Instructions: EVEN if you dont have much else in your kitchen, youre likely to have a microwave. Compact models even have become fixtures in most dorm rooms. So make the most of it.

The microwave can do a lot more than warm up coffee or pop a bag of popcorn.

Few people really prepare meals with it, though, because it requires a completely different approach to cooking. Meat doesnt brown. Most cakes and breads get soggy. Timing is tricky.

So use it for the things it does best: cooking up some great risotto and polenta and flash-cooking vegetables and fish.

Once youve made risotto in the microwave, you may be hooked. Here the classic Italian rice dish, which takes 40 minutes or more of stirring in traditional recipes, is stirred only at a few intervals.

At its simplest, its a delicious side dish. Yet variations can include anything from dried mushrooms to seafood and vegetables. Here is a basic recipe to dress up as inspiration strikes.

Be sure to use the Italian arborio rice, available at most supermarkets. Its large, short grains soak up the broth and develop a creamy texture. Always use a good quality, low-sodium chicken broth, too.

Microwave polenta also is a wonderful invention - all the goodness of the Italian original without all the stirring. This dish comes out with a velvety texture every time, and you stir it only once during cooking.

Consider this dish a pasta or rice substitute. Its as good with a fresh tomato sauce as it is with sauteed bell peppers and sausage. Or stir in a little Gorgonzola cheese. A delicious variation calls for minced green onions and a dash of red pepper flakes stirred into the polenta with the Parmesan cheese in the last step.

Although you may use regular American cornmeal, the dish works best with coarse, stone-ground cornmeal for polenta.

Many vegetables and fish also are suited to cooking in the microwave.

Remember to cut the food into uniform sizes, arrange in a shallow dish and cover tightly with microwave-safe plastic wrap, pricking the wrap with a fork a couple of times to let steam escape.

As times may vary depending on the size and power of your oven, check food at least once before the recommended time has elapsed. Then adjust instructions for your oven.

Here are some suggestions:
Artichokes: Wash well, trim stalk flush with bottom, strip off tough outer leaves, cut off prickly tips and wrap individual globes tightly in plastic wrap.

For one artichoke: Cook 7 minutes; 12 minutes in small oven.

Asparagus: Wash well, trim stalks by snapping off woody ends. Amazingly, they break right where the stalk becomes tender. Arrange on plate 2 or 3 deep. Cover tightly. Cook 4 minutes for 1 pound; 6-8 minutes in small oven.

Carrots: Scrub or peel carrots, cut in halves lengthwise, or quarters if large, then in half crosswise. Dot with butter and cover tightly. Cook about 6 1/2 minutes for 1/2 pound or 8 minutes for 1 pound.

Fish: Choose fillets, place on dish, season if desired, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cook about 1 minute for a (4-ounce) fillet about 1/2 inch thick, 2 minutes for an (8-ounce) fillet about 1/2 inch thick, or 3 minutes for an 8-ounce fillet 1 inch thick.

Green beans: Wash, break off tips, remove string, if any, place on a plate and wrap tightly with plastic wrap . Cook 1/2 pound about 4 1/2 minutes; 6 minutes in small oven.

Potatoes: Scrub potatoes, prick with fork, place on plate uncovered. Cook one potato about 7 minutes, 10 minutes in small oven; for two potatoes, cook for 11 minutes, 18 minutes in a small oven.

Snow peas: Wash, trim off tips and remove string, wash and leave small amount of water on pods. Place in bowl and wrap tightly with plastic. Cook about 2 minutes for 1/4 pound, 3 minutes for 1/2 pound.

Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck): Wash, trim ends, quarter or slice 1/4 inch thick. Arrange on dish and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Cook about 8 minutes for 1/2 pound, 14 minutes for 1 pound.

Sweet potatoes: Wash, prick with fork, place on paper towel. Cook two large tubers about 14 minutes.

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