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L-O-V-E THAT MICROWAVE! Place cream cheese (without foil wrapper) on a glass plate and "nuke" on High for about 10 seconds to soften for a recipe. Works for butter or margarine, too. Melt butter or margarine in a custard cup in less than 30 seconds. A dish calls for sauteed onions or peppers: Melt butter in a bowl. Put in sliced onions and stir to coat with butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Done in about 5 minutes on High. (Use about 3 onions.) For sliced peppers, I place them in a bowl; spray a little "Pam" on them, cover with plastic wrap...done in 7 to 10 minutes on High. (Use about 3 peppers.) Be careful of steam when removing plastic. If a dish calls for partial cooking of meat before adding to a casserole, "nuke it!" Example: Now when I make Chicken Cacciatore, instead of standing over a hot pan turning and spattering, I season the chicken all over and place on a ridged platter, cover with paper towels, and cook on High for about 10 minutes, then add to pot. Jiffy poached egg: Pour 1-inch of water into a custard cup. "Nuke" about 10 seconds to boil. Crack egg into water. Puncture yolk. Cook about 45 seconds. Use slotted spoon to place on toast. (Time depends on each oven and how well done you like it.) Invest in a couple of Corning Ware-type dishes so you can change from oven to stovetop and vice versa during over- crowding. Hurry up baked potatoes. Wash, dry and pierce potatoes and bake nearly full time (3 to 4 minutes for each) on High. Then place on the hot grill with your steaks or put in toaster oven to crisp skin. Less time with same effect. No clean up bacon, always crispy. Layer paper plate, paper towel, bacon slices and paper towel. Place in a large paper bag. Place all on a ridged platter. Cook on High for about a minute per slice. Rotate platter once during cooking. Use tongs to remove bacon. Toss out the mess. Put away the platter. If you like cooking with bacon fat, then this isn't for you. Bring pizza back to life by nuking for a few seconds to freshen topping, then put in toaster oven to crisp crust. Right after cooking something that had a lot of moisture is the best time to wipe down the oven. All surfaces are damp and any cooked on food is softened. Use paper towels for absorbency and then toss out. I can't imagine life before my microwave! Now, I have more time to read the paper! Oh, to get the last drops of honey, place an almost empty jar in oven (without top) for a few seconds. It pours right out. Works for other thick sauces, too. This is a recipe from our database at Cookbooks On/Line! 1,000,000+ free recipes and free software at: http://www.cookbooks.com Accuracy is believed to be good, but is not guaranteed. This recipe posting is intended for personal use only. You can print a copy for yourself and/or your friends, but you cannot publish it or post it to any Internet or other public site without our permission. |