The tiny single serving bowls of microwave macaroni and cheese say to microwave them on high for 3.5 minutes.

[dio9sys@haunted.computer]

The tiny single serving bowls of microwave macaroni and cheese say to microwave them on high for 3.5 minutes.

Now, as anyone who has worked at a call center and needed the mac and cheese to get through a shift may know, following the directions as written is how you end up spending more time cleaning the microwave than eating macaroni, as that amount of time on that power level will always, 100% of the time, result in it splashing all the water out all over the microwave.

I have the little bowls in my home right now. For reasons. I am currently conducting experiments in what time and what power level you can get away with to cook the macaroni while minimizing splash.

So far, I have taken it as far down as 3 minutes on half power, but it still splashes out a bit. I am currently experimenting with 3 minutes on 40% power. After that I may experiment with 2:30 on half power, as I notice around the 2:30 mark is when the water gets uncomfortably close to the edge of the bowl.

I will conduct this science, and publish my research. In this way, I am contributing to the good of society.

[dio9sys@haunted.computer]

@cR0w the bowl already includes xanthum gum and potato starch. I find that thoroughly whisking the water also helps

[miah@hachyderm.io]

@Dio9sys cover the bowl with another larger bowl and cut the time in half.

[jscybersec@infosec.exchange]

@Dio9sys Don't forget to mention what power your microwave is vs the canteen one (like is yours 800W vs the canteen 1000W)

[dio9sys@haunted.computer]

Experimental results:

Experimental equipment: Toshiba ML-EM45PIT "Origin Inverter" 1250 W microwave

3 minutes on 40% power resulting in ZERO spilled water. I repeat: ZERO SPILLED WATER. This is groundbreaking.

However, initial results were disappointing. The macaroni was slightly underdone, and the sauce was watery, almost as if Kraft expects the water to boil out. Unacceptable.

Upon taking the macaroni out and thoroughly stirring the cheese powder in, I let it sit for one minute (60 seconds) at room temperature, to let the macaroni continue to gently cook and the cheese sauce fully hydrate. At that point, the macaroni had a good texture and the sauce had thickened. One more minute of sitting at room temperature (to account for reading fedi and checking what model my microwave is) yielded and even better result.

Preliminary results: the true macaroni instructions are to microwave them for 3 minutes at 40% in a 1250 W microwave after thoroughly stirring the water and starch together. Then, remove from the microwave, thoroughly stir in the cheese sauce powder and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 minutes longer to fully hydrate.

[dio9sys@haunted.computer]

@miah I like the implications of this post. How many of these bowls have you consumed to reach this conclusion? I may be getting tutored by a master of macaroni science

[sudo_eatpant@critter.cafe]

@Dio9sys if you have access to any, i usually put a paper plate or a paper towel upside down over potentially messy food when i microwave it

[kiernian@infosec.exchange]

@Dio9sys what's the wattage of the microwave? (Rated power output)