# I cook my steaks with the microwave



## i <3 vodka (Jun 21, 2008)

Apparently microwaves have a stigma attached to it in fine cooking and some even see using it for cooking steaks is a sin. 

Conventional cooking heats by conduction and the outside will always cook more than inside, but microwave energy can provide heating beneath the surface. 

Although some say microwaves cook from "inside out", this isn't quite correct. The penetration depth is something around 1.7cm (for residential 2.45GHz model, about 2-3 times deeper for 0.92 GHz industrial microwaves) and the microwave energy is reduced as you increase in depth. Shallower depth heats up more,however microwave heating below the surface as well.

The idea is that microwave can cook the meat with lesser variation in doneness through the full depth. You can further reduce the temperature gradient by cooking at reduced duty cycle (the power setting does not actually reduce the power, but changes the amount of pause in between heating) 

I'll either pre-heat the meat in the microwave then finish on the Geroge Foreman grill, or I'll sear both sides on the GF grill first to seal the meat, then finish cooking the meat to desired doneness in the microwave. The surface finish is important in making the meat presentable, so microwave alone won't do it, however used in conjunction with G.F. grill, the outcome is completely fine for me. While microwaving I put the meat on the plate, then put the plate on an inverted bowl, so that microwave energy can access the bottom as well. 

What I get is meat that is adequately cooked in the center yet tender all the way to the surface. 

Using similar thickness and weight cuts, you can get the cooking time to exact science and get a very consistent result every time. 

Any other advocates for microwave assisted steak cooking?


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

For me, it would only be for reheating, but there's rarely any leftover steak here


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## food-macro (May 13, 2008)

Thats different iv herd of people who cook there meats with the microwave its alot easier thats for sure. i find that the microwave drys out food more times then not but meh "to each his own".


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

I think we have a difference in taste in general. I don't LIKE my meat to be cooked evenly all the way through. What i like in a steak is that the outside is seared (not for appearance but for taste) and a little crusty, and the inside is red and juicy.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

time. 

most people use microwaves because of time. 

it doesn't take long to cook a steak in a pan and finish in the oven. 

it DOES take long to bake potatoes......so I usually throw them in the microwave first to start the process. 

Not sure what is gained from cooking a steak in the microwave....unless you don't have a stove/oven.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Microwave steaks? Can you get a decent Maillard reaction that way?

mjb.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Microwave meat yuck!


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

My Brother-in-Law cooked a beef roast in a microwave - once- not a good result. Waste of a good joint.

I do like microwaves for vegetables & defrosting. Don't think I'd cook a steak in there. Like Siduri, I love it crispy on the outside and still moo-ing on the inside  Chicken can work well, steamed fish too, but it does take some getting used to. Great for warming up bread rolls. And mug of water for coffee in the morning when kettle takes waaaay too long. Also good for ready meals from a can when you got no time at all to cook. Gotta remember to cover the bowl tho - otherwise you'll be half an hour cleaning up the spatter and not have saved any time. 

And definitely not sauces, even the instant just add water and stir every 30 seconds ones - by the time you put it in, program it, take it out, stir sauce, reprogram it, put in back in and do this the recommended number of times - you could have done it in half the time on the stove top.

Save your steak for the pan/grill.

DC


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

I sometimes microwave fish--it comes out really good if you do it right. It's kind of like poached fish. Beef, no.


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

I think everything tastes poached or steamed in the microwave (though if yuo have one with a strong grill incorporated, i've been able to get relatively crusty chicken pieces and potatoes - when i'm in a real hurry. But i hate poached or steamed meat or fish, or am indifferent to it. I like the bit of charred flesh taste that enhances it. I once finished an undercooked chicken in the microwave, because it was late and thought, well, it';s crusty now, it will just cook inside. But it came out dry.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

i melt chocolate pretty quick in the 'wave too..


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## key (Apr 20, 2008)

I used to travel 30 miles for a cast iron fried steak.... Very different, but very good.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

In the culinary world an evenly cooked steak is not desirable. A proper steak is seared on the outside and tender on the inside. But to each his own. If some people get a kick out of boiling a steak in the microwave then heck do it! But stay away from my ribeye!

I use the microwave only for reheating leftovers and boiling potatoes. They come out pretty well when I put them in a shallow bowl with a cup of water, pierce them with a knife, and microwave till done. They steam in the water.


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## i <3 vodka (Jun 21, 2008)

I do sear it on the surface with the George Foreman grill. As far as the temperature gradient from inside to outside.

If microwaves offered both the ability to change the actual power output, as well as the duty cycle(only latter is used on most microwaves) and you have much more control over temperature gradient form inside to out even though the cook time for desired result will take longer. 

When you reduce the power to 50% you're not changing the power, but pausing 50% of the time not to reduce the amount of heating, but to allow the heat to penetrate. 

With a good hardware and well programmed firmware you can have pretty good automated cooking programs.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

George Foreman grill, to microwave....I'm just not sure where I see this as being easer and we ALL know it CERTAINLY won't taste better than a pan and an oven.....and you have even more to clean afterwards. I'm still trying to see the benefits of it, not that I'm doubting the possibility of it, but the benefits of it. I'd imagine it would even take longer in the 'wave.


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## renhoek (Jun 24, 2008)

If I were stranded on a desert island with a piece of ribeye and a microwave, I think I'd just eat the steak raw


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Raw is fine, toss me some salt, pepper, and garlic :lips:


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## yorvo (Jun 11, 2008)

A George Foreman grill and a microwave? Sounds like working hard to get out of work.


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## i <3 vodka (Jun 21, 2008)

I don't have a grill and don't have a place for it 
Pan frying splatters oil and oven is slow..

I can get it done less than 10 minutes


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

It's hard to reply to this without a certain amount of sarcasm. The first thing that comes to mind is WHY??????? 10 minutes to cook a steak is an average time and can be done on the stove top in a pan with little to no splatter if you; a) don't use a ton of butter/oil, b) trim the steak to an acceptable amount of excess fat and c) have a clue.

In defense of a microwave (can't believe I'm about to do that.....) we actually own an Advantium. Added it to the kitchen because of counter space and not wanting to take up any. I also wanted a second oven so it made sense. Why not get a combination and just install it in place of a built in Microwave. 

The Microwave feature is used only for popcorn, reheating anything but meats, heating the occasional soup when you don't want to clean a pan and heating the DD's can of Chef Boy-ar-dee. 

The speed cook feature (microwave and UV light) has been used for biscuits, French fries and baked potatoes for dinner or potato salad. It does a decent job on all. Biscuits come out light, fluffy and browned, potatoes have a nice, crisp skin and fries are almost as good as being deep fried and all with out the extra energy costs and kitchen heat of using the oven.

Yet the main uses of the Advantium are the convection cook and the hold features. We use it as out primary oven because of it's quick preheat time and as already mentioned because it doesn't use as much energy or throw a great deal of heat in the kitchen. The hold feature uses oven heat, no microwaves, to hold the food in 3 different temp ranges and in a crisp or moist setting . Works great when the dinner has to be held because we're running late. 

I hate to say it but any person that has respect for the food they cook, serve and eat, whether they be a Professional or home Cook, wouldn't use let alone publicly proclaim they cook their steaks and enjoy them from a microwave. But to each their own. 

Just goes to show what certain "mentalities" in our culture have created .

IMHPO just boil the dang thing is salt water and call it done. It can be ready in 5 minutes and then there's no mess but from the water and pot it was boiled in.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Tell us how you really feel oldschool hehe. I agree with you.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Microwave being a form of kinetic energy is really not controlable unless confined. Why subject a good steak to the unknown? What is the advantage of cooking it this way. Microwave ovens in a commercial kitchen should only be used for reheating some items or melting others. Let the housewife cook with it, not someone who deems themself a pro. cook or chef. Next thing you know will be boiling pasta in it or doing some other crazy thing, but ask yourself is this the best way? I HAVE FOUND THAT IF YOU PUT A DAMP TOWL IN IT, YOU CAN PRESENT IT TO THE GUEST TO CLEAN HIS HANDS AND FACE AFTER EATING RIBS OR LOBSTER. Thats about all I would use it for. Since I to are an old timer I agree with OLD SCHOOL.


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## yorvo (Jun 11, 2008)

I was kid, ten years old, we're talking 1975. Microwaves first came out. We had a Sharp. Big old heavy thing. My mom would keep a pitcher of cake batter in the fridge and a stack of paper cupcake liners next to the microwave. We'd pour a half inch or so of batter in the liner and nuke it for 30 seconds. Fluffed up great. No frosting or anything and we'd just eat it hot out of the microwave. Used to love that.

I rarely use one at home. There's not much that I can't do faster on the stove.


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## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

i think thats a terrible thing to do to a piece of meat GACK
microwaves are good for things like heating up at home, melting butter, or baking a spud or even steaming very quickly some veges but never ever for cooking meat, 
you get no colour and flavour from a microwave cooked piece of meat, , cooking steak in a grill pan or over a flame grill , or even a regular old frypan gets you natural caramelisation out of the meat and makes it look and taste great

im with you on this one ...... plus it would be much easier to eat the steak raw on a desert island it would be quite hard to find a power point for the microwave:roll::lol:


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## paellaorig (Jan 20, 2011)

I <3 Vodka said:


> Apparently microwaves have a stigma attached to it in fine cooking and some even see using it for cooking steaks is a sin.
> 
> Conventional cooking heats by conduction and the outside will always cook more than inside, but microwave energy can provide heating beneath the surface.
> 
> ...


Is this thread some kind of joke, it has to be and you must be a troll. Is there some sort of stigma attached to cooking steak microwaves do you have a braincell?

I found this thread by googling microwave steak because I had one cooked one for me which was the most disgusting culinary experience I have ever experienced.

I could not believe that anyone sane would use a microwave to cook a steak and had to check if there were other people that were that lazy to do the same.

I just find it so hilarious that you are on a cooking forum and you are asking a question about microwaving raw meat. Microwaves are mainly for the fat and/or lazy. The person who cooked the steak for me is 23 stone and is probably the laziest person I know which makes him fall beautifully into the microwave camp. Use proper cooking utensils if you can want to call yourself a cook.
If you want to ruin a good cut of meat then go ahead microwave it you moron.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Microwaves are caused by 2 magnatrones that build up heat via friction (kinetic energy). Should really not be used for cooking as such, just heating. The definition of cooking here is left up to ones imagination. if  you are making macaroni and cheese, are you cooking or heating. Microwaving tends to dehydrate and toughen a product. If thats the way you want to cook your steak, thats fine as you are eating it.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

I've done it with seared and cryovac'd filet mignon.  For some of my athlete clients who live out of a suitcase sometimes that's the best thing going for them.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Another resurected thread, although this one is more recent, being only 2 1/2 years old.

I'm gonna play devil's advocate here, and pose a semi-serious question, cuz there's no way I'd personally consider a steak in the nuke. Or much of anything else, for that matter.

First, to answer Ed's question, cooking is defined as the use of heat and/or acids to permanently change the cellular structure of an item. That's why dehydrating, as an example, is not cooking. In your mac and cheese example, if you start from a commercial kit it would, technically, not be cooking. But if you started from scratch it would be. I leave it to the student to figure out why.

Anyway, that being the case, microwaving can, indeed, be a form of cooking. The technique, at base, is steaming or poaching. The difference is, the microwave uses the natural moisture of the item, and steams from the inside, rather than using external moisture and steaming from the outside. And sometimes it does both, if the item being nuked is surrounded by liquid.

I would suggest, therefore, that certain items---boiled new potatoes come immediately to mind---would be indistinguishable whether made on the stove or in the nuke.

Now let's move on to the matter of steak. I would humbly suggest that all the respondents who answered in the deep negative are reacting as much from anti-microwave snobbery as from taste. If a steak "must" be cooked crusty on the outside, and juicy tender on the inside, why is it that so many high-end chefs are cooking meat---including steak---sous vide?

Ahhhh, sous vide! Think about it, people. Microwaving is for lazy people. But sous vide is for creative chefs. But the end result is precisely the same. Except the sous vide process takes exponentially longer.

Whether you microwave a steak or cook one sous vide what you get is a hunk of gray meat that is evenly cooked through and through. The only time there's a difference is if you used other flavorings. If so, they do, most of the time, penetrate more deeply when cooking sous vide. But that is a function of the vacuum packing, not the cooking per se, and you can replicate that in the nuke.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

KYHeirloomer said:


> Now let's move on to the matter of steak. I would humbly suggest that all the respondents who answered in the deep negative are reacting as much from anti-microwave snobbery as from taste. If a steak "must" be cooked crusty on the outside, and juicy tender on the inside, why is it that so many high-end chefs are cooking meat---including steak---sous vide?
> 
> Ahhhh, sous vide! Think about it, people. Microwaving is for lazy people. But sous vide is for creative chefs. But the end result is precisely the same. Except the sous vide process takes exponentially longer.


Ah hah! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif I knew I was on to something!


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

PaellaOrig,

*do you have a braincell?...Microwaves are mainly for the fat and/or lazy.....then go ahead microwave it you moron.*

While you obviously have strong feelings about this topic, a word of caution. Unlike many forums and message boards, Cheftalk has always maintained a high level of courtesy and decorum between members. It's just the way we are. And prefer it that way.

Doesn't mean we don't disagree. We often do. But we try to keep such disagreements and arguments on a professional level, without the personal attacks found so commonly on other sites. So, as you join us in other discussions, or start one of your own, it would be nice to dial-back the invective a bit.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_Ah hah!







I knew I was on to something!_

Indeed, you probably are, Kuan.

When Friend Wife and I were traveling much more than we do now (used to average 40-45,000 road miles a year) we often carried our own food. Meals would be pre-cooked, sealed in boiling bags, and tossed in the freezer. On the road, obviously, they'd be transferred to a cooler. We also carried a single-burner stove and pot.

Once settled in to a motel, we'd pick the meal we wanted, heat the water to the simmer point, and drop in the bags. Later on, when microwaves in motel rooms became more common, we didn't even bother with the stove.

Never occured to me to try that with steak. But thinking about it, there's no reason your approach shouldn't work. I'm guessing that the microwave process might soften the Malliard somewhat. So, while the steak wouldn't be quite as crusty as coming off of dry heat, there would still be some of the char and caramelized flavors that are the whole point of searing.


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

I agree with KY on both counts. 

I was about to mention the gratuitous invective myself.  Very uncalled for, and usually indicative of someone pretty insecure.

And for the microwave snobbery and sous vide - never had sous vide, some say it's wonderful (they're mainly talking about texture i believe, meat like butter (but being a good carnivore i do like to have some texture under my teeth) .- it certainly doesn't sound like something i would like.

I don't really see the difference between something cooked in the microwave and something steamed - if it's timed correctly and doesn't dry out.  But the fact is there is no flesh - meat or fish - that i would ever choose to cook steamed.  I just don't like it.  And don't you dare peel the nice crusty skin off my roasted or grilled fish!  as they always do here in italy for some reason (what is the point of grilling it if you take off the grilled part?! might as well steam it)

I do stuff that's going to be boiled or steamed in the microwave - like sometimes squash when i need to just scoop out the flesh for something like squash pie or gnocchi - better than steaming where it always gets more damp than i want, and better than baking because i never have the time and it uses a ton of gas to heat my oven which is huge.  I.ve wrapped vegetables in parchment paper tightly and steamed them in the microwave, and it loses less flavor, it seems, than my steamer.  Mainly though, i use it for warming stuff (like getting butter to the room temperature stage, for a cake or something), reheating (and there, there is nothing to restore the quality of a leftover steak like a microwave - it actually becomes juicy and almost as good as freshly cooked, if you dion't overheat) and definitely for defrosting.  My freezer is almost useless without a microwave, since i can never plan in advance what i'm making for supper.  And occasionally for a potato or chicken pieces roasted dish where i blast the convection oven to the max and put the micro on low, to cook more quickly but brown nicely anyway.  Not the best, but better than eating at midnight when i get home from work at 8:30!


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_and there, there is nothing to restore the quality of a leftover steak like a microwave -_

Leftover what, Siduri? Not in this household. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Microwaves have their uses.  Does that make me a fat lazy moron?  I guess so.

I love my microwave, I think it's crazy that some people don't have them.  It's such a useful tool but so often overlooked in the name of pride and snide.  Sometimes it is the BEST way to reheat something, hands down.  Pot roast for example, brisket, most meats can be reheated beautifully in the microwave. 

My inlaws don't have a microwave and end up eating cold leftovers all the time.  Sometimes they reheat creamy soups in a double boiler.  So laborious and ungratifying.  I'll reheat anything in a microwave provided it doesn't need a crispy texture like phyllo dough for example.  In those cases I warm in the oven.

Potatoes for example can't be reheated in the microwave, they get gross.  So all in all you have to experiment with the microwave to find its uses.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Since all meat is denatured at 140 degrees. I don't like either way.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Exactly  reheating not cooking


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## raffaello tamag (Jan 20, 2011)

we have to decide if we prefer convenience or a special test...Of course if we are runnyng it is better to use microw. than to buy a prepared food... but if we have time it is better to use a old style....


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## kcz (Dec 14, 2006)

In the nearly 3 years since this thread was started, convection microwaves (CMW) have become much more popular.  I recently bought one and used the convection feature to bake appetizers for a dinner party while my regular oven was in use for a roast.  Otherwise, I've used it mostly for reheating and the other usual microwave functions.  Does anyone else have a CMW, and what do you use it for?


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

KYHeirloomer said:


> _and there, there is nothing to restore the quality of a leftover steak like a microwave -_
> 
> Leftover what, Siduri? Not in this household. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


Well, KY, i was wondering that myself when i wrote it. There are only two cases when this has happened. One is when my son, when he's here, comes home late and we've eaten already and his steak is cooked - he heats it in the microwave. (It remains leftover and not eaten only due to my particularly powerful maternal instinct).

The other occasion was when i was in the states staying with my mother. My brother invited us and others for a steak barbecue and my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets (you know, dangling from the optic nerve and bouncing around) when i saw that he had a whole steak for each person - a steak that at home would rarely be bought, and when cooked would be for the whole family of four, AND he had several extras just in case. He cooked them all, and then my eyes truly fell out and i shrieked in protest when after dinner he took the three remaining steaks, one inch thick things, and was about to (my eyes turn to heaven) throw them in the garbage!!!! I shrieked - give them to MEEEEEEEE! and we took them home. I heated them up, one a day for three days, in the microwave at my mother's house - nobody i knew had one here yet, this was the 80s. and at the 28 euros a kilo they cost here, i rarely buy steaks like that either. They tasted really almost as good as when they were first cooked.



KCZ said:


> In the nearly 3 years since this thread was started, convection microwaves (CMW) have become much more popular. I recently bought one and used the convection feature to bake appetizers for a dinner party while my regular oven was in use for a roast. Otherwise, I've used it mostly for reheating and the other usual microwave functions. Does anyone else have a CMW, and what do you use it for?
> 
> *I don;t know why this program won't always let you put the cursor outside the quote - anyway, i have this kind of microwave (convection? actually i don;t know, it has a fan, is that convection?) but anyway, it has fan oven, upper grill, lower grill and microwave, in any combination, and it has settings for wattage of microwave (useful for softening butter without melting it) and for temp of oven. Plus a special defrost function where you select the type of food and the weight. The microwave on low and the oven on high is a good quick supper maker. you get a nice crust on potatoes or chicken legs, and it cooks inside fairly quickly. And though i have a gigantic gas oven, i use this occasionally as an additional oven. *


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## bishop (Feb 27, 2008)

Just to comment on the OP's idea. Microwaving steak is the WRONG way to do it. Get a cast iron skillet and USE IT! Grease splatter a problem. Get a splatter screen and USE IT! Otherwise use your grill. I live in Alaska and use both my charcoal and gas grills (yes I have both) all winter long.

Sous vide and microwaving should not even be typed in the same sentence. They are two very different animals. There are many reasons why chefs have jumped at the chance to experiment and utilize sous vide and can't stand the idea of using a microwave.

First in my opinion is that sous vide gives you the opportunity to strongly flavor foods with minimal spice or herbs added. I have had incredible success with duck confit sous vide. Using the smallest amount (like three very thin slices) of garlic and just a couple of stems of fresh thyme. Those small amounts penetrate completely and upon opening of the bag give an incredible perfume to the whole dish, no matter how it is finished.



The second reason sous vide is nothing like microwaving is the long cooking times. Sous vide usually denotes very long cooking times. It isn't just boil in a bag Uncle Ben's rice we are talking about. When done properly, foods like duck confit or shortribs can be cooked at very low temps for very long times. This allows the meats tougher parts or the fat to break down while not overcooking the meat. Then you can finish with a sear.

Comparing the two is like comparing two buck chuck with a Bordeaux.


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

I wouldn't cook a steak in the microwave and am put off by sous vide because it sounds like the kind of slow moist cooking i don't like with meat - "tender" is not my top priority.  But i have never tried sous vide, and so you could rightly say that i have no business pronouncing on it one way or another unless i try it.  BUT i might say the same to anyone who hasn't tried cooking in a microwave - have you tried it?  or would you not touch it with a ten foot pole?  And if not, how do you know for sure.  And isn;t that a sort of pronouncement based on preconceptions and cooking snobbery? 

As i say, i don't like meat slow-cooked,  and even the seasoning -I like to keep it simple.  I do plenty of complex stuff with other foods, but for me, meat tastes good as it is, nicely browned.  It;s a matter of taste.  So i wouldn't cook in the microwave.  But i wonder, for those who like these qualities that i don;t like, if a piece of meat tightly wrapped in the microwave, on a very low microwave temp, would be so different.  Maybe i'm nuts, but my point is there is a fundamental prejudice against microwaves.  Probably 50 years ago it might have been on freezers, or mixers (remember the il faut mettre le main dans le pate - forgive my bad french - pastry must be made by hand or it was looked down on by the chef with the copper bowl and whisk in hand, scowling.)

Anyway, i have another question about sous vide.  Isn;t it dangerous to heat food in plastic?  doesn't plastic release components into the food?  And the "new" plastics that are supposedly for food, isn;t it just that they haven't YET been discovered to release stuff into the food?


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## bazza (Apr 2, 2007)

Siduri it is perfectly safe to cook with food grade plastic and cling film. Ziplock bags and other products are not reccomended as they are not designed for cooking. At high temperatures some plastics can release chemicals into the food.

Sous vide vs Microwave;

Don't even think about comparing the two. If you have never tried meat cooked sous vide, you should. The long, slow cooking time in sous vide cooking allows you much greater control of the process. The sealing in a plastic bag keeps in all of the moisture and flavour, unlike conventional cooking where a fair amount of dehydration occurs. Seasoning and flavourings become very intense and penetrate right through the product and the texture is very tender. 

You do not always get an evenly cooked slab of meat, in fact if you get your time and temp right you can cook a piece of meat, medium rare or rare.and provided it is chilled rapidly in an ice bath it can be rehheated and it will still be medium rare.

I don't even know what to write about microwaving meat lol. Apart from the fact that it just has to be random pot luck that anything is going to come out of there cooked nicely. I have seen meat reheated in a microwave and trust me it is awful.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

BAZZA  is correct. One of the most amazing things when I first used sous vide was xooking a steak med-rare and when cutting it hae the whole steak med-rare and not just the center. It is also a clean way to prep foods. Product last a long time without freezing.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I never tried sous vide but would like to try it before I bash it outright.  I'm not a fan of boiled meats in general and it seems like sous vide anything doesn't have the color I'd want it to have.  But again, I've never tried it so who knows how I would feel if I came across some sous vide duck.

Siduri, why are you so against slow cooked meat?  Didn't we talk about this on another thread?  Some meats cannot be cooked at high heat with good results.  Surely you must like a nice pot roast every once in a while.


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

Koukouvagia said:


> I never tried sous vide but would like to try it before I bash it outright. I'm not a fan of boiled meats in general and it seems like sous vide anything doesn't have the color I'd want it to have. But again, I've never tried it so who knows how I would feel if I came across some sous vide duck.
> 
> Siduri, why are you so against slow cooked meat? Didn't we talk about this on another thread? Some meats cannot be cooked at high heat with good results. Surely you must like a nice pot roast every once in a while.


I actually don't like pot roast very much. Occasionally i do, but then if someone is grilling a steak nearby, i will go for the steak any time over the pot roast. It's just a preference, taste. whatever. I also don't like things cooked in tomato.

I will enjoy a really good carbonnade, with the onions and beer, but there is a lot of deep dark roasted flavor there.

Poached fish? i'll eat anything, but would never choose it, ever. I don't care how much flavor you put in it!


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

The main reason why cooking "sous"-vide" found it's way to the kitchen has absolutely nothing to do with flavor! The technique originates from clinical laboratoria. The main reason why it's used is that the proteins don't coagulate when cooked beneath the coagulation temperature, around 60°C. In dutch, proteins are also called egg-whites, same name. That could help to better understand the process in cooking sous-vide. The meat stays tender when cooked below coagulation temperature, since the "egg-whites" or proteines don't harden. Nothing to do with flavor! Cooking "sous-vide" is a very wrong name. The sous-vide (airtightening) is just a preparation to start the real process, which is cooking at low temperature.

I don't think there's a single ressemblance with cooking meat in a micro-wave.

Also, I don't think cooking sous-vide proves a professional cook's skills. I certainly more respect a cook who serves a perfectly panfried chickenbreast, steak etc., prepared with a skillful seasoning, balanced taste, deep flavor and above all, a much, much better mouthfeel than meat prepared "sous-vide".

Oh, and cooking meat in a microwave; no.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

siduri said:


> I also don't like things cooked in tomato.


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## gobblygook (Aug 26, 2010)

> If a steak "must" be cooked crusty on the outside, and juicy tender on the inside, why is it that so many high-end chefs are cooking meat---including steak---sous vide?


IMHO, because it's "new" and "vogue". If you're old enough to remember the first time you saw a microwave, almost everything was attempted in it. Naturally, a lot of things failed. I think sous vide is going through the same "vetting" process but with far few people doing it. Some things may work great and some things may not be right for that particular method. Molecular Gastronomy is going through a lot of this as well -- just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD. If someone could figure out HOW, I suspect they'd offer steak deep fried in liquid nitrogen, but would you want to try it?


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I have always wondered why we don't deep fry steak.  It must be good, who's willing to sacrifice their strip steak to try it?


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

IO was fortunate to work with a primitve  type of process in the mid sixties. It was experimental and carried out by WR Grace Co. The true purpose of it was for consistancy of product and food preservation. Food cooked without freezing could be held at 32 degrees for 32 days under vac and just refrigerated.. The government suits  then came to us and said we could not Produce it in the Restaurants   It had to be produced in a seperate facility. We questioned them re. health aspects of it and came to a conclussion they did not know what they were talking about.(My part of this was to figure recipe ingredient quantity and yields) I was surrounded by food chemist and  technologist  from Grace who knew what they were doing, they made government guys look like fools.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_they made government guys look like fools._

They don't need any help for that, Ed, from Grace or anyone else.


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## asoefatida (Dec 28, 2010)

Koukouvagia said:


> I have always wondered why we don't deep fry steak. It must be good, who's willing to sacrifice their strip steak to try it?


I have seen deep fried pork sparerib threads on other boards.

I would be willing to try a deep fried steak.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

The Chinese do deep fried ribs etc as mentioned above.

Deep fried steak: Might give it a try one of these days. Think I would put them in a batter, just like fish fingers. Can't see much wrojg with it!

Steak in the microwave: I would never do that. In case of left over steak, I would prefer to turn it into a stir fry.

What I do like in the microwave is bacon or even thinly sliced belly pork. It comes out very crispy.....

By the way, I don't use a microwave very often. The current here seems to damage them 

I'm back to (re)heating on the stove...


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## notachefatall (Aug 24, 2012)

I realize this thread is pretty old, but -

While I greatly prefer my steaks crusty on the outside, I travel for work and have spent 3/4 of the last year in hotels. I found this thread because I was trying to figure out if there was any way to decently nuke red meat in the new silicone tagine I ordered on Amazon (the Healthy Choice meals just aren't cutting it). I've been using ziploc steamer bags for veggies and occasionally fish, but I am red-meat deprived. I am currently working nights, and it has been hard at this assignment to switch my schedule around so I can go to a decent steak place.

Should I opt for stew meat chunks instead of wasting my money on a steak, and try to figure out a time to go out for that?

Microwaves are not just for the lazy, sadly.


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## cookinwthflame (Aug 20, 2012)

:-O      i choked of my coffee when i read this! steak! u have to live in the city where u cant grill stuff. i will always throw steaks on the webber grill even if its poring rain. but i do agree about the potatoes. ill start them in the nuke then rub in olive oil salt and pep then wrap in foil and throw those on the grill too. i also "Fo" blanch veggies in the nuke by putting them in a pyrex with alittle water and cover with plastic wrap then finish on the stove. 

      after re-reading this i realise it might come off as me talking sh**, that isnt my intention. but i really did die inside alittle when i read about steak in the nuke!


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## aard rinnae (Oct 22, 2012)

As a college student, I only have a microwave. I use it to cook many meats, from seafood to steak. Shellfish, bivalves and fish do best, but chicken breasts are also good, and steak is a nice thing too. The trick is this: dry rub, butter. Enough butter to make the rub stick, and then a bit more to keep it moist. with steak, I do something that most of you will probably think is an awful idea: I take proscutto from the school dining hall, a dollar store steak, which is like 9 inches long, 4 inches wide, and half an inch thick, and I lay the proscutto in a thin layer over the steak. Then I flip it over, and add a little rub and a little butter, and i roll it over, prosscutto in, so that I have a thick, short roast. I skewer it with a shish kabob stick, and nuke it, uncovered, for 4 minutes. It is amazing. We use the microwave for veggies, cake, cheese noodles, stir fry, pasta, mashed potatoes, bread pudding, soups, stews, hor cereal, cheese fondue, bread, mulled cider, baked brie, cornish hens, mussels, potatoes au gratin, spam collards, pies, fudge and cookies, all from scratch. So don't discount it! plenty of people don't have full kitchens but still like to cook, and nessecity is the mother of invention.You have in your kitchen a device devoted to cooking things. Try it, instead of disparaging those of us who are a bit more willing to experiment.

I will add, however, that you do need to be willing to practiceuntill you understand how cooking times for a microwave work.


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## willpower (Jun 13, 2013)

Just a couple of years ago, my wife and I moved into a new house which had no kitchen appliances and a very shabby looking kitchen. We planned to build an extension to the house to relocate the kitchen and we decided not to buy appliances to allow us to buy fitted units to go eventually with the new kitchen. Things took longer than we thought and we ended up with no stove, hob, cooker or oven for almost two years. I did however buy a fridge freezer (to store food donated from the in-laws) and we had our old microwave oven (to reheat the food donated from the in-laws).

At first we were totally dependent on our in-laws and take-aways. Turning up at the in-laws just for food 3 - 4 times a week was just plain rude and constantly eating take-outs became too expensive. I then started daily barbecuing... Fun at first, but I soon got fed up with lugging sacks of charcoal around and smelling like a bonfire all the time. The microwave oven was just sitting there all that time waiting patiently in between warming up leftovers and heating baby milk until one evening I started to experiment. I'm no Michelin Star, but I do love good food and what we soon realised was that a casserole cooked in the microwave is indistinguishable from one cooked on a stove or in the convection oven. We've successfully cooked tasty poached egg, omlette, rice, pasta, jacket spuds, cheese on toast, whole snapper, fresh salmon, all types of veg and tons more stuff. We've fed relatives and friends who couldn't believe it was all microwaved.

So during those two years we learned to cook delicious food using the microwave and I have no complaints whatsoever. I must say however that now we have a gas fire and a circotherm oven in our new kitchen, I really enjoy the processes of frying, stirring, steaming, baking, roasting and the endless list of other cooking techniques. The microwave has it's uses and can be a viable alternative to conventional cooking methods. If you don't have space for big cooking appliances, or the time for slower cooking processes and you are creative or adventurous, give the microwave a go. Like us you probably won't get it right first time, but experiment - add it to your repertoire of culinary skills - break the status-quo. - hear the beeps

If you're interested in just what can be done with your microwave we've started building a site -PM me for the link. Over time I'll be adding all of the recipes I've cooked in the microwave to it to share with whoever wants to give it a go.

By the way OP --- Steak! George Foreman grill then the microwave --- This is sheer genius my friend I'm gonna try it but perhaps using a blowtorch thingy instead of the grill.!


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## sssteeve (Jan 17, 2014)

I found this thread wondering if there was a better way to cook steaks on a GF grill. Many restaurants will grill a steak for a minute or two and then finish cooking it in an oven with the time based on the thickness of the cut and the degree of doneness desired. I started doing that at home since my broiled steaks were usually burnt on the outside and too rare on the inside.
Moving on to my current GF grill I skipped the removable plates and went with the $40 model with a slider temperature control. I like to marinade my steaks but when cooked entirely on the GF the marinade gets burnt on making it hard to clean without damaging the surface. 

So my main motivation for GF/MW tag team was to save wear and tear on the non-removable plates. After reading the posts by the OP I figured that I would give it a shot with a 7oz NY steak. I preheated the grill well and cooked the steak for 2 minutes, turning it over and up and so that it was well seared. I then put it in my 1100W microwave for 60 seconds at the medium setting. I put the plated on an inverted pyrex bowl as suggested by the OP. Wow! This turned out very erll. While the GF would dry out the steak at the low setting for 4-5 minutes this was very juicy. 

The title of thread is very misleading, guaranteed to solicit very heated objections. The OP was not cooking his steaks with just the microwave he was starting them out on the GF grill. And he wasn't just nuking them after that but using a lower setting which cycles the magnatron off and on- and setting the plate on an inverted bowl so that the microwaves were hitting the steak top and bottom.

IMO this is not that different from cooking a steak on a grill for a minute or two and then finishing it up in an oven. FWIW I use the defrost setting of my microwave quite often for reheating everything from sliced roast beef to those boneless wings that I get at the supermarket deli. I use a bowl, add a few drops of water and seal it with Saran Wrap. 45-60 seconds usually does the trick, and my leftovers are almost as good as the original meal.


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## sssteeve (Jan 17, 2014)

.


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## jwuchefjessica (Jan 17, 2014)

To cook a steak in the microwave is equal to eating a slice of pizza with a fork. Either way, It should just never be done.

*Guest #1*: Wow, Bobby. Delicious! This steak is so tender and juicy!

*Bobby*: Thanks! 5 minutes and 6 seconds on your microwaves highest setting!

...Said No One ever..


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## vic cardenas (Nov 11, 2012)

I think if I were a dorm room confined student, ever-traveling business person, or a kitchen remodel stricken homeowner and had no other cooking device besides my microwave; I'd buy a portable electric burner or camp stove and cook my steaks that way...rather than trying to convince a forum of chefs and professional cooks, that know better, that my steak cooking technique is magically getting better than terrible results.


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## kwok man (May 7, 2014)

Recently Ive been fascinated by alternative and better techniques to make something so quick and simple, such as the scientific approach from Heston Blumenthal and Foodlab, and even Marco Pierre Whites questionable seasoning pastes. Ive also been bringing meals into the office where you reheat in microwave and discovered that you can make some suprisingly good results such as microwaved crispy bacon, smooth instant custard etc.

Now microwave steak has gotta be the most unthinkable idea but I decided to google it and I'd love to try this out before making any comment on it. Probably the safer approach is to start it in the pan to get the crust, bring it into the office and reheat it. If it works then it takes packed lunches to another level!


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

A steak is nothing much if not well seared. That is how I start out, then to get to medium rare I use a heated plate_. _ Sioux Vide would be the pro-way. You cannot get as even a heating with microwave, even with the turntable. You do realize that on the more sensationalistic cooking shows someone like that highly contrived character, known by initials GR, would just pick up your MW and smash it to smitherines with a fast-track toss to the floor. Sensationalism aside, if you have a glass-top electric the heated plate method is very easy to do.

Rick


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

The Siuox Vide method!!





  








230px-En-chief-sitting-bull.jpg




__
ordo


__
May 18, 2014








Sorry Rick... i can't stop laughing!


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

I couldn't remember the correct spelling, didn't feel like looking it up, so I thought that would siout, me anyways. ;-)~

Rick


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

It's a great find! So fun that i will plagiarize it from now on.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Mighty sharp of you to pick it out, great photo too, though I don't know if he shares the sentiment....

Ahhahah, just wondered if this could slip in to the great SV controversy brewing at the moment elsewhere.

Rick


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## dcarch (Jun 28, 2010)

Good to keep an open mind.

Microwave oven can be interesting:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1963/03/09/1963_03_09_034_TNY_CARDS_000272236

Tad's Steakhouse, ( Not Ted's Steak) a NYC chain steak house, they opened a restaurant where patrons were give a menu. After selections were made, the meals were served to the patrons totally frozen. That's right, I said totally frozen.

At each table there was a microwave oven for every two customers. The eaters would use the microwave to heat up their frozen meals.

I was there when they were around. Yes, there was microwaved steak on the menu.

dcarch


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Wow, the article is from 1963, you could get a decent microwave back then.  Our family bought one around that time, it served for 15 years in our house (after my mother tried microwave pot roast it was strictly for warming things up, making a quick potato, and daring attempts at hard-boiled eggs), then another 10 years of non-stop use in my father's diner.  It was still working when he threw it out because the timer quit.  Of course the ones today would run on longer than they typically do if people would replace the fuse/door switch (the typical culprit)/diode.

Rick


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

You don't need to replace the door switch. Just stick something in there so it can run with the door open. Then stick your head in there as it's running to troubleshoot the rest of it.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

OregonYeti said:


> You don't need to replace the door switch. Just stick something in there so it can run with the door open. Then stick your head in there as it's running to troubleshoot the rest of it.


Yes I've done that, but as with motorcycle racing and year-round street driving in the northeast which I have also done, I do not encourage others, possibly less competent and well structured, to take it up.

Rick


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## dcarch (Jun 28, 2010)

OregonYeti said:


> You don't need to replace the door switch. Just stick something in there so it can run with the door open. Then stick your head in there as it's running to troubleshoot the rest of it.


Good suggestion.

But you do have to remove your tin foil hat first.

dcarch /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

It was a very entertaining to see how this post has been resurrected over the years. Six years later and I can say not much has changed, especially my view . We still have the same Advantium although the single wall over has been replaced with a double convection. Basically that has been used mainly for popcorn, as a holding or proof oven and very rarely, when both of the convection ovens are full (like at Thanksgiving) a convection oven and that's about it. I don't think we've used it for much other than that in the last 4 years.

The one thing that has changed is the DD is now older and an avid steak eater. Med rare, good sear and actually.........beef, veal, pork, some lamb......just meat in general, it doesn't matter, she'll eat it in fair amounts for a 15-16yo. As far as using the Microwave to reheat meat, she'll probably never do that again after I let her "do it her way" a couple years ago. It was a waste but worth the lesson.

After that, I showed her the process of letting the meat sit covered, on the counter for 5 minutes followed by 1-2 minutes in one of my saute pans on the stove with a med-low flame to reheat her steak (meat) left-overs. (Roast beef gets some au jus in the pan.) It's the only way for her now and she's content to wait the extra couple of minutes for the food. She's even remarked that if she found herself unable to wait 6-7 minutes.....she'll just eat it cold from the fridge. Hehehe


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## tweakz (May 10, 2014)

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