Equipment: Mini Pizza Oven

I'm torn on the importance of having a Mini Pizza Oven. My work's previous location had one on in our "kitchen" and it was very useful. Besides the obvious cooking pizza, it worked great for toasting sandwiches and acting as an oven for things like pizza rolls.

That said, they are too large to keep at your desk, and I currently don't have any recipes that depend on having one.

My verdict is that if you have a nice place to put one (like near the company microwave) they are a great investment. Sandwiches are much better toasted and it does allow for more cooking options. If you don't have the space, they aren't worth sacrificing the desk space for.

Equipment: Disinfecting Wipes

No topic on eating on your desk is complete without a discussion on keeping your desk clean. It has been found that the average workplace desk contains 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.

Of course, this can be easily solved with the simple disinfecting wipe. Keep a box of them around and do a quick wipe down of your desk before and after eating. While you're at it, you may want to get your keyboard, mouse and phone as well. The study referenced above found a 99.9% reduction in bacteria by using wipes. It just takes a few seconds and will help keep you healthier.

Just remember to make sure your wipes are actually disinfecting, and not just good smelling.

Recipe: Mini Pizza

Equipment Needed:

• Toaster
• Microwave

Ingredients:

• English Muffins
• Pizza Sauce
• Cheese
• Toppings of your choice

Pre-Preparation: None

Steps:

1. Toast the english muffins in the toaster
2. Meanwhile, Microwave the pizza sauce until warm
3. As soon as the english muffins pop out of the toaster, spread the pizza sauce and add the cheese and your toppings. Careful: muffins will be hot
   
4. Wait for cheese to melt and serve

Review
The trick to this recipe is to have the muffins and sauce hot enough to melt the cheese. If it doesn't melt to your liking, you can optionally put the mini-pizza in the microwave to finish melting the cheese, but that takes the crispness out of the muffin.

Recipe: Goulash

Equipment Needed:

• Microwave
• Hot Pot

Ingredients:

• 2oz elbow macaroni
• 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1/4 c diced onion
• 1/4 c sliced celery
• 1/4 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
• 1/4 can (10 oz) tomato sauce
• 1/4 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tbsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Cayenne pepper and/or caraway seed to taste
  

At Home pre-preparation:

• Combine crumbled ground beef, onion, celery, and garlic into one tupperware
• Combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, paprika, oregano, and salt in another tupperware. Add cayenne pepper and/or caraway seed to taste.

Steps:

1. In the hot pot, bring water to a boil
2. Cook noodles in water until al dente, drain
   
3. Meanwhile, microwave ground beef mixture in microwave-safe bowl for 3-4 minutes or until no longer tender
4. Add tomato mixture to bowl and cook in microwave on power level 8 for about 8 minutes or until celery is tender and the flavors have blended
5. Remove from microwave and mix in cooked macaroni. Cook 1-2 more minutes until heated through

Review:
The amount of pre-preparation the biggest hit against this recipe. Nonetheless, it has a lot of flavor and the at-work preparation is very straighforward. Just make sure you aren't tying up a shared microwave for 15 minutes during peak time our you may upset your co-workers.

Recipe: Spaghetti

I'm starting simple. Notice that the trick isn't in what you're making, it's the fact that by heating the sauce separately from the noodles, you cut back on dishes that need to be cleaned.

Equipment Needed:

• Hot Pot
• Microwave
  

Ingredients:

Spaghetti noodles

Spaghetti Sauce

Pre-preparation required: None

Steps:

In the hot pot, bring water to a boil

Cook noodles in water according to package or until al dente

Meanwhile, pour spaghetti sauce onto a microwave-safe plate

Microwave sauce until heated

Stir noodles into sauce and enjoy

Review:
So simple, yet so adaptable. This recipe is great because you can easily keep all the ingredients on hand and go to it when you need. Plus, with all the varieties of spaghetti sauces available, it can always be different. Definitely a staple in my cubicle.

Equipment: Microwave

The microwave is an often-overlooked tool in the Cubicle Gourmet's arsenol. While usually relegated to simple leftover reheating, the microwave is a very versitile tool. As an added bonus, few offices are without one, so there no need to purchase one for yourself.

The microwave works well for heating parts of your recipe either individually, or all together. Look to the microwave when you have a sauce, pre-cooked meat, or other similar item you need heated.

Beyond simple re-heating, microwaves really can be used for cooking, it wasn't just a '50s thing. While you maybe wouldn't want to dinner for your family in a microwave, it can work great for a quick at work meal. Here are some good references:

• http://busycooks.about.com
• http://www.goodnuke.com/
• http://www.nancyskitchen.com

Tips on use:

• Remember different microwaves have different wattages. Check what your office microwave is
• If you're cooking microwave popcorn (or anything else), don't burn it! The smell upsets your fellow workers
• Sauces and soups can easily boil over and make a mess. Clean it up right away, or it will a lot harder after it's been re-microwaved 100 times.

Equipment: Hot Pot

No Cubicle Gourmet would be complete without the staple of their kitchen: the hot pot. The hot pot is the key to any recipe that requires boiling. That means that once you have a hot pot, you can cook pasta, rice, vegetables, and more.

My hot pot of choice is the "Rivel Hot Pot Express". For under $10.00, you get a pot that has a large enough diameter to fit uncooked pasta, a flat bottom for easy stirring, and enough water capacity to boil whatever you need.

I've found that a good hot pot will bring water to a boil faster than a microwave, while allowing you better control over how fast of a boil you have as well as allow longer-term boiling for things such as pasta. Most come with lid that can be used to drain excess water from noodles, rice, etc.

Tips on Use:

• Many hot pots don't turn off completely via their knob, but just go down to "warm". Make sure you unplug your hot pot after use
• Make sure you clean it after use. When you're busy working, it's easy to put off rinsing it out, but don't. The more you put it off, the worse it will be
• Use it only for boiling water. It's tempting to use it for heating tomato sauce or cooking soup, but dark liquids like those are difficult to clean and will stain your hot pot. Heating those types of foods are best left to the microwave