Cooking tater tots in the microwave can be quite different from traditional cooking. If you are not careful in timing, they can become inedible as they will be as hard as a rock. Conversely, microwaved flour can also become soft and mushy because it doesn’t have time to heat up. However, by following the correct steps, you can still achieve great results when cooking dishes in a conventional microwave.
Things you may already know about Tater Tots
Tater Tots are an ingenious invention of American origin. They remind us of late-night bar snacks, college dorm snacks, and childhood lunches. They were first invented in 1953 by the same brothers who founded the Ore-Ida company (source: The New York Times). The name Tater Tot is trademarked and owned exclusively by Ore-Ida.
Today, however, it’s easy to find brands and varieties of this frozen snack in any supermarket or grocery store, with a slightly altered name.
How to cook Tater Tots in the microwave
Buy ingredients Guide
How to choose to buy potatoes: You should choose potatoes with a smooth skin that is not scratched and does not sprout, feeling heavy when holding. In particular, if you click on the potato and it feels soft, you should not buy it.
How to choose unsalted butter: Unsalted butter is produced from milk cream, has a sweet taste at the end of the tongue and is slightly fatty. You can buy unsalted butter at grocery stores or large supermarkets.
Buy European spices: Spices like rosemary, musk or parsley you can buy in stores that sell imported spices or find them on e-commerce sites!
Normal Microwave Tater Tots step by step
Step 1: On a microwaveable plate, arrange the sausage balls so that they do not touch each other. Leave space between the stoves so they can cook evenly.
Step 2: Put the tots in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Open the microwave and then carefully rotate the grill buttons.
Step 4: Continue cooking tater tots in the microwave for another 30 seconds.
Step 5: Open the microwave to check the doneness of the tots. Frozen tater tots may require a longer cooking time. If you notice it’s still cold inside. Repeat steps 2 to 4 until they are heated.
Step 6: Serve immediately with some ketchup.
How to Cook Tater Tots in the Microwave (Microwave Version)
Normally, without heat conductors such as sleeves or crisping paper, your barbecue heated in the microwave won’t be crispy.
Today, however, you can find several brands of beverages in microwaveable packages. These products are designed so that they can become crispy even when heated in a microwave oven. In that case, you should follow the instructions on the packaging for the best quality.
The microwaveable version of Tater Tots’ Ore-Ida is called Crispy Crowns. Here’s how you can microwave these Tater Tot-looking cakes:
Step 1: Lift the tab located on the back of the package. Then follow the dotted lines to tear off the top and discard.
Step 2: Then the remaining box, arrange the Crispy Crowns in a single layer side by side. Transfer them to the microwave.
Step 3: Microwave for about 3 1/2 minutes on high. Let stand for about 1 1/2 more minutes and there you have your dish full of crispy Tater Tots.
Other cooking methods for Tater Tots
On the Ore-Ida Tater Tot packages, the cooking instructions only show us how to deep-fry and oven bake the tots. Other alternatives are cooking in an air fryer or on the grill.
In the oven
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 450-degrees F.
Step 2: On a shallow pan or a baking tray, arrange your tater tots evenly and in a single layer.
Step 3: Bake until the tots turn golden brown. It should take about 20 – 25 minutes for half a bag of Tater Tots weighing 32-ounce and 28 – 32 minutes for the whole bag. Reduce the time if you bake smaller quantities of tater tots.
Step 4: Flip the tots to the other side halfway through the baking time for them to cook evenly.
In a deep fryer
Step 1: Heat the cooking oil to reach a temperature of 375-degrees F.
Step 2: Add the tots to the basket, making sure the basket is not overcrowded and only one-half full. This way you will prevent the tater tots from being unevenly cooked.
Step 3: Lower the basket to deep fry the tater tots in hot oil. Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes until they turn golden brown.
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On a grill
Step 1: Add cooking oil in a disposable foil pan.
Step 2: Arrange the tater tots in the pan, forming a single layer of tots.
Step 3: On a preheated grill, heat the pan with tater tots on medium heat. Cook for about 20 – 22 minutes. Stir once the cooking time is halfway through.
Bourbon O’s tips:
You can heat the leftover of the tater tots in the microwave, the whole process only takes about 1 minute. That being said, each side of the tots should be reheated for 30 seconds. Don’t heat them too long in the microwave as they will be mushy and soggy.
After taking the tots out from the fryer or microwave, place them on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Your tater tots pair really well with a nice omelet, some crispy bacon and a cup of coffee. However you can also choose to add them on salads, burgers or potato casseroles.
This brief tutorial has just given you the answer to: “How to cook tater tots in the microwave”. Bourbon O also answers a number of questions regarding diners’ cooking, offering other cooking methods for you to try.
