Aside from Double-Doubles and vanilla shakes from the drive-thru, God’s greatest gift to cooks is the microwave. This culinary anomaly can make ramen in seconds, nuke an entire turkey in minutes and host a Peeps battle like none other seen before. Best of all, virtually anything can be made with a microwave. I know what you’re thinking: “What’s a cook doing promoting the usage of microwaves?” Despite claims that dispute the nutritional stability of heating food in the microwave, few kitchen appliances can match its general cooking speed and ease of use. Ovens are great, but they can take up to 10 minutes to preheat. Electric toaster ovens have a similar problem, and are typically relegated to toasting bagels and heating frozen fishsticks. Microwaves, on the other hand, are something that you can set-and-forget, much like a crockpot. This week, take a look at some microwave life-hacks, microwavable meals and cooking tips for the novice microwave chef.

Microwave cooking tip #1:

Microwave cookery is unique in that food is cooked from the inside-out, which some may consider one of its pitfalls. When reheating large plates of food with multiple items, it is not uncommon for the center of the dish to be molten-lava-hot and the sides of the dish to be ice-cold. To avoid uneven reheating of leftovers, such as a bowl of pasta, make a hole in the center of the dish, exposing the bottom of the cooking vessel. The heat will distribute more evenly, helping to ensure that all food items cook at a similar rate.