We love our microwave ovens, and we are not afraid to shout it from the rooftops! You would be this excited too if you knew what we knew, you know? There are plenty of obvious and not-so-obvious ways you can use a microwave oven in your everyday life. Today I will be sharing a whole host of relatively unknown ways you can take advantage of a Sharp microwave oven. Spoiler alert, some of the microwave oven uses don’t even involve cooking. . .
The Most Common Microwave Oven Uses
Reheating leftovers is where our minds like to leap to when we think about ways to make use of our microwave ovens. It’s what we have been conditioned to expect from this underappreciated appliance. But did you know that there are also microwaves that are specifically tuned to achieve optimal popping results from the leader in microwave popcorn, Orville Redenbacher’s®? The Sharp 1.1 cu. ft. 1000W Stainless Steel Carousel Countertop Microwave Oven makes the perfect bag of popcorn with both the Classic Size (3.3 oz) or Single Serve Mini Bag (1.16 oz) of Orville Redenbacher’s® Microwave Popcorn.
You can also task your microwave oven to cook frozen vegetables, which is a nifty trick if you haven’t already tried it! Surprisingly, these uses barley begin to scrape the surface of what your microwave oven can do for you.
The Less Common Microwave Oven Uses
Did you know that the best way to quickly defrost frozen food is by popping it in your microwave oven for a few minutes? This has saved my sanity on several occasions. Too many times, I’ve forgotten to take food out of the freezer the morning before I plan on cooking dinner, leaving me with just one option in the evening.
A few other ways you may be missing out on optimizing your microwave oven are:
- To melt or soften butter.
- For toasting & crisping nuts.
- To cook foods aside from vegetables such as meat, potatoes, and fish.
The Relatively Unknown Microwave Oven Uses
Some of the world’s most adventurous kitchen innovators have discovered, through relentless trial and error, a few scarcely recognized reasons to use a microwave oven. 
The most relevant to me thus far has been to help squeeze the last few drops of liquid out of plastic bottles. Whether it be stubborn squirts of chocolate syrup that you want to dump on top of your bowl of ice cream or evasive trickles of ketchup waiting to introduce themselves to your plate of french fries; 10 seconds in a microwave oven is sure to get the job done.
Cleaning is never nearly as fun as cooking, but reality dictates that one cannot exist without the other. That being said, I am always on the lookout for ways to improve my cleanup process. You could imagine my excitement upon discovering that my microwave oven could do precisely this! All you need to do is fill a ceramic bowl with water and place dirty Tupperware, cutting boards, spatulas or any other kitchen utility inside. After that, stick the bowl into your microwave oven for just a few minutes. You will realize that any reluctant residue or grime will be gone from your kitchen utility. Wipe dry, and the work is done.
Exciting Exploration
After learning about the available options, will you still settle for a simple, standard understanding of what microwave ovens are capable of? Doubtful. Not after hearing how much you can do with just one standard appliance. It is always amazing to discover new, creative ways to capitalize on existing appliances and ideas. The hope is that new dimensions of our personalities evolve out of these expeditions into the unknown. As always, we sincerely hope that you can take what you’ve read here and apply it to your daily lives.
