Organic & Thrifty

Soon after my full conversion to traditional food, I decided to get rid of my microwave for health reasons. There are conclusive studies showing the microwaves effect on food, but if nothing else I was eager to make some more space in my tiny kitchen for all of the real food cooking I was about to begin doing!.

Living without a microwave is not as complicated as one might imagine. Our grandmothers certainly did it just fine! In my opinion, the main reason to use a microwave is to reheat leftovers. After the novelty of “cooking everything in the microwave” wore off in the late 80′s, we all realized that the texture of most things, when cooked in the micro, was far less superior. Then the microwave was relegated to the job of heating up leftovers, which can be done effectively in some other ways:

The toaster oven.

Not only cheaper and more space-efficient, the toaster oven is dual-purpose in that it can toast bagels and bread, and it can reheat small, lunch-sized containers of leftovers. I also cook bacon in my toaster oven and make dulse chips for quick, nourishing snacks for my kids. The other great thing about the toaster oven is that it saves on energy (compared to the stove or conventional oven). And while it can’t have your food done in 30 seconds, if you can wait 5-10 minutes, you’ll usually have your meal reheated sufficiently and with a far superior texture. Case in point: have you ever eaten pizza reheated in the microwave?

Tips for reheating in a toaster oven:

1) Store your leftovers in pyrex glass containers to make heating up leftovers quick, as these containers fit nicely into the toaster oven.

2) Cover your dish loosely with foil to avoid burning the top of the meal. Cook at 350 for 10 minutes. Check thereafter every 5 minutes until heated to your liking.

3) When cooking bacon, place uncooked bacon on the wire rack on top of the baking sheet that comes with your toaster oven. Cook the bacon according to package directions and you will have drained bacon and all of the drippings that can be saved!

Tips for Leftover Makeovers:

1) In addition to toaster ovens, one great way to reheat leftovers is to incorporate them somehow into another meal. My favorite way is to combine leftover meats in with homemade bone broth and veggies (leftover or not) to make a soup. Season to taste as you like.

2) Here are some of my favorite, quick and easy soup ideas that lend themselves to leftover “makeovers”.

3) Leftover grains or porridge can be mixed with eggs and choice of seasonings, then fried in butter or lard for “fried mush”.

4) Leftover rice tastes great “refried” with egg, leftover meat chunks, onions, and peas for a simple Asian-inspired fried rice. Try my leftover sneaky liver rice for a nutrient-dense, thrifty one-pot meal!

5) If you have leftover baked potatoes, chop them up and saute briefly in butter, bacon drippings, or coconut oil and season with your favorite blend of salt and spices for “home fries”. Baked potatoes also blend well with chicken stock and fresh herbs to make a creamy soup.

6) Rachel, the Healthy Cooking Coach, enlightened me as to how delicious roasted veggies are cold on a bed of salad greens! No reheating required!

Reheating liquids without a microwave:

A hot water bath works very well for reheating liquids without a microwave. Fill a 2-quart saucepan about half full with water. Add your liquid, in its own glass container, to the saucepan and gradually heat the water to almost a rolling boil. Your liquid should be warm enough before it begins boiling, so check for your preferred temperature. This works great for softening peanut butter that might have gotten too hard in the fridge as well!

This is what works for me, and hopefully this post has been helpful in demystifying the microwave-free kitchen! Please visit Kelly the Kitchen Kop for more inspiring traditional kitchen tips in this week’s Real Food Wednesday Carnival!