As college approaches, there is no better time to learn how to cook. That’s why we, as three hungry second-semester seniors, whipped out our chef hats, sharpened our kitchen knives and set out to become culinary experts. We meticulously researched the proper cooking time for crispy golden-brown Beef Wellingtons and perfectly fluffy souffles, all so that we can impress our future roommates.
Just kidding! What college student actually has time to cook proper meals between running laps around campus and figuring out how to pirate textbooks?
Fortunately, the internet has a solution for if you’re too lazy and untalented to cook (some of us are walking fire hazards), too broke for dining hall food or too tired to fight over communal cooking spaces: dorm-friendly microwave mug recipes. It turns out that an impressive variety of foods — everything from Mac ‘n cheese to french toast — can be made by mixing ingredients together in a mug and then popping it in the microwave for a few minutes.
We put three of these recipes to the test.
- Mug omelet from Food Network: 3.5/5 Falcons
Photo by Victoria Hu
Eggs, butter, milk, cheese, diced ham, orange bell pepper, salt and black pepper in a mug.
We were initially skeptical of the concept of “microwave” recipes, but this recipe cemented their legitimacy.
After dumping the ingredients together in a bowl and whisking in the eggs, we realized the recipe was more convenient than we’d thought — everything could be mixed IN the mug — so we hastily transferred the slosh and microwaved it, eagerly watching each mundane rotation of the mug.
Texture-wise, our food ended up closer to scrambled eggs than an omelet, but it tasted ordinary regardless. The biggest problem was that the egg at the bottom of the mug was undercooked, most likely because Leyna’s microwave was set at a lower wattage than recommended. On the bright side, none of us got food poisoning or salmonella, so that’s probably a good sign?
We can imagine making this recipe for a rushed breakfast or a toasty midnight snack in college.
- Mug pizza from Bigger Bolder Baking: 2/5 Falcons
Photo by Victoria Hu
Photo by Victoria Hu
We didn’t ask for janky lasagna in a cup but that’s what it looked like.
Without Victoria’s marinara sauce, this recipe would be pretty unappetizing. That, or maybe we weren’t generous enough with the cheese.
The first time we microwaved the mug, the pizza dough didn’t cook fully — the second attempt resulted in a genuine health hazard. Burnt crisps lined the edge where the dough escaped past the blanketing sauce, and when we dug into our mug “pizza,” the dough felt crunchy on the edges but soggy on the inside.
Our takeaway? Some things are just meant to be baked in the oven.
- Mug brownie from Bigger Bolder Baking: 4/5 Falcons
Photo by Victoria Hu
Photo by Victoria Hu
You can never go wrong with a mountain of chocolate and sugar.
Even though our results from the Bigger Bolder Baking pizza recipe were extremely suspicious, we gave this cooking blog a chance for redemption — and it delivered.
After mixing together a mug of brown goop and microwaving it for two minutes, we were impressed by how well the brownie rose in the microwave. Our final product was less dense than an average Safeway brownie (think of a mildly dry chocolate cupcake), but had the same flavor thanks to the spoonfuls of cocoa powder that we dumped into the mug. Although our food also had a disturbing amount of oil and sugar, it was well worth it.
After learning this recipe, it’s safe to say that Freshman Fifteen will hit us like a truck.
Overall, while these three recipes were not the best-tasting (some famous dead chef is rolling in their grave), they will make do if you’re not a picky eater. Our adventures in making microwave mug food taught us that 1) everyone needs to buy Ragu pizza sauce and 2) all you really need to survive the apocalypse (a.k.a. college) is a basic source of heat.
