I grew up in a restaurant where most of the meals were prepared by short-order cooks. That meant steam tables and deep fryers and microwaves (called “radars” back in the day). At around 13 years old I started reheating my own meals instead of letting the crusty old cook manhandle my meal. I improved on the “standards” used in the kitchen and made myself some pretty tasty quick meals.

One example of improving on a standard was the cheeseburger. Seems simple, right? Throw some cheese on a burger while it’s cooking and call it good, right? Well, the standard practice for melting cheese for cheeseburgers was to microwave the bun with two slices of cheese on it. This not only made the buns squishy and chewy, but the cheese was also microwavy and gross. So I always made my burgers the old-fashioned way by melting the two slices of cheese right on the patty on the grill. Way much more better.

But don’t despair. There are ways to use the radar and make it work. For instance, if you want to reheat spaghetti in the microwave, let’s say because all of your pans are dirty and you’re too lazy, it’s possible to do it in the radar effectively. The secret is covering it with plastic wrap (the clingy kind) or an upside-down plate on top. This helps prevent the pasta (or any food) from drying out because it creates a little steam bath for the food. Another thing to try if you do use plastic wrap, is to fold back the wrap on one edge to create a small breathing hole for the steam to escape. BE CAREFUL, though, because when you peel back the wrap the steam can burn your delicate fingers.

Hope this helps those of you who are metal and fire challenged. Enjoy!