11 Surprising Uses of Microwave Ovens

Microwave ovens are, probably, the most versatile and immensely useful discovery of the 20th century.

We all know that a microwave oven is used to cook different kinds of dishes, re-heat the leftovers, boil and bake. But did you know that your little magic machine can do a lot of other surprising things?

The 11 surprising uses of microwave ovens discussed below will surely make you realize, how you were under-utilizing your microwave oven all this while.

So let’s get started.

1. Peeling Garlic is Easier Than Ever

Garlic is widely used in almost all Indian dishes and peeling garlic can be a tough job for many of us so here’s a very interesting trick to make your garlic peeling experience good and easy. Heat the garlic in a microwave oven for around 20 to 30 seconds, this will reduce the moisture in the garlic and the husks will come off easily.

2. Say Bye to Tears while Chopping an Onion

Chop off the upper and the lower tips of the onion and heat it in the microwave oven for 35 seconds. Once the onion heats up, the enzymes in it get denatured which stops the release of sulphuric gas from the onion which induces the watering of eyes.

3. Forgot to Soak Rajmas Last Night? Not a Problem at all

For every 1 cup of dry rajmas, you should take around 3 cups of water and then microwave it for 16 minutes until the water starts to boil after this let it sit for an hour or so and your rajmas will be ready to cook.

You can also use your Electric Kettle for many things and here are the list of best electric kettles in India.

4. Take Out Even the Last Drop of Juice Out of a Lemon

Take a lemon and microwave it for around 10 to 15 seconds, take it out then cut it into two equal halves and you will see how much juice will come out; heating the lemon will help you to squeeze out even the last drop of juice in it. In case of oranges or sweet lime, you will have to microwave those for a couple of seconds more.

5. Now Make Homemade Chips Easily

Cut the potatoes in thin slices, brush up both sides of the potato (you can also add flavors) with vegetable or olive oil, lay them on a flat dish which is microwave safe then microwave them for around 5 minutes till the potatoes turn brown after carrying out the procedure take the dish out and let it cool down for some time and your chips are ready to be eaten right away, flavorful and crispy. Note that you don’t need a fryer and hell lot of oil for this.

6. Reuse Stale Bread by Softening Them

Take a damp piece of paper towel, wrap it around the bread and microwave it for around 15 seconds, this will make the bread tasty and soft and you won’t feel any difference, a stale bread as good as new… amazing isn’t it? This is a good way to manage the wastage of food.

7. Reuse Dry Mascara

This unique beauty hack will help you save money and time. Put the mascara container in the microwave oven but do not forget to take out the brush first. Put a few drops of water into the container and microwave it for not more than 5 to 6 seconds, the moisture released from the water will help your mascara to get back its liquid texture.

8. Disinfecting the Chopping Board

This simple and effective kitchen hack will save you time and money. The dirty chopping board will become clean and tidy in just a few minutes. First, wash the chopping board nicely, use lemon to scrub it and then put it inside the microwave oven and heat it for a minute or so… this will remove germs and stubborn stains.

9. Peeling Tomatoes is Now So Easy

This clever idea of using a microwave oven to peel the tomatoes can be a real time saver for you. First, you need to put the tomatoes in the microwave oven and heat them for around 4 to 5 minutes; gradually the skin will start to wrinkle and that’s when you should take out the tomatoes, let them cool down and peel off the skin easily.

10. Make Yeast Dough Rise in Less than 20 Minutes

Put the yeast dough in a microwave oven safe bowl; cover it with a plastic wrap. Place the bowl inside the microwave oven and warm up the dough at power as low as 10%, then let it rest for some time (3 minutes) then again let it rise (maintain the temperature). By following this method you can actually save a lot of time because yeast dough requires at least 45 minutes in order to rise normally.

11. Making Old Potato Chips Crunchy

Bought a family size pack of your favourite chips last week but couldn’t finish them all?

If you forgot to transfer the leftover chips to an airtight container then the chips would have lost their crunch. And if the chips are not crunchy then they won’t taste good.

Follow this easy tip to make them crunchy again. Put the potato chips in the microwave on a kitchen towel for 30 seconds. Repeat the cycle if necessary until the towel absorbs the moisture from chips. This will remove all the moisture from the chips and make them crunchy and tasty.

Hope you found all these tips useful.

Have something to share or would like us to add something new? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.