Food Theory: You've Been Using the Microwave WRONG...

Spam 🍿 in the comments if you only use the :30 sec button

ABOUT TIME THE MICROWAVE EPISODE

When Matpat originally revealed Food Theory, I thought the concept was kind of ridiculous, but I genuinely think I look forward to these videos more than the other channels now.

I am so proud of you Sanji for uploading this video because now I can actually be able to show this video to my mother and since because it has captions my mother is deaf so this will actually greatly help her learn how to use the microwave better

Technology Connections and theory fan here. So glad you finally referenced an amazing Youtube channel that's basically not just another theorist for technology, but just a genreal amazing fellow. Two of my worlds have collided, and I am so happy about that. Edit: Forgot to show where they mention (or should say, show) TechnologyConnections. 11:28 - 11:34

I was JUST microwaving something, and right before I press the button, I get this notification lol.

It blew my mind when the popcorn bag said don't use the popcorn button I've been lied to by my microwave for years

When I make popcorn, I initially listened for the popping, but then I looked at how long the time had gone for. Now i just put it in for that time and its perfect every time

One of the things I learned from my dad, who was in appliance repair for 30 years, you do not put your items in the dead center. Put them closer to one edge or the other. My frozen stuff has turned out much better using this method

You missed an incredibly important fact about microwaves and power level. You see... most microwaves do NOT scale power, at all. They just turn the magnetron on and off. For example at 50% power, they microwave cooks at full power half the time, and is actually off half the time. Enter the Inverter Microwave, they can actually scale power, so cooking at 50% is actually half power for the entire time. This difference between microwaves leads to extremely different cooking, and honestly, as a user of Inverter Microwaves for over a decade now, they are really so much better. And honestly, your results for this entire episode would be drastically different with an Inverter Microwave included.

That intro with Santi pulling us out of the microwave got me I have not seen an express option or a turn-knob thing for power level on any of my microwaves

Back in the mid 2000s, one of my friends mom gave me an old microwave from the 70s, came with a metal rack and thorough instructions. The usable metal rack blew my mind. The recipe for a whole turkey in the instruction & recipe book shattered reality as I knew it, it worked, and it was pretty tasty. Broke my heart when that apartment flooded and killed the microwave. I still use the tricks I learned from cooking with it.

depending on the microwave, the popcorn button can actually be good for microwave popcorn. the main reason microwave popcorn packets say to not use it is because they don't know what microwave you have, and thus they say not to use it as a precaution. the easiest way to know is to potentially sacrifice a bag of popcorn to check, and see if it's undercooked, overcooked, or just right. some microwaves have different sensing systems for the popcorn function, such as a microphone that's turned on to use for listening for sharp, sudden sounds - the pops - thus emulating the suggested "listen to pops" method.

As someone who has experimented with the power level button for years, lower settings are WAY MORE USEFUL than just in niche cases. Maybe this is applicable to only my microwave (Panasonic Inverter 1200W, w/ rotator), but I figured I'd share my findings with my fellow theorists. Do you suffer from cold spots after nuking it on high, and end up having to microwave it more anyway? Double the time and cut the power level in half. Once it's done, you can just eat. Do you suffer from steam mushifying your leftovers on high for 1.5 minutes? Set power level to 1 and microwave for about 10x as long (15 minutes). It's slow compared to microwaves on high, but it's still faster than using an oven. The goal is to gradually heat it up without letting it steam too much. The steam is what mushifies everything. Edit: I have only used these methods for precooked foods. Also, I have received two replies which seem to be blocked. I'll copy them below: Pedro Franca replied: "High power also makes the middle of whatever you're doing get dry, and it destroys any mozzarella I place on it for more than 15s, making it crispy and not melty. Low power is a tool I should... [YouTube cuts off the preview]" V L replied: "To me, varying the power level is the most game-changing pro-tip and I am surprised the video did not mention it at all! To reheat meat, I use power level 5 to 8 depending on how delicate it is, ... [YouTube cuts off the preview]"

Definitely use the hearing method for your popcorn, but also make a note of how long it took, because there's a good chance that you can find find a reliable time that works almost perfectly every time, without having to focus on the microwave the entire time. It helps a lot when you wanna grab a drink or something while it pops.

Eyy, love the enthusiasm, and the highs and lows in your voice, feels like you're enjoying these :) I hope you keep it up :)

I just press the add 30 seconds button

You just solved a decade long family feud. Popcorn button vs. listening to the pop! Thank you

Santi definitely deserved this job. Not saying everyone else who took over the other Theorist channels didn’t. But man, Santi really just embodies the spirit of a theory channel that they all had with MatPat. While I’ll miss him running everything, Food Theorists are in great hands. I kinda wish Austin was still around and got to take over Game Theorists though. Always loved the content when he was around.

This episode was excellent, through n' through out! Great work, everyone! Santi, you've demonstrated that you fully deserve your spot as The Food Theorist. Props!