Hey, I think the microwave is indispensable, whether you're a novice cook or a gourmet chef. It's great for things like melting butter or cheese or heating up things. And it's one less thing to do on the hot stove in summertime!

My other favorite kitchen gadget is my Pampered Chef pizza cutter. It is the best pizza cutter that I have ever used. It is so good that I have a brand new one that I keep around in case my regularly used one breaks.

Some people can cook in a microwave but all I can do is melt butter and barely heat food. I must have some kind of block, as I've used microwave ovens for years, and still can't reheat foods right the first time. I always err on the side of cold food, and have to heat a few times. Might be because of a few bad experiences in the past, like the melted Tupperware plate and burning popcorn.

Alice the trick to popping popcorn in the microwave is to set the time according to the package directions and then stay at the microwave. As soon as you hear the popping slowing down to a few pops stop the cooking. This usually happens about 1 min before the end of the allotted time. I find that you get the majority of the popcorn popped that way as well as not having to eat burned popcorn. Note: Once you open the microwave door you are done trying to pop the popcorn. If you try and continue popping you ultimately end up with unpopped burnt popcorn. This happens because the butter or oil starts to cool down and then has to heat up again to continue popping the corn and the popcorn that is already popped becomes overcooked/burnt.

Pampered chef liquid/solid measuring cup. I love this gadet when I'm measuring out mayo for pasta or potato salad.