10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Make In The Microwave (Slideshow)
Think that homemade pickles are a specialty confined to your grandmother's kitchen? Use your microwave and you can make your own in a matter of minutes.
Potato Chips
Store-bought potato chips contain loads of additives and preservatives, but you can make your own healthier version in a microwave. The whole process takes only a few minutes longer than the time it takes to open a bag.
Enchiladas
A simple enchilada recipe can be easily converted for the microwave. Use this vegetarian enchilada recipe as a guide and do the following:
Place chopped onion in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap; microwave for one minute until tender. In a separate bowl, microwave sliced mushrooms, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 minutes until tender, stirring halfway through. Mix onion, mushrooms, canned corn, beans, and half the jar of enchilada sauce. Scoop into tortillas, roll and place in a microwave-safe pan. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas, and microwave uncovered for six minutes or until heated through. Add the cheese and microwave until melted, about two minutes.
Lasagna
Lasagna your nonna would be proud of doesn't have to be a time-consuming affair. Use this vegetarian lasagna recipe as a starting point, but replace the lasagna noodles with no-boil lasagna noodles. Mix the vegetables with the ricotta and 1 /14 cup of the mozzarella. Assemble in a microwave-safe dish according to the recipe instructions, cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap, and microwave for 15-20 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Mochi
Perfectly sweet, sticky mochi can take hours to make by hand. This microwave recipe delivers the same flavor with a fraction of the effort.
Click here to see the Microwaveable Peanut-Covered Mochi Dessert Recipe
Marmalade
How many ambitious cooks have dreamed of seasonal fresh fruit turned into homemade jam, only to watch their pile of mason jars collect dust? Turns out, all it takes is a microwave and a food processor to make your very own homemade marmalade.
Click here to see the Microwaveable Meyer Lemon-Orange Marmalade with Thyme Recipe
Cake
Making a cake from scratch in five minutes might sound like a fantasy, but all it takes is a microwave and a mug. The addition of Nutella in this mug cake recipe creates a decadently moist dessert that's ready in a flash, or should we say zap?
Rice
Cooking perfect rice in the microwave can be done in half the time it takes on the stove. While the help of an inexpensive microwave rice cooker makes it easy to do all in one piece of equipment, making rice in the microwave is just as easy. The basic principles are the same as for cooking rice on the stove, with the ideal water-to-rice ratio being about 1 ½ cups water to 1 cup of rice. Wash your rice thoroughly, add water and rice to large, microwave-safe bowl, and microwave, uncovered, for nine to 10 minutes (cooking time can vary according to the type of rice you're using, so it's best to check after nine minutes and incrementally add time as necessary).
Eggs
They say that a simple omelette is a true test of one's culinary skills. You might not be able to fool a master chef with this microwave omelette recipe, but it comes surprisingly close to the real thing.
Fish
Foods with high water content cook best in the microwave, so fish is a perfect candidate for a quick microwavable meal. For a simple, quick fish dish do the following:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Mix with 2 tablespoons white wine or vegetable stock. Place 4 white fish fillets or salmon fillets in a microwave-safe container and baste with the butter mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, herbs of your choice, or lemon slices, cover with waxed paper or microwave-safe plastic wrap, and microwave for 3 minutes. Fish is done when it just becomes opaque in the middle and starts to flake with a fork. Cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute if necessary.