Microwaves & Biancomangiare

Our aged staff-room microwave is probably one of my favourite bits of 'high-tech' conservation equipment. It must be at least 10 years old, but it makes great paste in moments. It can deal with huge quantities for covering, or a few mill's for repair, all produced consistently and efficiently. I can even multitask- continuing with emails or other tasks until I hear the pips- something certainly not possible if I'm stirring a vat of paste for half an hour by hand...

So why the hesitation? I've always been aware of those who don't trust microwave adhesives (I was taught that even a French saucier should be viewed with caution) but in my experience the microwave produces good, consistent results, and it saves me time. Research by Noriko Hayakawa at  the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties in Tokyo has suggested that paste produced using a microwave might even be of a higher standard than that produced on a hob. However, microwave made paste is perhaps more likely to include uncooked and unprocessed molecules, probably due to the limited agitation during the cooking process. I like to think that I combat this by soaking the dry starch before hand, and stopping the microwave to stir my paste every now and then as is cooks. Once it's ready I cover it with cling film to prevent a skin forming as it cools, then it can be stored under water and is ready to be removed and sieved whenever it's needed.

Now of course, I'm not talking about the subtleties of aged pasted produced to obtain varied degrees of slip, stick and thickness for specialised scroll relining such as this at Restorient, but for a reliable wheat starch paste with good tack, which can be worked, sieved, and diluted to suit the needs of nuanced paper repair, I find microwave paste is perfect.

There's a nice 'How To' posting on the UCLA/ Getty Conservation Program blog, linking also to a lovely page on the Northwest Document Conservation Centre page, but no comment as to why you wouldn't just use the microwave all the time to save time and energy in a busy studio.

On a separate note, but whilst we're talking about essential starch-based goods, a conservator friend recently made me a traditional Sicilian dessert. It was delicious and, as he said, it's basically paste. So, if you fancy some paste making practice, and also a delicious dessert, why not try making biancomangiare- a refined and flavoured set starch-pate, flavoured with citrus and cinnamon. 
I have to admit that I haven't tried making it in the microwave...