From the garage-sale second hands to the elite appliances sold in exclusive stores, you can expect to find a microwave in every work breakroom around the globe.
A simple yet functional machine, microwaves allow you and the rest of your associates to heat up breakfasts, lunches, and snacks quickly on the job. However, as with anything work related, using the microwave implies that you choose to abide by unspoken rules involving etiquette and decency. Beyond the matter of professionalism, with many people using this single appliance day in and day out, things can quickly get grimy!
Let’s be real, reheating leftovers at work isn’t all too thrilling, but if you are among those who chooses to bring their meals to work, you just want to heat your food without seeing something that makes you lose your appetite. In our MCDA CCG, INC., office, we share one microwave, so you can imagine that our team takes this etiquette seriously.
Don’t Commit These Microwave Crimes
Control the Microwave
Unless you work alone in your office, reheating your food should take 1-3 minutes, TOPS. Forget bringing your frozen meals that require 10 minutes of cooking time and make it for dinner instead. Understand that the line forming behind you loses patience by the second, and you don’t want to be the reason that someone misses out on enjoying their lunch due to your selfishness. If your office is smaller and lunch time preferences generally vary, you may be able to get away with your longer to heat meals-but always check with your colleagues first!
Bring Smelly Foods
Unless you prefer to eat your seafood cold and straight from the fridge, do not bring it to work! The same goes broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts; while eating healthy is important, it’s not worth it when you begin disrupting everyone else in the workplace. Smells like these are known to linger despite the strength of your air freshening efforts. You can only get away with this if your office comes with an efficient and out-of-this-world air purifier system .
Keep Your Food Uncovered
Tomato soup? Oatmeal? Spaghetti? Whatever it is, always cover your container. We’ve all been there, left our food in the microwave for a little too long only to open the door and find splatter all over the walls and roof. Your office doesn’t have to have a splatter guard, you can use a paper towel, a plate, or a lid left ajar on top to minimize the risks of explosion.
Leave Time On The Clock
Was your food done with 10 seconds to spare? Hit the cancel button and clear the timer before your walk away!. And if you for some reason put the microwave on “low power mode,” turn it back up to high when you’re done. That’ll help others from obeying rule
Touch Someone Else’s Food
No matter how desperate you are to heat your food, never, ever, touch someone else’s food to take it out of the microwave. You are only exempt from this rule if the person has made a scene, quit, and left the building in the amount of time they put their food in the microwave.
Now that we’ve discussed unacceptable work microwave behaviors, here are a few hacks to making the most of out of this appliance.
Heat your food more evenly: Instead of placing your food in the center of the microwave carousel (we all do it) set your plate, bowl, mug, or microwave-safe container on the edge of the spinning carousel to avoid the dreaded situations of uneven heat.
Minimize crumbs: Granola bars are a fantastic snack to bring to work, but no one likes cleaning the crumbs that fall all over your desk. To avoid this, microwave your granola bars for a few seconds before eating!
Avoid the soggy muffin: Many of us can agree that baked goods taste best warmed, but don’t love the soggy effect that comes from microwaving them. To absorb the excess moisture, wrap your muffins, cake, and cookies in a paper towel!
Use a cup of water: Speaking of food related moisture, placing a small cup of water in the microwave with your food will also prevent moisture loss from foods you may not be able to wrap in a paper towel.
Re-crisp your chips: For the chips that have lost their crunch factor, place them on a paper towel and put them in the microwave. Because of the varying power of microwaves, it’s best to do this in 10-second increments to achieve your desired results.
There we have it! Comment your favorite microwave hack below!