Americans have a problem with solution phobia. We have become like children, fascinated with the toy weave just heard about but utterly disinterested in the ones we actually have. Another analogy might be the person who is convinced that the next piece of exercise equipment they buy will make them lean and toned while a ton of perfectly good equipment is collecting dust and spider webs in the garage.
Or in this case, the kitchen.
Microwaves may well be the most misused and under used cooking methods in most households. For starters, they are wonderfully energy efficient.
From CNET
And that doesn't count the double whammy of using an oven in the summertime.
The other great upside of the microwave is that it annoys foodies, a group that has been on a crusade to make cooking as expensive, inaccessible and onerous as possible. I've noticed that people who really know about food seldom have this mindset, particularly when it comes to making things faster and easier.
This video from the reliable America's Test Kitchen is a great example. I thought I was fairly knowledgeable on the subject but I learned a lot, including the fact that microwaves don't work on ice and that you can use them to fry foods.
While we're on the subject, I never would have thought about poaching eggs in a microwave, but the people at the Good Housekeeping test kitchen did, and they were surprisingly happy with the results.
And, yes, bacon (just don't mess with anything labeled "as seen on TV").
In addition to the video above, America's Test Kitchen appears to have done a whole episode on the subject. Here's an excerpt.
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