The Breakfast You Never Knew You Could Cook In A Microwave

From delectable breakfast burritos to savory orange chicken, the microwave is beloved for making meal time easy thanks to its ability to reheat countless pre-made frozen foods — but have you ever thought about cooking an entire recipe from scratch with one? According to The Washington Post, companies selling microwaves intended you to do just that — and even created cookbooks instructing customers on how to make basic meals with the convenient appliances. It wasn't until consumers took matters into their own hands that microwave recipes started becoming more involved. In the 80s, cookbooks like "Microwave Cooking for One" and "Light and Healthy Microwave Cooking" hit the market. 

While, as the Washington Post notes, the recipes in these cookbooks were largely experimental, they changed the way the public approached cooking with their microwaves and helped usher in today's microwave cooking ubiquity. Now, you can find everything from fast recipes for desserts like mug cakes to instructions on how to make risotto in a microwave. And there's one effortless breakfast in particular that you probably never thought could be made with nothing but your wits, a recipe, and a microwave.

French toast has been a beacon of sweet breakfast joy since the days of ancient Rome (per Smithsonian Magazine), but it's possible to swap your frying pan for the microwave and still revel in an approximation of this classically rich and eggy dish. Luckily, there is no difference in the ingredients you need to create traditional or microwavable french toast. However, there are two notable distinctions between the original and microwavable methods.

French toast you prepare in the microwave will generally be made in a mug and, instead of using traditional bread slices as the base, you will need to cut your desired bread into small pieces to fit into your microwave-safe cup (via Pretty Prudent). The Lazy Dish advises using "hearty bread such as sourdough" for your microwavable french toast to prevent your meal from becoming overly spongy or mushy. According to Budget Bytes' recipe, the first step to creating an out-of-this-world microwavable french toast is to warm your butter in the microwave. After your butter liquifies, you'll want to add the remainder of your ingredients immediately. 

Once you have combined all of the components and allowed your bread to soak in its custard mixture, Budget Bytes recommends microwaving your french toast for 60 to 80 seconds or until it's firm to the touch. After your microwavable french toast sets, load it with fruits or sprinkle on some powdered sugar and dive into your breezy-to-make breakfast.