Microwave Gourmet
$2.24
Price: $2.24
(as of Nov 11, 2025 18:11:22 UTC – Details)
The standard guide to microwave cooking offers more than six hundred recipes for everything from Filet of Sole with Almonds to Baked Macaroni and Cheese, along with cooking techniques and a list of dishes best cooked in conventional ovens. Reprint. BAKER & TAYLOR
Publisher : William Morrow Cookbooks
Publication date : January 1, 1997
Edition : 1st Pbk. Ed
Language : English
Print length : 575 pages
ISBN-10 : 0688157920
ISBN-13 : 978-0688157920
Item Weight : 2.2 pounds
Dimensions : 7 x 1.3 x 9.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #916,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #149 in Microwave Cooking #378 in Gourmet Cooking (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 53 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find the cookbook to be a good reference with 700 recipes adapted for microwave use, serving as a useful introduction to cooking techniques. The book receives positive feedback for its taste and microwaveability, with one customer noting it’s written with low wattage microwaves in mind. Customers consider it worth the price.
Reviews I’d Want My Kids To Read Before Buying –
Genuinely Gourmet Cooking For The Microwave.
This, the old go-to standard Kafka cookbook, is one of the most valuable cookbooks I own, along with a small assortment of other microwave cookbooks, for one reason: Southern California. If you’ve ever lived here, you know how hot it gets in the summer. If not, I envy you. When the weather turns here, cooking traditionally becomes untenable, as the heat in the kitchen builds up, spills out, and fills the house. With the microwave, on the nights we can tolerate warm food, we can produce quality meals in about a fourth of the time with very little heat loss. This cookbook, like my others, was written with low wattage microwaves. I happen to own a 750W myself, but if you own a higher wattage, just remember to scale down the power based on your wattage. These recipes were crafted around 700W so I just go full power but if you have a 1000W, take it down to 70%, and so on.Beyond the boilerplate of why microwave over oven, I move now, onto the specifics of Kafka’s cookbook, over the Good Housekeeping. As you can probably guess, the Good Housekeeping is better for everyday, average recipes because that is basically what Good Housekeeping does. The Kafka cookbook, however, covers these but also expands into what I actually would call gourmet cooking. Granted, she did not include the array of photos found in the Good Housekeeping cookbook, but she did include so many amazing and tasty recipes that rely on more than just a basic knowledge of standard ingredients that, honestly, I put her food at among the best I’ve cooked in my microwave.Good luck in making your choice.
Opti Mystic –
Quite useful for recipes, but out of date
This book has almost 700 good recipes adapted for microwave. The ones I have tried were good. I bought the first edition in 1987 and wore it out. This 1997 reprint is just a paperback reprint of the original hardbound book, which I will no doubt wear out too.Many new models of oven have been developed since ’87, notably combination microwave/convection/broilers, with sensors that sense humidity rather than requiring a probe, etc. These new models are notably absent from the recent edition, a flaw. This book is microwave only. For that the recipes are good.Here are some of my concerns though. Her timings are based on a 700 watt oven, but today 1200+ watts is common. So the timings either need to be shortened by a factor based on judgement, or you can simply use the oven at say 60% power and use her timings exactly. I often cook at 30-60% for a better result, so her recommendation of always using 100% is not helpful to me.I would love some photos of the dishes, but I find I just have to make the recipe to see how it looks. And I think you need to exploit all techniques for the best results. I have found that a combo convection/microwave oven is vastly more useful than either alone. You have good browning and retain moistness. Two things that the author states are done poorly in a microwave only oven (breads/cakes and turkey) can be cooked to perfection in a combo oven, in about 1/2 to 2/3 the time needed by a conventional oven. The author needed to be a little more open-minded.All of which points out that this book would be much more useful with an update, to include color photos and to include combo oven cooking. It is useful for the large number of proven recipes, but could be so much better.
ER –
Great cookbook. Lots of easy
Great cookbook. Lots of easy, fast recipes and good instructions. Handy tips on cookware. Much use of plastic wrap. Would be good if it were updated.
Virginia Lawrence –
Very cool book
Who knew we could cook ears of corn in the microwave? This book told me how to do it, and I’m sold.No more pots of water heating on the stove while I de-husk and remove the little yellow silk strands. Nope, now I just put 2 ears of corn on a plate and cook in the microwave for 6 minutes. Then cut off the end of each ear and pull off the husk, dragging off the silk too. Love it!This book has a lot more advice and recipes. Definitely worth having!
Jason Morgan –
How To Convert Recipes to Present Day Microwave Powers
Plenty has been said about how great this book is. I purchased the hardcover edition in 1987 and when it came out in paperback I purchased 20 copies and gave them to friends as gifts. In those days microwave wattage was 650 – 700 watts. Today the average wattage on a microwave is 1200 – 1300 watts.I cook all the recipes in the book at 70% power in my 1300 watt microwave and that does the trick. No need to adjust the times, just the power level to approximate the lower wattage ovens. Experiment with your oven. If 70% power is too hot, try 60%. Alternatively try 80% power if foods are not getting done. Once you reach the right power setting, all the recipes will work for you.
K Cal –
Not my thing
I gave this three stars because for those with more gourmet tastes, this book would probably be a great addition to their cookbook library. I personally however didn’t care for this book much at all. There’s a few recipes I’ll try and I made note of a few suggested cooking times from the dictionary section of the book, but I’m glad I checked this out from the library rather than spend money on it. I would have been greatly disappointed with the purchase.
H. L. Downes –
very informative book, full of useful information and excellent recipes. Written in an easy to read way which certainly showsthe full capabilities of the microwave oven.
BARNEY –
This book has plenty of information, but it is stamped with a LIBRARY name THOMAS CRANE PUBLIC LIBRARY, somewhere in the USA!!! I felt this a bit odd.
NO –
very old fashioned, wish it had photo’s, but still has good ideas and recipes