6 Best Things to Make in a Microwave
The microwave gets a bad rap and honestly, it deserves it. The hot rays of a microwave are great for heating up certain things (here’s the best way to heat everything up) but these high speed machines are not so good at cooking from start to finish. In my house the air fryer is used much more often than the microwave for most quick cooking, warming and reheating tasks.
I do use the microwave to soften butter or to revive last night’s mashed potatoes, but there is very little I make in the microwave that doesn’t turn out rubbery and dry.
That said, here are the only six dishes I make in the microwave that actually turn out delicious.
Poached eggs
The microwave makes a delicious poached egg in just 60 seconds.
This may sound strange, but poaching eggs in the microwave is my favorite way to use this appliance. It only takes a minute, plus, a small bowl of water and an egg. Here’s my step-by-step guide to making Poached eggs in the microwave.
Rice
The microwave prepares fluffy rice in no time.
I am a die-hard rice cooker user — I always do it a little bit wrong on the stove — but when a rice cooker is out of reach, I usually opt for microwave rice. It’s fast, easy to clean up, and hard to mess up.
To make rice in the microwave, place 1 cup long grain white rice, 2 cups water (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup water for creamy rice), and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe bowl and mix the ingredients together. Cook on high for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Nachos
I know I’m going to be mad, because these microwave nachos are some of my favorite comfort foods.
I know some people are going to come at me for this, but microwave nachos are still my favorite. I won’t turn my nose up at oven-baked nachos, but the microwave is my go-to for this classic snack. Why, you ask (probably in horror)? Because a microwave doesn’t dry out the chips or the cheese.
What can I say? I love a soggy nacho. Plus, it only takes 50 seconds to melt the cheese and heat the salsa into a gooey, sticky, delicious nacho mess.
If you’re like me and don’t like soggy nachos, you can use an air fryer. The cheese will melt quickly without drying out or burning the corn tortillas.
popcorn
Put a rubber popcorn maker in the bag and leave out the salty popcorn bags.
Popcorn is a classic microwave snack, and for good reason. It conveniently turns those hard kernels into a fluffy snack, just like any other method. If you’re not a fan of bagged popcorn, this is $12 dollar device Make your own microwave popcorn from scratch and save money on packaged popcorn.
Baked potatoes
Cook the potatoes in the microwave and bake them in the toaster or air fryer.
Potatoes are one of those rare foods that can handle the mysterious heat of a microwave and not crumble under its rays. For a quick baked potato, microwave your potato on high for 12-15 minutes, depending on size, checking occasionally for doneness with a fork.
I like to put the cooked potato in an air fryer on high heat for 30 seconds to get a crispy skin. That’s much better than waiting an hour for the potatoes to cook in the oven.
Mug cakes
You don’t need many baking skills to make a mug cake.
I don’t bake much, but the microwave makes delicious cakes with little skill. Mug cakes were all the rage a few decades ago, and for good reason. By mixing ingredients into a batter and quickly cooking them in the microwave, you get a gooey cake that tastes especially good over ice cream or eaten plain with a spoon.
Here’s how to make the perfect mug cake for that night when you’re craving cake.
More about microwaves
If you’re wondering if the microwave is the right place to defrost meats or cook frozen food, the answer is usually no. Here is the correct (and safe) way to defrost meatFor frozen snacks like pizza bites and empanadas, buy a $75 air fryer and thank me later.
