DEAR DAME EVELYN , I am curious to hear what you think about microwave ovens. Are they just useless space hogs (as I suspect) or do they actually have honorable applications? Needless to say, I don't own one, but my boyfriend has been lobbying. Needless to say, he is younger than I am. I think he wants one on hand so he can pop his microwave popcorn and microwave his microwave burritos, the very thought of which grieves me. I cook a lot, and he eats everything I set in front of him, so I suppose I can't really complain if he needs his late-night fixes of junk. We do have the space for one of these contraptions, and he is willing to pay for it, leaving me without a leg to stand on, rejectionwise, it would seem. But I am wary in part as a matter of principle (I have done just fine for years without one) and in part because I remember being served, years ago, a slice of bacon that had been "fried" in a microwave. It was white, glutinous, greasy – inedible. Ever since, I've been a microwave skeptic. Am I being unfair?

Waveless

Petit,

You are being unfair, yes, but you're not alone in your dread of gadget creep! A good sharp knife and some stainless-steel mixing bowls – that should be enough. Yet Dame Evelyn has a soft spot in her crusty old heart for food processors, which produce marvelous tart doughs in a matter of moments, and for blenders, which produce marvelous frozen margaritas with comparable dispatch. Microwaves do not contribute to margarita joy nor, alas, to any other booze-related concoction Dame Evelyn is aware of. But they are useful in steaming vegetables; that is a sobering thought, I know, but we all must accept the virtue of vegetables, steamed vegetables in particular, however dreary that virtue can sometimes seem. Microwaves are also good at thawing frozen items (boneless, skinless chicken breasts, for instance, a supply of which Dame Evelyn always keeps on hand), and in making rice. Formula for the last: two parts liquid (water or stock or both) to one part rice, a pinch of salt, a shaving of butter, all in a microwavable dish with a cover; full power for 5 minutes, half power for 13 or 14 more (consult the manual on which buttons to push). The result should be beautifully plump, tender grains, moist but not sticky.

Tenderly,

E. G.-S.