6 Clever Uses For Your Microwave

 

I still remember when we first got a microwave as a kid. My family was kind of late to the microwave game so we were all very excited when we did get one. We even bought some special dishes to cook stuff in the microwave. It didn't take very long realize that although the microwave was amazing for reheating stuff it wasn't very good at actually cooking foods. The brownies were gross & eggs tasted chewy. Microwaves are great for reheating, just not cooking. However, you can use your microwave for some creative things beyond reheating. These 6 clever uses for your microwave will let you use it for more than one thing.

Soften Brown Sugar

Normally I recommend keeping a couple of extra marshmallows in your brown sugar to keep it soft, however, if you have ended up with some hard clumpy brown sugar you can quickly change it back to soft brown sugar using the microwave. Place the brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for about 20-30 seconds until the sugar is soft again.

Killing Germs on Sponges

Want to get rid of the germs on your kitchen sponge? If you have a sponge you want to clean just get it wet and pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes. That should be enough time to kill most of the germs. This works great on almost all sponges, however, make sure you don't do this on any steel or metal sponges.

Decrystalizing Honey

I don't use honey that often, but it seems like every time I need honey it has crystalized. Since I don't want hard bits of honey in my food I like to get rid of the crystals. An easy way to do this is to microwave the honey for a short amount of time to get rid of crystals. I usually do about 30 seconds, but keep a very close eye on it. You can always do short amounts of 10 seconds and check it each time. The microwave quickly brings your honey back to normal.

Ripen an Orange

Need to ripen an orange quick? A microwave does a great job at it. Just place the orange in a microwave safe dish and microwave for about 10-15 seconds. It's quick and easy, plus gets it to the perfect ripeness.

Dry Fresh Herbs

If you want to dry fresh herbs in a hurry you can use your microwave. Rinse the fresh herbs and then make sure they are 100 percent dry. Put 2-3 herb branches on a paper towel and place in the microwave. Cover with a second paper towel. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. If herbs aren't brittle then place back in the microwave for another 30 seconds until they are brittle and dry.

Disinfecting Cutting Boards

Those cutting boards used for meats and poultry can easily be cleaned in the microwave. Just wash them off, rub them with a lemon and put it in the microwave on high for a minute. It will kill germs and disinfect the cutting board.

The microwave isn't just for reheating foods anymore. There are so many other great uses for the microwave. What unusual or clever ways do you use the microwave?