Eight Gadgets That Will Turn Your Microwave Into a More Versatile Household Appliance.
Almost everyone has a microwave . You may not know its wattage, its year of manufacture, or what the hell half the buttons actually do, but you do know that if you put something in there and hold it there for a while, you’ll get hot food. Some brave souls even learn to use them properly, masterfully timing defrosting , reheating, and popping buckets of popcorn. They truly are incredibly useful and powerful appliances.
No matter how great your microwave is, it could be better—it just needs a little help. If you really want to get the most out of your appliance, you’ll need a few microwave accessories that will expand its capabilities and take the guesswork out of using it properly.
This plate rack allows you to double the capacity of your microwave.
First of all, everyone knows one of the main problems with microwave ovens: you can usually only cook or reheat one dish at a time. If you’re reheating leftovers for yourself and your partner, one person’s plate will sit on the counter, cooling, while the other one cooks. And if you try to cook an entire meal in the microwave, it’s very difficult to serve it all at the same temperature.
Unless you buy a special microwave-safe plate rack . It’s a simple idea that instantly makes your microwave more convenient, allowing you to cook or reheat multiple dishes at once.
These microwave egg cookers allow you to cook poached, scrambled or boiled eggs to perfection.
Is it possible to cook eggs in the microwave without a special gadget? Of course , you can—if you’re not too picky about how your eggs turn out. If you prefer to enjoy your eggs cooked in the microwave, you should invest in a hard-boiled or soft-boiled egg cooker, as well as an egg boiler , which is perfect for poaching or scrambled eggs (it can also make adorable mini omelets). These little tools will ensure your eggs turn out fluffy and delicious, not rubbery and odd-looking.
Use the microwave to make crispy sandwiches with melted cheese.
Entire restaurant chains are built on our shared love of toasted sandwiches, but making them in the microwave is impossible… unless you have one of these sandwich-making gadgets . With them, you can make grilled cheese sandwiches, paninis, or even quesadillas to your liking, all without turning on the stove.
This gadget helps you get crispy bacon in the microwave.
You can cook just about anything in the microwave, as long as your working definition of “cooked” is simply “hot.” As anyone who’s tried desperately to cook bacon in the microwave knows, the result is a soggy, bacon-like mess. Unless, of course, you have this microwave bacon grill , which allows you to cook crispy bacon without the hassle of a greasy, scorching pan or a lengthy cleanup.
A microwave rice cooker allows you to quickly cook fluffy and delicious rice.
A rice cooker is a great appliance if you cook rice often, but sometimes you don’t have space for another kitchen appliance, and not everyone cooks rice often enough to need one. This inexpensive microwave rice cooker makes it super easy to microwave a single batch of rice in just 10 minutes, resulting in fluffy, slightly sticky, and delicious rice.
Use this appliance to cook pasta al dente in the microwave.
Cooking dry pasta isn’t rocket science. Even if you don’t want to read the instructions or don’t care if the pasta is cooked al dente , simply boil some water, add the pasta, and cook until tender and ready to eat.
But if you need to save time and avoid boiling water, you can cook pasta to al dente in the microwave using the Fasta Pasta Microwave Cooker . It’s only suitable for dry pasta—fresh pasta still needs to be cooked, sorry—but it guarantees perfect results every time in just a few minutes, without the need for boiling. The lid even has pre-measured portions for easy portioning.
This device will help you reheat a cake in the microwave in five minutes.
It happens: you really want a cake, but there isn’t one. You have all the ingredients, but you’re missing the most important thing: the desire to put it all together, turn on the oven, and wait.
Introducing the Rapid Cake Maker . Place the mixture, eggs, and other ingredients in a suitable (and pre-measured) bowl, mix in the pan, and then microwave for 5-6 minutes. That’s all that separates you from a warm, moist cake. We truly are living in the future.
For convenient vegetable preparation, try using a microwave steamer.
Steaming is a great way to prepare fresh vegetables and fish. However, stovetop steaming can be quite messy, or you may simply be short on stovetop space. Microwave steaming, using one of these devices , is a quick and easy alternative. Add water to the bottom, adjust the vents, cover, and in a few minutes, your food will be perfectly cooked. It can be used with fresh or frozen vegetables or any other food you would normally steam.