Microwave Apple Cookers

I actually bought these as they were the nearest thing I could find to my parents ancient mini microwave steamer, and they work brilliantly for that purpose.They steam vegetables really well and are great for keeping sticky toffee puddings moist and gooey. Excellent when you only want a one-person-sized portion.And yes, having used them to bake raisin stuffed apples, they are perfect for their intended purpose too.

I purchased this item a few months ago, as I wanted to try a quick an easy method to use up Bramley cooking apples as an alternative to making pies or stewing them. First of all, I was so pleased with the size and quality of the pair of Apple Cookers, and secondly after a couple of minutes in the microwave the apples (stuffed with raisins, sprinkled with sugar and a little knob of butter on top) were delicious. This is another firm favourite of mine, bought from Lakeland.

Bought these on a whim really - haven't had a baked apple for probably more than 30 years - but as fruit has no point value with my slimming club I thought I'd give them a go. So glad I did! Delicious comfort food in a couple of minutes with no guilt! Simply stuffed some chopped dried dates in the middle, added a tiny knob of lowfat spread & a sprinkle of cinnamon and microwaved (for too long as it turned out - I think 2 minutes might be the maximum required)...scoop of lowfat ice cream & bliss!! The corer will come in handy elsewhere too - excellent buy!

This review is for an older version of this product

Had one of these for a few years now and it never fails me now. I found that the original product had to be handled carefully at the end of cooking because you could get an outrush of steam when the lid was lifted - and this can be uncomfortable. I cured this by simply drilling three 5mm holes in the lid. I have also found that by cutting just through the apple skin with a sharp knife (I make 3 circumferential cuts and about 8 vertical ones) you will find it easier to eat the skin which is good for you. Its worth investing in a good steel corer in my view, easier than a plastic one!!

As other reviewers have mentioned, this product does not come with any instructions at all. the corer is fairly easy to use (the smaller bit is to push the core out of the corer once you have pushed it through the apple.With a little experimentation I have decided that some dried fruit / sugar in the middle works really well and depending on the power of the microwave and size of the apple, it can be cooked in as little as a couple of minutes.Would be a 5 star product if instructions / sample recipes were included in the package.