i use mine to dye fibers (that i use for yarn or needlefelting): http://www.flickr.com/photos/nik/4538169971

i almost never cook with mine!

eew spam.
Thank you for this post! My boyfriend suggested getting rid of our microwave. I said no way man!
I also disinfect my dish sponge in the microwave.
I never knew you could bring chrystalized honey back to life!
And getting that last bit of mascara... Genius.

I've lived without a microwave for years. I've just never had the need for one. But the dry your own herbs, may be worth looking into one!

I could never live without my microwave. I use it for a lot of these ideas and for ramen too! But coming home after a long day and heating up leftovers quickly is just the best. And I don't have to dirty a pan and a plate like I would by heating it on the stove because I usually just eat it right out of the tupperware. Pure class. :-)

I've had my microwave on the top shelf in the closet since last August....waiting to see if I missed it! (I haven't.) I'll see if any of these tips make me use it. If not, then I know for sure it can go! ;)

I have been without a microwave for over 4 years and I don't miss it one bit.

You can also use the microwave to get residual wax out of candle holders (so long as said candle holders are not metal...). Just put the candle holder upside down on a paper towel and nuke the candle holder for a couple of minutes on about med-high power. The wax will warm up and drip down onto the paper towel or rag. Whatever wax might remain will be liquified and can easily be wiped out. Just be sure to have another paper towel or rag on hand to give you something with which to hold the candle holder, as it will probably be quite hot.

reheating bacon! sometimes I'll cook a batch and keep it in a fridge and take out a piece or two as I need it. 40 seconds in the microwave and it's perfectly crisp again.

however, once when I microwaved a slightly stinky sponge, the stink gained power and the microwave reeked for a week.

Wow - "Sterilise garden soil to make it fit to plant seedlings"???

Since when does soil need to be sterile? Soil is SUPPOSED to have bacteria and decomposing plant matter - it is a natural part of the ecosystem!

microwaving brown sugar in its plastic bag?
really?
plastic leaches when its heated especially soft plastic not meant for microwaving like that of food packaging

Using the microwave to disinfect sponges sounds really useful!

I went through a phase of watching Youtube videos of people purposefully blowing object up in their microwaves or blowing up the microwaves themselves. Really, look it up, it's super entertaining.

@JPK, sterile soil mixes or sterile potting mediums are best for starting seeds indoors.

It's important that indoor seed-starting mediums are free of weed seeds, pests, and pathogens. You don't seem to be familiar with the idea of seed-starting to get a jump on the growing season but you need a controlled environment and many of the things present in un-sterilized soil interfere greatly with the success of getting seeds to sprout and survive. Things like fungi (one fungus causes the dreaded damping-off disease) can kill entire flats of seedlings.

It's a different story outside, which is probably what you're thinking about.

Isn't scrambling eggs already super fast and easy? Just saying.

@Trish1980

You can also put the candle holder into the freezer overnight, especially if you have tea lights and all the wax is melted over the bottom of the holder. In the morning, just push on the wax and it will come out in one solidified chunk.

wtf is a mascara stick?

Sterilizing soil to start indoor seeds is a great idea, I've used soil from outside only to find my containers chock full of seedlings I did not plant (weeds, etc.). If the idea of sterilizing the soil sounds too utilitarian for your garden, you can also grab your container and water it down for a few days without planting anything in it. All those little residual seeds will sprout and you can pluck them, eventually leaving weed free but not sterile soil.

useful advise, but...

i'm not so sure about microwaving plates to make them warm...since the microwave works by heating water molecules, it may compromise the long-term durability of the plates.

ditto for the honey - there are natural properties within the honey that are diminished by heat. beekeepers advise against it.

Microwaves DESTROY your food. The country that invented the microwave, no longer uses it. Get the facts:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6463.cfm

DESTROY YOUR MICROWAVE.

Amanita, where to start? That article is completely full of lies. The Microwave oven was first invented in 1945, or at least, it was first patented then while early marketing happened in the 50s. As for radiation, that alarmist article should question sun-dried tomatoes and even other heated foods (toasters use radiated heat and most people actually use the radiant bake setting on their ovens). Considering the source, I don't think I'd believe a word of the article anyway (look up some real studies comparing nutritive values of organic and non-organic foods, they show no difference). No sources are cited, either in the article or at the end and it shows an extreme ignorance of nutrition. Your description is flawed too. The invention of the microwave oven happened in the United States.
By the way, a simple explanation for how microwaves heat is that they make the molecules rotate back and forth. Causing friction. The reason professionals don't use microwaves? They don't get hot enough.
Save your microwave. It defrosts, it reheats, it cooks fast when you don't need browning and it boils a mean cup of water.

Thank you Anonymoose for being a sensible voice of reason after that. As for Amanita, "Get the facts"? Hilarious!

We've been w/o a microwave for 4 years and do not miss it at all. We eat better, take our time preparing good food, and LOVE our popcorn on the stovetop! Our rental house came with one so we've been using it to disinfect sponges but I wouldn't use it for anything that I'm going to eat! Yuck. I happen to believe they are unhealthy (take it or leave it), but I also think things taste gross when they come out of it. I had the WORST cup of tea (could NOT swallow it) made from microwaved water. LOVE all the other tips though!

Also great for making polenta that does not need to be stirred and watched constantly, cooking real oatmeal quickly, as well as terrific risotto.

Check out Barbara Kafka's Microwave Gourmet cookbooks.

I would also like to add that if you put garlic cloves in the oven while the skin is on for about 10-20 seconds the skins slip right off.

My college roommate tried the sponge sterilizing trick and accidentally set it on fire. Our kitchen smelled like burnt plastic for days...

Good Heavens !!! I do a great deal of this and more !!!
I make 'HOTEL TURKEY BREAST' in mine ! I use a large, deep oval pyrex casserole for it. I buy the biggest breast I can find when on sale, clean it like you would ordinarily do...
No stuffing inside- (I use the top of stove type.)
I give a 'buttah' massage, and sprinkle with pepper and a little paprika.
Set the cook time for 70 minutes on high. Take it out, cover with foil for 20 minutes.
You won't believe it !!! I SWEAR !!! I have had all my friends observe and taste this, and they can't believe it either !!!
Takes longer to make mashed potatoes !!!
Plenty of juice for gravy if you choose, but I just use a jar.
By the way-- IT DOES BROWN AND CRISP !!!
I will never do a whole turkey in my regular oven again !!!
Write to me if you have questions.....
bigmommajozy@Yahoo.com.

I think that microwaves are highly underutilized for cooking.
The trick is in using it to prep and not to finish; most people overcook the food when used as the sole appliance.

Forget the scrambled eggs--you can make perfect poached eggs by starting the eggs in a cup with a tsp. of water, pierce the yoke and heat 30-45 seconds (depending on the power of the microwave). This will set the egg just enough that it doesn't fall apart when placed in the boiling water of a saute pan.

I also partially cook potatoes, squash, mushrooms and a plethora of other foods before finishing the baking in the oven or on the stove.

The microwave cuts the cooking time and uses less energy. It also doesn't heat up my kitchen and force my AC to work as hard to compensate for the heat of conventional cooking.

Microwaves are awesome. We use ours to reheat our leftovers and to make popcorn.

i was told about mircrowaving food in plastic containers. well the entire inside of the microwave is plastic??? am i wrong? we still use our microwave although i am in love with my toaster oven.

The microwave was invented by GE and was originally called a "Radar range". It was an offshoot of that company's work with radar in the WWII. The story goes that an employee was walking by a radar installation and noticed that a candy in his pocket melted when he walked by.
It works by "exciting" molecules of liquid thereby heating them. Vegetables cooked this way lose none of their nutritional value and use less power than any other form of cooking.

Try putting a head of cauliflower in a bowl with a teaspoon of water then covering the bowl. Perfection. It can be a very useful tool if people would only "read the manual" (sound familiar?)

Microwaves are especially useful for melting wax to use to shape and groom one's eyebrows.

My microwave is really useful. It also uses less power than the oven for small jobs, like re-warming leftovers. Perfect for melting butter or chocolate when baking, and the only acceptable option for re-warming coffee. And, after a lobster dinner, dampen a stack of washcloths, and have warm finger towels.

I tuck my sponges in the dishwasher; the bleach does a great job.

Ajsimone26, great idea for garlic!

Never ever ever EVER use your microwave to cook food. It changes the electro-chemical nutritional signature of the food (which mainstream studies telling you that the nutrient values are no different do NOT measure). The human body recognizes this altered signature as a TOXIN, not as FOOD. For a balanced analysis of microwave foods from a medical doctor who actually understands health, go to www.mercola.com and search for articles on microwaves.

http://www.crankinwellness.com/

Another idea for the summertime: take a washcloth and wet it down completely; put it into your microwave for about 30 seconds on high (your mileage may vary depending upon the wattage of your unit); and press it onto your face. When you remove the cloth, you will feel refreshed, even on the hottest day - for a bit anyway. Also a great way to remove the trail dust after a day out.

I would avoid the "mercola" website. They are not using evidence-based information or peer-reviewed studies for their claims.

it is my understanding that microwaving preserves nutrients in food because it allows you to cook the food so quickly and without a lot of water/fat. I use my microwave all the time to reheat food and have found it indispensible for steaming veggies and fruit to make baby food. Before anyone freaks out, I use glass containers, ok?

I'd love to know how johnmbradley partially cooks mushrooms in the microwave - that sounds like a great shortcut.

I do not advise at all on the mascara trick. If it is old enough to be dried up, then it is old enough that the batericide in it is also used up. Heating up mascara seems like a recipe for disaster.

No one has mentioned what happens to MARSHMELLOWS that as put in a microwave. Their internal water turns to steam and they grow to 3 times their size. It is a great way of making smores if you dont like the burnt crust. 10 seconds only, dont overcook or it will get hard. And the softened marshmellow is unbeatable as a glue when you are building things like gingerbread houses or anything else edible that needs to get stuck together. If you cook it for 20-30 seconds, it will cool to be rock hard but is very easy to work with when warm.

Ditto to johnmbradley... :)

Microwaves are great for steamed fish. Cover and cook on high for one or two minutes, depending on size of your fish. Drizzle with good olive oil, some lemon and season. Delicious

I used the timer on it most of all. The clock is also very handy. I actually use the microwave to melt butter once in awhile and thaw out ground meat about once a month. I have a small kitchen here and could have done without one.

Microwaves are also great for drying underwear and pantyhose in an emergency - just make sure there are no metal bits

Seems like responses on here vary from "I shove everything in the microwave! I can sterilize my cat, clean my socks, and cook a 6 course meal in the microwave in under 20 minutes!" to "Microwaves= death! It's changing your food to poison and releasing toxic gases on your babies!"

I have mine and can honestly say the only use it gets is reheating pizza, heating a cup of water quick or defrosting meat. They actually suck a ton of electricity so tips like dehydrating herbs and making chips and things never felt practical to me.

I use mine to generate fireworks. Those metal candle holders or even a piece of aluminum foil works great! Guaranteed to liven up a party.

all i know is that in science class we did a project to test microwaved water where we had 21 basil plants indoors, and all got watered the same amount at same time of day at same temperature, but 1/3 the plants got water from the tap left to become room temp before watering, 1/3 got tap water boiled stovetop for 2 minutes before being left to cool to room temp, and the other 1/3 got tap water that was nuked for 2 minutes before being left to cool to room temp. in 2 weeks, the nuked watered ones withered significantly while the other 2/3 had no remarkable change. maybe this is related to why microwaved water tastes different (worse IMO) than stovetop or insta-hot?

12345jj, the science project is interesting but it does not draw any conclusions. Perhaps the microwave killed bacteria in the water that was essential for the plant growth, not necessarily something that was essential for cooking. This is something that does need to be examined but I want conclusive research by experts. :) Meanwhile, I am enjoying the microwave suggestions.

How many of you who oppose using microwave ovens live in a hot, Southwest US desert city?

I use my m/w oven to melt butter, etc., re-heat leftovers (homemade or restaurant), heat tamales, thaw frozen veggies a little before throwing them in a casserole, melt cheese on my easy nachos. It adds little heat to my house, if any. My hallway thermostat read 81 degrees the first days of November (doors/windows open). I do not like having air conditioner on forever & do not need extra heat from ceramic cooktop or the big oven. Making house hotter and using more energy isn't an improvement over the microwave. P.S. I use quick heating electric kettle for water. Learned that in England where energy is even pricier.

I haven't used a microwave in years. If I could find something compact enough to fit a space 12" deep, I might reconsider!

My favorite use of the microwave is restoring freshness to french bread: about 20 seconds and it's transformed from hard and dry to soft and moist, crust intact!

My mom always made scrambled eggs in the microwave when I was a kid! If you do it right (60 seconds at a time), they are the lightest fluffiest eggs ever.

I also make popcorn in the microwave. Half a cup of kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, fold it up, 3.5 minutes, perfecto

I was at a friends house and had horrible cramps. She dampened a towel and put it in the microwave. It was the best heating pad I've ever used. I still can't quite bring myself to try it at home though.

I just like to keep it simple, boiling H2O for tea, has to be the best reason why I own a microwave.

I don't have an oven but I do have a combination microwave/oven. My most versatile appliance in the entire kitchen.