Cooking with the MicroCook Pitcher

The MicroCook Pitcher mostly cooks liquid or semi-liquid mixtures in the microwave, with 152 recipes to its name on the site. This guide covers the wattages we see most, the most common uses and how to tell when a mixture is properly done.

Microwave cooking at a moderate wattage

Most recipes use 600 W, with 108 cases recorded, followed by 360 W for 50 recipes and 1000 W for 48 recipes. A lower wattage suits mixtures that need to thicken without boiling too fast, such as a custard or a sauce.

Some recipes also finish in the oven, most often at 180°C (356°F) or 200°C (392°F), to set a bake or brown a topping. The median total time is 50 minutes, prep and standing time included.

This spread of wattages sets the pitcher apart from most other microwave dishes on the site, which tend to run at full power. Here, gentle cooking is the norm rather than the exception, which limits the risk of a rising mixture boiling over the rim.

What it's used for

Desserts lead the way with 39 of the 152 recipes: custards, mousses, cake bases. Mains follow with 31 recipes, baking with 27, often batters mixed here then poured into a mould, and starters with 15 recipes.

The pitcher suits mixtures that need stirring during cooking, thanks to a shape that makes mixing easy without decanting everything. The handle and pouring spout matter a good deal too, especially for pouring a hot batter straight into a mould.

That heavy share of desserts comes from a recurring job: making a custard, a ganache or a mousse base without watching a saucepan on the hob, and with less risk of the mixture catching on the bottom or scorching while attention drifts elsewhere.

Six recipes to start with

Each of these six passes through the pitcher at some stage of its preparation, either for the full cook from start to finish or to mix a batter before it goes elsewhere.

• Crunchy chocolate and cornflake Christmas tree
• Soft round bread rolls with mashed potato
• Crisp marshmallow, chocolate and cornflake bars
• Little coconut bars dipped in dark chocolate
• Quick savoury little breads for drinks
• Little fudgy brownies with orange zest

Spotting when it's ready

For a custard or a flan, texture is the best guide: the mixture should coat the back of a spoon rather than run off it like a liquid. Taking the pitcher out a little before the stated time avoids overcooking, since heat keeps spreading for a few moments after the microwave stops.

For a cake batter, a knife tip test in the centre works exactly as it would for an oven bake.

A mixture that still looks runny coming out of the microwave often keeps thickening as it cools, especially egg or cornflour based custards. It pays to wait a few minutes before adding more cooking time, rather than assuming straight away that it needs longer than the recipe stated.

Adjusting the wattage

For a recipe written at 600 W, a 1000 W microwave needs roughly 60% of the stated time, while a 360 W microwave needs roughly 65% more. Checking texture matters more than cutting the time to the exact second, since the numbers only ever give a starting point rather than a guarantee.

The pitcher washes easily by hand. Let it cool before rinsing it under cold water, to avoid thermal shock on the plastic.

With 152 recipes, this is one of the most documented products on the site after the Mixing bowl and the SuperSonic Chopper. That popularity comes down to versatility: one container mixes, cooks and pours, with no extra washing up between steps, which matters most on a weeknight with little time to spare.

Practical guides

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• Cooking with the MicroPro Grill