Most of us home cooks, I think, still haven't got into the habit of using the microwave for much more than warming or defrosting things. So hats off to the Washington Post, which I read most days, for republishing an article from Slate, which I generally don't (read). This one, called "What's the Greenest Way to Cook Holiday Foods," by Brian Palmer, provides food for thought, and thought for food.
The article tackles the question of the energy consumed by various methods of cooking (among other things) a baked potato. I've often regretted the waste that I knew was occurring when I popped a couple of potatoes into the oven to bake, but now, it's been quantified: Baking a potato requires two kilowatts of energy! And by the way, it's been calculated that in the course of the potato's journey from field to mouth, cooking it often accounts for 37% of the energy used, far more than is used in transport.
For potatoes, really, there are not a lot of better, less energy-intensive alternatives -- boiling, frying, or baking all take loads of energy. Microwaving used far less energy and I've used it to precook diced potatoes for chowders and such, but not where texture is important. The microwave will give you a cooked potato, but not truly a baked one.
Still, this item reminds me how versatile and energy-efficient the microwave can be for some foods, especially vegetables. Nuke cabbage wedges in a covered dish to accompany your corned beef at St. Patrick's day; they'll turn out crisp-tender and green, rather than mushy and gray. The same works for Brussels sprouts. Winter squash, yes. And energy will be saved in the process; none of those giant pots of boiling water or long bouts in the oven with that squash.
Moreover, you don't have to guess about how long to microwave things. Just get a copy of Barbara Kafka's "Microwave Gourmet." Skip the recipes, which are mostly forgettable, but go to the large alphabetically organized section in the back that provides cooking times and advice for a very wide variety of foods.
There's a link in the right-hand column to Amazon.com, where you can acquire the book if you don't already have one. The hardback is out of print; the paperback appears also to be out of print, and some sellers are offering new copies of the paperback at $500!, though others are more reasonable. It seems that the publisher missed a bet by not getting out a new edition of this classic in time for Christmas.
In my next post, I'll get around to the topic of nuking eggplant, and an interesting way to prepare that vegetable, which were the things I started to write about today. But this is too long, already.