Microwave popcorn is not all it could be, at least compared to its stove-top and popcorn machine brethren. Want a likely fix? Heat a bowl of water in your microwave right before it’s popcorn time, and you might get moister, fluffier results. More »
New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman used to look down on the microwave for any sort of cooking beyond reheating leftovers or softening ice cream. But after a couple of conversations with microwave cooking experts and a few experiments of his own, it turns out that the microwave is a more valuable tool in the kitchen than some of us give it credit for. For any vegetable you would parboil or steam, the microwave works as well or better, and is faster. Put the vegetable in a bowl with a tiny bit of water (or sometimes none), cover and zap. Asparagus: two minutes; artichokes (a revelation): six; cauliflower (try my cauliflower with tomatoes and pimentón): five; potatoes or beets: four; spinach: one or two; eggplant: we’ll get to that.
