Photo: Claire Lower
Cheese is good in nearly any phase—whether solid, liquid, or what could best be described as a “gel.” I haven’t encountered cheese in a gaseous state, but if I did, I’d probably like it. (Are Easy Cheese whippets a thing?) Once of my favorite forms of (solid) cheese is the cheese crisp, aka “frico,” which is made by heating shredded cheese until it melts, greases out, and hardens into a lacy cracker. It’s traditionally made on the store or in the oven (or air fryer), but you can make perfect cheese crisps in the microwave in under two minutes.
Treat yourself to a highly rated science oven:
The only limiting factor is the size of your microwave. You may not be able to fit a whole sheet pan in there, but you can crank out four at a time at two minutes per batch, all without heating up the house. This is particularly helpful if you’re making a snack for one or two, but it’s quick enough that you could make a pile of frico for a crowd, if needed.
Photo: Claire Lower
To make microwave cheese crisps, you will need a hard grating cheese, like cheddar or parmesan. Grate it coarsely, and arrange the shreds in neat little piles, with at least half an inch of space between piles. A tablespoon or so per pile is plenty.
Photo: Claire Lower
Nuke the cheese for a minute or two, until you have a golden, lacy network of fried cheese sitting in a puddle of cheese grease. Remove the plate from the microwave and immediately remove the cheese crisps from the plate. Use a thin knife blade to gently pry them off. (Do not let them cool on the plate; they will to its surface and shatter when you try to remove them.)
Transfer the crisps to a wire rack and let them and harden completely. Eat immediately, or finish them with smoked paprika and honey for an extra special treat. You can even use them as a garnish, and crumble them over salads and soups, or layer them into sandwiches. Store any uneaten crisps in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.
