[0 - 13] - Wow, I made it entirely in the microwave. (laughing) Five. (upbeat music)
[13 - 15] If you're just reheating leftovers
[15 - 17] and zapping your cold coffee,
[17 - 19] you're not getting the most out of your microwave.
[19 - 22] Now, these days, microwaves are a real cooking tool.
[22 - 24] We've been using them more and more in recipes
[24 - 27] to take over jobs that they can do easier and faster.
[27 - 29] - And as microwaves take a front and center seat
[29 - 32] in home cooking, microwave-specific cookware
[32 - 34] is also blossoming on store shelves.
[34 - 35] You may have seen the brand Anyday,
[35 - 38] which is backed by celebrity chef David Chang.
[38 - 39] - So, what makes a good microwave,
[39 - 42] and is that cookware designed to cook entire meals
[42 - 44] in your microwave even worth it?
[44 - 45] Hannah and I will give you the full rundown
[45 - 48] of our testing and give you some great tips and tricks
[48 - 50] for getting more out of your microwave.
[50 - 52] - First up, Lisa with her microwave testing.
[52 - 55] (air whooshing) (upbeat music continues)
[55 - 58] - So it helps to understand how microwave ovens work.
[58 - 60] They're powered by something called a magnetron,
[60 - 62] which generates electric current and waves
[62 - 64] that are called microwaves.
[64 - 67] And these can pass through plastic, glass,
[67 - 68] and other materials,
[68 - 70] but they're absorbed by food.
[70 - 72] And they get the water molecules
[72 - 74] and to some extent the fat molecules vibrating,
[74 - 77] and that creates heat that cooks your food.
[77 - 79] Microwaves only penetrate the outermost layer
[79 - 80] of the food, though, 'cause they're not cooking
[80 - 83] from the inside, out like some people say.
[83 - 84] It's coming from the outside.
[84 - 87] And it's only the top maybe 1/2 inch of the food
[87 - 88] that's getting hot from the microwaves.
[88 - 91] The rest of it heats up by conduction,
[91 - 93] just the heat is traveling inward from the hot surface.
[93 - 96] Microwave ovens cycle the power on and off
[96 - 98] when they work, and the magnetron will kick in
[98 - 100] and then it will turn off again.
[100 - 100] You can hear that.
[100 - 102] You'll hear a fan going continuously
[102 - 104] and then a sort of louder hum will come in and go out.
[104 - 107] And that's the magnetron coming on or turning off.
[107 - 110] So the turntable is there to rotate your food
[110 - 111] in and out of the microwaves.
[111 - 113] They have a certain wave pattern,
[113 - 116] and if you put the bowl or food a little bit off center,
[116 - 118] it helps because in the center,
[118 - 120] you're just hitting the same spots over and over again.
[120 - 122] And we even saw some scorching when we did things
[122 - 124] right in the center that we didn't see
[124 - 126] when we moved food off center.
[126 - 129] It's also good to flip and turn and stir your food.
[129 - 131] That's a great tip for just evening out that heating.
[131 - 133] Just move that food around
[133 - 135] so that it'll get more even heating.
[135 - 138] I just recently tested a whole bunch of microwaves
[138 - 139] and put them through all their paces.
[139 - 140] This is our winner.
[140 - 144] It's called the Breville Compact Wave Soft Close microwave.
[144 - 146] And there's a bunch of things we really liked
[146 - 147] about this model.
[147 - 152] Here's the soft close part, I love it, this handle (door clicking)
[152 - 153] has soft close.
[153 - 155] So it's not just clunking around.
[155 - 156] And you don't have to do that thing
[156 - 157] where you're like poking that button.
[157 - 158] It feels like some microwaves
[158 - 160] you're like karate chopping it
[160 - 162] and it's like hitting your hand. It's ugh.
[162 - 165] We tested models that were bigger and smaller,
[165 - 166] more and less powerful.
[166 - 168] Here's the things you wanna focus in on.
[168 - 171] First off, what you wanna look for is a microwave
[171 - 172] with moderate wattage.
[172 - 175] It's often written like up top here or on the side
[175 - 178] or on the back of the microwave.
[178 - 179] And it will tell you what the wattage is.
[180 - 181] You want something in the mid range,
[181 - 183] 900 to 1,000 watts.
[183 - 184] And here's why.
[184 - 185] You might think, "No, no, no, let me get
[185 - 187] the most powerful one I can."
[187 - 189] That does not help you.
[189 - 190] Most of the time, when you're cooking
[190 - 195] with a high-wattage microwave, like 1,200 watts and up,
[195 - 197] all you're doing is exploding your food.
[197 - 200] Like if you put butter in there, and boom, it's everywhere.
[200 - 201] That is not great.
[201 - 204] One of the things that I learned from doing this testing
[204 - 206] is that you wanna use lower power percentages.
[206 - 209] So cut it in half and see how that goes.
[209 - 210] You can always add time,
[210 - 212] but you can't, you know, once you've gone too far
[212 - 214] and that butter is blown up inside there
[214 - 217] or whatever you've done is just too overcooked,
[217 - 218] you can't go back.
[218 - 222] So, experiment, but try lowering your power percentage
[222 - 223] if you have a very powerful microwave.
[223 - 224] So on this microwave,
[224 - 227] it's much easier than on some of them.
[227 - 230] There's a button that just say power right here, power.
[230 - 231] (microwave beeping) You hit that,
[231 - 232] that's 100% power.
[233 - 235] 90, 80, 70, 60, 50.
[235 - 237] 50% is good, cut things in half and see where it goes.
[239 - 242] So you can cook very gently with this,
[242 - 244] or you can use full power.
[244 - 246] To set the time,
[246 - 247] you're gonna just turn this knob.
[247 - 250] And that will give you the number of seconds
[250 - 252] or if you keep going, you got minutes.
[252 - 253] It's very, very easy.
[253 - 256] And then, you know, the buttons down the bottom are great
[256 - 259] because green for go, red for stop.
[259 - 261] One of the ones I tested had those colors reversed.
[261 - 263] Like in what world does that make sense?
[263 - 266] This really had simple, intuitive controls,
[266 - 267] and that's something you want.
[267 - 269] Some of the models we tested had buttons
[269 - 270] for all kinds of things,
[270 - 274] like kids meals and snacks
[274 - 275] or healthy cooking.
[275 - 277] And I was like, "Really, what is that?
[277 - 278] What does that even mean?"
[279 - 281] And less is more with the controls of a microwave.
[281 - 284] Simple, straightforward, intuitive controls
[285 - 286] will always be better.
[286 - 288] Another thing you wanna look for is a moderate size.
[288 - 291] And unless you're microwaving like giant things,
[291 - 294] you don't need the biggest microwave they make.
[294 - 298] We really liked models that were about .9 or one cubic feet.
[298 - 301] Bigger ones just were enormous on the outside
[301 - 304] and didn't give you that much more usable interior space.
[304 - 307] Smaller ones, we had one that was .7 cubic feet.
[307 - 308] It would be fine for a smaller household.
[308 - 310] It's really, it was just, you know,
[310 - 311] a little bit more petite than this.
[311 - 313] But this is a good moderate size.
[313 - 315] You just want something that you can use.
[315 - 318] So you don't want the most enormous machine
[318 - 319] you could ever find.
[319 - 321] The other thing I really love is that this has got
[321 - 324] little feet that set it up off the counter.
[324 - 326] A lot of the ones we tested are flush to the bottom.
[326 - 327] It looks really high-tech and stuff,
[327 - 328] but it's a pain in the neck.
[328 - 331] If you have anything in front of the microwave, (door clicking)
[331 - 333] this can open over it.
[333 - 335] I'm constantly moving a potholder or a plate
[335 - 338] or a towel away from the front of my microwave
[338 - 340] 'cause I open it, it jams, I'm like, "Ugh," and move it.
[340 - 343] It's really like a little extra that I love.
[343 - 346] The last thing is that it has this brushed finished,
[346 - 347] which honestly is great
[347 - 349] because it doesn't show fingerprints.
[349 - 351] So many microwaves on the market right now
[351 - 353] are stainless steel and black glass,
[353 - 357] and it looks all like, you know, futuristic,
[357 - 358] but every time you touch them,
[358 - 361] you leave a fingerprint or smear or smudge.
[361 - 363] This stayed clean inside and out,
[363 - 365] was really easy to maintain.
[365 - 367] And, you know, that matters.
[367 - 369] You don't want something that just sits around your counter
[369 - 370] all the time looking grubby.
[370 - 372] We highly recommend this model by Breville,
[372 - 373] but we also liked a model by Sharp
[373 - 375] that had a few features this one didn't.
[375 - 377] It was a little bit less expensive
[377 - 380] and it performed really well, so we also recommend it. (air whooshing)
[380 - 382] So here's a bunch of stuff we love to do in the microwave.
[382 - 384] I personally have done lots of things
[384 - 386] like frying shallots or onions,
[386 - 389] drying out eggplant or mushrooms before cooking them
[389 - 391] to take some of that excess moisture,
[391 - 392] works as a steamer.
[392 - 394] You can put a cover on.
[394 - 395] You can use a plate.
[395 - 396] I love the Piggy Steamer.
[396 - 398] I think I use this 100 times a day.
[398 - 399] I just pop that on.
[399 - 401] It doesn't have to completely seal.
[401 - 403] Plenty of steam will be trapped in there.
[403 - 408] And you're just gonna put it in. (bowl clinking) (door clicking)
[408 - 410] And then I'm gonna dial up about four minutes
[410 - 413] and take a look. (microwave beeping)
[413 - 414] (air whooshing) (microwave beeping)
[414 - 416] By the way, this is one of the things we really liked
[416 - 416] about this microwave.
[416 - 418] It says end when it's done.
[418 - 420] And it stays saying end until you open this.
[420 - 422] So you don't find like yesterday's old food
[422 - 424] sitting in there.
[424 - 425] And there is our beautiful broccoli.
[425 - 428] It's gonna be pretty hot. Okay.
[428 - 430] Now, the beauty of this is,
[430 - 433] you can, you know, you've got steamed broccoli for dinner.
[433 - 435] You can add something to this, olive oil,
[435 - 436] herbs, spices, whatever.
[436 - 438] Of you can use this to, you know,
[438 - 440] just start parcooking the broccoli
[440 - 443] and then put it in a stir fry so it really will be cooked
[443 - 445] all the way through and you don't, you know,
[445 - 447] it's a little bit easier to get the right texture
[447 - 448] that you want.
[448 - 450] It's a really quick vegetable side dish
[450 - 451] that kinda takes care of itself
[451 - 453] while you're making other parts of the meal.
[453 - 454] (air whooshing) So another great thing
[454 - 457] to do in your microwave is corn on the cob.
[457 - 459] You don't have to start boiling a huge pot of water.
[459 - 461] It's very quick and very easy.
[461 - 462] There's two ways to do it.
[462 - 463] You can either husk it completely
[463 - 466] and then wrap it in plastic and microwave it.
[466 - 468] Or you can use its own husk.
[468 - 470] And you don't even really have to put it on a plate.
[470 - 473] You can just put the corn right on the turntable.
[473 - 476] I'm gonna run it for five minutes.
[476 - 478] And go. (microwave beeping)
[478 - 480] With this, you can, you know, go up to about 10 minutes
[480 - 482] if you have more ears of corn.
[482 - 489] But, you know, always start a little bit low and then check. (microwave beeping)
[492 - 493] It's hot, it's steamy.
[494 - 496] There, look at this.
[498 - 502] This perfect, perfectly steamed corn on the cob
[502 - 504] in the microwave in five minutes.
[504 - 507] You can add some butter and salt and pepper.
[508 - 509] But look at this.
[509 - 512] So easy, so fast, no big pot of water,
[512 - 514] nothing to pour out when you're done.
[514 - 515] It's ready to go. (air whooshing)
[515 - 517] Microwaving isn't all about vegetables.
[517 - 519] We got some delicious mug cake.
[519 - 521] Who ever though you could bake in a microwave?
[521 - 523] Everybody's been making mug cakes.
[523 - 525] They're viral, but you know, there's a reason,
[525 - 526] 'cause it's so easy.
[526 - 529] You're basically using a mug, a whisk, and a bowl.
[529 - 533] That's all you need. (microwave beeping)
[533 - 535] Okay, so, it's got a solid shape
[535 - 537] and it's still a little wet on top and that's fine.
[537 - 540] We're gonna let it rest for two minutes
[540 - 541] and that will carry over the cooking,
[541 - 544] make sure that chocolate inside is nice and molten
[544 - 545] and liquidy and delicious
[545 - 553] and then it will be ready to serve. (laughing) Five.
[554 - 556] (laughing) This is so good.
[556 - 560] It's delicious, it's warm, it's chocolatey, it's gooey.
[560 - 562] Made it entirely in a mug in the microwave.
[562 - 565] Now, Hannah's gonna show you cookware that's designed
[565 - 570] to make whole meals in your microwave. (light music)
[570 - 571] - All right, so today I'm going to talk
[571 - 573] about Anyday microwave cookware.
[573 - 575] I have a set right here.
[575 - 577] This line promises to cook complete meals
[577 - 578] in your microwave.
[578 - 580] So we had to put this to the test.
[580 - 583] Anyday cookware comes in sets or it's sold separately.
[583 - 585] This is the Everyday Set right here.
[585 - 587] It has four pieces in different sizes.
[587 - 589] Today I'm gonna go for the large shallow.
[589 - 591] That's how they call them, all different names
[591 - 592] based on their sizes right here.
[592 - 593] I'm gonna get rid of the rest of these
[593 - 595] and we're gonna focus on this size.
[595 - 597] I'm gonna make some chicken wings in it.
[597 - 599] If you wanna pick just one of these and buy it separately,
[599 - 602] I would say large shallow is a good versatile size.
[602 - 604] You don't need dedicated cookware
[604 - 605] to cook in the microwave.
[605 - 607] We cook in the microwave all the time
[607 - 609] in regular microwave-safe bowls.
[609 - 611] We'll often use a plate on top to contain splatter
[611 - 613] or to steam things.
[613 - 615] So, we really wondered, like, is this a gimmick?
[615 - 616] Is it worth it?
[616 - 620] Is there a reason you need to buy microwave-specific cookware?
[620 - 622] We were super curious and had to check these things out.
[622 - 624] So let me tell you a little bit about their construction
[624 - 626] and what makes them unique.
[626 - 628] The thick frosted borosilicate glass
[628 - 630] that these are made from is specially designed
[630 - 633] to be more shatter-resistant.
[633 - 635] Glass is really susceptible when there's wide swings
[635 - 637] in temperature changes, for example,
[637 - 639] taking a hot dish out of the microwave
[639 - 641] and putting it on a cold surface, for example.
[641 - 645] Some types of glass, that can actually shatter it.
[645 - 648] The thick borosilicate glass is not shatterproof.
[648 - 649] You know, if I trip and drop this,
[649 - 650] it will probably break.
[650 - 653] But it's much more shatter-resistant and shock-resistant,
[653 - 655] so you don't have that risk
[655 - 656] of taking out your beautiful dish
[656 - 658] and then shattering glass everywhere.
[658 - 661] It has a little pop up handle right here
[661 - 663] that doubles as a steam vent.
[663 - 667] It also has a stainless steel microwave-safe
[667 - 669] stainless steel rim that surrounds it
[669 - 672] with a silicone gasket inside.
[672 - 674] It allows a really super tight seal,
[674 - 676] and that tight seal is really key to microwave cooking,
[676 - 677] because you're going to ensure
[677 - 679] that all that moisture stays inside.
[679 - 681] You might've been surprised that I said
[681 - 683] that it has a metal rim, and you know,
[683 - 686] metal in the microwave typically does not work well.
[686 - 690] This is a rounded metal rim specifically designed by Anyday.
[690 - 693] We heard about it from the founder, Stephanie Chen.
[693 - 695] And metal can work in the microwave
[695 - 697] under specific conditions.
[697 - 698] Sharp corners are not good,
[698 - 701] like the tines of a fork, for example.
[701 - 703] The electricity can jump from point to point.
[703 - 706] But if the edges are rounded and very intentionally designed
[706 - 708] for the microwave, you actually can put metal
[708 - 709] in the microwave.
[709 - 711] We just do not recommend it unless it's an item
[711 - 714] that is specifically designed for you to do so.
[714 - 714] So throughout testing,
[714 - 717] we compared these to a regular Pyrex bowl
[717 - 718] and a plate on top as a lid.
[718 - 720] We also compared them to CorningWare,
[720 - 722] which was really popular in the '80s.
[722 - 726] And we were really impressed by how the Anyday performed.
[726 - 729] It was, compared to the Pyrex bowl, for example,
[729 - 731] that has like the plate as a lid
[731 - 732] and feels a little rickety,
[732 - 735] this tight silicone seal here really created
[735 - 737] a really tight-forming seal,
[737 - 740] and the food produced inside the Anyday cookware
[740 - 742] was a little more moist, a little more tender.
[742 - 746] The Anyday cookware was also just slightly easier to use.
[746 - 749] It has this really nice cushiony handle on the lid.
[749 - 751] It's a lot easier to take the lid off and on,
[751 - 755] more comfortable to put in and out of the microwave.
[755 - 757] When you're holding a Pyrex bowl with a rickety plate,
[757 - 759] it can be a lot to like keep the parts together,
[759 - 762] especially when you're pulling it out and everything's hot.
[762 - 765] This very nicely, neatly contained product
[765 - 767] with nice smooth edges,
[767 - 769] the frosted gives you a little bit of a finish on there,
[769 - 772] a little nice grip versus something that's super smooth.
[772 - 774] So they were slightly easier to use
[774 - 777] when compared to regular bowls or CorningWare.
[777 - 780] And they actually did produce slightly better food.
[780 - 783] Part of what you get when you purchase an Anyday set
[783 - 785] is a ton of recipes from the company.
[785 - 787] Sometimes when you get a new product like this,
[787 - 789] you're like, "All right, I made my one thing.
[789 - 791] I made my steamed broccoli, like now what?"
[791 - 793] They have a lot of answers for that now what.
[793 - 794] You can have fun.
[794 - 794] They have a newsletter.
[794 - 796] They keep turning our recipes.
[796 - 798] I'm on it and I keep seeing these new recipes
[798 - 800] that I keep thinking like, "Whoa, in a microwave?"
[800 - 802] And you know what, the ones we tested,
[802 - 805] all of the recipes ended up being really good. (air whooshing)
[805 - 806] All right, so I wanna show you one of the recipes
[806 - 809] that we made from Anyday that was surprisingly good.
[809 - 811] Chicken wings in the microwave, hear me out,
[811 - 812] stay with me here.
[813 - 815] I'm gonna show you how to do it, the lid.
[816 - 818] Basically, you just add all the ingredients,
[819 - 821] except for the chicken wings.
[821 - 823] I'm putting in some Dijon mustard here,
[825 - 827] then some honey,
[829 - 830] red pepper flakes,
[832 - 836] curry powder, and then little tiny cubes of butter.
[837 - 839] And we just wanna mix this all together,
[839 - 842] microwave it for a little bit so it melts,
[842 - 844] and then I'm gonna take it out and add the chicken wings
[844 - 847] and put everything back in here. (microwave beeping)
[847 - 848] This is really just to melt
[848 - 851] and meld everything all together. (microwave beeping)
[851 - 852] Stir halfway through
[852 - 860] just to make sure everything's nice and even. (door clicking) (microwave beeping)
[860 - 863] There are some smart cheffy things about these recipes.
[863 - 864] Like for example,
[864 - 866] we're blooming the curry in here right now.
[866 - 867] I can smell the curry.
[867 - 868] It smells delicious.
[868 - 871] I don't know if this is because David Chang
[871 - 873] is one of the backers of this and he's, you know,
[873 - 876] a legit chef, but they have some really nice ideas
[876 - 880] incorporated in here. (microwave beeping) All right. (door clicking)
[880 - 881] Open this up.
[883 - 885] Stays surprisingly cool.
[885 - 886] I can just pull this out with my hands.
[886 - 890] As you can see, it's starting to sizzle in there.
[890 - 894] Gonna put the wings in. Plop.
[894 - 897] Stir them around to get coated.
[898 - 899] All right, so I've tossed the wings
[899 - 900] and the sauce all together.
[900 - 902] Gives me very clear instructions.
[902 - 905] I wanna cover this and then vent,
[905 - 908] which means to lift the handle on the lid up a little bit,
[908 - 909] get a little steam out.
[909 - 910] And this is gonna go back in.
[910 - 915] It says seven minutes. (door clicking)
[915 - 918] Wow, this is so easy to set. (microwave beeping)
[918 - 919] There we go. (air whooshing)
[919 - 920] So you know, I have to say,
[920 - 922] we were pretty skeptical about these.
[922 - 924] Microwave cooking, it just does not have
[924 - 925] that sex appeal to it.
[925 - 929] In the end, we were surprised with how much we liked
[929 - 930] the Anyday cookware.
[930 - 932] From the microwave, that's super impressive.
[932 - 933] It's really easy.
[933 - 934] You do have to clean the bowl,
[934 - 935] but it's dishwasher-safe.
[935 - 936] That's not that bad.
[936 - 938] These were surprisingly delicious.
[938 - 941] We were really pleasantly surprised.
[941 - 943] All right, so microwave cooking is back.
[943 - 945] You know, with Lisa's review out,
[945 - 948] her tips for how to get the most out of your microwave,
[948 - 950] and some surprising additions to the cookware field
[950 - 952] that were actually pretty impressive,
[952 - 954] things are looking up in the microwave realm.
[954 - 956] You know, we want you to maximize your microwave.
[957 - 959] They can be really effective on the holidays,
[959 - 962] weeknight prep, they can be easier to clean,
[963 - 966] You know, there's a lot of reasons for you to revisit
[966 - 967] and rethink your microwave and make sure
[967 - 969] you're getting the most out of it.
[969 - 972] (upbeat music continues)