There’s a legendary scene in Spy Kids where Carmen Cortez pops a food packet into a microwave and boom: a burger and fries appear. It’s a futuristic idea that unfortunately belies the reality of what it’s actually like to zap your leftovers or nuke a frozen TV dinner — which is to say, pretty bland. But, what if there is a middle ground for microwaving our meals that’s less premade-prepackaged and more sophisticated-fresh? Enter: Anyday’s collection of very elegant frosted-glass cookware that was exclusively designed for cooking gourmet recipes in the microwave. Founder & Chief of Staff at Meyer Corporation, Steph Chen, teamed up with American restauranteur, David Chang (ever heard of Momofuku?), to launch this time-saving dishware that turns fresh ingredients into nutritious meals…in the microwave. My curiosity was piqued and, after being generously gifted The Everyday Set, I put Anyday’s glassware of the future to the test. Below, indulge in my yummy successes, my messy failures, and my overall experience cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert all within the confines of my apartment microwave.
What is Anyday?
It’s microwaveable cookware. More specifically, according to Anyday representatives, this line of innovative dishes was created to, “demystify microwave cooking and bring greater awareness to this misunderstood and underutilized kitchen appliance.” The $120 Everyday Set includes all four Anyday bowls that you can also purchase separately for $30 to $40 each — The Large Deep Dish, The Large Shallow Dish, The Medium Deep Dish, and The Medium Shallow Dish. Each product is made from frosted heat-resistant borosilicate glass that can be placed in the microwave (obviously), dishwasher, oven, and freezer. The lids, although they initially made me nervous, are made of the same heat-resistant borosilicate glass, platinum-grade silicone, and, most importantly, microwave-resistant stainless steel.
I consider the fancy glass bowls to be the opening act of this cookware show and the lids to be the main attraction. These lightweight glass discs securely seal in moisture and block splatters while the silicone top knob lifts up just enough to vent any excess steam while cooking. The non-toxic frosty bowls are angled perfectly for easy handling and transitioning from microwave to dinner table without sacrificing style. Combined, both items make a great team and a mean plate of food.
What food can you make with Anyday?
This is the best part is that you can cook practically everything — from raw meat to raw veggies, rice, grains, desserts, and even baby food — as long as you follow Anyday’s thoughtful instructions. First, get to know your microwave’s wattage. Anyday adjusts each ingredient’s cooking time based on a microwave’s power level to ensure a nice even bake. Then check out one of the many creative recipes or ingredient instructions on Anyday’s site and get to pressing buttons. Just the smell of fresh juicy chicken breast wafting from the microwave will have you saying goodbye to frozen meals for good.
Anyday Breakfast…
I started off the day with a sweet potato mash. My usual breakfast involves a protein bar and a cup of coffee, so it was nice to add some color to the menu. My microwave has a low wattage of 900, so I cooked these two sliced and diced sweet potatoes for eight minutes. The results were heavenly. I am no stranger to cooking potatoes in the microwave, but they never come out this tender and ready to mash. I easily peeled the steamy potatoes, quickly mashed them up with a fork, and seasoned them with salt, pepper, and paprika. But, if you’re looking for something more exciting, Anyday’s site offers more creative variations on ways to spice up your spuds.
Anyday Lunch…
Next, I moved onto chicken, which I was tentative about. (The thought of consuming raw meat makes me nauseous but I also am not of big fan of dried-out poultry.) However, I was pleasantly surprised to find fresh & juicy chicken descend from my microwave. I’ll admit, I think I overcooked it out of caution by baking for a total of nine minutes when I should’ve stopped at seven — but, being able to get back to work while my meal rotated away in the microwave was fantastic. There was no oven to heat up, no stove to attend to, and my amateur chicken tikka masala exceeded my expectations.
Anyday Dinner…
This meal was my turning point and what made me fully endorse these bowls. I love seafood because it is generally healthy, somewhat easy to cook, and flavorful, but I could never figure out how to successfully cook a salmon on my stovetop. I also never considered putting it in the microwave out of fear of the smell enveloping my apartment. The Anyday lids somehow kept my salmon moist yet crispy (maybe those stainless steel rings?), my apartment free of overwhelming fish smells, and left my stomach happy. As you can see, I loosely followed Anyday’s Braised Spicy Peppers recipe but rejoiced in my flavor-blasted piece of fish that laid on my plate after six minutes in the microwave.
Anyday Dessert…
This was my messy semi-failure, but the blame is on me. I’ve seen too many mug cakes on Instagram stories to count and know that this is a dessert staple for many, yet this was my first time ever attempting to make one. Unfortunately, I added too much salt and slightly overcooked this chocolate cake from Anyday. The process was simple and the medium shallow dish is the perfect size for a dessert for two, I just flopped.
What are the pros & cons of Anyday?
Calling all college students, cooking-challenged 20-somethings (me), busy parents, and everyone in-between: buy this cookware! Steph Chen and David Cheng truly made me view my microwave in a different light. Since receiving these a month ago, I eat on a better schedule, get the right amount of nutrients from my meals, and have explored more flavors than ever before. For cons: I would say that the clean-up can be somewhat strenuous, microwaves can be unpredictable at times, and you can’t just throw these bowls around because they are glass. But, those issues are completely drowned out by delicious food, convenience, and all the time I’ve saved cooking in my microwave. Head on over to Anyday’s site, scoop up some of this cookware from the future, and rekindle your romance with your microwave.
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