How to Cook Food in a Microwave Oven Easily and Quickly
We all come across situations when we need to quickly cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner and have very little time to spare for this activity. It’s for these cases that we compiled some recipes for dishes that can be easily cooked in a microwave oven.
5-Minute Crafts offers 7 ideas for cooking simple dishes in a microwave oven. The bonus at the end of the article will tell you how to easily squeeze lemon juice with the help of a microwave oven.
General recommendations for cooking food in a microwave
1. The cooking times indicated in the recipes are approximate and will depend on the maximum power of your microwave oven and the power you set for cooking. Power is measured in watts, and information about it can be found on a sticker that is most often located on the back of the device.
2. Most dishes, such as ground meat, pasta, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and potatoes in peels, are recommended to be cooked at high power, which is 800 W to 1,000 W. Use medium power (500W to 800 W) if the food you are going to prepare looks cooked on the outside but remains cold on the inside. Also, you can use this type of power to reheat cooked food.
3. The cooking time in the microwave directly depends on the volume of the food being cooked. If you double the number of ingredients, you should double the cooking time as well. Make sure to check the readiness level.
4. Food cooked in the microwave should stay in the microwave for a while before serving because the heat continues to spread inside the dish, bringing it to complete readiness. At the same time, the dish holding the food should be on a solid surface. Don’t use a baking rack for cooling the dish.
5. It’s also recommended to leave the dish alone for 20% of its overall cooking time after taking it out of the microwave and before serving it. A dish with eggs requires 1-3 minutes; dishes like vegetables, cakes, and sauces require 5 minutes; and main courses, heavy meals, and dishes holding meat require 10 minutes. And any large portion of food requires 15 minutes. If the dish still doesn’t look completely ready after keeping it aside for the required time, it can be put back in the microwave for further cooking.
6. If you need to cover products while cooking them, you can use a special microwave cover or lid, or keep the container slightly open to let the accumulating steam out.
Idea #1
You’ll need:
- 1 pack of frozen vegetables
- Water
- Salt
How to cook it:
1. Place the frozen vegetables in a deep bowl.
2. Pour in some drinking water so that there’s approximately 1 inch left to the brim. Add salt as per your taste. Cover the bowl (not completely) and put it in the microwave for 15 minutes.
3. Take the dish out of the microwave. Use potholders so you don’t burn your hands. Bon appetite!
Idea #2
You’ll need:
- 5 eggs
- Milk
- Salt and pepper
- 5 burger-sized pieces of bread
- 5 slices of cheese
- 5 slices of ham
- Lettuce leaves
How to cook it:
1. Break the eggs into a bowl.
2. Add some milk, then add pepper and salt as per your taste. Whisk with the help of a fork. Put it into the microwave oven for 15 minutes.
3. Take the omelet out of the microwave. Cover the bowl with a cutting board. Turn the board while tightly holding the bowl. Carefully remove the bowl.
4. Cut the omelet into circles as thick as 0.5 inches to 1 inch.
5. Cut the burger bread in half. Place a lettuce leaf, a slice of cheese, a slice of ham, and a piece of the omelet on one half.
6. Cover the sandwich with the second half of the bread. Bon appetite!
Idea #3
You’ll need:
- 1 big potato
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 2 strips of bacon
- A small piece of cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp of cream cheese
- Salt
How to cook it:
1. Take a big potato, wash it, and pierce with a fork in several places.
2. Pour vegetable oil onto the potato. Add salt as per your taste.
3. Evenly distribute the oil and salt across the potato with your hands.
4. Place some bacon on the dish next to the potato. Bake in the microwave for 7-9 minutes.
5. Put the bacon on a separate plate. Cut the potato in half. Mash the inside with the help of a fork.
6. Sprinkle the potatoes with grated cheddar cheese. Bake in the microwave for 30 seconds.
7. Put 1 tbsp of cream cheese on each half of the potato. Sprinkle it with the chopped bacon that had been baked in the microwave alongside the potato. Bon appetite!
Idea #4
You’ll need:
- Potatoes
- Vegetable oil
- Spices
- Salt
How to cook it:
1. Cut the potatoes into strips and place them on a plate.
2. Pour vegetable oil over them.
3. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and salt.
4. Mix the potato strips thoroughly. Place them in the microwave for 20 minutes.
5. Bon appetite!
Idea #5
You’ll need:
- Water
- Beefsteak
- Salt and pepper
- Rosemary
How to cook it:
1. Pour water into a deep bowl.
2. Place the beefsteak into it.
3. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of rosemary. Put it into the microwave for 20 minutes.
4. Take the meat out of the broth and serve the dish.
Idea #6
You’ll need:
- 1 tbsp of chocolate paste
- 1 egg
- Flour
- Whipped cream
How to cook it:
1. Put the chocolate paste into a bowl.
2. Whisk an egg in a separate bowl with the help of a fork.
3. Add the whisked egg to the chocolate paste. Mix well.
4 and 5. Add flour to the mixture. You need the amount that will help get a homogenous mass with the consistency of sour cream. Put it into the microwave for 1 minute.
6. Decorate the dish with whipped cream. Bon appetite!
Idea #7
You’ll need:
- 1 tbsp of melted butter
- 1 tbsp of cocoa
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 1 tbsp of flour
- 1 egg
How to cook it:
1. Pour the melted butter into a bowl.
2. Add cocoa, sugar, flour, and an egg.
3. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl until you get a homogenous mass. Put it into the microwave for 2 minutes.
4. Your chocolate cake is ready.
5. Bon appetite!
Bonus: how to easily squeeze lemon juice
Put a lemon (the whole piece or cut in half) into the microwave oven for 1 minute. After this, it will be much easier to squeeze out some lemon juice.