Microwave Cooking Hacks That Will Make Weekday Meals So Much Quicker

The microwave gets a bad rap. If what comes to mind are visions of reheating sad frozen dinners, burning bags of popcorn and that never-clean crusty office microwave your coworker just warmed up his fish lunch in, you’re not alone.  In the age of trendy toasts, artisanal everything, shiny copper cookware and the Instant Pot, the microwave has lost its standing in the kitchen.

But, the microwave is not the enemy. For one thing, it’s a practical and incredibly useful appliance. Yes, it’s great for softening butter in a pinch or zapping a frozen burrito for a quick lunch, but it can also be leveraged as your sous chef. That’s right, the microwave is your ally in the kitchen, and it’s here to help you conquer mealtime. The microwave has plenty of tricks up its sleeve that will make routine cooking tasks like steaming vegetables and peeling garlic totally fuss-free.

We rounded up eight clever microwave hacks that will simplify your dinner prep and make your life a whole lot easier.