Microwaves- essential kitchen appliance or waste of worktop space?

[seagulls4ever]

Beans? Microwave

Peas? Microwave

Scrambled egg? Microwave

Jacket potato? Microwave

Porridge? Microwave

Reheating previously prepared foods? Microwave

The occasional ready meal? Microwave

It just makes life so much easier. It's quicker and it means there's a lot less mess to clean up.

Could you live without a toaster? Well yes I suppose you could, but it's much easier to stick bread in a toaster than under the grill.

 

[beefypigeon]

Essential? No. Useful? Yes.

This.

We don't currently have a microwave but used to have one. Microwavable rice is really quick and easy, as is scrambled egg; much less hassle in the mayhem of getting ready in the morning compared to doing it on the hob.

My favorite use is to 'soften up' hard butter in the winter. There is nothing worse than trying to spread hard butter on soft bread, a quick 5-10 second blast in the microwave makes the whole sandwich making process far more bearable.

And before anyone says it... no I will not buy 'spreadable' butter instead, it just isn't the same!

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Electric bread bin

 

[Nibble]

I'm always put off by the grime you see in them.
Tip: half a lemon in a bowl of hot water, uncovered, on for about 40 secs. Remove, wipe clean. Smells great and the acid makes the dirt just wipe away.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Not allowed in our house. My wife is convinced they are bad for you. Puts tinfoil hat back on......

 

[Hillian1]

I am assuming that nobody here has babies/toddlers etc.

Milk in bottle, bottle in M/wave, 30 seconds later job done.

Try that on the hob in a saucepan of water.

 

[Rookie]

Binned mine a while back after a good few years of not using it. Not missed it a bit

 

[sully]

no microwave.......this makes no sense.............how do you reheat the left over kebab from the night before?

Have you heard of an oven? It works just as well for re-heating cold food!

I am assuming that nobody here has babies/toddlers etc.

Milk in bottle, bottle in M/wave, 30 seconds later job done.

Try that on the hob in a saucepan of water.

I don't recall ever using a microwave to heat milk when my kids were young, actually.




Haven't had a microwave for over 10 years now and don't really miss it at all. About the only thing I would use it for is jacket potatoes, and I don't have them often enough to justify the space in the kitchen.

We don't have a toaster, either. Or a coffee machine. Or a bread maker...............

 

[desprateseagull]

whats best way to so scrambled eggs?

part cook, stir, cook? 1 minute each blast?

 

[Garage_Doors]

Have you heard of an oven? It works just as well for re-heating cold food!




I don't recall ever using a microwave to heat milk when my kids were young, actually.




Haven't had a microwave for over 10 years now and don't really miss it at all. About the only thing I would use it for is jacket potatoes, and I don't have them often enough to justify the space in the kitchen.

We don't have a toaster, either. Or a coffee machine. Or a bread maker...............

People keep making comment re the space aspect, do people really have such small kitchen where the size of a microwave make a noticeable difference?

 

[Garage_Doors]

whats best way to so scrambled eggs?

part cook, stir, cook? 1 minute each blast?

And scrub pan to clean.

 

[jackanada]

Can't be doing with cooking RICE properly. Takes too long, and if you get it a couple of minutes wrong it's rock hard / disgusting MUSH.

Pilau rice, in a pouch ready to microwave, is 67 pence, in Waitrose. Enough for two people, takes 2 minutes, and perfect every time.

The real issue here is that you think that's enough rice for two. Anorexic pygmies maybe.

My favorite use is to 'soften up' hard butter in the winter. There is nothing worse than trying to spread hard butter on soft bread, a quick 5-10 second blast in the microwave makes the whole sandwich making process far more bearable.

You are right to stick real butter. Tastier and healthier. Now you just need to keep it a butter dish and stick said dish above a radiator in winter.

I am assuming that nobody here has babies/toddlers etc.

Milk in bottle, bottle in M/wave, 30 seconds later job done.

Try that on the hob in a saucepan of water.

Milk comes out the tit at the perfect temperature.

 

[spongy]

I am assuming that nobody here has babies/toddlers etc.

Milk in bottle, bottle in M/wave, 30 seconds later job done.

Try that on the hob in a saucepan of water.

Absolutely this.

It's a lifesaver at times, also use it for the steriliser. Sod doing bottles on the hob.

We also use it for the field fresh veg pouches for dinner, rice and the occasional scrambled egg. Having a little'un means we don't really have time to cook properly from fresh all the time. Or were too knackered to.

 

[Notters]

They used to say that microwaves destroyed all of the vitamins in veg but I recently heard they're the healthiest means to cook veg. Who to believe?

 

[Nitram]

With everyone in and out in our household it's essential for reheating cooked meals and defrosting.

 

[sully]

People keep making comment re the space aspect, do people really have such small kitchen where the size of a microwave make a noticeable difference?

Yes.

We don't all live in mansions, and worktop space is at a premium. I'd rather have preparation space than fill it with gadgets.

 

[carteater]

Essential- no, but then are a toaster and a kettle essential? when you can just grill the bread and put the water in the saucepan over the hob for 5 minutes, I find the taste of electric kettle boiled water disgusting, it's just not as nice as water boiled over the hob because it took less time out of my day to prepare. .

In all seriousness the microwave is great for beans, scrambled eggs, ready meals, frozen vegetables, heating up drinks with milk in them, reheating food, defrosting food, jacket potatoes, pasta sauces, rice etc.

But there are lots of thing you can but shouldn't cook in them due to the horrible texture and sometimes smell that the food gets, e.g. pasta and bacon.

It's not essential but it's very useful.

 

[Bozza]

I am assuming that nobody here has babies/toddlers etc.

Milk in bottle, bottle in M/wave, 30 seconds later job done.

Try that on the hob in a saucepan of water.

I don't but I did - two. Both easily dealt with, without a microwave in the house.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I tend to use mine to warm butter up when making cake icing, as I inevitably forget to remove it from the fridge an hour beforehand. Twenty seconds is enough to ensure it doesn't smash around the mixer bowl like a lump of concrete.

Have also steamed vegetables in it from time to time, as somebody gave me a steamer & they come out looking & tasting better than when boiled on the hob.

 

[perseus]

Microwave Number 5

It's got nothing to do with space, but we've not had a microwave for years and no intention of getting one.
The only use case I can think of where one would be handy is for jacket potatoes - part-cooking in a microwave before crisping up in the oven.

I do cooking by numbers and it saves on the dreaded washing-up. Also reduces the number of burnt saucepans.

Never done scrambled eggs though. Tend not to use it if it requires short times as overcooking is easy.

How many people have two or more micro-waves?

Got to get new one. Lack of space is a problem though. I like dials as my last two push button ones went up the swanny. So did the dial one as well with the closing catch. Don't know which one to get? Current one not marked in seconds.