Minstrel Microwave
Sunday House Chat
I never thought I’d say this, but we got a microwave.
I thought I was through with microwaves years ago. When I worked at the Science Museum in the nineties the staff room had a big brown microwave where everyone exploded their baked beans. It was stinky and grim.
I remember microwave meals in the 1980’s when I was a kid. In case you’re reading this Mum, not meals made by you, meals at friends houses (one friend in particular, you know who I’m talking about). Scrambled egg were tough like rubber and baked potatoes were like socks filled with wet sand. The world of microwaves was sad, I am sad even thinking about them. No.
I’m really wary of buying new gadgets full stop, I’m worried they will end up unused and in land fill, so Pie has had to do a lot of work to convince me.
We don’t have a dishwasher because I have my best ideas when I’m washing up. We have no toaster because we have a grill. And when our electric kettle breaks this time I’m not replacing it. They break so quickly! We’ll use the camping stove-top kettle instead.
The argument has gone on for ages. She even put it on her Christmas list once and said she’d keep it in her bedroom! I say they look horrid, she showed me a pretty blue one, I say there’s no room in our new kitchen, she said we can build a ‘special Minstrel Microwave shelf’. I say baked beans explode in microwaves, she said we hardly ever eat beans and she will clean it anyway.
She wants to make mug cakes and melt Minstrels. You know, Minstrels, the sweets. It turns out if you pop them in a microwave for a few seconds they come out looking exactly the same, but when you put them in your mouth and crunch through the crispy shell, you get lovely oozy, delicious, melted chocolate. Amazing. She is right. They are amazing.
So guess what, we now have a microwave for melting Minstrels and a Minstrel Microwave shelf. I know, we HAVE ARRIVED!
We have never had a new kitchen before, one actually chosen by us, we have always lived with whatever kitchen came with the flat or house. So to be able to ask the joiner to make a special Minstrel Microwave shelf is absolute luxury!
What else shall we cook in the microwave? Is there anything that comes out even better when you make it in the microwave? Ideas please!
Love Helen
That is indeed a lovely microwave. I once put Scotch eggs in the microwave and they exploded when I stuck a fork in them. The whole kitchen was covered in egg, even my face. I have photos somewhere. I suggested to M&S to mention on the packaging they might explode.
🍋🍋Microwave Lemon Curd🍋🍋
1 cup granulated sug
3 eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice from 5 lemons
zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
whisk sugar and eggs thoroughly until smooth then whisk in lemon juice, zest and melted butter.
Cook in the microwave on full power for 3-5 mins stopping to stir after each minute. Once lemon curd coats the back of a spoon, it’s ready.
Remove from the microwave then sieve and pour into a sterile container.
leave to cool to room temperature, cover with a lid.
Will keep in fridge for 2 weeks -ish