Today my article will be devoted to how to cook vegetables in the microwave. After all, many people don’t even suspect it; they cook vegetables the old fashioned way in water on a gas or electric stove. Recently I also discovered this opportunity for myself and was simply very surprised by it. We boiled the potatoes in the microwave - yes, in the microwave. And the time spent on preparing the same potatoes is several times less. For example: You can safely cook 6-8 medium potatoes at a time in the microwave in just 3-8 minutes. Of course, the cooking time for potatoes depends directly on the power of your kitchen microwave oven. I have a fairly powerful one - 900 W. Therefore, my jacket potatoes were cooked for 4 minutes. A very convenient method - believe me, I liked it so much that now I cook potatoes, for example for okroshka, only in the microwave. Eating potatoes helps remove toxins from the body and thereby regulates metabolic processes. Scientists from Harvard University, based on an analysis of the study results, found that women who frequently consumed potatoes had a 14% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women who rarely consumed potatoes.
baked potato
Potatoes are ideal for cooking in the microwave. Due to its high moisture content, it attracts microwave energy, and its thick skin traps steam. The uniform composition of the potatoes helps them cook evenly.
At full cooking power, it takes for medium-sized potatoes (from 150 g to 200 g):
- 1 potato - 3-5 minutes
- 2 potatoes - 5-7.5 minutes
- 3 potatoes - 7-10 minutes
- 4 potatoes - 10.5-12.5 minutes
Prick well-peeled raw potatoes twice with a fork. To absorb the moisture released, place a single layer of paper towel on the bottom of the oven chamber.
Place the potatoes at least 2 cm apart so that microwave energy can penetrate them from all sides.
The potatoes should be turned and swapped after half the full cooking time. This helps them bake evenly.
Wrap the potatoes in foil, shiny side in, or place them on the counter and cover tightly with a heatproof glass pan to keep them hot.
By the time the potatoes start settling, they should still be slightly damp. They should arrive in 5-10 minutes.
The potatoes keep warm for about 45 minutes.
How to boil vegetables in a microwave oven in a bag?
How long should you cook vegetables in the microwave and how to do it? This question certainly becomes important when you need to speed up the preparation of salads before guests arrive. This option is the simplest and one of the fastest. In just 15 minutes you can boil two types of vegetables.
So we learned how to properly cook vegetables in the microwave in a bag. Everything is simple and easy. The microwave oven will do everything for you. Thanks to the accumulation of hot steam, food is cooked evenly and quickly.
Twice baked potatoes
After settling, cut off the top of each potato and remove the middle. Set the tops aside and mash the insides with butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff the resulting mixture into the potatoes. Onions, cheese or smoked brisket can be stirred into the potatoes right away or used as a garnish after baking again. It takes 1 minute to re-bake one potato at full power. If using frozen potatoes, add another 0.5 minutes.
One potato, 1-2 tbsp. l. butter, 2 tbsp. l. milk or sour cream, salt and pepper. Optional: finely chopped chives, shredded cheese, finely chopped roasted smoked pork belly.
Corn
Microwave cooking preserves all the qualities of corn and makes it especially tasty.
When cooking ripe corn in a baking dish, add 1/4 cup water, but no salt. Salt makes corn tough. Cooking times are for medium-sized cobs.
At full power, cooking costs:
- 2 cobs - 7-10 minutes
- 4 cobs - 12-16 minutes
The husk of corn can be used as a natural coating and can be easily removed after cooking. The peeled cobs are wrapped in film to prevent steam from escaping. The cobs should not touch each other.
Cook on full power, turning and swapping cobs every 4 minutes. Finally, let it sit for 5 minutes.
You can also cook the corn on a heat-resistant glass dish. To do this, place the cobs on a plate large enough to leave some space between the cobs. If required, add 1/4 cup water. Wrap tightly with film.
Turn the cobs over and swap them every 4 minutes, making sure to cover the dish each time. Let the cobs sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Vegetables for salads
Potatoes need to be pierced with a fork; before cooking, if you don’t pierce them, the skin may burst, the potatoes will turn around and scatter throughout the dish. The rest of the vegetables that we usually cook for salads (carrots, beets) do not burst.
They need to be “cooked” WITHOUT WATER in a suitable container with a lid.
I'll add it just in case. By a dish with a lid, I meant: Or a special glass dish with a lid (it does not fit tightly) Or a cookware with a lid-hood for the microwave with a valve for steam venting Or a plastic container suitable for the microwave, with a lid in which there is a valve for steam venting
The time depends on the size of the vegetables, the power of the microwave, the humidity of the vegetables (varies depending on the season) and even on the size of the dishes. Therefore, it is difficult to say the exact cooking time. For example, if you cook separately, several pieces lying in one row are quite loose, like potatoes here.
Then they will cook faster, at a power of 1000 W, potatoes will be cooked in 7-10 minutes, beets in 10-15 minutes, carrots in 8-10 minutes. At a power of 750 W, potatoes will be cooked in 10-13 minutes, beets in 13-18 minutes, carrots in 10-12 minutes.
This is all approximately, plus when the vegetables lie freely and separately.
Of course, it depends on what size they are, but it’s very small, let’s say 1 carrot is not worth boiling.
You also need to take into account the following: vegetables in their jackets require resting time when cooked in the microwave, i.e. After switching off, they cook by themselves. Because of this, you don’t need to overcook them, but take them out when they are slightly (precisely slightly) undercooked. We check as usual, piercing it (I use a toothpick). Cook it in the microwave once and you will immediately understand what I mean.
In this photo I just took out the potatoes (after 8 minutes at 1000 W).
I immediately set it to 8 minutes. Then I check (by piercing), turn them over and pull out the finished ones. I put it back for 5 minutes. I check again and pull out the finished ones. If necessary, I'll add more.
First I take out the potatoes, then the carrots (in the photo the carrots are ready, the beets are not yet)
Most likely the beets will be cooked last, although if the beets are not large and the potatoes are huge, then it will be different.
Acorn squash
Pumpkin also does not require additional moisture for its preparation. If raw pumpkin is difficult to cut, warm it up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes first.
At full power, cooking pumpkin requires:
- 1/2 pumpkin - 5-8 minutes
- 1 pumpkin - 8.5-11.5 minutes
- 2 pumpkins - 13-16 minutes
Cut a 700g pumpkin into two halves. Remove the seeds. Place the pumpkin halves back together or wrap each half in cling film. Bake for half the time required. After this, turn the whole pumpkins over and swap the halves. Cook for remaining time. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.
Before settling, you can add 1 tablespoon of butter and brown sugar to each half of the pumpkin. The surface can be sprinkled with crushed nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit.
How to quickly and correctly cook vegetables in the microwave
Many of us are accustomed to boiling vegetables for salad on the stove. The long process steams the entire kitchen, and the products themselves often crack, are difficult to clean and stick to your hands, such as potatoes.
But, there is a way out! You can boil or bake vegetables in the microwave. After cooking, the products are not only tasty, but also retain their usefulness. On the stove, most of the nutrients remain in the water.
In addition, cooking vegetables for a salad or side dish in the microwave is not difficult and does not take much time. Tempting? Then let's look at different methods that you will definitely like.
Artichokes
At full power, 2 artichokes will cook for 5.5-8.5 minutes, 4 artichokes - 9.5-14.5 minutes.
Cut off 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top and base of the artichoke, as well as the sharp ends of the outer leaves. Rinse in water and shake off.
After this, wrap the artichokes in film. Place in the oven, leaving free spaces between them.
Microwave until bottom leaves curl easily. If more than 2 artichokes are cooking at the same time, turn over and swap places after half the full time. Let stand for 3 minutes without removing the film.
Cooking carrots in the microwave
Bright and sweet carrots will decorate any salad. But not everyone knows how to cook carrots for salad in the microwave. How long this will take depends on the size of the vegetable slices and the power of the microwave oven. Let's look at how to cook carrots in the microwave correctly and how long the cooking process should last.
Method one - in its entirety
The second method is grated carrots
We looked at how to quickly cook vegetables in the microwave in different ways. The products are boiled evenly, turn out tender, elastic, and do not lose their shape and taste. The beneficial composition remains virtually unchanged.
Source
Asparagus
At full power, cooking 0.5 kg takes 6.5-9.5 minutes.
Measure 1/4 cup of water and pour into a 30x20 cm dish. You can add 1/4 teaspoon of salt or sugar. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus stalks.
Place the asparagus stalks on a plate with the buds facing the center. Cover with plastic film that allows air to pass through. Cook for 4 minutes.
Move the stems from the edge of the dish to the middle, leaving the asparagus spears in the center of the dish. Cover. Cook until the stems are soft.
Cabbage segments
At full power, 0.5 kg of cabbage is cooked in 12.5-15.5 minutes.
Cut a head of cabbage weighing 0.5 kg into 4 segments. Arrange the segments in a cross on a dish with a diameter of 25 cm. Add 1/4 cup of water.
Cover. Cook for half the time required. Turn the dish and continue cooking until the end. Let sit covered for 2-3 minutes.
The segments can also be laid in one line on a dish measuring 30x20 cm, but then they should be swapped.
Vegetables for salad in the microwave oven
Do you want to serve Vinaigrette or Olivier for lunch, but don’t have time to boil vegetables? Then there is a great option to boil the vegetables in the microwave in a bag or a suitable saucepan, peeled and chopped into small cubes. All you have to do is wait for the home assistant’s signal about the end of the process, cool the food and season with your favorite sauce. Let's look at how to cook vegetables in a microwave oven.
What to prepare?
Cooking step by step
The vegetables boiled in the microwave are ready. They need to be cooled, the remaining ingredients added and seasoned with mayonnaise.
Cauliflower inflorescences
At full power, it takes 4-7 minutes to prepare 2 glasses.
Pour 2 cups of cauliflower florets (about 2/3 of a head weighing 0.5 kg) into a 1.5 liter saucepan or on a dish with a diameter of 22 cm. Add 1/4 cup of water. Cover. Cook in the microwave. After the first 3 minutes of cooking, stir.
When ready, the cauliflower stems should be pierced easily with a fork. so that the dish is cooked completely and the ends of the inflorescences do not burn, let it sit covered for 2 minutes.
5 recipes for cooking potatoes in the microwave in a hurry
Even an inexperienced housewife, knowing,
How to quickly cook potatoes in the microwave will be able to quickly prepare various delicious dishes from this vegetable. A microwave oven will not only save time, but also ensure the preparation of healthy dishes. Such potatoes are not inferior in taste to dishes that are boiled, fried or baked using a conventional electric or gas stove.
Whole bulbs
At full power, it takes 6-8 minutes to cook 2 onions; It takes 9-12 minutes to cook 4 onions.
Peel the bulbs with a diameter of 6-7.5 cm. Remove the ends with petioles and cut off the tops, exposing all layers. Place the bulbs in heatproof glass cream cups or on a baking dish. If desired, each onion can be topped with 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Do not add salt. Cover tightly. Cook for half the time.
Turn each onion so that its surface adjacent to the edge of the dish is in its center. After this, turn the dish itself half a turn. Cover again and continue the process. Let stand for 1-2 minutes.
Tomatoes
At full power, it takes 1-3 minutes to cook 2 tomatoes; to cook 4 tomatoes - 2.4-4.5 minutes.
Tomatoes with a diameter of about 6 cm, carefully so as not to leak juice, cut in half. Cooking times are for medium ripe vegetables. Very ripe tomatoes require less time.
Place the tomatoes on a round or rectangular plate, leaving spaces between them. Do not add salt. If desired, the tomatoes can be sprinkled with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Cover. Cook the first half of the time. Turn each tomato so that the part of its surface that is closest to the edge is in the center of the dish. Then rotate the dish 180 degrees. Continue cooking for the remaining time. Let stand for 2 minutes.
