I remember the day my dad came home with our first microwave oven. The thing was ginormous! It sat proudly on its microwave stand and we were all mesmerized by the new technology. He told us he paid almost $1,000 for it and I thought that was a crazy amount of money. It was the hottest invention to hit kitchens in the 80’s.
Thankfully, microwaves have shrunk in size so they no longer resemble TVs and have come down in price. Our microwave gets a ton of use. I love using it to reheat leftovers and make some of our meals. It’s fast and easy!
© Microwave oven image via Shutterstock
Sign up for our newsletter & get a free e-cookbook.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few microwave tips, tricks and hacks. Here are a few of my faves!
1. Don’t forget to cover your food. I learned this tip the hard way. Cover your food with a sheet of paper towel to prevent splattering.
2. Use lemon, water and vinegar to clean your microwave naturally with no scrubbing. It even removes stuck on food if you forgot to use the paper towel trick.
3. Arrange food on the plate in a circle with the thickest part of the food facing the outer edge. This simple tip will help cook food more evenly.
4. Use the minimum microwave cooking time when following a recipe. Check the food and see if it’s ready or needs to go in longer. This way you won’t overcook the food.
5. Cook food more evenly and faster by stirring it from the outside and moving towards the middle. You would do this step if you have to stir the food during its cooking time.
6. Don’t use square or rectangle dishes in the microwave. Use a round dish so food cooks more evenly.
7. Always pierce foods that have a skin with a fork or other sharp object. It will allow steam to escape and will stop it from possibly exploding. It’s happened to me before with hot dogs. Yikes!
8. Make citrus fruit juicier by heating it in the microwave for 15 seconds. You’ll be able to squeeze more juice out of it.
9. Soften rock hard brown sugar in minutes. Add a tsp of water to the brown sugar in a microwaveable bowl. Heat on low for 4 to 5 minutes, stopping to stir every minute, until it’s softened.
10. Revive stale potato chips in seconds. Place the chips on a paper towel and microwave on high for 15 seconds. It will add back some of their crunch.
11. Save your arm from the perils of rock hard ice cream. Microwave the container for 10 seconds on high. Repeat the process until it’s softened enough for you.
12. Make your own dried herbs. Place the fresh herbs on a paper towel and microwave for 2 to 4 minutes. Crumble them up in the paper towel and put them in a jar. Easy.
13. Speed up the time it takes to peel fruits and veggies. Microwave the item for 30 seconds and let sit for two minutes. Then peel away.
14. Make brownies in the microwave in one minute. So easy and yummy!
Do you have any microwave tips, tricks or hacks to share?
Elva Roberts says
I really liked your Microwave tips, some of which I had never heard before. I knew about heating a lemon to obtain more juice . I did not realize that i should cover all food,, and also to pierce food with a ‘skin’ on it. It’s a wonder I haven’t had some explosions. I enjoyed all your tips and will try to put them into use. Thank you.
Anne Taylor says
I had heard about the lemon trick before, but really none of the rest, so, needless to say, I don’t have a tip for you lol Thanks for these though!
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
Great tips here, some that I didn’t know, thanks for sharing 🙂
Nate says
Thanks for the tips
Debbie Bashford says
Don’t make escargots in it. I used the dishes with the indents for them in it, I had canned snails, mushroom caps and garlic butter spayed everywhere inside my microwave. The dishes were virtually empty. I think it was either that I should have used a lower power setting or maybe I should have pre cooked them somehow. But I now use an oven.
Stacie says
Eek – good to know! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Stephanie LaPlante says
Very handy list of tips and tricks. Yes, I’ve learned some the hard way myself. LOL
Tipsmom says
Great tips!
I use microwave quite a lot but I hate to clean the oil afterwards. Have to try these tips right away!