Your Microwave is smarter than you think

We treat the microwave with the faint contempt reserved for things that are useful but unsophisticated. Reheat soup. Nuke leftovers. Stand back. Beep. Done.

But this humble humming box is not just a culinary babysitter. It is, in fact, a quiet domestic genius – capable of solving life’s small irritations with a smug little ping while you’re still reaching for the chopping board.

Here are a few microwave tricks that will make you wonder why you’ve been struggling all these years.

Stop crying over onions (finally)

Cut the ends off your onion, pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds, and suddenly you’re slicing without tears or emotional collapse. The microwave draws out the moisture that makes onions so vindictive. It’s not cooking the onion – it’s disarming it.

Bring brown sugar back from the dead

Brown sugar has one setting: brick. Unless, of course, you put it in a microwave-safe container with a damp paper towel and give it 20–30 seconds. Miraculously, it returns to sugar again instead of masonry.

Rescue crystallised honey

Honey, despite its reputation for eternal youth, occasionally gives up and turns granular. Two minutes on half power and it’s fluid again – like nothing traumatic ever happened.

Peel garlic like a professional

Microwave whole garlic cloves for 15 seconds and the skins slide off with aristocratic ease. No sticking. No swearing. Tomatoes and peaches can enjoy similar treatment with a little extra time.

Liberate stamps without violence

Want to remove a stamp without destroying it or the envelope? A few drops of water, 20 seconds in the microwave, and it peels off intact – like a polite surrender.

Get every last drop from lemons

Ten to twenty seconds in the microwave and suddenly your lemon produces juice like it’s trying to impress you. Don’t overdo it – this is encouragement, not punishment.

Dry herbs in minutes, not hours

Scatter washed herbs on paper towel and microwave in 30-second bursts, turning them each time. In two to four minutes, you have perfectly dried herbs and a smug sense of efficiency.

Poach eggs without ruining your morning

Crack an egg into a bowl of boiling water, cover, microwave for 30 seconds, turn slightly, then another 20. Add vinegar if you’re feeling precise. Result: a neat poached egg and no pan to scrub.

Foam milk without buying a gadget

Pour milk into a jar, shake violently for 30 seconds, remove the lid, then microwave for up to a minute. The heat sets the froth and suddenly you’re a barista – or at least someone who looks like one.

The microwave isn’t lazy cooking. It’s efficient living. And frankly, if you’re not using it to dry herbs and terrify onions, you’re only getting half the joy.