I mostly use mine for reheating stuff, but cook the occasional two minute noodles or frozen pie. Never had it be disgusting, at worst it can be cold if not done long enough. Cutting the food up and stiring it around halfway through helps.
Yup, also primarily use it for reheating food. Sometimes, when I’m lazy and just want sth to eat, I’ll make myself microwave potatoes. And I also use it to defrost frozen vegetables or fruit sometimes.
However, when I was living in a one bedroom apartment, which didn’t have an oven in the kitchen-corner, I had a microwave with integrated oven and with that I was able to bake myself anything that fits into a pizza sized round baking tray. Still love that thing. It’s a 30 y/o hand me down Siemens from my uncle that still works perfectly. It’s also rather large (about twice the size of a normal microwave) and sadly doesn’t fit into my current kitchen…
Microwaves are fantastic cooking tools, and I’m pretty confident you’re not using yours to its potential. Defrosting, reheating, steaming, boiling. Does it all in half the time with half the mess. All those settings on the keypad do something good. Most people just wack a few numbers in and let the microwave literally cremate the food on full power. Those reheat and defrost settings apply microwave then switch to low or no power, leaving the applied heat to radiate internally before repeating. Different densities and starting temperatures are accounted for.
Obviously you wouldn’t cook a stir fry or a steak in a microwave. Potatoes before roasting though? Dumplings? Frozens? Yes please Mike.
I don’t think I specified, but much like cooking rice on a stove top you won’t run it at the same temperature. The microwave will use less energy than a traditional stove top, not sure about induction ones. And after learning to boil things with it, I do it all the time.
Just get it to boiling then 450 then if needed 300
It does passable baked potatoes too, but if you microwave it for about half the time and then toss it in some oil, kosher salt, and pepper and put it in a hot oven, you get great baked potatoes in far less time than in the oven alone. You’re basically boiling the middle and baking the outside. Great combo.
I like how instead of imagining there might be something you don't know about microwaves, you just kind of assumed everyone bought a dust and popcorn machine for no reason. It's such an "am I so out of touch?" moment.
Yes, microwaves are a poor substitute for an oven but they work fine for vegetables that you might otherwise use a steamer to cook. Stuff like broccoli, beans, carrot pieces etc. Corn on the cob works well too, just give it a few minutes in the microwave with the husk still on.