The Book of Microwave Cookery [antikvár]

PrefaceOne of the greatest joys of my life is a microwave oven, because it lias given me the very thing I needed above all else: extra leisure time. With a heavy and demanding job, a home to run and a family to care for, relaxation has always been a much appreciated value-added bonus and, like many woman in my position, preparing and cooking an evening meal night after night with relentless regularity, providing unexpected and hefty teas for packs of hungry boys as they come ploughing through the door after school, entertaining friends and colleaguesall these, as my workload increased, became a burdensome, irritating and time-consuming chore instead of a pleasurable, satisfying and creative occupation. I longed for almost anything 10 take some of the load off my shoulders and then, out of the blue, a microwave oven dropped into my lap and my whole pattern of life suddenly changed. I found, to my absolute delight, that I could prepare dinnerand a three-course one at thatin well under an hour; I could produce enough substantial eats in twenty minutes to sate the ferocious appetites of those seemingly insatiable youngsters; and, with the minimum of forward planning, I could lay on a feast of a meal in well under two hours for the most critical and discriminating of guests. It was, and still is, almost too good to be true and the more I work with the microwave, the more I value and admire its adaptability, the more devoted I become to it and the more grateful I am for its existence.Although a microwave oven is habit-forming, I have to admit in all honesty that microwaving is not entirely the be-all and end-all of my thinking. I still have to use a conventional cooker for the few things it cannot cope withYorkshire pudding, pancakes, meringues,éclairs, soufflés, scones, crisp pastry and hard eggs_but r have manipulated the microwave to suit my own needs and, over the months, tested a repertoire of recipes which has proved to me that this small, worktop box of an oven is even more versatile in its performance than I imagined or expected it to be.When I was first confronted with a microwave and began cooking the simplest of thingsbeans on toast or even scrambled eggsI confess that its rapidity of action filled me with a measure of trepidation. I felt like a toddler taking its first steps into the unknown. How on earth could a cake cook in four minutes, a Christmas pudding in six, a beef curry in twenty-five and hollandaise sauce in seconds? Why did food never stick to the dishes? How come the kitchen was always cool, despite a mammoth microwave cook-in in the height of summer? Why did everything taste so much fresher? Why did our fuel bills show an appreciable drop? Was my imagination playing tricks or was a microwave oven one of the most advanced and revolutionary pieces of kitchen equipment this century had ever seen? The answers came thick and fast. Within weeks, I discoveredin common with caterers who have been using these ovens successfully and as a matter of course for a good number of yearsthat a microwave was ultra-fast by nature, reliable, hygienic, safe and extremely economical on fuel. It was simple to operate and even more simple to use, easily transportable from room to room, and for the most part, attractive to look at. Its limitations were few. Not only would it reheat leftovers and defrost and cook frozen foods in the briefest space of time, but I had endless possibilities of cooking sumptuous meals with the minimum of effort and the maximum of speed. For the first time in a long time, day-to-day cooking was fun and, because it was fun, completely relaxing. As confidence grew, family interest developed and without a hint of a grumble, my husband and son volunteered to cook dinner for me because, they said, 'It doesn't take long in the microwave'.The two hundred or so recipes in this book have all been personally tried and tested. They represent a cross-section of old favourites with a sprinkling of new ideas and, when appropriate, I have deliberately included conventionally difficult dishes which, in a microwave, are greatly simplified: just look at the Yeast Mixtures section and some of the sauces, for example. Introductions to sections and the relative charts should clarify queries relating to different recipes and foods, and I would ask you to follow closely the section on suitable utensils for use in the microwave. As it is helpful to know how a piece of equipment works and why, I shall begin on that note and hopefully iron out some of the problems confronting new owners of microwave cookers, those who already have one but are still perplexed through lack of information, and those who are debating whether or not to buy one.Sonia Allison