5 Tips to Remember When Cooking in a Microwave

Microwaves have been around for so long that many people already know how to operate them, but if you want to maximize the life of your microwave, you have to know how it works safely and explore other ways it could serve your life in the kitchen.

Tips for Cooking in a Microwave:

Use the following tips to enjoy your microwave and use it to its full potential:

1. Get to know your microwave.

It’s tempting to skip the user guide with common appliances like the microwave. We already know how to heat food in a microwave and the operation is usually pretty straightforward.

However, technologies do change and microwave manufacturers incorporate these advancements into the appliance. The manual is often just a small pamphlet anyway, so read at least once to be up-to-date with the changes and operate the device safely and more productively.

2. Don’t be afraid to cook in it.

Gone are the days when microwaves are just exclusively designed for reheating. The modern microwave models are multipurpose and can perform various cooking techniques from toasting nuts to making poached eggs and everything in between, so don’t be afraid to use it to cook from scratch.

You’d be surprised how creative people can be with their “microwave recipes.” You can even cook fragile ingredients like fish, or harder meats like beef, and still be able to pull it off.

3. Invest in microwave-safe containers.

You can never have enough microwavable containers. This is especially true if you rely on your microwave with everything from defrosting to reheating and cooking recipes from scratch.

Many microwaves are left unused in the kitchen because of households without microwave-safe containers. If you invest in reusable ones, it would encourage you to use your microwave more.

4. Be wary of unusual noise and door issues.

The easiest way to determine if your microwave is broken is if the food isn’t heating up, the keypads aren’t working, or the machine isn’t starting at all. But there are two instances that you shouldn’t ignore: door problems and noise.

Doors that are stuck closed or not opening/closing properly could mean issues with the hinges or door latch assembly.

When door issues occur, don’t just force the door shut. There is a valid reason why this happens, so diagnose it first before using it again.

When the microwave gets noisy (with buzzing, scraping, humming, and other unfamiliar noises beyond the standard beeps of the menu pad), there can be an issue with the fans, drive motor, glass plate, magnetron, or high-voltage diode.

The fix for a noisy microwave will vary largely (depending on the cause), so it could be as simple as cleaning the fans and glass plate, or as complicated as having the faulty magnetron or drive motor replaced.

5. Think out of the box.

Yes, microwaving has been associated with reheating and quick cooking, but it can do so much more if you think outside the box.

For example, making homemade pickles no longer requires a ton of time and effort. With a microwave-safe bowl, mix thinly-sliced cucumbers and onions with a dash of salt, half a cup of sugar, and half a cup of vinegar. Add optional celery and mustard seeds if you have them on your pantry. Microwave it uncovered full power for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Other uncommon uses of microwave include:

Proof bread (Yes, no more waiting for your dough to rise for hours. You can just microwave your dough for a few seconds and it speeds up the proofing process significantly.)
Soak beans and lentils (What used to be an overnight task can be done in just minutes with a microwave.)
Peel garlic hands-free (Hate garlic smell on your fingers after cooking? Microwaving it for several seconds leads to the skin just gliding off effortlessly.)
Husk corn on the cob (Do this in front of your kids for some major brownie points because husking horn on the cob this way is like magic, your kids would surely be impressed.)
Make near-dry citrus fruit juicy (Got lemons or oranges that are getting dried? Place it in the microwave for a few seconds so it becomes easier to squeeze out its juice.)
Dry herbs (If you have an herb garden, don’t let the leaves go to waste. Use your microwave as a dehydrator and create your own dried herbs and spices.)

You can also melt non-food items such as dried mascara, solidified hair oil, hardened honey, wax in the microwave. Just don’t put in items that have intense fragrance since this could blend with your food the next time you use the microwave.

I live by these tips and believe they make kitchen prep and cooking so much more efficient. Make these tips part of your microwave operation and maintenance… and it will work as optimal as long as it can.