The 5 perfect foods for your microwave

I don’t use the microwave that often, especially now that my kitchen is equipped with an air fryer. Microwaves gets a bad rap and much of it is deserved. Microwave radiation can be great for heating up certain things (this is the best way to do it). reheat everything), especially if you’re short on time.

But it’s difficult to prepare a meal from scratch, and other appliances can produce a tastier end result. At my house the air fryer is touched five times more often than the microwave for quickly cooking, zapping and reheating food.

That said, I still use the microwave for a few cooking tasks, including softening butter for baking or reheating last night’s potatoes. And there are even some foods that I still cook from scratch in the microwave.

Here are five you can try.

1. Poached eggs

This may sound strange, but poaching eggs in the microwave is my favorite use of the regular appliance. All you need is one minute, give or take, a bowl of water and an egg. Here is my step-by-step tutorial for making it poached eggs in the microwave.

2. Nachos

I know some people are coming at me on this, but microwave nachos are still my favorite. I don’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)? It’s because a microwave doesn’t dry out the chips or cheese.

What can I say? I love a soggy nacho. Plus, it only takes about 50 seconds to melt the cheese and heat the salsa into a shiny, slippery, delicious nacho mess.

If you’re not a soggy nacho lover like me, try using an air fryer as it also melts the cheese quickly without drying it out or burning the corn chips.

3. Popcorn

Popcorn is a microwave classic and for good reason. It deftly turns those hard kernels into a puffy snack, just like any other method.

You may need to experiment with your microwave’s popcorn function, as too many unpopped kernels may be left behind if you don’t add extra time. But once you find the perfect cooking time for your specific microwave, you can consistently create a tasty late-night snack in just a few minutes.

If you’re not in the mood for bagged microwave popcorn, this is it $12 device makes microwave popcorn from scratch and saves you money on the packaged stuff.

4. Fried potatoes

Potatoes are also one of those rare foods that can handle the mysterious heat of a microwave and not crumble under the radiation. For a quick baked potato, microwave the pudding for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the size, checking occasionally with a fork to see if the potato is done.

I like to stick the cooked potato in an air fryer on high for 30 seconds to get a crispy skin. It certainly beats waiting an hour for the potatoes to bake in the oven.

5. Mug cakes

I don’t bake much, but the microwave produces tasty cakes with very little skill. Mug cakes were very trendy a few decades ago and there is a reason for that. Mixing ingredients into a batter and cooking them quickly in the microwave creates a sticky cake that goes particularly well with ice cream or eaten plain with a spoon.

Here’s how to make a perfect mug cake any night the craving for cake arises.

Rice, but only in a pinch

I’m a heavy one rice cooker user — I’m always a little wrong when I try to make rice on the stovetop — but when a rice cooker can’t be found, I opt for microwave rice. It’s quick, no cleanup, and hard to mess up.

To make microwave rice, 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. Cook on high for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the rice is done.

More about microwaves

If you’re wondering if the microwave is the right place to defrost meat or cooking frozen food, the answer is usually no. Here is the correct (and safe) way to thaw meat. As for frozen snacks like pizza bites and empanadas, buy one Air fryer €75 and thank me later.

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