Microwave cooking can either go very badly or surprisingly well. Personally, I’ve had my fair share of questionable microwaved meals and dishes; one time I tried to make a dessert my sister and I can only think back on as a strange, wet, banana concoction in a mug.
But I’ve also had great experiences making simple things in the microwave (like chocolate cake and steamed broccoli). So when I found out about Anyday Cookware, which promises to make all manner of meals in the microwave, I was intrigued. Did these dishes truly cook ingredients as well as claimed using only a microwave (including eggs and chicken)? Was using the cookware actually going to make cooking easier and more convenient?
I set out to find answers to these burning (no pun intended) questions by testing the Everyday Set, which includes four dishes: a large deep dish, large shallow dish, medium deep dish, and medium shallow dish. Each dish is made from frosted borosilicate glass—with glass lids banded with microwave-safe stainless steel and silicone rims underneath—and all claim to cook up meals in a matter of minutes, sans turning on your stove or burner.
The Testing
I made five different recipes from Anyday’s website, which has quite the array of options, including poached salmon, macaroni and cheese, and even birthday cake. What’s cool is that recipes can be adjusted for the desired serving size, as well as your microwave’s wattage. Just input how many people you want to serve, the microwave wattage, and voila: the recipe will adjust the ingredient quantities and cook time. Recipes are also broken down by dish, so if you’re looking to feed a family of three, they might suggest using the large deep dish.
One thing to know before you get started cooking is your microwave’s wattage (mine clocks in at 1000 watts). You can often find this on the door, the back, or the front panel of your microwave. Once I knew my wattage, it was time to get cooking. First, I used the medium shallow dish to make poached eggs and a pumpkin pie. Then, I tested the medium deep dish by making asparagus with lemon butter. In the large deep dish, I cooked up a mac and cheese. Lastly, and perhaps most controversially, I made honey mustard chicken wings using the large shallow dish. Following cooking, I cleaned the dishes by hand and evaluated how easy it was to do so, while also taking note of its durability.
What We Learned
How Anyday Cookware Works
Anyday Cookware boasts a variety of microwave- and dishwasher-safe dishes and corresponding lids. And the dish's sturdy, frosted borosilicate glass is “thermal-shock resistant,” meaning it won’t crack when exposed to fluctuations in temperature.
The lids are made of glass as well, and feature a stainless steel rim, silicone knob, and silicone lining on the underside. The silicone lining helps ensure a tight seal, keeping moisture and heat inside each dish, while the knob can be pulled up or pushed down to allow for venting.
The most surprising aspect of the dishes’ design is the metal ring around the edge of the lid. Most people, including myself, grew up being warned about putting metal in the microwave. The reason this metal band doesn’t cause sparks to fly is likely due to its type of metal, thickness, and round shape. Stainless steel isn’t as conductive as, say, gold, and the round shape of the metal ensures that energy stays contained and has no way to jump off (in contrast, if you put a fork in the microwave, the sharp prongs encourage electricity to jump from them, which is known as arcing). But why did Anyday feel the need to put metal on the lid? What’s the point of it? According to their website, the stainless steel rim helps hold silicone and glass together, ensuring your lid doesn’t fall apart (important!).
Anyday Dishes Cooked a Variety of Foods Well (Including Chicken)
While I had no worries about a microwave baking a small mug cake sufficiently, eggs and meats were a different territory altogether—I envisioned rubbery chicken wings and overcooked eggs. But, I was pleasantly surprised. The honey mustard chicken wings were cooked well with absolutely no dryness, nor rawness, and the sauce thickened and was quite flavorful. While they weren’t air fryer crispy wings, they were still tasty.
When I made poached eggs, I thought they'd be somewhat rubbery and the yolk completely soupy or hard. However, cooking the eggs for three minutes and 30 seconds (the recipe recommended between two minutes and 30 seconds to three minutes and 30 seconds) led to firm egg whites and yolks with a lightly hardened edge and jammy center. The asparagus was also great: instead of being rubbery, the vegetables were simultaneously cooked well enough to be fork tender and not so overdone that the lovely bright green color was sacrificed.
The mac and cheese was also a pleasant surprise: the noodles cooked through perfectly in the allotted time. I expected a crunch to the noodles due to the water evaporating too quickly, leaving them high and dry. But the amount of water was perfect: just a little bit of water had to be drained between cooking the noodles and adding the cheese sauce ingredients. Since the dish was in the microwave for over 12 minutes, the glass did heat up a bit, and I had to use oven mitts to take it out to drain the water. But since the glass is frosted, it had more of a textured grip to it, making it easy to grasp, even with bulky mitts.
Recipes Required Some Flexibility
While the Anyday recipes were very easy to follow and simple in theory, the cook time for every single dish required some adjustments. Microwaves can range in power and wattage; the microwave I used had a standard 1000-watt output, but I still had to add extra time to some dishes. (Again, each of Anyday’s recipes did include options to alter them according to serving size and microwave wattage.)
Most of the dishes I made required just 30 seconds of adjustment, but the pumpkin pie was a challenge. This recipe had an additional step to change the power level to four (my microwave is usually set at 10). At the lower level, the pie failed to reach the desired doneness. Instead of the top of the pie darkening and the mixture looking set on top, the center of the pie continued to wiggle, jiggle, and shimmy. It wasn’t until I added an additional seven minutes of cooking time to the initial recommended 15 minutes that the top of the pie firmed up. The whole process required much poking of the pie and peering through the microwave window.
This is to say: there may be a learning curve and adjustments may be required, as microwaves just aren't all the same.
Dishes Were Easy to Use and Clean
One fantastic aspect of the Anyday Cookware was just how easy the dishes were to clean. Thanks to the frosted exterior of the glass, the dishes didn’t get slippery even when wet and soapy. Aside from some stubborn bits of melted cheese stuck to the large deep dish from the mac and cheese, each dish and lid were painless to hand-wash (and they were all dishwasher-safe, too).
For those who like to use a minimal amount of dishes while cooking, the Anyday Cookware would likely appeal. Each recipe required only measuring spoons or cups alongside using the dish itself. Meals could also be stored in the very same dishes they were cooked in, which was quite nice (and thanks to the thermal-shock resistant borosilicate glass, there was no fear of the dish cracking when put into the refrigerator).
When it came to handling the dishes, the frosted glass was easy to grip while moving into and out of the microwave. Unless the recipe required over five minutes of cooking, the dish and lid did not get overly hot to the touch. (I did have to be wary of the steam that released when I opened the dishes, though.)
The Verdict: Is Anyday Cookware Worth It?
Anyday Cookware’s Everyday set turned out to be wonderfully functional, easy to clean, and a great purchase for those hoping to make meal preparation microwave-friendly and uncomplicated. We were happy with how well the cookware handled a variety of dishes. Chicken wings, poached eggs, asparagus, and more turned out well. Simple dishes, such as steaming raw vegetables, can easily be made in an Anyday dish without specific directions. But we do recommend following an Anyday recipe–or at least using it as a jumping off point–when it comes to more complicated meals (like those with raw meat).
Key Specs
- Materials: Dishes are made from frosted borosilicate glass, and lids are made from borosilicate glass, platinum-grade silicone, and microwave-safe stainless steel
- Weight: 2-3 pounds
- Care instructions: Both dishes and lids are dishwasher-safe
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Price at time of publish: $120
FAQs
Where can you buy Anyday Cookware?
The best place to buy Anyday Cookware is directly from their website. Dishes come in a variety of colors–including kale (that’s what we reviewed), blueberry, and black sesame. They can be ordered as a set or individually.
Is Anyday Cookware dishwasher-safe?
All of the Anyday Cookware is dishwasher-safe. We found that the dishes and lids were very easy to hand-wash, but also well sized to fit inside dishwashers.
How do I find my microwave’s wattage?
There are multiple ways to find both the output and the input wattage for your microwave. (Pay attention to the output for the Anyday recipes.) The wattage can often be found on the machine itself: check along the front panel, the back, or on the door. If you’re unable to find the information directly on the microwave, read through your appliance's user manual or locate the model number and search the internet for the wattage.
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