Do you use the popcorn button? - eviltoast

The microwave that came with my house is the first time I’ve ever had a microwave that had perfectly working popcorn setting. It has never burnt a bag of microwave popcorn.

  • undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch
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    1 day ago

    You should check out this video, it’s very eye-opening when it comes to how microwaves work (only linking to YouTube because I couldn’t find a decent Invidious source): https://youtube.com/watch?v=UiS27feX8o0 (edit: https://materialious.nadeko.net/watch/UiS27feX8o0)

    It depends on your model of microwave.

    Personally, my wife and I intentionally deprived ourselves of a microwave in the house because we recognized that it makes us more prone to heavily processed foods (we’re not crazy “5G/microwaves give you cancer”people or whatever). We just recognized that we like eating whole foods and having one on hand makes it tempting to start buying a lot of garbage foods.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      9 minutes ago

      Interesting …. I had a similar thought process for an air fryer. When I first got it, it was true: I rationalized that I got chicken strips rather than nuggets so they were less processed. However over time I started to use it better. While I still cook frozen fries occasionally, most of the time I use it for actual chicken

      Air fryer is convenient for roasted or hasselback potatoes

      I also got tired of manufactured marinara, so making pasta is usually in a lemon butter garlic or pesto sauce, and I’ll cut chicken into strips, marinate, and throw in the air fryer

      Looping back to the microwave, same deal. There were times when it just facilitated over-processed food but now I probably use it most for defrosting. This morning i used it to soften some apples in cinnamon and brown sugar to put in pancakes.

      I’ve definitely had major changes in my approach to cooking, so hopefully I can stay on my current path

    • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Same. Haven’t had one for over 3 years now and I’m not sure I’m missing anything good. I make popcorn in a stock pot with ghee, powdered salt, and a little turmeric for color. Sometimes a little nutritional yeast or jalapeno powder. My popcorn game has never been better.

      • Max@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        How do you handle leftovers? Probably about 80% of the food I eat wasn’t cooked on the day I eat it

        • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          This is gonna sound silly but I use my instant pot as a bain marie with the warm function or as an air fryer, depending on the dish. My lunches are in tupperware and I just leave them to warm around 10 am, or I throw on the oven lid and roast it up.

          Pretty much the only thing I think I’d use a microwave for is to reheat old coffee. Instead I just make it new.

    • Zier@fedia.io
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      2 days ago

      Funny you should say that about whole foods. I only use my microwave to cook (steam) fresh or frozen vegetables (not in a plastic bag), and to reheat meals I cooked myself. I never buy microwave foods because they always come out nasty, cook unevenly, taste horrible, and the box is 10 times the size of the contents. I do sometimes pop popcorn in the microwave, but I use a paper lunch bag and regular popcorn. WARNING: NEVER walk away if you use this method, it will start on fire if you don’t watch it.

      • undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch
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        1 day ago

        Yeah, I’m not 100% “microwaves are bad.” I actually miss it sometimes because it was easier to make breakfast burritos in bulk then reheat them in the microwave.

        But yeah, microwaveable dinners and the like are pretty gross.

    • MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      Exactly my feelings. Yes, you can quickly blitz veges in a microwave, but it’s just as easy to pop in a plastic pack of lasagne. And from-scratch meals taste so much better.