Filed under: If you think of yourself as a ‘serious cook’, you probably have the latest convection oven, would never dream of using anything but a gas cooktop, and never even use your microwave for anything other than defrosting. But even the fanciest of cooks can find some surprising uses for the microwave that will save time in the kitchen without sacrificing great taste.
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Cut long cook times in half by starting a dish in the microwave oven and then transferring it to the range or cooktop. You’ll spend less time slaving over a stove, and nobody will ever know the difference.
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Brown sugar is a great flavor enhancer, but once you open a bag, it starts to dry out and form into hard clumps, which can be a real pain. Instead of beating on the bag or breaking up the clumps by hand, microwave the package for about 15 seconds, watching that it doesn’t start to liquefy.
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Tired of steaming and boiling? Save time by using your microwave instead. In fact, there are some people who claim that the color of microwaved vegetables is better than steamed.
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If you have a fresh herb garden outside your home, you can dry the seeds and herbs for storage using the microwave. Place them on a paper towl, nuke for 1 to 2 minutes, turning halfway through.
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Freshen stale bread, biscuits or crackers by zapping for a minute and letting them rest for another minute or two before serving.
The best part of the microwave is that, with the popularity and availability of over the range microwave ovens, you don’t have to step outside the defined parameters of your cooking area to use it - just look up. Your microwave oven is a powerful kitchen tool, and not just for TV dinners and Hot Pockets.