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Thread: Microwaves

  1. #11
    Geila
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    Honestly, we only use it for making microwave popcorn (rarely these days as eating popcorn now aggravates our teeth and gums) and for steaming individual ears of corn during corn season. I don't like how the microwave heats up stuff - it's not even and the food always cools down very quickly and dries out. I use my electric kettle to boil water and a skillet or saucepan with a lid to warm stuff up. Food and drinks just taste better when I do that. I can definitely see a time when we'll just get rid of it. Ours goes to sleep after a couple of minutes so at least it's not sucking up energy all day long. I don't have a lot of stuff on the counter so the space is not a big deal. But I might just move it to kitchen-adjacent and see how that goes.
    Last edited by Geila; 2-21-20 at 5:17pm.

  2. #12
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pcooley View Post
    It sounds like some things are just a matter of habit. I couldn't imagine life without my double boiler, for instance. That's my way of heating milk for yogurt. I don't know how I would get the thermometer to stay in the milk without the metal clip if I tried to do it in the microwave.

    I've never been able to get in the habit of making large batches of food and then freezing portions, in spite of knowing that it's a good way to go. I might have another look at that, as we're trying to get our grocery budget down to save most of our income for our kids' college costs.

    I have to say that most of what we eat are just variations of rice and beans - and the rice cooker and the slow cooker are always humming away.
    I heat my milk on high for 12 minutes for making yogurt. I tested it consistently with the quick read thermometer at 170 degrees. I pour the hot milk into the clean thermos and let it cool to around 120-125 in a couple of hours, add the natural yogurt culture, close it up, wrap and leave for 8 hours.

    I like rice and beans but cooking a fresh batch every day would drive me nuts. I make a batch, of a starch, portion it to freeze, add a variety of veggies in a bowl to microwave or in a stir-fry to a portion. I do add some meat or cheese or egg to them as well. I add a fruit and my meal is complete.

    Whatever works for you is good.Some people never use a microwave and they do fine.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  3. #13
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    My mom had one when we were kids so I've always had one around the house. Ours sits in a corner of the kitchen counter and it is in use several time a day.

    We use it for reheating coffee, thawing ingredients we forgot to remove in time from the freezer, heating leftovers and frozen vegetables and the occasional frozen entrée, and warming up the gel pack we use as a hot pad (not the right word?) for injuries. It's also good for heating up water for chicken broth that will be used as an ingredient, melting chocolate or honey for other uses, etc.

    And I microwave the sponges when we're done using them. I know the jury is out on whether that's the best way to sanitize, but for me it strikes the balance between having enough sponges to have them passing through the kitchen, washer, and dryer (or dishwasher), and using tons of towels. Wet sponges and dishcloths do not sit in our kitchen.

    The microwave and the refrigerator are the only appliances in the house which would be replaced the day they fail. The rest would be subject to at least a little research or substitution.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  4. #14
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    We have one. I'll use it every now and then, but use the toaster oven for cooking and reheating more often. Other family members use the microwave more often - again, almost exclusively for reheating.
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
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  5. #15
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveinMN View Post
    ...

    The microwave and the refrigerator are the only appliances in the house which would be replaced the day they fail. The rest would be subject to at least a little research or substitution.
    I could probably live with just a refrigerator and my Instant Pot, but I would probably add an oven of some kind.

  6. #16
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    I could probably live with just a refrigerator and my Instant Pot, but I would probably add an oven of some kind.
    Oh, I'd replace them all. But I'd do a little research before I replaced the dishwasher, the stove, the clothes appliances, etc. Can't go long without a fridge because of the cost of losing what's in it. For the microwave oven, though, I would just find the cheapest price locally for the size of Panasonic we've got and get it that day. We use the microwave that often and I don't have a reason to shop for another brand.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  7. #17
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geila View Post
    Honestly, we only use it for making microwave popcorn (rarely these days as eating popcorn now aggravates our teeth and gums) and for steaming individual ears of corn during corn season. ... .
    I don't make popcorn often, but managed to break several newer poppers after one or two uses. I've found the West Bend Poppery air popper to be the sturdiest, most reliable brand (circa 1970), and it actually has a shut-off switch. I had one, and bought a second on eBay, so I'm set for life. You might be able to thrift one; eBay's prices are mostly prohibitive.

  8. #18
    Senior Member jp1's Avatar
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    I use our microwave multiple times per day. During the week in the morning ( i don't drink coffee on weekends, I take a nap instead) I make two cups of coffee in my french press (I boil the water on the stove while I grind the beans). Oftentimes by the time I'm ready for the second cup it's too cool, so I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then at lunchtime I typically eat leftovers, or as others have mentioned, a burrito made with beans from a large batch cooked earlier in the week. A minute or two in the microwave, dirtying only the plate I will eat it on is quick and easy. Right now I'm about to go make a breakfast burrito. It will spend 60 seconds in the microwave after I've cooked the eggs and put it together. That way the frozen spinach won't be cold and the cheese will be melted. I suppose I could wrap it in foil and put it in the toaster oven for a few minutes but that would take longer, use more electricity, and accomplish the same thing.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    I don't make popcorn often, but managed to break several newer poppers after one or two uses. I've found the West Bend Poppery air popper to be the sturdiest, most reliable brand (circa 1970), and it actually has a shut-off switch. I had one, and bought a second on eBay, so I'm set for life. You might be able to thrift one; eBay's prices are mostly prohibitive.
    I have a West Bend Air Crazy. Also has the shut-off switch and has been going strong for a while now.
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
    Be nice whenever possible. It's always possible. HH Dalai Lama
    In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown

  10. #20
    Yppej
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    I use mine to heat both liquids and food. If I have leftovers I may sprinkle cheese and top and the microwave will melt it nicely. When not in use I unplug it to avoid phantom electric use driving up my utility bill. I also buy microwaveable foods occasionally as a treat - for example, Amy's brand pot pies, both regular and broccoli. The one thing I dislike is microwaveable pizza. It's just not the same.

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