Category: Daily Living
From the guardian we get
this article."
You use your microwave to cook? How passé . . .
Thursday January 25, 2007
The Guardian
Environmental engineers at the University of Florida report in a new study that zapping damp sponges and dishcloths for two minutes on full power in a microwave
kills more than 99% of harmful bacteria. We asked the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute to come up with 10 further novel uses for your oven.
1 Get more juice out of lemons and limes, by softening them on high for 15-20 seconds.
2 Sterilise garden soil to make it fit to plant seedlings. Spread 400g soil on a flat dish and heat on high for 90 seconds or until steaming.
3 Get extra life out of a dried-up mascara stick by heating for 30-40 seconds on high - with a cup of water in the microwave beside it for safety's sake.
4 Dye up to 225g of material. Wearing rubber gloves, stir a packet of Dylon natural fabric dye with 200ml cold water in a bowl, add 400ml more water and
immerse the fabric. Put the bowl inside a plastic bag in the microwave on high for four minutes. Remove, tip away the dye, and rinse the fabric in cold
water. Wash in hot water, then dry away from direct heat or sunlight.
5 Dry herbs, on high for around 40 seconds. Wash them first and spread them on kitchen paper, with more kitchen paper on top.
6 Melt wax for removing leg hair, on 80% power for 10 seconds, assuming it's a full pot. Beware: it doesn't need to boil!
7 Zap fresh breadcrumbs to make them dry enough to coat food for deep-fat frying.
8 Warm plates - though not if they've got metal edges or decoration. Sprinkle each one with water and pile them up. Heat on high for around 30 seconds.
9 Sterilise jars for jam-making. Put up to six in the oven with about an inch of water in each. Heat for 1½ to 2 minutes, until the water comes to the boil.
With oven gloves, remove from microwave, tip out the water and they're ready.
10 Make jelly faster than normal, by putting jelly cubes in a bowl or mould with four tablespoons of water on high for 60 seconds. Stir, then add the rest
of the water, cold.
Bob
Interesting tips. Thanks.
heard on a commercial where you can get a micro grill for cooking just about anything
I wanna learn how to cook stuff from scratch using the microwave. Think I've posted on this before but if anyone has any new ideas of where I could learn this stuff, do let me know!
Cheers all!
That's really interesting. I've heard the one about the sponge, but never tried it myself. I'll have to give the one about the gardening soil to my mom. She might think it sounds strange, but I think she might try it.
I've actually done the lemon one, and it's great until you cross that fine line between softened and a juicy mess. In either case, can you say...towels, anyone?
Lol Jim! Well, but soil in your microwave? Hmmm... Not sure my parents would appreciate that one!
But, one question. Wouldn't the microwave zap out all the nutrients in stuff as in the case of vegetables?