Can you microwave lube?

September 30, 2019 8:17 AM

Can You Microwave? is a helpful blog answering questions about what can and cannot be microwaved.
posted by adept256 (14 comments total)

While you can microwave potatoes, the proper British method is a bloody long time (2 hours!) in the oven.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:23 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

Can you microwave a BlendTec blender?
posted by biogeo at 8:33 AM on September 30, 2019 [7 favorites]

At the risk of derailing the comments immediately...2 hours for a baked potato! I know they take FOREVER in the over but two hours?! No wonder people microwave them, myself included, even though the result is inferior.

Having said that, it kind of brings me back the main topic. Microwaving food for purposes other than reheating something that was previously cooked on the stove/in the oven often results in an inferior product (a sometimes doesn't even same much time). For many of the less bizarre questions on the answer, often, is yes, but should be followed with the caveat of: "But why would you want to?" or even, "Yes, but you shouldn't."
posted by asnider at 8:33 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

Will it blend: a microwave that previously microwaved the BlendTec blender we're now using to attempt to blend the microwave?
posted by asnider at 8:35 AM on September 30, 2019 [2 favorites]

Anything can be microwaved with a sufficiently large microwave. Whether it's good for the item being microwaved, or the containing microwave varies.
posted by SansPoint at 8:46 AM on September 30, 2019 [3 favorites]

This website is great but it really needs a big "YES," "NO," or "SOMETIMES MAYBE" at the top. Way too many of the answers are like trying to find the recipe on a recipe webpage. Gotta read through several paragraphs of someone who think they're being cute or whatever to find the answer. By the time you find out if it's okay to microwave an old grenade you'll have already figured out if it was okay to microwave that grenade!!
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:47 AM on September 30, 2019 [6 favorites]

My favourite, so far, is honestly the "Can I microwave a Yeti mug?" You spend $50+ on a travel mug and your coffee is still cold before you finish it? You got ripped off, my friend.
posted by asnider at 9:20 AM on September 30, 2019 [2 favorites]

I really expected this to be a goof, just like a site where you enter a word and it returns either "Sure, whatever," or "No, you dummy, you'll burn your house down." But these are actually interesting and informative articles! I do agree that putting the yes/no/maybe at the head of each article would be pretty nice.
posted by solotoro at 9:24 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

Microwaving food for purposes other than reheating something that was previously cooked on the stove/in the oven often results in an inferior product

As a lifelong microwave user I never gave a second thought to nuking leftovers. I've since discovered that many leftovers actually benefit from being reheated in a covered skillet with a bit of water added. They come out tasting moister and fresher.

I never cared for pizza reheated in a microwave, I'd eat it cold rather than have it come out somehow both limp and chewy. Pizza reheated on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for around 15 minutes is a whole different animal. The crust actually gets crispy, and in some cases it's actually better than it was when it was fresh! (At least on the types of pizza I eat. YMMV)

One thing I do consistently use my microwave for is heating water for tea. I know some people have a conniption about this but I'm not sure why. I also reheat my coffee endlessly throughout the day as I don't like it cold but also don't want to keep adding coffee to the cup.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 10:30 AM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

When it comes to reheating leftovers in the microwave, what changed the game for me was working the percentages. Heating up leftover pasta in tomato sauce on 50% for 10-12 minutes results in perfectly reheated pasta with no noticeable impact on texture, or overcooked tomato sauce.
posted by SansPoint at 10:51 AM on September 30, 2019

The trick with baked potatoes is to microwave them until they are done on the inside, then give them 20 minutes in the regular oven to crisp up the skin.

Microwaving water for tea (or tea itself) is the devil's work however...
posted by Fuchsoid at 11:35 AM on September 30, 2019 [4 favorites]

Reminds me of the (apocryphal?):

Every Mushroom Is Edible, Sometimes Only Once
posted by colinprince at 9:25 PM on September 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

Full disclosure: I have a microwave. I use it to warm up heat-packs for back pain, and re-heat leftovers. It's not a machine for the cooking of food.

Aaaaanyway.... the answer for "Can (one) roast garlic in the microwave", seems to translate to: "Absolutely you can. It's just that there's a bunch of fiddly work and it won't ever be as good as using a real oven."

This site is not for me.
posted by pompomtom at 10:53 PM on September 30, 2019

Haven't owned a microwave in years, but I would appreciate knowing the volumes of various things without using a measuring tape and math.

This site didn't help too much with that.
posted by aspersioncast at 5:07 AM on October 1, 2019