7 Surprising Things You Can Make In The Microwave

Microwaves are now used for far more than reheating last night's dinner — they have become a new method of cooking. And we're not talking about "nuking" a frozen dinner entrée. The recipes that we have compiled take real ingredients and transform them into meals and desserts with the simple push of a button. It seems like something straight out of The Jetsons, but cooking in the microwave is a simple and delicious way to get dinner on the table in a snap.

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Although the temperature inside a microwave oven doesn't rise as high as it does in a conventional oven, it still manages to cook a variety of foods (and you won't believe some of the foods on our list). Weeknight meals, breakfasts, and even desserts just got a whole lot easier when cooked in the microwave. From frittatas and English muffins to meatball stew and pineapple upside-down cake, the recipes that you can make in a microwave are surprising and endless.

Food that is cooked in a microwave is heated quickly and efficiently, and the key to cooking in the microwave is to choose smaller items that can be cooked uniformly instead of large, dense ingredients. Microwave cooking is often looked down upon in professional kitchens because it doesn't produce the caramelized browning that most chefs try to achieve. However, for weeknight meals made in half the time, we think these recipes are delicious and satisfying.

So next time you are looking for a quick dinner, try some of these recipes and have a meal on the table in the amount of time it would take to pop a bag of popcorn.   

Emily Jacobs is the Recipe editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @EmilyRecipes.