Think frozen foods and microwave comes to mind. Have you thought about what else you can do with a microwave? Well, we have; and came up with things you didn’t know your microwave could do. You are wasting so much potential of your microwave and missing out on features you might not know existed. With these newfound features, you can now cook and do more quite easily. Read on to see if you knew any of these purposes:
Related: Best Microwave Oven in UAE
1. Bake
In the mood for a cake or a brownie but that includes preparation and pre-heating an oven as well as time. If you own a microwave, you can get this in the fraction of time and effort you would put into baking the same. Small serving portions can be ready in just 90 seconds in a microwave. Just put and mix the ingredients in a mug and place them in the device to bake. Now if you want a quick bake for some guest you can simply use a bigger microwave-safe dish and bake it for around 10 minutes.
2. Steam food items
You can now steam food with the help of your microwave as well. Especially vegetables, and you will no longer need a steam basket. Cutting down and making it easier to cook your meals. All you have to do is take small portions of the vegetable you need and wrap them in several damp paper towels. Or if not that, you can have all your veggies in a bowl of water. Not too much water; and make sure you cover the bowl with a plate to steam the contents.
3. Peel several items
Peeling stuff like garlic, tomatoes, peaches can be hard. But with the help of a microwave, it’s all made easy. Since a microwave can easily peel off thin-skinned fruits and items without any hassle. For fruits or tomatoes, you just have to cut them in half and slide it into a microwave for a maximum of five minutes. This is when the skin will shrivel and you can peel it off with a fork. As for garlic, simply put in a full head of garlic for 20 seconds and then peel it off without any knives.
Furthermore, corn too can be shucked in a microwave. Since it does become difficult to get rid of every husk strand. With just 30 seconds you can peel it all right off. Just remember to cut off the stalk end and your cob is ready to be microwaved. When finished only a shake will be needed to get the corn right out and clean.
4. Cheese baskets
If you love adding cheese over food items, this use with being the best for you. Since with the help of your microwave, not only can you melt the cheese but also turn them into tiny (or large) food baskets. Yes, you heard me, just take some Parmesan or Romano cheese and grate it onto a parchment paper. Quick warm-up of this grated cheese will do the trick. After which you can flip this onto an upside-down bowl and let it cool down. When that is done the cheese will have taken the shape of a bowl. Now you can use this as a fancy serving snack filled with salad or anything else of your choice. Wow, your guest with this little trick!
5. Make onions easier to chop
Hate chopping onions well you’re not alone. No one likes to cry their eyes out while you cook. And there is plenty of hacks and tricks which say they will help with this but they don’t work properly. Don’t worry, your microwave has your back. Before you begin chopping down the onions simply microwave them for about 30 seconds. That is after you clean it and chop off the tips. And Voila! No more crying while you chop all those pungent onions. Moreover, did you know? You can even sauté and caramelize the onions in this handy kitchen appliance.
6. Make a great foam latte
We all would want our very own personal baristas or if not that, learn the way they prepare those perfect cuppas. So creamy, so light, foamy, and delicious. Hold on now before you dream of your perfect latte. You can make your own foam latte at home! Yes, you guessed it with your microwave. Just need a jar and some milk. Once you get the milk in the jar seal it and you need some vigorous shaking to turn it foamy. When that happens you stick it into your kitchen microwave and warm it for 30 seconds. Along with the heat, the foam will stabilize and won’t dissolve as quickly anymore. Use this foamed milk to prepare your own delicious lattes at home.
7. Toast Nuts
Toasting nuts often end up charring a part of the nuts on a stove. And as for an oven it takes way too much time to do this simple act. This is when your microwave can come to your rescue. Simply place them nicely on a microwave-safe plate and turn on the device for one minute. After that countdown is done rearrange them followed by turning them over for another minute. Therefore, allowing them to roast nicely. If you feel you need them more roasted repeat these steps till done.
8. Cook from scratch
Remember this; your microwave isn’t just for the purpose of warming up food items. With this device, you can cook a meal from scratch as well. Well, you might not be able to make complex dishes with it but you can cook up a good meal. You will only have to look up a few dishes to easily cook up in a microwave. A suggested few would be chicken, dumplings, risotto, enchiladas, and so forth. Therefore making it the perfect meal for those few ‘too lazy to cook’ days.
9. Variety of egg dishes
Dinner and now even breakfast can readily be prepared with this kitchen appliance. Cooking up various egg recipes in a microwave will take just a few minutes. Be it scrambled, sunny side up, poached, and even hardboiled egg is covered by this device. Each and every one of them as good as if not better than the stove-cooked one.
10. Crisp and chips
Yes, you might have experienced pizza or puff pastry turns soft and soggy in a microwave. But the thing is if you set the setting right you can crisp all these items up. You would first need a crisper pan, which is a microwave-safe metal. Which keeps your food crisp and tastes as it was fresh.
Chips on the other hand need no deep-frying anymore. All you have to do is lay them down in a single layer on a microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle it with vegetable oil and set them into the microwave for 3-5 minutes and you are ready to go. Crisping and making chips is so easy now.
11. Dry Herbs
Got some herbs? And now you need to dry and preserve them? Don’t worry; your microwave will do it for you. Rather than drying those in the oven or hanging them up to dry this would be a better solution for you. Since your microwave will remove off all the water from them without having you lose any flavor or oils from them. Simply wrap them into paper towels and microwave them for 3 minutes to achieve nice and dry herbs.
12. Make and revive bread
If you ever made bread at home you know how time-consuming the task is. This might be the main reason why you avoid making bread at home. But wait no longer, as if you put the same dough for 10 minutes in a microwave you will get the same results as you waiting for it to rise for an hour. After which you can remold and reshape it and put it back to rise again. But remember always keep the heat of the microwave at the lowest possible power.
Have leftover stale bread? No problem as with the help of your microwave you can revive it. Use damp paper towels to cover the bread and microwave it for around 10 seconds and you will have bread in a fresh and tasty state. If not paper towels you can put a glass of water inside the microwave along with the bread. Therefore, getting the same results.
13. Soak Beans
We are only human and as humans, we sometimes tend to forget to soak the beans the previous night to get them ready in time for your meal. Your microwave can help you with this since if you put the same beans in this device it will be ready just in time for you. For this, you would have to add 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of beans. And warm it in the microwave for 15 minutes allowing the water to boil. When this is done you leave the same water along with the beans for around an hour to soak and there you have it. Your beans are all ready to be cooked.
14. Get more fruit juice
Fruits like that of grapefruits, lemon, oranges, and other bigger fruits can be easily juiced now. Since squeezing them out can be hard and you tend to waste more of the juice as well as your time. If you zap the same fruit for around 10 seconds you can get more then you normally would. Just let it cool down before you juice it.
15. Un-clump brown sugar
Sugar tends to get all sticky and hard when exposed to air too much. And now we have the best way to unstick and unclamp up this sugar problem for you. Simply add a little moisture to a paper towel and put it into the sugar. Further zapping it for 25 seconds; thus, removing the moisture from the sugar and transferring it to the paper towel. Then when you take it out you can easily break the clumps with a fork.
16. Sterilize Soil
This might seem odd, but yes you can do this as well with the help of your microwave. If you are potting a new plant sterilizing the soil will be good for the health of the plant. You can always buy pre-sterilized potted mixes but why buy when you can do it at home. This will help you remove the soil from weed seeds, diseases, and pest which might have been in your soil. You can have a separate assigned container with a lid for the microwave. And all you have to do is scoop some mud into the container and go ahead a zap it for around 90 seconds for every few pounds. And there you have it soil fit for planting healthy plants.
17. Homemade heating pads
To soothe your body muscles from any pain your microwave can help you to make a heating pad inexpensively. Simply use a tube sock fill it with some uncooked rice and sew the ends shut. And when you feel like you need a heating pad simply microwave this and use it to relax your muscles. You can even add a few drops of essential oils to it if you want. And there you have an easy reusable homemade heating pad.
18. Sanitize Sponges
Warming your dish sponges in your microwave for around 60 seconds can help you rid it of any germs. Since you use them to clean, hence with the moist environment can make it perfect breeding spot for germs. Therefore soak the sponge in water and then microwave it.
Cooking Easier Then you Think
Did you previously know any of these things that your microwave can do? Well, aren’t you glad that now you do? Use these hacks and tricks to get the most of your microwave. Furthermore, ease your work in the kitchen and spend more time with your family, having everyone wonder how you get everything done in no time. If you feel you need a new microwave then check them out here: Best Microwave Oven in UAE
