So, I was excited by two features of the new microwave: the "From Frozen" and "Soften Butter" buttons.
From Frozen
The promise: A fully frozen steak transforms into a seared, crusted medium-rare steak with minimal work. The machine starts in defrost microwave oven mode, then switches to the convection oven mode to cook the steak, then switches to the grill to give it a crust.
The reality: I added the frozen steak, hit the From Frozen button, said it was meat, 8 ounces, and hit Start. A bit later it chimed at me and I flipped the now semi-frozen steak. Then I left it alone.
What I got was a steak that was damp, brown in the middle, and mildly grilled one one side. Nowhere near as flavorful as a defrosted steak that's been heated on high in a deep pan (to minimize grease spatter clean up).
So, that was disappointing, but it was a big ask: cooking a seared steak from frozen in an oven, not a pan. I was very impressed with the even-ness of the defrost, I'll be happy to use that again. Then I'll take that defrosted steak to a hot hot pan on the stove.
Soften Butter
Oh my god. It softened the butter perfectly. Ideal. Worth all the money just for this.
YAY! I'm so glad it's worth it! (even if the previous microwave may have been taken down by a hit job instead of legitimately being broken)
I am not surprised that it couldn't match a pan sear. It might be worth trying a not-from-frozen steak in there at some point to see if it does better without the humidity/temperature issues incident upon thawing the steak, but I'd bet it won't come up to direct-heat (since I bet the gizmo can't match a charcoal grill's interior temperature). Heat transfer via metal is an amazing thing, as is heat transfer via flame; heat transfer via air works eventually - and works faster when the air is rippingly hot, just... not gonna be as fast, and fast matters for a steak.
Posted by: KC | January 16, 2025 at 09:57 AM
KC - I am sure we will come upon some sort of compromise. I do like the speed of just making a steak on the stove. As for the microwave, there are other frozen to finished things that will work better.
Posted by: TheQueen | January 16, 2025 at 05:41 PM