MICROWAVE OVEN GAINS NEW RESPECT.

Byline: Jennifer Lowe Orange County Register

It pops corn perfectly. Zaps a cup of cold coffee. Nukes the kids' oatmeal. But guess what?

That hunk of electronics hogging counter space in 80 percent to 90 percent of America's kitchens is being used for cooking. Not just zapping and nuking.

The microwave oven - once heralded as the future, then relegated to handling popcorn - has found new audiences.

A survey from Corning Consumer Product Co., makers of Corningware, shows that microwave oven use is up more than 20 percent. And many of its fans are almost too young to cook.

Teenagers love the microwave. Surveys show that as many as 90 percent of youngsters ages 12 to 18 cook in the microwave. They like it because it's quick, requires little cleanup, and really takes little know-how. Young adults, who never learned to cook like their mothers, turn to the microwave as well, for its convenience.

But driving the renewed interest, too, is humility. From microwave manufacturers to cookbook authors, it's acknowledged the microwave ain't perfect - it doesn't cook some things well at all. So, that said, focus on what it does cook well, say people such as Victoria Wise, co-author of one of several new microwave cookbooks.

``We don't offer recipes for foods that simply do not turn out well,'' Wise and her co-author, Susanna Hoffman, write in ``The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook'' (Workman; $14.95). ``We include recipes for dishes that we judge to be superior. Some foods, in fact, fare better in the microwave than by conventional cooking methods.''

The authors' idea: Use the microwave to supplement your regular stovetop cooking.

``It's easier to clean up, and much quicker for lots of things. And if it's not quicker,'' says Wise, some of whose recipes require 30 minutes of microwave cooking, ``the cleanup is easier. I just put a dish in the microwave, press a button and have it turn itself off.''

It's pretty much agreed the microwave doesn't brown meat well, heat evenly or warm bread.

But, says Wise, who cooked and recooked to test her recipes, the microwave excels at:

Vegetables: ``Almost all vegetables, though there are a few we didn't like - we never got asparagus or green beans to work well. And I don't like how a microwave does globe artichokes, though baby artichokes, yes.''

Seafood: ``The microwave rises to the pinnacle when it comes to cooking seafood,'' the authors write. ``Poaching, steaming, braising - exactly the treatments that turn out fish and shellfish best - are the microwave's forte.''

Desserts: ``What we stumbled upon and were greatly surprised when researching was desserts,'' Wise says. ``Once you give up the idea of cakes and cookies, and start casting about ... (you find) poached fruit, jams, candies, dessert sauces. And actually we had great success with a whole range of cakes that were not flour-based.''

Pickles and relishes: ``The irony is the things the microwave does best - candies, pickles and jams,'' Wise says, ``are old-fashioned dishes that people don't do anymore.''

What may seem a bit odd for the zap-and-nuke user is the length of time required for some of the recipes. While some come in at less than 10 minutes, others take 20 to 30 minutes of microwaving, with stops for turning or stirring.

And regular cooking in the microwave has its limits; it would be tough to cook for more than six or eight people because large dishes don't fit in the microwave.

And meat never seems to fare well, though meatloaves, meatballs and small pieces of meat cook fine, and the microwave does well at stews, braising and poaching, Wise says.

Not everyone, though, is convinced that more cooking is going on in the microwave; we may be using them more, but what we're doing may not be cooking in the true sense of the word.

``Most of our research indicates people are using microwaves for reheating, defrosting and doing vegetables,'' says Jean E. Kozar, editor of ``Betty Crocker's New Cookbook'' (MacMillan; $25).

``They are reheating a lot of takeout food from delis and supermarkets, which have microwave directions.''

The Crocker cookbook, though, includes microwave directions for about 10 percent of its 950 recipes, and offers a section on microwave-cooking tips.

The microwaves of today offer many conveniences, from programmable buttons to popcorn-only buttons, says Carolyn Verweyst, a spokeswoman for Whirlpool Corp.

And oddly enough, maybe to hold those dishes, microwaves are getting bigger.

``People don't want that teeny little thing, they want something that will hold a dish,'' she says.

Here are four ideas for the microwave.

Serve the bell pepper sauce on light pasta dishes or roasted meats, or down it by the spoonful. The shrimp presents an alternative to grilling or stir-frying, while the pickles are ironic - something old-fashioned from a newfangled microwave. The shells are a family pleaser.

STUFFED SHELLS FLORENTINE

Water

24 jumbo pasta shells

2 cups low-fat cottage cheese 

2 large egg whites

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crumbled

Pinch grated nutmeg (optional)

Ground black pepper to taste

2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce

Pinch grated nutmeg (optional)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain in colander.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, egg whites, spinach, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, oregano, basil, nutmeg and pepper.

Spread 1/2 of spaghetti sauce over bottom of an 11 1/2x7 3/4-inch microwave-safe baking dish. Fill each shell with scant 2 tablespoons cheese mixture and arrange in single layer in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells.

Cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high (100 percent) power 10 to 12 minutes, rotating dish 1/4 turn 3 times, until bubbly.

Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and let stand 5 minutes for cheese to melt. Makes 6 servings.

From the ``The Woman's Day Cookbook'' (Viking).

PORTUGUESE SHRIMP

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

3 medium (about 3/4 pound) tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves OR 1/2 teaspoon dried

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 cup dry white vermouth OR dry white wine

1 3/4 pounds large OR jumbo shrimp, deveined with shells left on

1/2 cup Gremolata

Mix together garlic, tomatoes, thyme, salt, mustard, oil and vermouth in a dish large enough to hold shrimp in 1 heaping layer.

Microwave uncovered on high (100 percent) power 10 minutes or until tomatoes soften.

GREMOLATA: With a chef's knife or in a food processor finely chop peel of 2 medium lemons, 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves and 3 large cloves garlic.

When tomato mixture is done, add shrimp and toss to mix.

Microwave uncovered on high (100 percent) power 4 minutes. Stir and continue to microwave uncovered on high 2 minutes more or until shrimp turn pink and firm. Sprinkle Gremolata over top and serve.

From ``The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook'' by Victoria Wise and Susanna Hoffman, Workman.

RED BELL PEPPER SPREAD

1/4 cup pine nuts

3 medium (about 1 pound) red bell peppers

4 medium cloves garlic

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place pine nuts on a plate and microwave uncovered on high (100 percent) power, 3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.

Place peppers in a dish large enough to hold them without touching each other. Cover and microwave on high power, 15 minutes or until skins loosen. Remove and let stand at least 5 minutes or longer. Peel off skins, then remove stems and seeds.

Puree peppers with nuts, garlic, cheese, oil and salt in a food processor. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

From ``The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook'' by Victoria Wise and Susanna Hoffman, Workman.

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES 

2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed and sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds

1 medium onion, quartered, then cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

1/2 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

2 teaspoons celery seeds

2 teaspoons ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon whole cloves

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 cups cider vinegar 

Place cucumbers and onion in a 3-quart dish. Add salt and toss to coat all pieces.

Cover and microwave on high (100 percent) power 2 minutes or until cucumbers start to sweat. Transfer to a colander, rinse with cool water and set aside to drain 5 minutes or so.

Using same dish, mix mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, cloves, brown sugar and vinegar and stir to dissolve sugar a bit. Add cucumbers and onion and toss to coat.

Cover and microwave on high power, 8 minutes or until liquid is hot but not quite boiling. Remove and let stand until cool enough to handle.

Transfer pickles and liquid to a storage container. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. They will keep in refrigerator several months. Makes about 6 cups.

From ``The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook'' by Victoria Wise and Susanna Hoffman, Workman.

Microwave cooking tips

Here are some things to keep in mind while cooking in a microwave oven.

Read the directions for your microwave oven and learn how to use full power (100 percent), medium power (50 to 75 percent) and low power (10 to 20 percent). The different powers are needed for certain cooking procedures and recipes.

Always use microwave-safe cookware. Don't use metal, Styrofoam, plastic deli containers or common ceramic or plastic ware.

Covering food is important; more than 80 percent of dishes cooked in the microwave need to be covered. Lids are best. There is debate about using plastic wrap, since some studies indicate molecules from plastic wrap can travel into the food.

Be careful not to burn yourself from hot dishes or the steam from a dish as you remove a lid.

Foods with moisture, sugar and fat cook more quickly in a microwave oven.

Always allow foods to stand after taking them out of a microwave oven, to finish cooking or distribute heat evenly.

The colder the food, the longer the cooking time. The more food, the longer the cooking time.

Check food at the minimum cooking time specified to see how it is cooking.

If your microwave oven doesn't have a turntable, rotate the dish a half- or quarter-turn as it cooks.

Sources: ``The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook'' and ``Betty Crocker's New Cookbook.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO No Caption (Microwave Oven)

Daniel A. Anderson/O range County Register

Box: Microwave Cooking Tips (see text)