Doing without a microwave - do you? Can I?

elsien

Just wanted to say that the Russell Hobbs ones aren't made by them as they've licensed the name out. I bought a catalogue returned one off the market and it had no instructions. Russell Hobbs were useless when I contacted them to see if they could point me in the right direction and said it was nothing to do with them.
Put me right off using them again - just paying for the name and nothing else.

Rummer

I haven't had one for over 12 years as my OH is not a fan of them. If I am honest though I would find one quite handy for heating dinners, wheat bags and various other things. To be honest I have just got used to not having one.

meames_2

Mine has a convection oven and grill, really useful for baking just the odd pud rather than the whole oven or just a bit of garlic bread. It was silver and didn't ave a knob as a timer but rather tne digital time ( i just prefer it) and tat was one of my main criteria, it was £80, I did buy it with argos vouchers,so I didin't pay for it as such.

In fact the only time I use the big oven s for a full Sunday lunch!

LondonDreamer

I sometimes miss my convection microwave, used to use that for small things instead of the main oven. But I haven't had that for nearly five years, so can't have missed it that much if I haven't bothered to get another one.

Have a standard microwave now, the only thing that gets used for is reheating the occasional meal and for one particular cake recipe I have that uses melted instead of softened butter. Could very easily live without it and would do if I needed the space for something better.

gayleygoo

Our microwave gets used every day. It's great for heating up milk for breakfast cereals, and my tea (which I like to be very hot and very strong, it's normally too cold by the time it has brewed enough!). Many of my lunches are leftovers reheated in the microwave, as are baked beans etc. I use it to zap soap bars for laundry powder making, fix dye when dyeing wool and silk, and making microwave playdough.

I think we paid a little extra to have a grill function, which friends tell me is very useful. I guess it might be if I'd ever learned how to use it!

sonastin

I have a full combi style convection oven/grill/micro type unit. For many years, I only ever used the microwave function and the odd combi-jacket spud. Then OH and I bought a renovation project of a house and spent the first 12 months with a temporary "kitchen" in what was to become the utility room. At that point, the fully functioning microwave was a godsend - between that, a 2 burner camping stove, a slow cooker and a steamer, there wasn't anything I couldn't cook... including a full xmas dinner. Since the proper kitchen has been commissioned, I barely use the microwave now. Last time I tried to do a jacket spud on combi, it started smoking in a worrying fashion - probably just something on the element needs cleaning but haven't tried it since!

OH is fitting out a narrowboat at the moment and the kitchen is super-small. He's struggling to find a microwave small enough to fit in and I'm not convinced we need one. I think he uses ours more than me though so he's determined to make the space for it no matter what. Me, I'd rather have more cupboard/worktop space!

skader

I use mine almost everyday, would be rushing out for a new one straight away!
I use it to quickly defrost HM meals, reheat cups of tea, porridge, jacket potatoes, scrambled eggs, baking (things like melting choc and butter), beans, tinned soups etc
I guess if you don't use it as much as that, you can manage well without one

VRose

I think the comments about each situation being different and only you can know if you need a microwave or not, are true.

If you want pointers for how to not use a microwave then some of the above comments could help with that.

I would add, we do have a very basic microwave that is only there as DH thinks the kitchen is incomplete without it, but never gets used, and it lives above the oven hood, out of my reach.

Heat packs are put into the airing cupboard. We have been doing 'overnight oats' recently so no need for microwaving porridge. I don't bother reheating drinks, we have learned to drink cold drinks, or drink up quick! DH dinner gets put into the oven and kept warm if he isn't eating with the rest of the family. Some dinners are kept in the pan and reheated on the hob.
Butter if too hard gets grated.
I personally think its a waste to defrost food in the microwave, think of the moneysaving of putting frozen food in the fridge overnight.

This thread inspires me, think we should dump our microwave!

PenguinOfDeath

Ha, I had this dilemma last week, we wanted to get rid of a 2nd hand combination grill effort as it was huge and kept making funny noises when on

We only really use it for warming plates, popcorn (I now have a popcorn maker but get some though graze sometimes and OH forgets and still buys the microwave stuff), starting jackets, porridge, melting things etc so I was wondering if it was worth it.

However I did find a tiny microwave in asda (matching the OPs wish list, actually) for £36, so relented

evie451

I havent had one for a year now and its been ok, I have to make a fresh cup of tea instead of reheats and do porridge on the hob...I miss microwave popcorn a bit and sponge puds, plus I want to do the cauliflower rice substitute thingy Jamie Oliver had on but it has to be microwaved

when I looked at getting one for the flat I thought they had gone up a lot in price so only you will know whether its worth it or not!