Introduction

Your microwave should be your kitchen’s greatest asset. Many people use one exclusively; I prefer to use mine in conjunction with my conventional cooker to get the best of both worlds. But whether you are cooking for a large family or living on your own, microwave cooking is fast, convenient and economical. It also reduces the washing up, because many foods that normally stick with a vengeance to the saucepan or dish - boiled milk, scrambled eggs or porridge for example - don’t stick at all when cooked in the microwave. In addition, many dishes can be cooked and served in the same container, making things even simpler and quicker.

To get the most out of your microwave, you need to understand how it works and learn a few basic principles, such as what containers you can and can’t use and how to adapt your normal cooking methods when necessary. I have set out all this information in the first half of this book. In the second part, I explain exactly how to defrost, cook and reheat every type of food you can successfully prepare in your microwave oven to achieve the best possible results with confidence. This new, improved Microwave Cooking Times will be the most useful microwave cookery book you have ever bought, and with it to hand you need never be wary of your microwave oven again.