Experiment: Microwave-Free Living

So, we don't have a microwave. Partly because we didn't move one out here with us and we're too cheap to buy one now. Partly because we don't have the counter space for a microwave. Some people I've told about this have said, "How can you live without a microwave?!" But, we figure since they somehow did it before the 1950s, we probably could too. So, we've decided that it will be a fun experiment to see all the ways we don't actually need a microwave.

The first test came with leftovers. When you cook for two people, there are often left overs that need to be re-heated before you eat them again. We found two solutions to this problem- both very easy. 1) We bring the leftovers to school for lunch and use the microwave there to re-heat. 2) Simply throw the food back in a pot or pan or baking dish and re-heat it on the stove or in the oven. It has been no problem at all! It does take a little longer than in the microwave- but this works out well because we can set the table or do dishes while we re-heat, getting two things done at once!

The second test came with baking. I love to bake, but haven't had a lot of time to do so with law school. As a previous post mentioned, I made Rory some Oreo Ball Cupcakes to celebrate his return from Chicago (they were delicious by the way).  This required making the oreo balls, cream cheese frosting, and chocolate coating.  Normally, I would melt the cream cheese and butter and chocolate all in the microwave so that it was easy to mix them with the other ingredients. When you put it in the microwave, it gets melty and smooth without burning or taking much time. But, I thought, "I can do this with the stove top." The first attempt to melt the cream cheese left me a burned up, messy glob. Eventually, though, I was able to get everything melted like it needed to be and, as I said, the final result was absolutely delicious.

The third test was actually something we were most concerned about with the lack of the microwave. Popcorn. We love popcorn and have grown up in this age where when you want some, you simply put the little paper bag in the microwave for a couple minutes and are rewarded almost immediately with freshly popped kernels of fluffy deliciousness. Multiple times in the last few months, we have been at the store and thought- popcorn would be nice, but wait, we don't have a way to make it. We've considered getting a Whirley Pop, and probably will at some point. I've also told Rory that we can just get the kernels and make it in a pan over the stove, but he feels that would be a mess.   Last night, after dinner and a movie, Rory really wanted to get some popcorn to snack on. There is a grocery store right across the street from the movie theater so we went in and found that they have Jiffy Pop. For those of you who don't know, Jiffy Pop is a little contraption for people who are in our exact situation. It looks almost like a little tinfoil frying pan with a wire handle. You put it on the stove top and then move it constantly over the heat until the kernels start popping and expanding the tinfoil. Eventually after about 5 minutes or so, all of the kernels are popped and you tear open the tin foil to unveil the fluffy goodness inside.  This is exactly what we did.  Here is the proof that it works (I was a bit skeptical):

 I guess that means that so far we are challenges-0, Rory and Danielle-3. It is actually pretty fun trying to take on modern conveniences and fight them. Plus we feel that we eat healthier because we can't just buy microwaveable dinners and junk food all the time.

Love,
Danielle