Reduce cooking time

[Yuesang]

Hi everyone

I want to bake or grill fish or chicken as soon as I get the meat out from the chiller but I do not want to spend too much time (approx 20 minutes at least)

Can I cook the meat in the microwave oven and then bake or grill it in the conventional oven ?

Will this have any adversed effect on the meat texture ?

For a frozen lagsagne and sherperd's pie, how much time should I use in the microwave oven ?

Will appreciate some suggestions

[bigwheel]

Assuming a chiller is an ice box and assuming your axing whut I think you are...yeppers 20 min warm up time be good for thawed fish or chicken afore hitting the fire. Now I prefer a 2 hour warm up time for grand prize winning split chickens. I has never sunk low enough to mess with fish cept for fried or make into patties and fried so dont get me to lying about grilled dead fish. Just spread it out a little so it all gets a chance to get warmed up a little. Should be good enough for home victuals..feeding kin by marriage visiting from up North etc.

bigwheel

[Mezzaluna]

Yes, you can combine microwave and conventional cooking. The author of this cookbook http://www.jumpstartcooking.com/views/dspCookbook.cfm has been cooking with microwaves for decades and now has a book with recipes for 'jumpstarting' your dishes in the microwave before finishing them in the oven or on the grill.

[dano1]

just say no to microwaves.

[ErnestK]

I think the Microwave kills the flavor of the food. I don't use it for cooking or even warming up frozen meat.

The only good thing it does (microwave) is heat up doughnuts or danish. It will destroy anything else. Don't take my word for it .....go do a google search and type in "MICROWAVE/DANGERS"...It destoys all the anitoxidants in the food(phytochemicals that help you ward off all the free radicals and the big "C") . If you must cook something on the fly from frozen or if your just in a hurry use cold running water in the sink to thaw it out faster or just take it out of the freezer and put it in the in the fridge overnight !
Then there's always the dangers of dioxin poising from the plastic wrap or any type of tupperware product made out of plastic !. This has been documented all over the internet !!!! What the machine is doing is rearranging the molecular structure of the food internally. It is destroying the vitamin content of the food ten times faster than direct heat from the stove or oven.
How come you never hear about this ??? ........well how much money is there in microwaves ? The truth is out there ....people just believe what they want to believe...

All it takes is a little planning....Have a nice Day !

[phatch]

Originally Posted by foodi4lif

The only good thing it does (microwave) is heat up doughnuts or danish. It will destroy anything else. Don't take my word for it .....go do a google search and type in "MICROWAVE/DANGERS"...It destoys all the anitoxidants in the food(phytochemicals that help you ward off all the free radicals and the big "C") .

Few if any of which are peer reviewed and controlled studies....

Then there's always the dangers of dioxin poising from the plastic wrap or any type of tupperware product made out of plastic !. This has been documented all over the internet !!!!

This part's true, but just because it's on the internet isn't what makes it true. It's the many replicable peer-reviewed studies. That's how science works.

What the machine is doing is rearranging the molecular structure of the food internally.

No, it's not. It acts on the electric dipoles of food molecules makeing them vibrate. In simple terms it's creating friction which produces heat.

It is destroying the vitamin content of the food ten times faster than direct heat from the stove or oven.

That's true of any heating method and the speed is related to the speed of cooking. And only some vitamins are susceptible. However, other vitamins are retained that can be lost to boiling or steaming as they're water soluble. Always a trade-off in cooking.

.people just believe what they want to believe...

Yes, they do.

All it takes is a little planning....

Very true. Excellent advice.

Also consider a crockpot and let things thaw, then simmer all day. It's ready when you come home. Or a pressure cooker. Does SOME things well and fast. If you like Indian food, Madhur Jaffrey has a number of pressure cooker recipes that are quite good. You can do risotto in about 15 minutes, only 6 of which is under pressure.

For me the microwave is mostly for reheating leftovers. Cooking in it produces poor texture and flavor in general. I made a roux in the micro once. Stunningly fast, about 2-3 minutes start to finish, but a bit dangerous with unevenly heated pyrex and 400 degree roux...

Phil

[Free Rider]

We only have a microwave at work to heat our lunches. Lunch, for me, is the main meal of the day and I do not eat at night. Your crockpot idea is a good one. Perhaps I should bring one in and simply set a stew or something to heat for me until noon.

[phatch]

My wife has done that a few times, usually for a shared meal though. You'll want to pick recipes with a short enough cooking time and you'll mostly have to cook on high, which generally cuts cooking time in half compared to the low setting.

This will produce odors, generally good ones but distracting. You might want to check with your boss and coworkers so it doesn't become a problem. Explain your situation and issues, and you may have to be flexible. Also consider that you may have visitors who would find this unprofessional (not logical but image is everything) and harm your company's image so try to plan these days in advance so you can make alternative preparations.

Also check about allergies for coworkers. Peanuts/peanu oil fumes/vapors for example might be a problem for a co-worker with peanut allergies.

I've done some long recipe prep at work before, usually lengthy marination that needs some attention when I would otherwise be at work. (balsamic marinated potatoes with rosemary that were then fried in pork fat when I got home. Awfully good, but only for occasional eating). Got some odd looks, but also had people interested in what I was doing and cooking. Worked out well in the long run.

Phil

[Free Rider]

Originally Posted by phatch

........................
This will produce odors, generally good ones but distracting. You might want to check with your boss and coworkers so it doesn't become a problem. Explain your situation and issues, and you may have to be flexible. Also consider that you may have visitors who would find this unprofessional (not logical but image is everything) and harm your company's image so try to plan these days in advance so you can make alternative preparations.

I am a researcher with my own office with a door that shuts everyone out. No visitors. Lots of junk about. Don't think it will be a problem. The only complaint they could have is fire hazard, but, as you mentioned, they have had them here before for parties, so that one would be, so to speak, a crock.

Some of the stuff they heat in the microwave sure stinks. One person decided that the mold on the mac and cheese wouldn't be a problem after going through the microwave.

[diane]

Our microwave only takes up counter space. I hate the thing. The crock pot is a jolly good idea for main meal at lunch. A good way of eating too. The old saying is breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. I read an article about a family who had their main meal at breakfast, roasts, chicken, salads, vegs, anything one might eat for dinner. Lunch was lunch. and dinner was anything one might have for breakfast. They claimed the whole family were healthier for it with more energy for the day. As for time, it was apparently no rush with the auto cooker, nobody was late for school or work. I must say the idea appeals to me.

[oldschool1982]

Originally Posted by dano1

just say no to microwaves.

Ditto!!!!

[Butt3r_Chick3n]

Originally Posted by phatch

Few if any of which are peer reviewed and controlled studies....



This part's true, but just because it's on the internet isn't what makes it true. It's the many replicable peer-reviewed studies. That's how science works.



No, it's not. It acts on the electric dipoles of food molecules makeing them vibrate. In simple terms it's creating friction which produces heat.



That's true of any heating method and the speed is related to the speed of cooking. And only some vitamins are susceptible. However, other vitamins are retained that can be lost to boiling or steaming as they're water soluble. Always a trade-off in cooking.



Yes, they do.



Very true. Excellent advice.

Also consider a crockpot and let things thaw, then simmer all day. It's ready when you come home. Or a pressure cooker. Does SOME things well and fast. If you like Indian food, Madhur Jaffrey has a number of pressure cooker recipes that are quite good. You can do risotto in about 15 minutes, only 6 of which is under pressure.

For me the microwave is mostly for reheating leftovers. Cooking in it produces poor texture and flavor in general. I made a roux in the micro once. Stunningly fast, about 2-3 minutes start to finish, but a bit dangerous with unevenly heated pyrex and 400 degree roux...

Phil

It kicks *** for mac and cheese though

[scott123]

Originally Posted by Free Rider

We only have a microwave at work to heat our lunches. Lunch, for me, is the main meal of the day and I do not eat at night. Your crockpot idea is a good one. Perhaps I should bring one in and simply set a stew or something to heat for me until noon.

Unless you eat a really massive lunch or you own an extremely small crockpot, the crockpot idea needs some re-thinking. Crockpots are not a one size fits all solution. If you underfill them, the food can burn. In order to work right, you'll need to fill it as close to halfway as possible.

[Yuesang]

Hi
Sure is frightening after receiving so many comments on effects of microwave cookingon food. Looks like I have to fall back on the conventional method, defrosting before cooking.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions
Yuesang