Microwave Cooking
A microwave oven is so easy to use that a child can perform the basic functions to heat up a frozen meal or make oatmeal in the microwave. This is one of the big reasons why the microwave has been such a success and moved from an appliance for the rich to an appliance that every home in the country must have. These days, you would no more set up a modern kitchen without a microwave then you would set one up without a sink. Part of the reason the microwave has achieved this popularity is that cooking with a microwave is so easy to do.
Most people have their dozen or fewer standard things they always use a microwave for. The standard uses for a microwave are so common that most modern microwaves have settings that are devoted entirely to certain foods. So whether you want to make microwave popcorn or bake a potato or defrost some soup or reheat some leftovers, there is probably a button already on the panel of the microwave with those settings already programmed so you don't even have to follow instructions or know what you are doing. These buttons make cooking in a microwave even more idiot proof then they already were.
There really are only a couple rules for cooking in the microwave and a number of guidelines. One rule that is hard and fast is to never put metal of any sort in the microwave. Most of us have no problem with this rule with the exception of an occasional coffee mug that might have metal in the decorative paint. But when the sparks start to fly, it is easy to remember the rule and correct the problem.
The other two "quirks" that go with microwave cooking have to do with foods that don't cook evenly and food that explodes. Anyone who has used a microwave oven to heat up a casserole or soup knows that if you give the dish a few minutes on high and take it out and test it, parts of the dish will be hot and other parts room temperature or cold. The nature of how your oven sends microwaves through the food causes these "cost spots" (or "hot spots" if you wish) to create inconsistent results. The solution is to heat the dish over several short intervals and stop and stir the food as you go. A rotating microwave turntable can also address this problem.
Finally, if you have ever tried to heat up a hot dog in the microwave, you know about the issue with exploding food. If you heat a hot dog on high for a minute, before the cycle is done, the ends will literally blow up. Microwaves cause fats in food to "pop" which can send debris all over the inside of your microwave. The solution is to cover any dish you heat up in the microwave particularly if the dish contains meat. And if you really want a hot dog in a hurry, use the toaster oven.
