4 ms·

A water spritzer (spray bottle) is one of the most useful kitchen tools. Spray your bread before toasting to improve succulence and browning -- this works best

A water spritzer (spray bottle) is one of the most useful kitchen tools. Spray your bread before toasting to improve succulence and browning -- this works best on bagels & english muffins. Spray food before microwaving to avoid drying it out. Spray frozen foods before microwaving to kick-start heating (microwaves act only on liquid water). Spray sautés to speed up heat transfer. Your refrigerator , freezer , microwave & conventional ovens all dry things out. A big reason why leftovers are terrible is that they've lost all succulence. Also, all food needs water to cook properly . It stabilizes temps and moves heat around.

cactusplant7374 3y ago
Also, air pop your popcorn and spritz it with water so low calorie Molly McCheese seasoning sticks.
- tonymet 3y ago
  this is a great general tip for salting or seasoning something dry
jamiek88 3y ago
> microwaves act only on liquid water This is a common misconception. Microwave ovens heat up a lot more than just water. They also heat sugars, fats, waxes, and can even efficiently heat some types of glass. Microwave ovens work on the principles of dielectric heating, not any form of resonance. The microwave radiation causes the molecules to rotate back and forth with the electric field to generate heat. It doesn't really have anything to do with the bonds. Reference: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/why-do-microwaves-only-heat-up-water.458951/# https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/why-do-microwaves-only...
- tonymet 3y ago
  For practical purposes it’s a useful model.
  - rvbissell 3y ago
    I have to disagree. Any 'model' that implies that water has some resonant frequency that microwaves are specifically designed for is misleading to the point of uselessness. If microwave ovens were tuned perfectly for water, then the water near the surface of foods would absorb most of the oven's energy, and not let the center of the food warm up as efficiently... essentially causing the microwave oven to heat food more like a regular oven. AFAIK, the frequency chosen for use by microwave ovens is a balance between * A desire for the EM energy to penetrate deeper into the food (per my 2nd paragraph above) * A desire for the EM energy to not interfere with licensed communications bands, in the event that the oven is "leaky". Finally: it's not very hard to explain the concept of a dipole moment, and why molecules that have one will twist in the presence of EM radiation. In fact, if you do explain this, quite often the student will come to realize that this is also true of light, which is why (A) a vintage Easy Bake Oven toy could bake a brownie with just an incandescent lightbulb, and (B) will serve to demystify microwaves as being just sub-infrared light.
    - delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
      > A desire for the EM energy to not interfere with licensed communications bands, in the event that the oven is "leaky" I'm not sure how deep a desire this is, given microwaves operate at 2.45 GHz wideband, which is bang smack in the middle of 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth...
      - tass 3y ago
        That frequency was chosen because it's not part of licensed bands, doesn't mean the band is unused. Also, microwaves have been around a lot longer than wifi and Bluetooth.
    - tonymet 3y ago
      Then come up with a better model for chefs
      - rvbissell 3y ago
- tass 3y ago
  I believed this for such a long time until I learnt watching my aunt warm empty plates in the microwave. I thought it would damage the oven like running it empty would, but now heat them like this all the time.
- ilovecurl 3y ago
  Thank you for being a voice in the noble task of dispelling this myth. While it is true that water strongly absorbs microwave wavelength photons, other things do as well to more or less degree. It is all determined by the absorption cross section of the stuff you stick in the microwave.
- jannes 3y ago
  Ahh, so that's why some cups come out of the microwave with a hot handle while other cups come out with a cold handle!
dtgriscom 3y ago
And spray your cats as they attempt to abscond with your comestibles.
- mcronce 3y ago
  Can confirm, am cat ~~owner~~ family member

cactusplant7374 3y ago

Also, air pop your popcorn and spritz it with water so low calorie Molly McCheese seasoning sticks.

tonymet 3y ago
this is a great general tip for salting or seasoning something dry

jamiek88 3y ago

> microwaves act only on liquid water This is a common misconception. Microwave ovens heat up a lot more than just water. They also heat sugars, fats, waxes, and can even efficiently heat some types of glass. Microwave ovens work on the principles of dielectric heating, not any form of resonance. The microwave radiation causes the molecules to rotate back and forth with the electric field to generate heat. It doesn't really have anything to do with the bonds. Reference: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/why-do-microwaves-only-heat-up-water.458951/# https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/why-do-microwaves-only...

tonymet 3y ago
For practical purposes it’s a useful model.
- rvbissell 3y ago
  I have to disagree. Any 'model' that implies that water has some resonant frequency that microwaves are specifically designed for is misleading to the point of uselessness. If microwave ovens were tuned perfectly for water, then the water near the surface of foods would absorb most of the oven's energy, and not let the center of the food warm up as efficiently... essentially causing the microwave oven to heat food more like a regular oven. AFAIK, the frequency chosen for use by microwave ovens is a balance between * A desire for the EM energy to penetrate deeper into the food (per my 2nd paragraph above) * A desire for the EM energy to not interfere with licensed communications bands, in the event that the oven is "leaky". Finally: it's not very hard to explain the concept of a dipole moment, and why molecules that have one will twist in the presence of EM radiation. In fact, if you do explain this, quite often the student will come to realize that this is also true of light, which is why (A) a vintage Easy Bake Oven toy could bake a brownie with just an incandescent lightbulb, and (B) will serve to demystify microwaves as being just sub-infrared light.
  - delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
    > A desire for the EM energy to not interfere with licensed communications bands, in the event that the oven is "leaky" I'm not sure how deep a desire this is, given microwaves operate at 2.45 GHz wideband, which is bang smack in the middle of 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth...
    - tass 3y ago
      That frequency was chosen because it's not part of licensed bands, doesn't mean the band is unused. Also, microwaves have been around a lot longer than wifi and Bluetooth.
  - tonymet 3y ago
    Then come up with a better model for chefs
    - rvbissell 3y ago
tass 3y ago
I believed this for such a long time until I learnt watching my aunt warm empty plates in the microwave. I thought it would damage the oven like running it empty would, but now heat them like this all the time.
ilovecurl 3y ago
Thank you for being a voice in the noble task of dispelling this myth. While it is true that water strongly absorbs microwave wavelength photons, other things do as well to more or less degree. It is all determined by the absorption cross section of the stuff you stick in the microwave.
jannes 3y ago
Ahh, so that's why some cups come out of the microwave with a hot handle while other cups come out with a cold handle!

dtgriscom 3y ago

And spray your cats as they attempt to abscond with your comestibles.

mcronce 3y ago
Can confirm, am cat ~~owner~~ family member