When microwave ovens were first introduced on the commercial market I remember one of the advantages being touted for using them was this. The food gets hot but the oven stays cool. That was a big selling point for homes in the south where hot kitchens are no place to be during the summer.

Staff Photo
Staff Photo
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However, the one thing that slogan left out was this. The oven stayed cold but the plate, bowl, or cup will be hot enough to melt the skin off your fingertips. I think we have all experienced one of those flesh-melting moments at some time or another when we went to retrieve our coffee or bowl of gumbo out of the microwave.

Did you know there is an unpublished hack for dealing with hot plates, bowls, and cups? I say unpublished because microwave manufacturers don't usually mention this aspect of their oven operation in their owner's manual.

Staff Photo/TSM
Staff Photo/TSM
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What usually happens when we "burn" our fingers retrieving food from the microwave is this, we have to reach too far inside the oven to get a good grip or grab a handle. The reason is that the rotating turntable of the microwave has spun in such a way that the food is now further to the back making it harder to reach.

If only there was a solution. Fortunately, there is.

Justin Meyers wrote about that "solution" on the website Gadget Hacks. Justin observed that the rotating turntable on almost every American microwave oven rotated one full turn every ten seconds.

Microwave Popcorn
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
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He deduced that by placing his coffee cup on the front edge of the turntable with the handle facing out and then setting the cooking time to an amount that ends in "0" his cup would be waiting for him at the front edge of the oven with the handle out and full of piping hot coffee.

You can do the same with any dish, actually.

Justin in his article went on to say that you can set items in the back of the oven and have them finish at the front by simply setting the cooking time to end in "5". It all makes sense.

Erikc Mclean via Unsplash.com
Erikc Mclean via Unsplash.com
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Even if you place your mug in the center of the turntable you can adjust which way the handle is facing to work with this "0" or "5" solution. By the way, the center of the microwave is the worst place to heat a beverage and it certainly isn't the best place to put food that you want evenly cooked, I just learned that today too.

I have to admit, I was today years old when I finally found this out and I plan on saving my skin, on my fingertips at least, by following this hack anytime I need to nuke anything longer than a few seconds.

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