Rescue stale bread, poach a salmon… plus 9 more incredible microwave hacks to make your lives a lot easier

MOST of us only use our microwaves to heat up leftovers and ready meals - or defrost food from the freezer.

However, they are so much more versatile than that.

Here are some imaginative, easy and surprisingly quick ways to use your microwave to whip up some culinary feasts...

QUICK JACKET POTATOES

Scrub a large baking potato under cold water and prick all over with a fork. Place it in a bowl, cover with a splatter-proof lid and microwave on high power for 7 minutes. Then, place it on a baking tray, rub with olive oil and salt, and bake for 25 mins at 200°C for the perfect potato.

Alternatively, rub a potato with olive oil and microwave, uncovered, on a plate on high power for 12-14 minutes, until easily pierced with a paring knife.

RESCUE STALE BREAD
Wrap bread in a damp kitchen towel and microwave on high power for 10-second bursts. Repeat until bread is moist.

EASY-PEEL GARLIC
One clove: zap for 15 seconds.
Whole bulb: microwave for 20 seconds, then turn upside down and microwave for 25 seconds.

MICROWAVE CRISPS
Slice your potato very thinly and rinse thoroughly. Arrange the slices on a paper towel-lined plate, ensuring they don’t touch, unless you’re aiming for one mega crisp. Microwave on full power for 2-3 minutes, flip the crisps over and cook for another 3 minutes until crispy, repeating this for undercooked crisps. Season with salt and pepper.

MORE SQUEEZES FROM LEMONS AND LIMES
Zap a whole lemon or lime for 20 seconds to make it easier to juice.

MELT ANYTHING YOU LIKE
Butter – cut into small cubes and microwave on low power for 15 seconds at a time until the butter is softened but not liquid.

Chocolate – Chop into pieces as small as possible, microwave on medium power for 15 seconds at a time, waiting 15 seconds between each burst and stirring after every other burst, to prevent it from curdling. Repeat until entirely melted.

Ice Cream – Zap hard ice cream on high power for 10 second bursts, checking it each time. Each litre usually requires 30 seconds.

Honey – to rescue crystallised honey, remove the lid from your glass jar and microwave for 50 seconds on medium power, stirring in a teaspoon of lemon juice. Warning – it gets very hot.

QUICK STEAM BAG CURRY
Fill a ziplock bag with a handful of frozen mixed vegetables, then add 2 teaspoons of curry paste (Thai green, Thai red or Indian pastes) and 140 ml coconut milk. Fully seal the bag and shake thoroughly to combine the ingredients, lay flat on a plate and microwave on high power for 5 minutes. Serve with rice or noodles.

CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
Caution: Not all mug cakes are created equal - there are lots of recipes out there and you have to sort through them to find those with less resemblance to bricks.
Ingredients –

• 3 tbsp. plain flour
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 3 tbsp. canola oil (aka rapeseed oil) (can be substituted for melted coconut oil)
• ½ tsp. artificial vanilla extract
• Optional 2 tsp. chocolate chips

In a mug, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Add the milk, oil and vanilla. With a fork, gently stir out the lumps. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Microwave for 2 minutes, checking up on it to prevent it overflowing. Let cool for 5 minutes to allow for the cake to finish cooking.

POACHED EGG
For a 50-second poached egg, pour boiling water from the kettle into a bowl until 3/4 of the way full and a dash of white vinegar to keep the egg white together. Crack an egg into the bowl and lightly pierce the yolk with a toothpick to stop it exploding. Cover the bowl with cling film and microwave on full power for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and very gently turn the egg to cook evenly, then recover with cling film and cook for 20 seconds, removing the egg immediately after to prevent it from continuing to cook.

PERFECT RICE
For 4 people, use 1 ½ cups of rice (uncooked white rice, such as basmati, jasmine or sushi), as the size will double when cooked. Wash by swishing in a microwave safe pot or container of water (such as a Pyrex), then pour out the water (hopefully retaining the rice), 3 times. Add enough water to cover the rice by one inch – for 1 ½ cups of rice this requires about 2 ¼ cups of water. Put a lid on the container – but if the lid does not have air vents it will explode off, so it must just be placed on top, or a Corningware glass lid could be used, allowing the steam to escape. Microwave on high for 9 minutes and let it rest covered for 3 minutes to finish cooking.

POACHED SALMON
Season skinless salmon fillet and place in a shallow baking dish with 2 tbsp white wine vinegar and enough water to reach halfway up the fish. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes until the fish is opaque. If not fully cooked, microwave covered on high for 45-second intervals. Remove the liquid to serve.