How To Make Risotto (And More) In The Microwave [WATCH]

The microwave is usually delegated to the role of reheating old leftovers or heating up frozen items. SORTEDfood is changing that idea.

The British foodie YouTube channel just launched a video about microwave recipes and hacks – and included a trio of recipes that you can make in a microwave. These dishes were a classic British Fish Pie, Risotto, and Nut Brittle (shown in a separate video).

Ben Ebbrell, head chef of the channel, has his friends go blindfolded in a taste test between the microwaved versions of these dishes and traditionally cooked versions (cooked by James, the channel’s other chef) and see if they could figure out which dish was microwaved and which wasn’t.

Only one of the three tasters could tell the difference on both the risotto and the fish pie – the same taster each time. The fact that the humble microwave could make gourmet dishes taste similar to the real deal is astonishing.

Cooking the risotto is especially impressive to do in a microwave. While a traditional risotto requires tons of stirring and adding liquid over a stove to achieve the lava-like consistency, SORTED gets that consistency in a microwave in just 20 minutes (with the help of some creme fraiche and Parmesan cheese).

SORTED accomplished this by cooking the base of squash, wine, and shallots (along with other flavors) in the microwave, then adding in the rice to cook for 15-20 minutes before stirring in the creme fraiche and Parmesean cheese – all done in the same bowl and in a fast amount of time. This means your  homemade risotto cooking will be a lot easier – and saves the time and struggle of burning pans or cleaning up a lot of kitchen equipment.

While making the dishes does take some time and several trips within the microwave, there’s no denying that the concept of making gourmet food at home just got a little more accessible with ideas like these.

Check out these videos for the microwaved dishes, and try making some of the recipes yourself!