So you’ve probably seen all those EASY! TASTY! AMAZING! mug recipes on Pinterest and thought, 'Yes, this is perfect. Next time I want something quick and easy, I’m definitely going to do this.'
You even probably got as far as making the chocolate cake, which admittedly looked a lot different than the picture, tasted strangely dry and was burnt around the edges. But hey, it did the trick: you had cake and didn’t even have to leave halls.
But are all mug recipes created equal? (Spoiler alert: probably). I do the dirty work and test out a few recipes to see whether or not they’re worth the microwave nuke.
The Standard Chocolate Cake
This is the one that started it all.
Here’s what you’ll need:
•¼ cup flour
•2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
•2 tablespoons of brown sugar
•¼ cup of milk
•2 tbsp of butter
•pinch of salt
Add flour into your mug.
Now throw in the cocoa, sugar, salt then stir ’til everything is mixed thoroughly.
Pour in your milk and softened butter and mix until the batter has no more lumps.
Microwave for 60 seconds and enjoy.
The verdict
I won’t lie, this cake will probably be the worst chocolate cake you have ever tasted. That said, is there really such a thing as bad chocolate cake? The crappiest thing about it is its texture, which I can only describe as a mixture between actual cake and ground tires. No worries, once smothered in ice cream, this cake goes from a 4 to a solid 7.
The Cookie
Who has time to bake a dozen cookies right? What if it’s 3 am and you only want one, want it in less than two minutes and your roommate ate the last Maryland? Here’s something that might do the trick.
You’ll need:
•1 tablespoon butter
•1 egg yolk
•2 tablespoons of sugar
•3 tablespoons of flour
•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•pinch of salt
•chocolate bar or chocolate chips
Combine sugar, salt, vanilla, butter and the egg yolk into your mug.
Mix it all up.
Add the flour and stir until there are no more clumps left in the batter.
Throw in your chocolate chips or bits of chocolate.
Fold in the chocolate.
Nuke for 30 seconds and enjoy!
The verdict
Again, the texture is so strange. I’m sure that if you had no recollection of what a cookie actually tasted like, this would be a pleasant surprise. For anyone who has ever eaten a biscuit, your palette will be less than impressed. Luckily, the cookie’s chocolatey sweetness makes up for its yoga-matt like consistency. Similar to its chocolate mug cousin, if aided with ice cream, your 3 am cookie craving will be more than satisfied.
The French Toast
For when you have bread lying around, but want to make something fancier than a sandwich.
You’ll need:
•A slice of bread
•sprinkle of cinnamon
•1/4 cup of milk
•egg
•a splash of vanilla extract
Crack an egg into a bowl.
Add milk,vanilla and cinnamon.
Stir!
After cubing your bread and placing it into a mug, pour the mixture over it. Nuke it in the microwave for a minute.
Add syrup and enjoy!
The verdict
We have a winner. This mug recipe actually tastes pretty good and I’m assuming it’s because the bread was already baked properly in an oven. No rubbery qualities here. Go ahead and indulge in this one, it’ll probably impress your friends.
Mac and Cheese
No explanation necessary - but does this already easy recipe really need to be simplified in the microwave? We’ll soon find out.
You will need:
1/2 cup pasta
1/4 cup milk
cheese (for the love of God, use real cheese and not the fake stuff like I did)
water
Place pasta in a large bowl. I’m using a bowl instead of a mug because when you cook pasta in the microwave, water will spill out. Add enough water to cover the pasta.
Cook in two minute intervals, stirring the pasta in between. Mine took 6 minutes to cook. Drain pasta if necessary.
Add milk and cheese. Microwave again and stir.
Enjoy.
The verdict
Mostly I was surprised you could cook pasta in the microwave, but then again, why would you ever want to do that except for when you have no access to a stove? This was edible, but thats about it. Using real cheese would bump this up to 'decent.'
The overall takeaway
These recipes will do in a pinch, but you’re better off following the instructions and then cooking them in an oven afterwards. That way, you can still make a no-fuss cake, but avoid the weird textures that microwave baking seems to produce. If a microwave is your only option, definitely keep a tub of ice cream handy. If all else fails, you’ll always have french toast.
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Follow Mari on Twitter @SariMantos
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.