this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2023
1254 points (99.2% liked)

Memes

46457 readers
2072 users here now

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If your food is unevenly heated it's probably because you need to adjust the cook time and power settings. Heating it longer at a lower power setting will let the heat spread more evenly.

Alternatively, check your microwave's wattage. I always have to adjust microwave instructions to be about 10% longer because my apartment's microwave is weaker than companies assume the standard microwave is.

✨ May better heated microwave food await you ✨

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Yeah, once I started playing with power level settings, it was like night and day with cooking in the microwave.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

tl;dr: skill issue

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Except the food has localized concentrations of oil, fat or water or differences on overall density.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

That's why you lower the power. Leave enough time for entropy to distribute the heat before dumping more energy into the food. The more heterogenous the food is, the more you need to lower the power (down to maybe even 200-400 W for mixed leftovers). And make sure all your foodstuffs are touching each other to allow heat to homogenize.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"How about I just heat the plate instead dipshit?"

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

But why's it gotta be hotter than the runaway nuclear reaction at Chernobyl?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

My plates always stay cold lol

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In the kitchen it hums with delight,

A mischievous microwave, quite a sight.

With a twist of its dial, a dance begins,

Uneven warmth, where chaos wins.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

With a flicker and a sarcastic hum,

Microwave, oh marvel, where chaos is spun.

A promise of warmth, a comedic jest,

In your reheating quest, you give us the rest.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Wavelengths oh do cancel when a crest and a trough

Do meet one another and, energy, not enough

Yet center the plate, or a bowl, it’s your choice

So the food spins round the high points and molecules, excited, rejoice

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

magical energy, technological wonder,

Could my reheating choice perhaps be a blunder?

My mind races, my feelings are mixed;

Lasagna like magma with ice patches betwixt.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago (9 children)

I'll bet 99% of the people who bitch bout this only use HI power .

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I just started doubling time and using half power. It works sooo much better!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I can take a McDonalds cheeseburger thats been in the fridge for three days and nuke it to like it was just handed over the counter fresh by using 20-30% power for 4 minutes

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This is because all microwaves have terrible UI/UX. If you are supposed to use less than 100% then why do I have to hit 9 buttons every time I want to use less than 100% power? And only 1 button to use 100% power for a variety of different settings.

Why is it not you hit Cook, then enter Power, then enter time? Like every single other stove in existence

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I usually just use high power. I should try this sometime, although I don't tend to have issues with stuff having cold spots. Something I think that helps is stirring stuff half way through and letting it sit for a min after it's done.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (5 replies)
[–] rbos 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Among the other suggestions people have made in this thread, I'd like to add that just covering something and allowing the food to steam-heat makes a big difference. For instance I will usually poke a well in the middle of leftovers, put a tiny bit of water in (especially with rice, which dries out) and cover it with a plate. The water boils and heats it much better.

[–] WashedOver 4 points 1 year ago

Great suggestion.

On a side note look into eating left over rice.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, aluminium foil as cover does sparking wonders in that regard!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

PROTIP: Whenever possible, shape/place the food you're heating like a donut. ( O )

Microwaves need to penetrate the food; if it's a big lump, it's hard to reach the stuff in the middle. By using a "donut" shape, you are creating more surface area, and spreading out the "middle" so it's easier for microwaves to reach all the parts of the food equally

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Microwave ovens were a tech ahead of their time. It's crazy how incredibly little these have evolved though decade after decade.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The fried capers and white bean soup in this video are BOMB. Would highly recommend - it's super simple and delicious!!

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

I don’t normally stop for “cute” but this one got me. It’s super cute.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Some have sensors that will really help heat food evenly and will adjust times and power levels depending on what you're doing. Most are just default cook times, but if you haven't tried it out, it's worth it.

[–] WashedOver 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I watched a video the other day discussing the sensors in some Microwaves for popping popcorn. Most lower end units don't have these sensors but the ones that do, can actually make pretty good popcorn.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

TechnologyConnections is pretty dope

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Don't inverter microwaves solve this problem?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I thought it was the metal fan in front of the magnetron that scattered and randomized the microwaves so there aren't any hotspots.

Inverter microwaves allow you to change the power level without duty cycling

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Not directly, but they improve the low-power modes substantially, and using the low-power modes for longer times is the solution. Inverters aren't strictly needed, but they do make it better.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@[email protected], care to comment on your creative process?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Hah! Just like Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (5 children)

People who have inverter microwaves, do they actually heat food more evenly or is it just marketing buzz?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

dunno what an inverting thing is but I suspect uneven heating is due to different food's physics properties so uhm...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

We have a Panasonic inverting one that has a flat bed (no turn table) and it doesn't heat evenly...

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] ILikeBoobies 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Spinny plate and letting it sit afterwards

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's an effect of how they work which is inherently uneven saved depends largely on what it is cooking or rather it's water content.

[–] ILikeBoobies 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes a wave has peaks and valleys

Rotating reduces this short coming

And waiting allows the heat to spread

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Thawing the pizza? of course that one edge has to be half done while we're at it!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

You can't blame the microwave for the way physics works haha

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You know you can put a strip of aluminum foil under your food and it will heat evenly.

Source: Trust me bro

load more comments
view more: next ›