Whether you don’t have access to a full kitchen, have limited mobility, or just don’t feel like doing dishes, these products are a lifesaver.
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
A pasta cooker that'll let you continue to ignore the saucepan in your sink that's been "soaking" for the past week.
Promising review: "I live alone and find I use the microwave for a lot of my cooking. I use the microwave for steaming veggies, rice, and now with this simple tool pasta! The Fasta Pasta makes microwave cooking pasta for one much easier. When I want pasta, it's quick and easy, and the draining lid means a little less cleanup." —Stephanie Sullivan
Get it from Amazon or Walmart for $14.99.
A steamer that'll help you get freshly cooked rice, even in your office.
Promising review: "I've had this for seven months now, and I think it's still my favorite tool in my entire kitchen. I eat a ton of rice, and I love how easy this is to use and how easy it is to clean. I put in one cup of white rice and two cups of water, and microwave it for 15 minutes. It comes out consistent every time." —C. Stone
Get it from Amazon for $9.60.
A brownie pan capable of delivering delicious desserts in under four minutes for when you need sugar, like, this second.
Promising review: "Works great for what it is: a quick and easy way to make brownies when you can't/don't want to make them the normal way. Simply put the right amount of each ingredient into the measurer, then stir them together and cook it. The brownies aren't quite as good as 'real' ones, coming out a little drier than we usually would prefer for brownies, but it's especially great for brownie-lovers during the summer who don't want to heat up the house!" —Katherine
Get it from Amazon for $9.95 (also available for cakes).
A heatable avocado pillow stuffed with natural buckwheat grains and lavender to give you sweet dreams about your next brunch date.
Get it from Urban Outfitters for $25.
A pair of special cookers that make ramen twice as fast, because no one eating instant noodles is looking to wait a second longer than they have to to chow down.
Cook noodles in three minutes!
Promising review: "I have one at work and I love it so I ordered one for home too. Yeah, sure ramen is easy you just boil water but then that gets a pan dirty and I gotta wait on the stove, and honestly I’m lazy and want to save dishes. This takes three minutes for perfect 25 cent ramen. This thing is amazing." —Josephine
Get two from Amazon for $12.99 or one from Walmart for $3.97.
An oversized egg you can fill with smaller eggs and pop in the microwave for soft or hard boiled eggs. What came first the cooked egg or the giant plastic egg?
Promising review: "I was skeptical this could work, but the reviews convinced me. First time I tried, it worked perfectly. Four eggs were hard-boiled just right. It's much safer than putting eggs in a pan, turning on the stove, then having to remember to turn the heat off at a set time. It's way too easy to forget you are boiling eggs. I also have cats who like to get up on the kitchen counter and I'm concerned about having an open flame and boiling hot water. I put in the right amount of water, eggs, set the microwave timer, wait until the microwave timer beeps. What could be simpler and safer?" —Harlan Aliment
Get it from Amazon for $7.85.
A microwave crisper that's famous on TV for showing everyone that zapped food doesn't have to be soggy.
It keeps food nice and crispy so you can get a satisfying crunch in leftover pizza crust.
Get it from Amazon for $44.99 or Walmart for $39.88.
A potato bag so you can bake your spuds even when your conventional oven is a dud.
Promising review: "I used mid-sized baker's potatoes, and as I might have expected, the first one flubbed. The strength of the microwave matters a lot. Test the potato after the four-minute cycle with a probe and make sure the insides are tender, and if not, continue with one-minute increments (as per the instructions) until they are. That said, I got an awesome baked potato after six minutes. Well worth the purchase." —Doug
Get it from Amazon for $7.99 or two from Walmart for $9.98.
A collapsible popcorn popper that offers a healthier alternative to the microwavable bags you grew up with.
Now you can add exactly what you want on your popcorn and none of the bad stuff. It's dishwasher safe and BPA free.
Promising review: "We love popcorn in this house, and generally pop a giant bowlful at a time from an air popper for a movie night (seven family members). This silicone popper makes it MUCH more practical to pop just a serving or two without buying the nasty yellow waxy bagged microwave popcorn. The quality of popcorn is just as great as we've always been accustomed to, and the amount of unpopped (waste) corn is similar to bagged microwave popcorn — in other words, minimal." —HRA
Get it from Amazon for $15.90 (available in 12 colors).
A microwave-safe bowl you can take out immediately with your bare hands without scorching yourself.
Promising review: "My hubby loves his microwave meals HOT. Grits, soups, etc. Burns happened a lot. I got him this bowl when one of the ceramic ones broke. He loves it! Grab it right out of the microwave. No burns. Nothing to balance and hold in a special way to get it from microwave to table. Best of all, the cooking time is cut in half and his food is still hot enough to burn your mouth every time." —nmap
Get it from Amazon for $10.64.
A heatable owl friend to keep you warm on lonely nights when your cat refuses to cuddle.
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
A corn cob steamer for zapping corn in just five minutes. How amaizeing is that?
It cooks two at a time.
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
A splatter guard to keep your microwave safe from your latest midnight snack innovation.
The lid has steam vents and magnets so you can stick it to the roof of your microwave. The lid is dishwasher-safe and BPA-free.
Promising review: "I am constantly warming things up in the microwave. I never can eat a hot meal while the kids are awake, so I reheat. I'm okay with that. It's part of being a mom. What I do hate is when I go to put the last piece of cheese pizza or lasagna in the microwave and I warm it up only to find that my paper towel stole all my cheese! You can either scrape it off or toss it. Most times the garbage wins. Once I read about the Hover Cover I knew I had to try it instantly! It does an amazing job of warming up my food. A lot of the times I'd have to warm up my frozen lasagna over six minutes. With this cover and the steam it traps, it's down to at least under four minutes. This really helps when you have a screaming toddler who wants her food now." —J & J
Get it from Amazon for $14.88.
Or a collapsible cover that will take up practically no space in your already crowded kitchen.
It's heat resistant up to 600 degrees and large enough (just under 10 inches, according to reviewers) to cover medium-sized plates.
Promising review: "I did a lot of research, an embarrassing amount of time invested, before buying this microwave cover. It's perfect. The size works for everything we microwave. We don't fold and unfold this thing. If we did, I doubt it would last that long. We just leave it fully open all the time so as not to wear the folding joints. This cover has lots of thin holes to let out steam, and that keeps it from shooting out of place under pressure. This is actually an excellent microwave cover." —Greeny
Price: $7.99
A colorful pouch for people who prefer their tortillas and pitas warm instead of crispy.
Pop in your carbs and nuke it for 45 seconds.
Get it from Sur La Table for $8.
And if some splatter gets on your walls anyway, a steaming angry mama will clean it right up.
Fill it with water and vinegar, and microwave for 5-7 minutes. The steam will loosen up all the caked on grime so you can wipe it right off.
Promising review: "Beats the old bowl of vinegar in the microwave! It does a great job and I love how the arms stay cool for easy removal. I think she is so cute! She resides on top of my microwave." —Chatty Pants
Get it from Amazon for $3.31.
Informative mugs covered in a variety of recipes you can make with just your mug, a microwave, and low culinary standards.
Make things like quiche, French toast, loaded potatoes, chilaquiles, cookies, and pizza. Each mug is dedicated to a different meal of the day.
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $13.61.
A popcorn making kit for popping corn right on the cob. Your next movie party is going to be poppin'!
It includes 10 cobs and 10 bags.
Get it from Uncommon Goods for $16.
And a microwavable neck wrap to ease your aching shoulders after hoisting up the new microwave you got to accommodate all your cool stuff.
Promising review: "I have a rare autoimmune disorder that causes pain in my pelvis and joints, plus female problems, a bad knee, and just had shoulder surgery. I have tried numerous heating pads, ice packs etc. This one is perfect to velcro on my knee or shoulder and it stays in place. It conforms to my neck for migraines and is a perfect shape for my pelvis. It stays hotter longer than cold, but I love the heat when I need that. I highly recommend it! Be careful of your microwave because I accidentally burned my belly getting it too hot the first time. Check it and rotate it every 30 seconds works best for even heat." —Sandra Sherwood
Get it from Amazon or Jet for $13.99.
Microwaveable meals go way beyond Hot Pockets.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
20th Century Fox
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