10 Time-Saving Microwave Oven Hacks On TikTok To Try Now
For the working parent who's short on time
By Jyn Teo -
My microwave is an important kitchen appliance to me since I rely on it to defrost my baby’s frozen porridge and heat up any leftover food with ease. As a time-starved working parent, I am up for any fuss-free and effortless kitchen hacks for cooking and cleaning.
Ever since I learned that my air fryer is able to make the perfect half-boiled eggs, it has greatly helped me with my daily breakfast routine.
10 Microwave Oven Life Hacks from TikTok
Do you want to know how to cook the perfect poached eggs with your microwave? Read on.
You would know how difficult it is to clean out any dried and hardened spills and food if you have spent time and effort trying. This microwave cleaning hack just requires a bowl of water, some dishwashing soap, and a minute of your time.
Add dishwashing detergent to a bowl of water then pop it into the microwave for a minute. The heat and steam help to break up any dried food to make your life easier with cleaning. The bowl of dishwashing detergent is perfect to reuse for washing your dirty dishes too. You can try the same by swapping out dishwashing detergent for lemon or vinegar if you wish.
Difficulty level: 1/10
Who knew that the best position to place your food in is not right smack in the middle? Placing the food on the edge of the turning plate allows the food to rotate around with even heat distribution.
The only reason why I would put the food right in the middle of the plate is just so that I can clean up any food spills right from the turning plate. If you are not heating up any liquid items like baby porridge, or if the food is not filled to the brim, then there shouldn’t be any issue.
Difficulty level: 3/10
Make full use of the vertical space in a microwave. Place another plate of food above a mug or bowl to cook and heat 2 things at the same time. It is definitely energy efficient, but just remember to make sure that both food items require the same amount of time to heat up, or else you may end up with over or undercooked food.
Difficulty level: 3/10
Have you encountered this issue with your food like rice, pasta, or pizza getting too dried and overcooked? All you need is to add a small cup of water along with your plate of food to keep it moisturised.
Instead of adding water, you can also try an ice cube hack by placing it right in the middle of your food. The ice cube helps with steaming your food, but it does not melt. You will end up with steamy and soft food.
Difficulty level: 3/10
A food cover can not only help by containing any potential food spills and splatters within the cover, but it is also energy efficient since it helps to shorten the heating time. You can cover the food with a lid or use cling wrap, but never use aluminum foil!
Difficulty level: 3/10
Instead of making instant noodles, why not try this easy 5-min mac and cheese recipe with the microwave? It takes a couple of steps to achieve, but it definitely beats having to put a pot of macaroni to boil for 20 minutes, then washing up the pot after.
Add half a cup of macaroni and pour half a glass of water into a bowl. Season with salt accordingly, then bring it to the microwave for about 3 minutes. You will want to add about 3 tablespoons of milk and sprinkle some mozzarella or cheddar cheese over the top. Season again, this time with pepper. Put it in the microwave for another minute or two and you are good to dig right in!
Difficulty level: 7/10
Craving for some yummy Eggs Benedict? Now you can try to make poached eggs with your microwave. Fill a large bowl with cold water, then crack your egg gently into the water. You will get your perfect poached egg after about a minute of the microwave magic.
However, you may need a bit of trial and error with the right amount of time it takes to cook to properly cook the egg, since not every microwave is made the same.
Difficulty level: 5/10
Onion tears are not happy tears, so let’s do ourselves a favour with this simple step to break down those nasty tear-inducing chemicals. Just place your onion in the microwave for 45 seconds to heat it up before you cut it up. Chop chop!
Difficulty level: 2/10
The trick to peeling garlic quickly is simply to place a head of garlic in a bowl of water and pop it into the microwave for just 20 seconds. Goodbye to garlic juice and the smell lingering in your fingers all-day. Watch those garlic cloves slide right out of their skins after you chop the whole garlic into half!
Difficutly level: 2/10
It may sound unbelievable at the start, but yes, you can “micro-steam” vegetables in a microwave! A wide range of vegetables can go into the microwave including broccoli, carrots, beans, and you get the idea. Place your vegetables in a bowl of water with a plate to cover.
Vegetables that are firm will take more than 5 minutes, while softer vegetables like broccoli take less than 5 minutes to be nicely steamed.
Difficulty Level: 5/10
This article was originally published on Home & Decor.