Originally Posted by tomwed

Besides the usual ways I found a couple of shortcuts.

Cloves of garlic--I zap them for a few seconds. They are easy to peel, chop and it's a little like roasting them if you leave them in longer.

Eggplant--I cut eggplant in 1/2" slices [no peeling] and zap them too. They get soft and I can press a lot of the liquid out before pan frying them in just a little olive oil. It skips salting to remove moisture.

Italian Sausage--I zap them for 30 seconds. Then I split them lengthwise and brown off on both sides in a cast iron skillet.

Peppers and Onions---If I'm in a rush I zap them too just to soften. It saves time in the fry pan.