Leave a Cover On

• Keep a loose cover over your soup while it’s cooking. Whenever possible, heat soup in a microwave-safe bowl with a matching lid. Don’t seal a tight-fitting lid; instead, rest it on top or press it down on one side. A large plate is just as efficient, or dampen a plain white paper towel or coffee filter and set it over the soup. Commercially made microwavable food covers, meanwhile, are plastic lids designed to catch splatters. So when your soup starts popping, the cover catches everything.

Keep Stirring It

• When you place soup in the microwave and let it cook without stopping, some spots will probably be warmer than others. Areas that get hotter might be more prone to splattering and scorching. To remedy this, stop and stir your soup several times during the cooking time. This promotes even heating, minimizing hot spots. You'll have more soup in the bowl and less on the lid or cover in the end.