Think your microwave is only good for heating frozen dinners? Use these microwave hacks to froth milk, soften sugar, whip up French toast, and more.
Speed Bread Making
Itching to make homemade pizza crust or bread? Yeast dough can take hours to rise at room temperature, but your microwave can proof yeast dough in about 15 minutes. Place an 8-ounce cup of water in the back of the microwave. Put the dough in a microwave-safe bowl in the center of the microwave and heat on the lowest power for three minutes. Let it sit in the microwave for three minutes. Heat the dough for three minutes more and then let it rest for six minutes. Your dough has now doubled in size and is ready for baking.
Concoct French toast
Care for brunch in five minutes? Rub a pat of butter on the bottom of a mug; fill to the top with chopped bread. In a separate cup, mix 1 egg, 3 tablespoons milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon with a fork. Pour mixture into the cup and microwave for one minute.
Peel Garlic Quickly
Nuke garlic bulbs for 15 seconds and the skin will slide off like magic. The water in the garlic steams and breaks down the bond between the clove and the skin for fast removal.
Rescue Stale Bread
Oops! If you forgot to completely close your bread or bagel bag, simply wrap the loaf in a moist paper towel and zap it in the microwave for 20-second increments. The moisture from the towel will soak into the bread to make it taste fresh again, but not enough to make it soggy.
Juice Fruit With Ease
Before juicing an orange or lemon, microwave the uncut fruit for 10 seconds. The microwave will loosen the fibers inside the fruit and make it easier to juice every last drop.
De-clump Brown Sugar
When your brown sugar is as hard as a rock, try this. Moisten a paper towel, place it in the sugar bag, then zap in the microwave for 25 seconds. The moisture from the towel will transfer to the sugar and make it easier to scoop.
Smooth Crystallized Honey
If your glass jar of honey has crystallized in the back of your pantry, simply remove the lid, and heat it in the microwave in 30 to 40 second increments until it returns to its original smooth texture. Be sure to not microwave your honey in those plastic bear-shaped containers.
Peel Veggie Skin Faster
Hard squashes and root vegetables can be tough to peel. To make the job easier, place the vegetable in your microwave for 2 to 3 minutes on low power and the skin should be more pliable for peeling and cutting—just be careful when removing the hot veggie so you don't burn your fingers.
Slice onions easier
To avoid crying when chopping, wash an onion, trim its ends, and microwave for 30 seconds before cutting. You tear up while chopping onions because the knife damages the onion’s cells, causing the release of sulphuric gas. This gas reacts with tear ducts and irritates the eye. Heating the onion first breaks apart the enzymes that trigger the gas release.
Care for brunch in five minutes? Rub a pat of butter on the bottom of a mug; fill to the top with chopped bread. In a separate cup, mix 1 egg, 3 tablespoons milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon with a fork. Pour mixture into the cup and microwave for one minute.
