Cheap Heats: Microwave Cooking Tips to Save You Time and Money

Microwaves have long been associated with drab 1980s cooking, unsightly additions to home kitchens, and unhealthy ready meals. But with soaring energy prices, there is growing interest in their ability to cook food efficiently and affordably.

Recent research by the company energy companies suggest that microwaves are the cheapest way to cook, costing just 8 pence a day to use, or £30 a year, compared to 33 pence a day to run a gas hob, which is up to £120 over 12 months, based on an estimated daily use of 43 minutes.

So what are the best dishes to microwave?

Vegetables

< /figure>

According to chef Jonny Marsh (@chef_jonnymarsh), who has worked with Panasonic as well as being the personal chef for Premier League footballers.

To prepare meals, he recommends buying a roll of vacuum sealers ( available on Amazon) and put all your raw vegetables - for example sliced ​​carrots, broccoli or green beans - out for the week.

If you remove all the air, prepared vegetables will keep in the fridge for a week, and you can take out a packet each time you have a meal. Put the unpierced bag in the microwave, and one minute 30 seconds later, your meal is ready.

"I'm pretty lazy, I've been doing this for years," he says, adding that prepackaged vegetables are especially welcome after a long shift.

If you can't get hold of vacuum sealers, you can also microwave vegetables in a bowl with a little water.

Jacket potatoes, one of the most popular microwave meals, take only 10 minutes to cook in the microwave compared to 90 minutes in the oven. Pierce them first with a fork and then add the toppings.

Meat, Fish, and Eggs

Fish cooks "extremely well" in the microwave, says Microwave author Mug Meals, Theo Michaels (@theocooks). If you cover it with cling film or a plate, the fish will steam through, coming out "soft, succulent and cooked literally in minutes", he says.

Meat is a little tougher. Microwaves are generally best for steaming; doing something crispy or caramelized – like browning meat – doesn't really work, though Michaels' best advice is to add a dollop of Marmite to regain the lost flavor.

You can also cook the dishes in a sauce or broth to poach the meat. This can include pieces of chicken in passata or coconut with spices.

Michaels also prepares a Vietnamese phở this way - by cooking noodles dried in boiling water in a cup, adding garlic and ginger, cooking one minute, then chicken...