At first glance, it seems that a microwave is only needed to quickly heat up food.
But in reality, you can do much more with this kitchen appliance!
Many users are unaware of the useful and amazing features of modern microwaves.
That's why in this article we'll tell you 5 unusual ways to use "micro" that you might not even know about.
You may already be used to heating up ready meals, tea or coffee in the microwave before eating. But this household appliance is much smarter than it seems at first glance. With its help, you can really cook entire meals, bake cakes and even peel fruits or vegetables.
We will teach you 5 interesting and useful tricks on how to use the "micro" in unusual ways.
You've probably heard more than once that you can't boil eggs in the microwave - they can explode. But this is only partly true!
Under certain conditions, you can safely cook scrambled eggs, omelettes, or even poached eggs in the microwave. No explosions will occur if you follow these simple guidelines.
The main thing is not to cook eggs in the shell and do it carefully. Break the eggs into a bowl, mix them well and add the desired ingredients - cheese, ham, herbs.
Then place the bowl in the microwave and cook on low power, stirring every 30-60 seconds.
This is how you can cook a classic fried egg, a closed or open omelette. Cooking time usually does not exceed 2-3 minutes, depending on the number of eggs.
This method is convenient if you are in a hurry to work or school and want a quick snack. In addition, when cooked in a microwave, eggs retain more vitamins and nutrients.
You may already find yourself reheating lunch or dinner in your microwave quite often. But did you know that you can cook entire meals in one oven?
Modern models have many modes and functions that allow you to cook food until it is ready.
For example, some microwaves have baking, vegetable, meat or fish cooking modes. You just need to select the appropriate mode and set the weight or cooking time.
During the process, the microwave will automatically change the power to heat the dish evenly.
In this way you can bake potatoes, carrots, zucchini or eggplant, prepare a stew, roast meat, or steam fish.
The principle is the same as in a regular oven, but cooking is much faster. Convenient if you need to cook dinner in just 20-30 minutes.
Another useful life hack for microwave owners is peeling fruits and vegetables. This is especially convenient when you need to peel citrus fruits - oranges, grapefruits, lemons. To do this, just put the fruit in a bowl of water and put it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at maximum power.
Microwaves loosen the peel, making it easy to peel the citrus fruit. The same can be done with tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and other vegetables. The effect will be even better if you add soda or citric acid to the water – this will make peeling even easier.
After such treatment, fruits and vegetables wash better, the skin comes off more cleanly, and the products themselves do not boil over.
Few people know that a microwave oven can be used to disinfect and sterilize various items.
For example, sterilize baby bottles and nipples before use. To do this, put them in a container with water and put them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
The water will boil, due to which the surface of the bottles and nipples will heat up to a temperature of over 100 degrees. This is enough to destroy bacteria and microorganisms. After such treatment, the dishes do not need to be rinsed - they can be used immediately for feeding the baby.
It is also possible to disinfect children's toys, toothbrushes, manicure scissors and other household items using a microwave. The main thing is that they are heat-resistant and do not contain metal elements.
Finally, with the help of a modern microwave oven, you can bake a full-fledged dessert or cake! Of course, the taste and texture of such products will be slightly different from those baked in a regular oven. But they are prepared in a matter of minutes!
For baking, special recipes designed for the microwave are suitable. These can be sponge cakes, shortbread cakes, muffins, cupcakes, etc. The main thing is to use microwave dishes and prepare the dough using a special method.
For example, a sponge cake is baked in a baking glass or a round baking pan. Place the dough in the pan, cover with cling film (making several holes) and cook for 3-7 minutes depending on the recipe and oven power.
This way you can bake not only biscuits, but also shortbread cookies, muffins, and berry pies.
Earlier we talked about why laundry remains stiff after washing.