This post is sponsored by Smartbowl
Microwave cooking generally isn’t something that is romanticized in the kitchen. Most people use their microwaves to reheat leftovers, and usually associate microwave cooking with soggy, unevenly cooked food. That stereotype is changing thanks to a new system called Smartbowl.
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These bowls come in a set of three sizes and are made out of lightweight borosilicate glass—the kind scientists use in a lab. It has great thermal conductivity so it gets hot fast, which helps food cook faster. The bowls’ lids are made of medical grade pure silicone, so there’s no worry about them melting because they can withstand temps up to 450 degrees and there is no leaching or chemicals involved. The lid pops open when a certain amount of steam is generated, controlling moisture and temperature, ensuring juicy and evenly-cooked food. Together the glass bowl and lid simultaneously cook from the inside-out (microwave) and the outside-in (super-saturated steam). Pretty neat, huh?
Celebrity Chef, Art Smith (who was once Oprah’s personal chef!) developed 60 recipes using the Smartbowls for the brand’s cookbook. I would highly recommend getting the cookbook if you decide to order the bowls as it really teaches you how to use the bowls to make actual recipes instead of just using single ingredients. There are also many recipes on the Smartbowl website!
There are so many pros to using these bowls, from the drastic decrease in cooking time to the super easy dishwasher cleanup. I love how lightweight they are (about half as heavy as regular glass storage bowls), and they nest too, so storage is easy (even with the lids!)
I spent the past few weeks making dishes from the cookbook that comes with the bowls. My expectations were exceeded! Particularly with the seafood! In a Smartbowl you can poach an egg, cook seafood, crisp bacon, bake cakes, make party dips, and more. It’s ideal for so many things. The only thing they don’t recommend is anything you might want a crust on – like a steak. (Although I hear reheating steak in them is great!)
The first recipe I tried was the salmon and kale. It was simple and involved two of my favorite foods! Simply layer kale (or garden greens in my case) at the bottom of the large Smartbowl, drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, salt, and pepper, top with a piece of wild salmon, put on the lid to release air, and microwave for two minutes.
I added hearts of palm and peppers!
And marinated mango-chili sockeye salmon from Whole Foods’ frozen case that I had thawed overnight.
Lunch ready in less than 5 minutes. Impressive!! The salmon was juicy and on point. This is going to be so handy for the winter when I crave hot foods for lunch but don’t want to spend 30 minutes cooking and cleaning.
I made another quick hot lunch a few days later with a pesto parmesan burger (also from Whole Foods) and layers of spinach and leftover sweet potato. All-in-one lunch bowl! The burger tasted great.
On the breakfast front I made Chef Art’s blueberry oatmeal. I can’t say this was all that different from how I would normally microwave oatmeal, but there was no bubble over or explosions, and oats are oats! Yum.
I was super impressed with this omelet recipe. It involved crisping bacon first (which worked pretty well) and then adding eggs and cheese, and microwaving and stirring in intervals until it was cooked through.
This was really good!
I think my favorite recipe was the sweet potatoes with marshmallows!!
Begin with tiny cubes of sweet potato, olive oil, maple syrup, and rosemary and microwave for three minutes.
Then add the marshmallows and bake in the toaster oven until they are brown.
Flashbacks to many happy Thanksgivings! Mazen LOVED this dish!
This side dish, zucchini with olives, herbs, and feta, was also really delicious.
My Smartbowl contacts told me that seafood was one of the best things to cook because you always want moist and juicy seafood. So I took a stab at shrimp for an easy dinner, especially now that it’s on Mazen’s favorite food list!
Shrimp + olive oil + garlic + 60 seconds…
Perfection! Delicate and sweet shrimps.
Guess who gobbled these down…
I also tried clams!! Plus olive oil, garlic, red pepper, white wine, and lemon.
So good!! Just like I’d get in a restaurant. I was just missing the crusty bread to soak up that good juice.
And finally…dessert. I could not resist making the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie in a bowl! I mixed a bunch of ingredients in the Smartbowl…
And then cooked it according to the directions. While the shape was rustic, eating this hot out of the (microwave) oven was so good!
So good I had to break out the vanilla ice cream : )
That’s a wrap folks! I’ll let you know in Lately posts if I try out any more recipes. I’ve been using these for storing and reheating leftovers too and am finding them very convenient. Spinach artichoke dip soon? I would highly recommend these to anyone who’s looking to eat better and fresher, without the hassle of traditional cooking: busy moms, college students, those cooking for one person, seafood fanatics, people who eat on the go or pack their lunch and use a microwave to warm it up!
A set of Smartbowls costs $49, and are available to purchase through smartbowlsystem.com. I have a set to giveaway to a lucky reader! Enter between now and Friday below.
Thanks to Smartbowl for sponsoring this post and the giveaway!
Dinner in 5 min..that would be awesome! Those Shrimp look great and so does the omelette.
I’d cook oatmeal to speed up my mornings once it gets cold outside.
That cookie…yum!
I woud try cooking eggs in the microwave if I had these bowls.
I am intrigued! I would try making salmon.
I’ve been trying to replace some of the chicken I eat with more fish so this looks awesome!
love the shrimp dish
I want to try making shrimp. That was the pic that sold me! Plus Art Smith is an amazing cook. I also want to try those microwave cookies! Although, that could be dangerous for my waistline. I kind of need cookies to be a hassle to make. LOL!
I am constantly reheating leftovers for lunch throughout the week and would love to try these.
The seafood looks amazing! I am always too lazy to cook them, but this seems totally doable!
Omg, I feel like I would eat those sweet potatoes every day. They sounds AMAZING.
Wow what a neat concept. I would definitely make the sweet potatoes with marshmallows!
I basically only cook in the microwave since I don’t have an oven!
I really want to try the clams since I grew up on them in Massachusetts and can never make them at home!
Would try that shrimp and salmon
Looks good! I would try the shrimp.
Wow, those are so cool! I would love to try the clams! Yum!
my apartment here in Alberta, Canada has been like a sauna this summer!
i would use the SmartBowl system for absolutely EVERYTHING…..keep the house cool, and build in portion control
#winwin
I’d love to make a veggie casserole!
Umm I want to make all these meals! haha
Yams
The seafood options would be awesome!!
Fish…I’m intrigued.
This is amazing!!! Seafood in the microwave?? Who knew. My fiancé and I are big seafood lovers, so that’d be the first thing we’d try!
I would definitely try a dessert first! Really interesting stuff, I wouldn’t think you could cook all that in a microwave and have it turn out well!
The salmon looks great!
Love this! Everything always bubbles over or heats unevenly when I use the microwave. Would love to try these.
All of the above! I love how you can make an entire seafood meal in one bowl. Genius!
OK, my curisity is piqued! I would definitely be trying the seafood. I am often cooking for just myself so this would definitely come in handy!
cooking fish sounds awesome in that!!
the seafood and baking options speak to me! mmm.
I would try shrimp!
The shrimp!
These look really neat- especially the shrimp and clams!
Intriguing! My son also loves shrimp, so I’d try that same recipe that Mazen liked so much! Or with a touch of Old Bay 🙂
Ice cream!
I am single and cooking for one is a pain. I like fast meals and find microwave cooking works pretty good for me already, but I sure would LOVE to have a set of these!
I would be making any sort of fish or shrimp! Easy weeknight meal!!
Would love to to try that salmon!
Would love to try these out! The clam dish sounds especially fantastic!
Those look pretty awesome! Cooking for one can definitely be challenging at times – this looks like it would also reduce dishes to wash!
I want to make it all! That cookie looks delish!
I want to try the shrimp and the sweet potato they both look awesome.
Definitely the shrimp! They look amazing!
All about the salmon! I live in NYC and haven’t used the stove or oven in a month because my apartment gets too hot. This would be perfect!
Ohh, I”d love to make the mussels!
I’d probably make everything, haha! You make those shrimps look really good, and I do dislikesauteeing and dirtying up a pan, so I’d probably try that and the salmon first…and then make a microwave cookie for dessert! 😉 Interesting concept, thanks for sharing!
That cookie! Yum.
This was so surprising to me! Microwave food that is good for you? Seems like a good compromise between real food (slow cooked) and microwave dinners.
These look awesome! I cook at home most of the time so I can control my food since I have special dietary needs. I love taking leftovers to work for lunch, and knowing they’d taste just as delicious as when I made them fresh using these bowls would be great!
i’m definitely freaking out over that salmon. one of my favorite foods to eat but I’ve been in such a “I don’t feel like cooking” mood lately.
Definitely interested in cooking seafood.
id definitely want to make the PB cookie!
This sounds awesome! Cooking for one, I always feel ambitious while I’m at the grocery store, but by the time I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is stand over the stove for 30 minutes. I would totally try those clams!
These sound perfect for a new mother…I want to try that omelet or the cookie.
This is so intriguing, I’d love to give it a try!
Can you cook chicken? I’m up for giving it a try!
Yes! One of the best things to cook
This post is great! Thanks for sharing! I would try the salmon first. It sounds like I could pack all the ingredients and cook fresh at work!
Those sweet potatoes look INCREDIBLE. I <3 sweet potatoes. But let's be real, so did that salmon!
I am only cooking for myself these days but normally dislike the texture of microwave-heated food, I would be super interested to try these!
I’s make seafood and lunch bowls for work.
The shrimp look delicious…and that cookie – wow!!
I would try omelet and the cookie!
These sound like exactly what I need in my life right now. As a mom of a 5 month old I have no time to cook, but I think I could totally handle microwaving meals 🙂
Oh And I would make the salmon and that dessert, YUM!
This is very interesting and very curious to see how this works. I would like to try the eggs and see how the shrimp comes out!
I would love to have an easier way to cook seafood, especially days when I have very little time.
The cookie and the shrimp look delicious. My husband loves shrimp so I would love to try this.
I would use it to cook fish for sure.
I’d try the egg dishes first. I’d love a way to prepare eggs that doesn’t make them cooked in the microwave runny or rubbery!
I’d love making hot lunches at work with these! No need to cook a lunch ahead of time, just add ingredients, store in the work fridge and cook at lunchtime. Awesome!
Salmon and shrimp! If it’s that fast and easy then it would encourage me to eat these more often.
The entrees look delicious, but the cookie dessert would probably be the first I’d want to try 🙂
This post made me crave sweet potatoes and marshmallows!
Salmon! All day err day!
I wanna try your cookie recipe!
Very cool! I would love to try these. The shrimp looks great!
I’d love to try cooking fish!
Definitely the sweet potato with marshmallows dish and I’d love to try the omelet too!
I definitely would want to try the seafood — can’t believe the shrimp turned out so well!
These look like they’d be great for my college girl! Thanks, Kath! 🙂
I would definitely make a dish with salmon or eggs!
These look like they could be super helpful as I have a 5 week old baby now at home!
These are so so so cool! I love that you can cook salmon, shrimp., and so much more quick and easily. I am definitely going to order a set!
As a teacher heading back to school and back to a busy schedule this looks like a great option for quick healthy dinners!
I love eggs so this would be a great way to make a quick breakfast on work days.
These look perfect for making hot, fresh lunches at work!
I would love these! It would be great to be able to pack a bowl of veggies, chicken, etc. and bring to work each day for lunch!! I always struggle with packing a lunch…this would be a great alternative!
I would make the onelet
Those shrimp look delish!
I wanna make meat loaf.
I would love to try salmon or shrimp. This would be so nice when my husband is out of town as cooking for one is no fun.
What a great concept. I’d certainly use it for seafood and veggies – things that are messy or take a long time to cook.
I’d love to try oatmeal but also something savory like fish with greens.
If I can make seafood in the microwave that isn’t rubbery and gross I would be SO SO SO thrilled. I’d give the salmon/clams/shrimp….maybe even scallops (?) a go!
I would like to try the omelet!
The peanut butter chocolate chip cookie looks delicious. I would try dessert first. 😉
This looks so convenient for making healthy meals. I’d try the ale and salmon for starters!
*kale 🙂
I would definitely try seafood — it would make for a quick dinner! Also, the cookie looks delicious and I’d finish wit that!
What a cool idea! I love the idea of microwave cookies 🙂
I can’t wait to try the cookie!
The shrimp look awesome!
the omelet!
The fish recipes look amazing!!
That shrimp looks great!
So cool! I’ve been having less and less time to cook dinner each night, so this would be great for my husband and me!
My second kiddo is due in a month and I can only imagine how handy these would be for quick one handed meals! I especially love the seafood ideas; those clams look divine.
the cookie recipe, for sure!
Seafood! Husband does not eat anything that swims!
Oh my gosh I LOVE this! I am not much of a cook, so the thought of using one of these bowls and recipes and microwaving my dinner is weirdly appealing to me. I know microwaves can get a bad rap, but they are magical!
I want to make an omelet!
These sound interesting! I would try making omelettes and anything else, really.
these seem so handy for a busy life. I’d love to try them out!
The cookie! With the added ice cream of course!
Bacon & cheese omelet!
That cookie would be the first thing I make! I would love to try out some recipes like meatloaf or egg recipes.
I’m seven months pregnant and that peanut butter chocolate chip cookie would hit the spot! I’m intrigued by the seafood as well.
I would love to make those shrimp!
I would try them all!
I like making herbs and veggies!
I want to try all the seafood! (and definitely the cookie!)
I use the microwave vegetables and eggs all the time. Looking forward to trying the Smartbowl.
These bowls are right up my alley! I would love to try and cook fish in the microwave, it would be such a time saver and I love that the food doesn’t dry out!
This would be perfect for fast meals while I’m at college! And that cookie is calling my name…
This sounds so cool and right up my alley! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would try all the recipes!
I think the sweet potatoes and marshmallows look so good. I would definitely try that it seems I am the only one that likes them and this would be perfect and fast to make them just for myself.
I want that cookie! YUM
I am going to be all over that cookie.
Oooh…these are awesome! I want to make EVERYTHING! 🙂
I’d make dessert first 🙂
I can’t resist anything with chocolate and PB so that cookie would be first! But I’m really interested in these bowl for quick dinners during the summer when I don’t want to turn on the oven.
The cookie for sure! Yum!
All these recipes look delicious and easy to put together. I would love to win a set of smartbowls and give them a try. Thanks for the giveaway!
I think oatmeal would be the first thing I try! thanks so much!
This is awesome! Especially with the seafood.. I’d definitely like to try more seafood dishes if cooking was this fast and convenient!
These look awesome! I would love to try cooking salmon.
The looks so easy, foolproof seafood sounds awesome
I’m intrigued by the salmon!
I would love to try making salmon! Whenever I bake it I inevitably overcook it!
Your dessert, of course! Loved that peanut butter chocolate chip cookie in a bowl!
I would start with the salmon, looks great!
What a great concept! The sweet potato recipes look amazing.
That omelet would be one of my first recipes to try!
flan
Do you UNDERSTAND how much I need these!?!?!?!?!? I get home at 7, in bed by 9….these would help so much!
I’d definitely try fish and chicken.
Cake
Wow this would be so convenient for me – I’m working late and am always rushing to get a dinner for one on the table! I would love to make the cookie (yum!) or any of the entrees. Quick fish would be great!
I’d love to make eggs in different ways!
This is awesome! I’d to try making seafood, especially salmon! Those shrimp look like perfection!
I’d love to win these!!! They look amazing
Those clams look amazing, but would love to try with mussels instead!
I wanna make that cookie in a bowl!!!!!
I would love to make any type of seafood! Especially salmon – I don’t make salmon often and I feel like this would be a quick, delicious, no fuss way to do it.
I want to try making the shrimp. They look delish and so easy!
I’m a little weirded out by fish in the microwave….. but those yams look AMAZING!
I’d make that cookie first of course 🙂
These sound really great for helping our kitchen game once our little one arrives this Winter!
The cookie looks awesome!!
Adding these to my Christmas wish list.
I’d love to make the salmon!
I would make any seafood. I would like to have it for lunch more often, but don’t take the time. These bowls would be perfect.
Thanks for having this raffle.
I would love to make salmon! These would be perfect!!
Wow, I’d love to own a set of these bowls. I’m a back to school mom and just short on time all the time…preparing healthy food becomes a chore. Anything to make it faster and still yummy sounds so cool to me! Thanks, Kath!
would love to have these to fix lunch. I never have a quick, healthy lunch plan that is hot.
excited to make leftovers in these during the week. They seem amazing for a new graduate looking to meal prep for work!
These are awesome!! I’d use it every day to make eggs since I’m incapable of making real omeletes on the stovetop. Mine always turn into scrambles. Also, those oatmeal pb chocolate chip cookies sound incredible.
What an easy and quick way to steam clams- yum!
How well does it cook ground turkey?? Tacos anyone?
I want to try the cookie. Yum!
Those sweet potatoes look awesome!
Perfect fish in just a few minutes sounds lovely!
And it’s not just labs – your standard Pyrex is the same glass.
The microwave cookie looks like it could be dangerous if that easy to make! 🙂 Definitely interested in seeing if that’s the case!!
The cookie! It looks yummy and it would make a great before bedtime snack 🙂
I would love this. I am going to have an empty nest soon…literally empty as in just me! so a fast dinner would be great! much better than eating just popcorn for dinner!
The cookie looks awesome!
Would love to try making healthy, hot lunches in these during the winter months!
These bowls look amazing~
I would love to try seafood – what an easy alternative to pots and pans!
I would love to use it for steamed veggies. I use a plastic type steamer at the moment and I think the glass and silicone would be so much better.
Oatmeal!
COOKIE IN A BOWL oh my gosh
Squash! Just in time for fall.
sweet potato with marshmallow! Looks amazing
I wanna make cookies! and egg dishes!
That salmon looks too good to be true!
Cooking salmon in the microwave would be awesome! So much easier and more convenient to have during the week!
When I had a blog my handle was microwavin maven. I definitely need these!!
These bowls are intriguing and the shrimp you made look delicious! I’m interested in trying the seafood recipes and of course that cookie!
Oh my goodness, how much do I want to poach an egg in one of those babies! I would love to make all sorts of eggs or seafood in them!
The cookie and shrimp look absolutely delicious!
I would definitely try the shrimp!
Very cool idea. I’m especially intrigued by the oatmeal as mine often boils over.