The Only Things Julia Child Used Her Microwave For

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Legendary chef Julia Child was charming, quirky, incredibly talented, and brimming with a zest for all things culinary. She was also downright practical, so of course she had a microwave. While this appliance wouldn't fit on her iconic kitchen pegboard, it was still a tool she turned to often. In fact, "I wouldn't be without one," she told Cosmopolitan in a 1990 interview.

Child more than likely would not have made freshly "baked" cookies in the microwave or cooked pasta. Instead, she used the microwave to cut corners: defrosting frozen foods, warming up a tepid cup of tea, or melting some butter without breaking out a saucepan.

Everyone forgets to pull a frozen steak or meal-prepped dish from the icebox from time to time, so it's nice to know the down-to-earth chef didn't have a problem utilizing a shortcut — though there are some important dos and don'ts for thawing meat in the microwave. Similarly, if there is no benefit to be gained from warming up items on the stovetop, why not save yourself the effort and just nuke your tea or butter?

Julia Child did prefer to do most of her cooking on the stovetop or in the oven. The microwave, though useful in some instances, can create a barrier. "I like to smell and feel and poke the food I'm cooking," she told Cosmopolitan. She also simply didn't enjoy the taste or texture of zapped green vegetables.

But when it came to potatoes, the microwave once again proved useful to the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" author. It was a way to get a head start on a baked spud, which can take around an hour in a traditional oven. On the other hand, you can fully cook a potato in the microwave in about 10 minutes. Split the difference, and you'll have a classic baked potato in less than half an hour. With Julia Child's par-cooking hack, you can even speed up the process on roasted taters, home fries, potato wedges, Hasselback spuds, and more.