You can use your microwave for more than just heating food

Our microwaves have become an essential part of our kitchens – we would be stuck putting everything in the oven for hours without them! But what you may not realise is how versatile they are and how your microwave can make your life a lot easier in more ways than just reheating.

We’ve compiled together a list of 12 ways you can use your microwave to its full potential.

Feel free to add more below.

1. Re-use stamps

Next time you put the wrong stamp on a letter, just pat a few drops of water on the stamp, then nuke it for 20 seconds. To be safe, try on your microwave’s lowest heat setting.

2. Dry herbs in the microwave

1. Pick the leaves off the herbs and spread them on a microwave-safe plate lined with 2 layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel
2. Cover the herbs with a second paper towel or clean dish towel, then microwave them on high power.
3. Store or grind!

3. Get more juice out of your lemons

To get the most of your lemon, nuke your lemon in the microwave for 10 – 30 seconds. Remove the fruit and allow it to cool for about a minute or so. Then, slice the fruit in half and use a manual juicer or your just your hands to squeeze out every last drop.

4. Figure out if your containers are safe for the microwave

There is a method you can use to check a container’s safety that you are unsure of. Running this safety test may help you decide if you want to use the container or opt for another one.

1. Empty the container you want to test and place it inside the microwave
2. Put a second container containing one cup of tap water inside the microwave
3. Heat the microwave on high for one minute. If the empty container is cool, it’s safe to use in the microwave. If it is warm, use it only to reheat food and if it is hot, don’t use it in the microwave at all

5. Poached eggs without all of the mess or “cooking”

How to poach an egg in the microwave:

1. Grab a mug and wet the inside with a bit of water
2. Dampen some paper towel (a good sized wad)
3. Break an egg into the mug and add a tiny bit of vinegar
4. Put the dampened paper towel over the top of the mug
5. Microwave on high for about 1.5 minutes

You can always put it back in if it’s not cooked! Just pour out and onto your bread…..voila!

6. Make milk foam without a frother or a machine

1. Fill a jar with milk, halfway or less, and then vigorously shake the jar with the lid on until the milk froths and doubles in size (about 30 seconds)
2. Take the lid off, microwave the frothed milk for another 30 seconds, and watch the foam rise to the top and stabilise
3. Pour the milk into your coffee using a spoon to hold back the foam, then scoop the foam on top

7. Make no-fry potato chips

If you can slice potatoes to just the right thickness (about 3mm), these chips will be slightly crinkled and surprisingly crispy, with a sweet potato flavour. All you have to do is:

1. Arrange thinly-sliced potatoes in a single layer on a plate
2. Microwave for three minutes at a time, decreasing the power level and flipping the potatoes with each round
3. Let cool and eat!

8. Crispy bacon strips

1. Turn a bowl upside down, set it on a plate and drape your bacon over the top of the bowl
2. Cover it with a paper towel (to save your microwave walls from any grease) and slide it into the microwave for about a minute per slice
3. Most of the unhealthy grease will run down the bowl into the plate and you’ll be left with crispy bacon

9. Clean it

Put a bowl of vinegar in a bowl and heat on high for 2 minutes. They will steam off the gunk so all you need to do is wipe it down.

10. Peel garlic fast

Put a single clove on high heat for 15 seconds and it will peel super easily.

11. Rehydrate stale bread

Simply wrap in soaked and rung out paper towel and heat on high for 10 seconds

12. Revive a dry, clumpy mascara

Remove the lid and brush and place the tube next to a cup of water. Microwave for 10 seconds on high and you can have a few more weeks of your favourite mascara.

Share your thoughts below.