Hard & Crunchy then Soft & Limp

[thatoneguy82]

I'm talking about how fried foods are before and after they are put in a microwave. When freshly made, it's perfectly hard & crunchy and it's hot, of course. That heat can dissipate in a matter of minutes or hours. Sometimes it can leave a semi-hard & crunchy version of the original but it would be cold or possibly room temperature.

Anyway, the microwave option always gives the necessary heat but it totally destroys it. It's soft & limp. I know I can use a toaster oven, oven, etc but is there a way I can use the microwave and get the same results? Even at 30 seconds, the microwave heat wreaks havoc!

[Macman45]

This made me smile...I'm terrible, I live alone and the microwave gets far too much use. I've tried these so called "Microwave Only" foods, including fries...which I'm not really supposed to eat...None of them come close to the real thing though....I'm determined to get away from the Micro and start cooking proper meals for myself.

I've been substituting real food fro Vitamin tablets....Not a good policy really.

[thatoneguy82]

Originally Posted by Macman45

This made me smile...I'm terrible, I live alone and the microwave gets far too much use. I've tried these so called "Microwave Only" foods, including fries...which I'm not really supposed to eat...None of them come close to the real thing though....I'm determined to get away from the Micro and start cooking proper meals for myself.

I've been substituting real food fro Vitamin tablets....Not a good policy really.

Haha, yes I know what you mean. At least you're introducing vitamins! Also, it's not like food really has nearly enough to compare to what those tablets have. It just gets absorbs better.

I could've sworn years ago there was an informercial about putting something in a bag then putting in a microwave. The end result would be the same as putting it in the oven, but faster! I thought years later there would be something better, or a technique even.

The only "microwave" food I sporadically buy are the Healthy Choice Steamers. Those actually taste non-microwavey. But, I guess these leftovers from my trip to Jack In The Box later will have to stay limp. Poor eggrolls.

[Macman45]

Originally Posted by thatoneguy82

Haha, yes I know what you mean. At least you're introducing vitamins!

I could've sworn years ago there was an informercial about putting something in a bag then putting in a microwave. The end result would be the same as putting it in the oven, but faster! I thought years later there would be something better, or a technique even.

The only "microwave" food I sporadically buy are the Healthy Choice Steamers. Those actually taste non-microwavey. But, I guess these leftovers from my trip to Jack In The Box later will have to stay limp. Poor eggrolls.

Yep, secondhand takeaway is best done in a real oven...wrap in tin foil and heat slowly...It kind of works...I've done it a lot!

[thatoneguy82]

Originally Posted by Macman45

Yep, secondhand takeaway is best done in a real oven...wrap in tin foil and heat slowly...It kind of works...I've done it a lot!

Yeah, it does. But it's too much work and requires too much power to do it. At least here. I live alone as well, so my kitchen isn't really spic & span. I don't know where my toaster oven is. The oven will heat up the whole place, well downstairs; I like it cold.

Eh, too much. I'll just settle for soft & limp. Too lazy.

[Macman45]

Originally Posted by thatoneguy82

Yeah, it does. But it's too much work and requires too much power to do it. At least here. I live alone as well, so my kitchen isn't really spic & span. I don't know where my toaster oven is. The oven will heat up the whole place, well downstairs; I like it cold.

Eh, too much. I'll just settle for soft & limp. Too lazy.

You're worse than me!!

[thatoneguy82]

Originally Posted by Macman45

You're worse than me!!

Haha. Yes, I am! That's why whenever I say "I'm the worst" - I'm not being hyperbolic, I'm just stating the truth.

[Jessica Lares]

We usually just use the oven for the same reason. On our microwave there's a defrost and cook button... I don't know what difference that makes since I push them according to the instructions on what I'm doing, but the microwave at default is usually trying to get the freezer excess out of stuff, so that's why when you stick anything that isn't a slab of ice to begin with comes out horribly soft.

You should be able to do fries on a pan though (even just to reheat). Pretty sure that's how we do the bagged ones at our house.

[iJohnHenry]

One minute in the nuker on high, followed by 15 minutes in the toaster-oven on Keep Warm (200ºC).

That dries the outside some.

[sviato]

My parents recently moved our microwave to the basement to reduce our reliance on it and I started using this mini oven we bought and it's awesome. It may take a little more effort but food actually comes out like you want it to.

[ideal.dreams]

I've heard that putting a glass of water in the microwave with the food will prevent food from becoming like this. I've never tried it so I can't tell you if it works or not, but it's worth a shot.