Surprising foods you can make in the microwave

Microwave meals are synonymous with doing the bare minimum. If you tell someone you’re eating a microwave meal, they’re most likely imagining a sad, nutrient-depleted dinner on TV, and they’ll express their grief for your lot in life.

But in reality, the kitchen tool is both underappreciated and misunderstood. The truth is, you can use it to prepare a multitude of delicious dishes while always do it the bare minimum.

This is especially good news if you hate cooking or don’t have access to a full kitchen.. Heck, even chefs use the microwave once in a while. Need proof? Here are seven ways to use that good old hot box, straight from the professionals who have access to every cooking tool under the sun.

“cook this book” author Molly Baz admitted that, like many chefs, she has long despised the microwave. But when she learned it could be used to make eggs, she started looking at it in a new way. “I was visiting my parents and really wanted a poached egg for breakfast. My mom told me that instead of boiling a whole pot of water for an egg, I should just use the microwave,” Baz said. As you can probably guess, she did – and now she’s a microwave fanatic.

To make your own poached egg, first microwave half a cup of water in a measuring cup or microwave-safe mug. Then break the egg into the water. Cover the cup with plastic wrap and microwave for another 30 seconds. Then take the egg out of the microwave and use a slotted spoon for the plate.

And you can do more than just poach eggs in the microwave. Tara Ippolito, author of “Fast. Simple. Delicious.” And a contestant on Netflix’s “Easy Bake Battle” said she used the device to make scrambled eggs. “I just cracked some eggs, added cheese and veggies and put them in the microwave for a minute. It’s so easy,” she said.

Eggs aren’t the only breakfast foods you can make in the microwave. Ippolito said she also uses it to make French toast. To do this, she said to simply cut the bread, put the pieces in a microwave-safe container, add your other French toast ingredients (including the beaten eggs), and put it in the microwave. for two to five minutes, depending on your microwave oven. Not only will French toast come together faster than when made on the stovetop, but there will also be fewer dishes to clean.

Baked potatoes are one of those foods that you need to plan ahead because they can take an hour to bake. Vegan chef and cookbook author Ally Lazarus uses the microwave for them, reducing the cooking time to about 10 minutes.

“My favorite hack is to use the microwave instead of stovetop things like potatoes or heavy root vegetables,” she said. “This is especially useful in the summer when it’s hot, and you don’t want to have multiple boiling pots and pans on the stove, or if you’re already cooking multiple things and don’t have free space on the stove.”

“You can easily ‘roast’ a sweet potato or russet potato by pricking the potato several times with a sharp knife to release the steam, then placing them in a glass dish or bowl and micro-cooking them. waves for about 10 minutes,” the chef said. Amelie Levin. She also cooks spaghetti squash this way, in the microwave for about 15 minutes, depending on the size.

You don’t need one air fryer to make healthier chips than you’ll find at the grocery store. They are yet another food that you can prepare in the microwave. “Microwave fries are easy and delicious. I like to use potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash and zucchini,” Lazare said.

She added that the key to making the fries nice and crispy is to slice the vegetables very thin and salt them before cooking to absorb the moisture. “Lay them out in a single layer on a sheet of paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for 15-20 minutes and then wipe them off,” she suggested. Now they are ready for the microwave. Zap them for three to six minutes, watching them carefully to make sure they don’t burn.

Fried shallots are great to have on hand for adding both crunch and flavor to everything from salads to roasted vegetables ― or in the microwave ― and for sprinkling over soup.

“You can make them in the microwave by placing some shallots or onions in a little oil, covering them, and zipping them for 30 to 45 seconds. They’ll crisp up like you fried them,” Levin said. Clever, right?

What are flowery spices, you ask? They are the key to adding more flavor to all your recipes. Heating dried spices with a little fat extracts the essence of the spice, making it more pungent and flavorful. You can do this for ground spices as well as those in seed form, such as coriander or mustard seeds.

Levin suggested adding your spice to a small bowl with some olive oil and heating it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. The end result will be an infused oil bursting with flavor and ready to drizzle over vegetables, meats, salads and cereal bowls.

Have you ever had a craving for something sweet but don’t want to bake an entire cake or a batch of brownies to satisfy it? That’s where mug cakes, mug brownies and even mug cookies come in. “Microwaves are great for desserts, especially if you’re cooking for one or two people,” Lazare says. Simply add all the ingredients to a mug, stir, and microwave for about two minutes. Google “cupcakes you can make in the microwave” for hundreds of recipes.

Obviously, you can use the microwave for so much more than TV dinners. Your Instant Pot is about to get jealous.