Five Uses for Your Microwave Oven

We all use our microwave for a few regular things; heating up food, reheating our forgotten coffee and defrosting frozen products.

But there are other uses for our microwave that you might not be aware of. Here are five tips and tricks to get the most out of one of our staple appliances:

Stop those onion tears

When we’re cutting up onions, we spend the majority of our time wiping our eyes to ensure we can see what we’re cutting. If you’ve tried all the hacks – including putting a wooden spoon in your mouth – you might be happy to hear that your microwave can help!

To banish the tears, put your onions in the microwave for a few seconds before cutting. This will release all the sulphuric acid which causes the eye irritation, allowing you to avoid sore eyes and cut your onions safely.

Reuse stamps

If you’ve received a letter and you’re wondering “can you reuse stamps?” this microwave hack is for you.

Place a drop of water onto the stamp and pop the envelope into your microwave for 20-30 seconds. Once its done, the stamp will simply peel away from the paper! Make sure you keep an eye on the envelope and stop the microwave if it begins to burn, or else you might need a microwave repair!

Create your favourite eggs in seconds

Another one of the hidden microwave uses is cutting down the time it takes to make your favourite eggs.

Here are some of the microwave eggs you can make:

• To make the softest poached eggs, simply fill a mug half way with cold water. Add salt and crack in your egg. Make sure your egg is totally covered with water, cover with a plate and cook on high for a minute. The result will be perfectly runny poached eggs – no swirling needed!
• Your microwave can even make ‘fried’ eggs. Pop some oil into a bowl and crack your egg into the bowl. Make sure to break the yolk so you avoid the egg popping in the heat and cover the bowl with a paper towel. Microwave on high for one minute for the perfect fried egg.
• If your favourite is scrambled eggs, your microwave can make these too! Simply add your eggs to a bowl and mix with salt and pepper. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir them at this point and after every 10 -15 seconds until you have your desired consistency.

Help aches and pains

If you’re suffering from aches and pains, a microwave can help by giving you a DIY hot compress. Wet a flannel or a hand towel and place onto a plate. Microwave this for 30 seconds or so, then apply to the affected area. Once the flannel cools down, you can repeat this process for as long as necessary.

Get the most out of your citrus

It can sometimes feel like we’re losing so much of the juice when squeezing citrus fruits. If you’re looking to make some fresh orange juice or squeeze a lemon for a perfect homemade salad dressing, pop your fruit into the microwave for five seconds. This will soften the fruit, and ensure you get every last drop of juice!