One of the best friends of today’s modern Filipino homemaker is the microwave oven. Especially for those living in condominium units or apartments, this electrical appliance comes very handy in dealing with the everyday task of cooking food and preparing meals. It’s no wonder almost every other nanay is hoping to get a microwave oven for sale these days.
If you don’t know yet, there are a lot of extremely useful life hacks that you can do with your microwave oven. Here are just some of them that will definitely make you change the way you regard this unassuming kitchen appliance—and that will make your daily home life much easier.
Soften Very Hard Ice Cream
Never be frustrated again if your freezer renders your ice cream rock-hard, or if you buy a frozen solid pint at the grocery store. Simply pop the container (without the lid) into the microwave, and zap it for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat at an interval of a few seconds until you attain the right consistency of being finally able to dip your spoon into the ice cream.
Prep Citrus Fruits for Juicing
Next time you want freshly prepared citrus fruit juices, there is a way you can ensure to squeeze virtually every single drop from lemons, oranges, or limes. Be sure to prep them by cutting them in half and placing them in the microwave for around 15 to 25 seconds. This helps warm the insides up and make the juices easier to extract.
Revive Refrigerated Rice
When reheating refrigerated leftover rice, don’t just zap it in the microwave. There is a way to revive the fluffiness of the rice as if it were freshly cooked. Simply sprinkle some water on the rice so that it creates a nice steam while being heated in the microwave. You can also cover it with plastic cling wrap to enhance the steam effect.
Dehydrate Herbs
If you have your very own herb garden at home, you can preserve the leaves for easy use during cooking by drying them in the microwave. This works best with sturdier herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Place the leaves in between two sheets of paper towels and microwave them on maximum power for two to three minutes. Keep them in a tightly sealed container until you need to use them.
Make Garlic Easier to Peel
Peeling garlic can be a chore, not to mention that it leaves a smell on your fingers that is extremely difficult to get rid of. But did you know that popping a head of garlic in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds makes it so much easier for the cloves to separate from the skin? This is very useful when cooking a recipe that counts for a lot of garlic as it can save you a lot of prep time.
Froth a Cup of Milk for Your Coffee
You don’t need a fancy machine to froth milk for your daily latte. Simply pour some fresh milk halfway into a jar, close it with the lid, and shake vigorously until the liquid bubbles. Remove the lid and pop it in the microwave for around half a minute. The foam will rise and you can proceed to pour the milk into your coffee and subsequently spoon the froth onto your favorite cup of joe for a fancy café-style drink.
Cook Vegetables
It might have never occurred to you that you can eat healthy everyday, thanks to your microwave oven. You can easily prepare freshly steamed vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, string beans and the like first by chopping them into approximately the same sizes. Arrange them on a large, shallow, microwave-safe dish or plate and place some water enough to line the bottom of the container. Cover it with plastic wrap or a microwavable lid and zap it for two minutes. Check on it, toss the veggies evenly and continue microwaving at one-minute increments until cooked, making sure to toss the vegetable pieces evenly at each interval.
Clean the Microwave Oven with a Lemon Solution
After using the microwave oven for a lot of things, it could become grimy and greasy inside from all the food splatters and spills. A big secret to cleaning it all up is to cut a lemon in half, squeeze the juice in a bowl of water, dunk the lemon slices into the water, and place the bowl inside the microwave oven. Zap the concoction for a few minutes and take out the bowl. You will notice that the surfaces inside the microwave will become moist, and wiping them down will be a lot easier. The inside of the oven will also smell fresh from the citrus scent..
Decades ago, when this revolutionary kitchen appliance first came out, there was a lot of skepticism as to its real value in the traditional Filipino household. Many people thought that its use was limited to warming food from the refrigerator, and a lot of people still do up to this day.
The truth is that the microwave oven is an extremely versatile and useful appliance, especially with the advancements in technology that have given it a lot of added features and capabilities. All you need to know is how to maximize these features by using the unit properly. A microwave oven is truly one of the best investments you can make for your kitchen.
