Apart from the shortened cooking time, there are many other advantages to making sauces in the microwave. To begin with, many sauces can be mixed, cooked in the microwave and then served in the same dish. This reduces the risk of congealing or burning - and there are no saucepans to clean afterwards.

While different sauces require varying amounts of stirring, very few need to be stirred constantly. If you need to stir a sauce while it is cooking in the microwave, it is quite safe to open the oven and do so. Another advantage - the microwave reduces the risk of lumps forming in a sauce.

Tips for Cooking Sauces in the Microwave:

- A container with straight sides allows liquids to heat faster than one with curved sides.

- Sugar heats up very quickly in the microwave, so sweet sauces microwave faster than savory ones. Add sugar in the initial blending of the sauce.

- For milk-based sauces: Use a large, deep container as the sauce will rise to double its depth once it boils.

- For egg-based sauces: Prevent over-heating by stirring frequently during cooking. Stir from the outside into the centre. Remove sauce from the microwave just before it has thickened to the required consistency, a few minutes standing time will allow for thickening.

- For flour-based sauces: These can be successfully reheated in the microwave. Thin sauces need 2 minutes on 'High' for every 280ml (9 fl oz) and thick sauces need 3 minutes.