The microwave, the favorite kitchen appliance of many students and bachelors, is often overlooked as a means of cooking eggs but can produce good results.
When using the microwave, eggs require to be cooked with some care and attention because of their structure, but this does not make them difficult to cook.
Placing eggs in their shells in the microwave and then zapping them will not result in a faster hard-boiled egg. The egg will just explode, and you will end up with a mess all over the inside of the microwave.
You cannot cook hard-boiled eggs in a microwave. The yolk contains most of the fat in the egg and heats up much faster than the white, causing rapid expansion, which explodes the shell. Most other egg recipes apart from fried eggs can usually be cooked quite readily in the microwave.
Scrambled eggs can be produced in the microwave without any adjustment to the power level. Other ways of serving eggs, such as omelets, coddled eggs, and hard-baked eggs, require the power level to be reduced to MEDIUM (50%).
A little patience and care, and attention, however, can be rewarded with sometimes better results than on the stovetop. Scrambled eggs can be fluffier when produced in the microwave; puffy omelets can be puffier, and coddled eggs certainly suffer no detriment. Baked eggs can also be produced in a form suitable for chopping up for use in salads, etc.
Using the microwave generally saves some time, but the process needs to be carefully monitored. If the dish is not checked at the right time, it continues to cook, producing uneven results. Eggs are also rather delicate and must be cooked at the correct power level for the best results. With the exception of scrambled eggs, the microwave must be set to a lower power level to avoid the yolk cooking much faster than the white.
How to Make Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave
Some small adaptations are required from the traditional stovetop method of making scrambled eggs.
Ingredients (For 2-3 servings)
1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of water
Dash of salt & pepper
½ tsp of dried herbs or other seasonings, if desired- Melt the butter for 45 seconds on HIGH in the microwave in a 1-quart (8×8” or 9” diameter / 20x20cm or 20cm dia.) oven-proof dish.
- In the meantime, beat the eggs, water, and seasonings together until blended.
- Remove the dish from the microwave and tilt it to cover the bottom of the dish uniformly with melted butter. Pour in the egg mixture and return the dish to the microwave.
- Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Break up the set portions with a fork and push them towards the center (the mixture cooks fastest around the edges). Microwave on HIGH again for one minute. Stir the mixture. If there are still any unset portions, push these towards the edges and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds more.
- The eggs should be almost completely set but still soft and moist, not dry. The dish continues to cook for a moment or two after removal from the microwave, so cover it and let it stand for a moment.
- If you want to add cheese, crumbled cooked bacon, or chopped ham, do so when you remove the dish from the microwave or during the last 30 seconds of cooking.
