cooking tool For one, it’s nearly impossible to brown foods in it in a satisfactory way Meat cooks fast but comes out flaccid and anemic looking What it is good for is heating up liquids, reheating leftovers when you don’t care too much about exterior texture, and steaming vegetables The last is the use I put it to most See, just as with brief blanching, the goal of steaming is to very lightly cook vegetables just until they lose their raw taste, but not until they begin to turn mushy Since a microwave very efficiently and rapidly uses the liquid inside the vegetables themselves to heat them from the inside, you can micro-steam vegetables in a matter of minutes MICRO-STEAMING VEGETABLES To micro-steam, lay vegetables in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate Cover them with a triple layer of damp paper towels Microwave on high heat until the vegetables are tender, 2½ to 6 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave VEGETABLE HOW TO PREPARE Asparagus Peel the fibrous skin off the stalks, starting from SPECIAL INSTUCT just below the head, if desired Leave whole Bok Choy Remove the core, separate the individual leaves, and wash carefully to remove dirt Broccoli Cut off the florets in 1inch pieces Peel the tough stalks and slice ẳ to ẵ inch thick Broccoli Wash May take l than other vegetables ...just below the head, if desired Leave whole Bok Choy Remove the core, separate the individual leaves, and wash carefully to remove dirt Broccoli Cut off the florets in 1inch pieces Peel the tough stalks... florets in 1inch pieces Peel the tough stalks and slice ẳ to ẵ inch thick Broccoli Wash May take l than other vegetables