All microwaves are not created equal

[Jenise]

Yesterday I went into town for some dentistry, and afterward stopped at a wonderful little Mediterranean market where one can always find cool stuff like a good dry Masala, which I needed. The ladies there insisted on feeding me, and I was sent away with my first ever falafel sandwich. A wrap, basically, of pita dough thinner than a flour tortilla stuffed with three hot-out-of-the-fryer falafels, lettuce, a tomato slice, "mediterranean pickled vegetables" (which I shall demand double of next time) and hummus. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten. So I got home and then nothing sounded quite good, so I delayed planning dinner until I was up against the wall and had to defrost a pound of frozen ground beef in the microwave in order to throw together a pot of risi bisi.

(Risi bisi is a Hungarian name that I've co-opted to refer to any one-pot mixed meal of ground meat, rice and vegetables cooked in one pot. Sometimes the seasoning is more Spanish and sometimes more Indian, but either way it's something that I can throw together at the last minute and which is so good that my husband is completely fooled about how little effort goes into it.)

The microwave in question is my brand new GE, and this was it's first foray into defrosting. It's not neccessarily a high-end unit--it was chosen solely because it is the only small, bookshelf-shallow microwave on the market that's not one of those plastic, disposable models not really meant for more than heating Cup-a-Soups. It was an expensive unit at $260 in a world where microwaves can be had for under $100 all day long, and I attributed it's higher cost to it's specialized size and did not expect more performance.

But perform it does. I could not believe my eyes when I pulled the ground beef out of it yesterday. I actually thought, oh, it didn't do anything/I must have set it wrong, because the meat was not discolored or cooked around the edges as it always is, it wasn't even sweating. But when I pressed in the middle, there was give, so I unwrapped it and found to my absolute shock that it had indeed thawed pretty much all the way through without cooking or even heating the meat one single iota. It was identical to what it would have been had it thawed on the counter all afternoon--minus the condensation. I honestly didn't know this was possible!

Amazing. I've certainly never seen that good a performance in any micro I've used.

(By the way, I think risi bisi is Italian, not Hungarian. Even if you put a lot of paprika in it. )

[Jenise]

Amazing. I've certainly never seen that good a performance in any micro I've used.

(By the way, I think risi bisi is Italian, not Hungarian. Even if you put a lot of paprika in it. )

Oh, probably is! But I first heard it from friends who were born-in-Hungary Hungarian who used it to describe a comfort food they made, and so I never gave it another thought.

But I'm not wrong about the microwave. I've never seen anything even close to this kind of performance--I always thought it was pretty good when only the edges turned gray.

What's the specific model, Jenise? And thanks btw for buying a GE - I have stock in the company.

[Jenise]

Had to go look. It's the Profile series model PEM31. Small, compact, made for bookshelf depth, but wide enough for a 9x13 pan. Very good looking, as such things go.

Can I ask how long it took to defrost that pound?

What's the specific model, Jenise? And thanks btw for buying a GE - I have stock in the company.

I also have stock in GE, plus one of their microwaves, a DE-68 that I'm happy with. My only complaint is that the beeps are so loud, I'm afraid I'll wake up my wife upstairs.

[Jenise]

Can I ask how long it took to defrost that pound?

Three to four minutes, Tom. Unsure because IIRC it it set itself to go four minutes (when you press the Defrost button, it asks how many pounds you're defrosting, then times itself) and I removed it a bit earlier.

That is just too cool (or lukewarm in this case, I guess). When I tried that feature in my earliest microwaves I always ended up with meats 1/3 cooked through, 1/3 pallid grey, and 1/3 meat flavored iceburg. Glad to see that 2 decades has been enough time for them to sort the technology out!

[Jenise]

That is just too cool (or lukewarm in this case, I guess). When I tried that feature in my earliest microwaves I always ended up with meats 1/3 cooked through, 1/3 pallid grey, and 1/3 meat flavored iceburg. Glad to see that 2 decades has been enough time for them to sort the technology out!

Ditto! And true even for the piece o' crap Magic Chef we bought as a stop-gap when our kitchen got torn out for a remodel (you're new to our forum, so you've been spared the gory details) a year ago. I've never seen results like this: it actually gives one a good reason to have a microwave. I typically don't use it for anything except reheating leftovers or melting butter. An effective defroster is something I really could use, though!

An effective defroster is something I really could use, though!

Me too. I'm so tired of having to balance a frozen loin on my dog for two hours every time I want to make a roast. Not to mention how much effort it took to train/beat/drug him to stay still with a chunk of dripping cow on his back! Technology really has made our lives better. Or at least my dog's....

Oh yeah - congrats on the revamped kitchen! May many happy crepes issue forth from it for years to come

The ladies there insisted on feeding me, and I was sent away with my first ever falafel sandwich. A wrap, basically, of pita dough thinner than a flour tortilla stuffed with three hot-out-of-the-fryer falafels, lettuce, a tomato slice, "mediterranean pickled vegetables" (which I shall demand double of next time) and hummus. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

First ever?(!) - in that case, welcome to falafel heaven. I got seriously hooked on those (and chicken shawarmas) when living in Saudi Arabia for a few years. They're one of my favourite things to make (and not too hard, as you can also pan-fry them with decent results). Next time though - see if they can stick in some cucumber and tahini.

[Edit: I think after reading that, I'm changing plans for dinner and making a falafel sandwich or two!]

[Jenise]

The ladies there insisted on feeding me, and I was sent away with my first ever falafel sandwich. A wrap, basically, of pita dough thinner than a flour tortilla stuffed with three hot-out-of-the-fryer falafels, lettuce, a tomato slice, "mediterranean pickled vegetables" (which I shall demand double of next time) and hummus. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

First ever?(!) - in that case, welcome to falafel heaven. I got seriously hooked on those (and chicken shawarmas) when living in Saudi Arabia for a few years. They're one of my favourite things to make (and not too hard, as you can also pan-fry them with decent results). Next time though - see if they can stick in some cucumber and tahini.

[Edit: I think after reading that, I'm changing plans for dinner and making a falafel sandwich or two!]

Falafel I've had. It was the sandwich idea that was new to me--but tahini? I like it but I doubt I'd like it as much as I liked the hummus, and I think I might even prefer it sans hummus the same way I prefer hamburgers without dressing of any kind, for instance. Just love the bigger flavors of the meat and vegetables, which the dressings diffuse.

Interesting - most of my meals with falafel usually had it served in a wrap as you described, with various fresh chopped vegetables and some tahini/yogurt based sauces. I've had them a few times served alongside rice (or as part of a big rice dish) though. How have you usually had falafels served in the past?

Re. the hummus/tahini, I've actually never had hummus in a falafel sandwich or shawarma before. From the Arabic sandwiches I ate in Riyadh or the UAE - they would normally add in lighter sauces that wouldn't overwhelm or diffuse the main stuffing, usually a mixture of yogurt, herbs, some diced onion/cucumber/tomato and a little tahini - or would add those components separately along with some chopped pickle or zucchini, which would give it a nice cooling flavour element (which was very welcome with some of the spicier meat shawarmas).

Our Viking Model DMSO200 does hamburger like that. Unfortunately it cost more than twice as much!

[Jenise]

Our Viking Model DMSO200 does hamburger like that. Unfortunately it cost more than twice as much!

Probably purchased a few years earlier than my new GE, though, right? Or maybe it's a hanging model with a lot of air flow stuff around it for a built-in look/function, can't think of the name for that. Mine just plugs in and goes, which is what I wanted. Nothing as elaborate or involved as a built-in, no special air thingies or hanging thingies or permitting requirements.