9 Microwave Cooking Hacks

The microwave is a fantastic timesaver for plenty of straightforward tasks — reheating leftovers, melting butter and thawing ice cream, to say the least — but there are a few unexpected places where it really excels. Here are my favorite mind-blowing microwave tricks.

1. Metal Madness

When it comes to metals, some are microwave safe and others are quite dangerous. Unless your microwave recipe or product specifically calls for using a small amount of aluminum foil, avoid metals completely.

2. Cover Up

Covering microwave dishes helps food cook faster by steaming it and keeping it moist. Remove covers carefully to avoid steam burns.

3. Pottery Problems

If you are microwaving in pottery and the food isn’t cooking well, the glaze may be the problem. Containers made with metallic glazes may block out the microwaves.

4. Pitch The Package

Microwaves can be useful for defrosting frozen meat. However, never defrost in the store packaging; it’s not made for the heat of microwaves.

5. Bad For Babies

Don’t warm baby bottles in the microwave. The microwave method may make the bottle seem cool on the outside, but it may have hot spots inside.

6. Put A Ring On It

When cooking in the microwave, arrange individual foods like potatoes in a ring formation. This will help the food cook more uniformly throughout.

7. Easy Cleanup

Heat a bowl of water in the microwave on high for several minutes. The water will steam which helps messes wipe off easily.

8. Ice Cream Issues

Need softer ice cream for desserts? Remove ice cream from its tub onto a plate or bowl and microwave for 10-second intervals on high power. No more bent spoons!

9. Caution With Water: Water can be heated to boiling quickly in the microwave. Use caution! Microwave-boiled water may not bubble, but can still cause serious burns or a superheated explosion.