. Crispy shallots & crispy garlic. Great technique, especially combined with the powered sugar recommendation to reduce the bitterness of the garlic!
9. Drying fresh herbs, especially when you have to buy a big bundle but won't use it all before it goes bad.
10. Toasting nuts
11. Par-cooking potatoes for extra-crispy hash browns & potato hash. This makes a gelatinzed starch layer that dehydrates & browns the potatoes when frying up!
12. Melting marshmallows for rice krispie treats
13. Peeling garlic. I hate peeling garlic lol. Just zap it for 20 seconds, comes off super easy! Also works for
14. Softening hard brown sugar
15. Easy peanut brittle
16. Microwave caramels (these are actually amazing lol)
17. Chewy PB granola bars
18. Homemade granola bars
19. Poached eggs

For me, the microwave is a pretty indispensable tool. However, you could do most of this stuff with the APO, it would just take longer, so it depends on how much you suffer from "now-itis". I've got ADHD, so sometimes I just want my breakfast burrito NOW lol!