Author: Alex

Top Five Unusual Microwave Food Hacks

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Gotta Install Microwave Ovensphoto by Tahir Hashmi

So we all know that a microwave is awesome for reheating leftovers – and that’s what most microwaves are mostly used for. There are other popular hacks: cooking bacon or scrambled eggs, melting chocolate (I couldn’t live without that one!) and, of course, popping corn (don’t believe the marketing types who want to sell you a special bag).

On Wednesday night I was chatting to Peter Godfrey about using the microwave and in my research I came up with some much less well known uses.

I haven’t tried any of these out yet but as I do I’ll link from this page to the results of my experiments.

Drying fresh herbs

Pop the leaves between sheets of kitchen towel and microwave on high for a minute. If they’re not yet dry, repeat in 20-30 second bursts.

Homemade chips/crisps
Finely slice the potato (use a mandolin if you have one) and arrange on a microwave safe plate. Microwave for around 5 minutes – but keep an eye on them because this really depends on how thickly (or thinly!) they’re cut.

Again – using a piece of kitchen towel will help absorb the moisture.

Roasting garlic
Cut the top off a head of garlic, place in a deep microwave safe dish, drizzle with a little oil and add a couple of tablespoons of water to the dish. Cover (if using cling film ensure it’s microwave safe!) and microwave on mid power for 7-8 minutes.

A lot easier than the best part of an hour in the oven!

Proving bread dough
Place your dough in the microwave, with a cup of water (not in the same container, obviously!), and microwave on mid heat for 3 minutes. Rest for 3 minutes. Microwave for another 3 minutes and then cover and rest for 5-10 minutes.

If this really works (and I will definitely verify this one for you!) it will be a massive boon during the cold weather!

Cooking pappadums
Cooking pappadums in hot oil on the stove is hard, dirty work. And even though in theory it’s not too unhealthy (the oil is so hot it’s not absorbed) I’m not convinced.

You can microwave pappadums easily. Place a pappadum on a piece of kitchen towel and zap on high. You need to keep an eye on this and turn the pappadum over. The time required varies with size and thickness.

If you fancy a bit of grease, before microwaving brush the pappadum, on both sides, with a little oil or melted ghee.

So that’s my pick of the microwave hacks. Have you tried any of these? Or do you have a favourite that I’ve missed out?

Menz Raspberry Chocs

- Alex 2 Comments

Menz FruChocs are something of a South Australian icon so it takes a little courage to start messing with a such a winning formula.

But Robern Menz have done exactly that and introduced Raspberry Chocs. The combination of milk chocolate on the outside and raspberry jelly on the inside has proved to be a hit: the new treat has been trialled in Robern Menz’s own retail outlets with great success. And it’s now available statewide, in Drake Foodlands, Cheap as Chips and Neds.

Of course … chocolate and raspberry was never going to work, was it?!

As an aside, Robern Menz is a family owned, South Australian company. It was established in 1908 and is now in fourth generation hands. So that’s yet another reason to check out these new sweet treats!

Lemon Chicken Recipe

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photo

Sorry for the awful photo!  That’s what happens when you’re super hungry …

This is an absurdly easy (and quick to put together) roast chicken dinner recipe that was inspired by two recipes I found on The Good Food Channel’s website. The first, Mark Sargent’s lemon and herb roast chicken and the other, Rachel Allen’s leek and fennel roast chicken.

Naturally, my version of things doesn’t follow the script too closely and I wonder if I should really call it pot roast chicken … but no matter.

Preheat your oven to 200°C fan. In a roasting dish, which has a lid (this is quite important!), splosh a little light olive oil and arrange some chicken portions. I got the butcher to joint a chicken for us (by far the easiest way to buy chicken on the bone) and, for the two of us, I used the 2 drumsticks and the 2 thigh portions. You could buy marylands and halve them yourself.

Add 4 halved small new potatoes, 1 leek, cut into 1cm segments, 1 lemon or lime cut into quarters (we have an excess of limes to use thanks to my parents’ lime tree!) and a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

Sprinkle a little extra olive oil on top, cover with the lid (or tin foil) and place in the hot oven.

After about 20 minutes, give the meat and vegetables a bit of a poke and return to the oven for another 10 or so minutes, until the potatoes and chicken are cooked (that is, until you stick a knife into the thickest part of a chicken joint and the juices run clear – no blood!). The amount of time you actually need will depend on the size of the chicken joints, how tightly packed everything is in your roasting dish and, of course, how hot your oven actually is.

When the chicken is cooked, remove the lime quarters and thyme sprigs and return to the oven without the lid to crisp up the skin on the chicken. If you are not also trying to warm plates, you could pop things under the grill for a few moments.

Do try not to use too much olive oil because you want to be able to use the pan juices as an immediate gravy (rather than an oil slick!).

Serve on hot plates, with steamed vegetables.

No effort at all!