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How did people run their kitchens before the advent of the microwave oven? Not as easily as they do now. One of the great time savers to come out of the technology of World War II, based on the magnetron tube used for radar, the microwav is a very versatile kitchen appliance.
Once the source of many myths about the dangers of microwaves, such as interferring with your sex life, poisening the body with electricity, stopping your heart, and cooking the cook if one stood too near the infernal machine, you are now likely to to find the microwave oven in the majority of homes in America.
The usual use of the oven is to defrost something or to cook the frozen diners so popular in today's busy society. Nothing wrong with that, it is a lot simpler to put your food in the oven, set the timer and go about your business, than it is to turn the oven on, wait for it to heat up, put the food in, and check it every few minutes until it is defrosted or cooked, depending on what you are doing.
If that is all you are using your microwave for, you are missing out on some of the possibilites of microwave cooking. How about a baked potato in 5 to 7 minutes, depending upon the size? Want a quick, tasty winter meal? Put a can of chili and a can of pinto beans in a microwave safe bowl, and in less that 3 minutes you can dish up a serving. Make a small salad, grab a handful of crackers, and supper is ready. Like soup? Put a can of soup together with some frozen vegetables--or clean out the odds and ends from the refrigerator and add them to the soup. Voila! A quick, good-tasting lunch is ready to eat in less than 5 minutes.
A three pound chicken, cut into pieces as you would for frying, can be cooked in about 20 minutes. Put the chicken pieces in a cassarole dish, season them with spices, lemon juice, and away you go. Part way through add some frozen vegetables to the dish. When it is done, put a couple of potatos in the microwave. By the time you finish making a salad, the potatos will be done, and a very nice, healthy meal is ready for the tavle.
It takes a little over one minute to make a cup of instant coffee or cocoa, a few minutes to make delicious baked apples, and microwave popcorn is simply a matter of following the directions for the brand you purchase.
There are many microwave cook books on the market that will give you preparation time and methods for a multitude of great, healthy, no extra fat meals and dishes. So take another look at your microwave, buy a cook book or two on microwave cooking and get more use from this jack-of-all-trades appliance.
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