Everybody falls into one of two categories – you either use your microwave to its full potential and find it essential in your dinner preparation, or you pop a ready meal in there every so often and wholly neglect it at all other times.
Here are some tips to make your life much easier!
21 Amazing Hacks for Your Microwave
Make Scrambled Eggs
Just like you either use or neglect your microwave, you either know about this hack, or you don’t. Those who do probably have never looked back. Simply whisk your eggs with a bit of milk and seasoning and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir, and repeat until they’re fluffy.
…Or Poach Them
Half-fill a mug with water, crack an egg in, cover with a plate and microwave on high for a minute. Zap it for another 15 seconds if the white isn’t quite done.
Just be careful to never try to hard boil an egg in its shell using the microwave. This would create an abundance of steam in the shell, and the egg will explode creating a rather big miss.
Get More Juice Out of Your Citrus Fruit
Microwave your whole lemons, oranges or limes on high for 30 seconds to make it extra soft.
Froth Your Milk for The Perfect Coffee
Don’t have one of those fancy bean-to-cup coffee machines that can do this for you? Pour your milk into a microwaveable container with a lid and shake for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and zap for another 30 seconds and voila.
Help You to Peel Your Vegetables
Making a ragu for dinner but the thought of peeling all those tomatoes sounds like too much work? Pop on a microwaveable plate and heat for 30 seconds, then allow to sit for 2 minutes.
Dry Out Your Herbs
Those little pre-bought jars of dried herbs are pricey, but fresh herbs come in large packets. If you have any left over, pop them on a paper towel and microwave on full power for a minute. Bring out and rotate and keep microwaving at 30-second intervals until fully dried. Store in an airtight jar.
Save Your Honey
Honey has a habit of crystallising if it is left unused for a while. Simply microwave it at 30-second intervals on 50% power until it is back to its best.
Cook Your Corn on The Cob
Perfect corn on the cob in under three minutes? Check out this video on YouTube by AllRecipes.
Stop Your Next-Day Takeaway from Drying Out
We all order a little bit of extra takeaway that’ll do us the next day. Pop a glass of water in with it while you’re reheating it the next day to stop it going dry.
Soften Your Ice Cream
Take the lid off and zap for 20 seconds. No more bent spoons.
Melt Chocolate
Popping a bowl over boiling water = twice the washing up. Microwave small chunks on high at 30-second intervals and keep stirring.
Toast Breadcrumbs
Spread half a cup of breadcrumbs over a microwaveable plate and microwave at minute intervals, tossing in between. It should take about three goes to get them right.
Cook Perfectly Crispy Bacon Without the Mess
Spread a maximum of six slices of streaky bacon in between two sheets of thick kitchen paper towel and place on a plate. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, check, and for a further minute if needed.
Steam Your Vegetables
Place about 400g of vegetables (such as carrots, broccoli or green beans) in a bowl with a tablespoon of water. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, then at minute intervals until done.
Boil Your Rice
Whether you go against advice and risk reheating rice is up to you, but you can boil it from fresh as easily. Combine 1 cup rice with 2 cups water and a sprinkling of salt. Microwave on high for a minimum of 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
Quickly Peel Garlic
There’s nothing worse than the smell of garlic lingering on your fingertips for days, so heat a clove in the microwave for 20 seconds, and it’ll pop out of its skin with a simple squeeze.
Stop Crying at Onions
Chop the ends off, microwave for 30 seconds. No more stinging eyes.
Get Your Doughnuts Fresh Again
Microwave doughnuts which have gone a bit stale for 10 seconds and they’ll be soft again.
Make A DIY Heating Pad
Fill an old (but clean) sock with uncooked rice and heat for a few minutes to help any aches and pains.
Make A Mug Cake
There are so many recipes out there which make producing a single portion sweet treat so easy.
Clean Your Beauty Blender Sponge
Yes, you read that correctly. They’re makeup saviours but they just never get clean. Pop a few squirts of Fairy Liquid into the bottom of a large mug, half fill with water and pop the sponge in, making sure its fully submerged. Microwave for one minute on full power, then take them out and squeeze the water out. Wear rubber gloves as they will be HOT. Repeat with a fresh washing mixture if needed.
