From taking the ‘sting’ out of onions to fixing stale bread: The seven handy microwave tricks you never knew existed

• Cooks on YouTube have shared their nifty tricks to make cooking a breeze 
• They have all used a microwave to help them with menial tasks in the kitchen 
• Their tips include taking the sting out of onions loosening brown sugar

While the microwave is often used for re-heating, steaming and defrosting, there are several other ways you can use the appliance that can make your life a little easier. 

And now several home cooks have listed the microwave tricks they find the most useful and shared the tips on YouTube.

From taking the dreaded ‘sting’ out of onions to helping dough rise, these are some of the most interesting – and surprising – uses.  

Several home cooks have listed the microwave tricks they find the most useful and shared the tips on YouTube. 

Fix stale bread – 20 second zap

Bread is a staple in most households but if it hasn’t been stored properly the loaf can go stale very quickly – especially in the colder months. 

To revive it you simply need to pop the loaf in a moist paper towel then put in the microwave.

It only needs 20 seconds to come out as good as new.  

Take the sting out of onions – 30 second zap 

The task of chopping onions brings with it inevitable eye weeping – but this doesn’t have to be the case.

Luckily there is an easy way to stop this from happening and all you have to do is cut the ends of the onions and microwave them for 30 seconds.

Finally you will be able to cut them up without shedding a single tear. 

To take the sting out of onions all you have to do is cut the ends off and microwave them for 30 seconds

Get extra juice from a lemon – 10 second zap

We often waste lemons and limes by not squeezing out all of the juice but microwaves are an easy way to fix this.

When you zap them for 10 seconds the heat excites the water molecules, making the flesh softer and weaker which makes the lemon easier to squeeze.

It also makes the membranes holding the juice easier to burst so that you’ll get more juice out of it.  

Make garlic easy to peel – 15 second zap

Not many people enjoy peeling garlic as it can be both time consuming and tedious.

But if you put the whole head in the microwave and put it on high it will make the job a lot easier as doing this makes the individual cloves pop out of the skin.

Make sure the garlic is feeling a bit soft as this makes the bulbs easier to peel.  

To make garlic easier to peel you need to put the head in the microwave and zap for 15 seconds

Toast nuts – 60 second zap 

To toast nuts all they need is a plash of oil and 60 second increments in the microwave until they’re done to your liking.

If you want to make things even more exciting you can also add a dash of chili powder, cumin powder and salt before heating.

To toast nuts all they need is a plash of oil and 60 second increments in the microwave until they’re done to your liking

Help dough rise – 30 minutes

Waiting for dough to rise before you bake it can be a long process but you can actually speed this up by zapping it in low heat for three minutes

All you have to do is fill a glass with one cup, place it in the microwave and heat it for two minutes.

Then place the dough alongside it and shut the door. The glass of water and the heat from the microwave will create a warm, moist environment that will help the dough rise faster.

Leave it for 30 minutes and make sure you don’t turn on the microwave.  

Loosen  brown sugar – 20 second zap

When wanting to bake a cake there is nothing worse then dealing with a bag of brown sugar that has solidified. 

To loosen it up you need to put the hard brown sugar in a bowl and place a wet paper towel on top and microwave it for 20 seconds.

As soon as it’s done take out a spoon and give it a stir.

To loosen brown sugar you need to put it in a bowl and place a wet paper towel on top and microwave it for 20 seconds

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