The 6-Time James Beard Award Winning Chef That Swears By Cooking With His Microwave

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When you think of James Beard Award-winning chefs, images of meticulous prep and elevated technique may come to mind. While that may be what the kitchen looks like for six-time JBA winner David Chang at his Momofuku restaurants, when he's in his own home kitchen, he often prefers to keep meal-making short and simple by using the microwave. In fact, he has such a passion for it that he paired up with Priya Krishna to write the book "Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes (And Love My Microwave): A Cookbook."

Not only does Chang use the microwave regularly, but he also sings the praises of its usefulness. In an interview with Architectural Digest, Chang said, "The science and data are there to back up that the microwave cooks delicious food, is the healthiest way of cooking, and — despite popular opinion — is actually safe to cook in." To make it even safer and more convenient, he teamed up with Steph Chen, Chief of Staff at Meyer Corporation, to design and sell dishes explicitly meant for use in the microwave. The Anyday brand cookware is 100% plastic-free and incorporates knobs that allow for both ventilation while cooking as well as airtight storage.

While Chang puts the microwave to work to quickly heat vegetables and make mashed potatoes, he also uses it to cook proteins like salmon and steamed ginger-scallion fish. Full meals are on the menu, too, with dishes like kimchi jjigae, shrimp and grits, cacio e pepe, and tingly chicken.

Chang is not the only one in the industry who's been known to use the efficient appliance. José Andrés has shared how to make an easy two-ingredient omelet – while Marco Pierre White puts it to good use for sardines, veal liver, bacon, and marrow bones. Meanwhile, Richard Blais has crafted English pea soup, tiramisu, angel food cake, and more in the microwave.

While chefs have clearly proven that the microwave is a viable means of cooking and baking a wide range of dishes (as well as hacking some other tedious kitchen tasks), there are a few foods that might be better suited for heating up in other appliances. First, if you're looking to kickstart your morning with some protein-packed eggs, be sure not to pop them into the microwave unshelled since they're likely to explode. Another unfortunate way to start the day is to warm up plain water (eg, for tea), which has the capacity to become exceedingly hot without giving off the typical visual cue of boiling bubbles. And any time of day is a bad time for nuking raw peppers, which can release their capsaicin into the air.

Outside of foods with dangerous consequences, there are some others that just aren't meant for the microwave. Meats like steak that benefit from a sear are clearly not the best candidate — while broccoli tends to better retain key nutrients using other methods. Outside of those, many foods are fair game for microwaving — just be sure to avoid heating them in aluminum foil.