Am I the only person without a microwave?

PasturesNew

I've had one and cooked mostly using it for over 30 years.

I haven't used a real/proper oven.

I hate waiting for food... earlier I had the chance to put a naan pizza in the toaster oven ... or nuke it and run. I nuked it - not the best end result, but I just "wanted something to eat", there was nobody judging the look/taste/texture, so it did the job.

A microwave, for me, is invaluable for: steaming all veggies, steaming rice, jacket potatoes, heating beans, making scrambled eggs, poached eggs, boiled eggs, making cakes, making bread, making omelettes, defrosting frozen food, making cheese sauces.... I could go on and on and on....

Most of my Xmas dinner was cooked in it.

What you get is a faster result.
A lot of the time you get a "different result" to other forms of cooking.
Sometimes you get the same end result, quicker.
There's less steam created.
There's less washing up as pots can be "just the right size" and you don't get any "scum line" build up like you can do when using a saucepan to cook things.

Yes, there are times when other cooking methods are better, and if you've got the equipment/time to do it better, then do so ... but there are times when you simply want to make something hotter.

If I forget a coffee I'll nuke it hot again for 40 seconds.

Couldn't live without it.

moneyistooshorttomention

That's the thing too - as Pastures says "a lot of the time you get a different result" with the way food is when cooked and it's not quite the same imo.

Yucky pans or mucked-up body (from less goodness in my food) = no contest imo (even if I wasnt watching the NHS disintegrating horror-struck).

It's easy enough to leave pans to soak for some time and then do an initial "scrub" at them with a long-handled kitchen brush before then tackling them with my scratchy metal type cleaning cloth I use for dishwashing. No big deal.

TravellingAbuela

I wouldn't be without mine as it's used numerous times throughout the day. Be it for cooking or just warming something up. In the early 80's a friend and I went on a night school course on microwave cooking, making both sweet and savoury dishes. I am still using my recipe/notebook, albeit looking rather dogeared these days, nearly 40 years later!

culpepper

We are on our 4th in 30 years. I use it for about 50% of our food cooking.
The hob about 25%, the ordinary oven about 10%, the Kettle /pie makers /toaster/sandwich toaster about 11% and slow cooker about 4%.
We have always had one because OH is usually later to have his dinner than we are and so needs a way to heat his meals and so did I when we both worked.
We did go without for about a year when the first one broke and we didn't have the money for another new one but I snapped one up when I saw it in the flea market and we have always just replaced straight away since.

Pop_Up_Pirate

We have one, mainly for warming up the odd meal, melting butter and chocolate. (The other poster who said the chocolate was grainy in the micro, if it goes grainy, it's been microwaved too long)

I also make porridge and custard in it for those who want it.

But scrambled egg in the Microwave?? Yuk! Nothing beats scrambled egg in a pan.

Soozy_B

I'm 29 and my OH is 30 and we haven't had a microwave for nearly two years now!

Ours died on us, so off we went to try and find a new one - couldn't decide on one. Then after a while, figured out that we don't actually need to use one

We do miss it sometimes, but I'm actually quite happy without one

mamashaz

No I don't! Someone bought me one for a present a few years ago and I took it back and got the money back.

Since I moved out of my parents' home 35 years ago I have only not regretted having one on only a handful of occasions - mainly when I want to feed my kids jacket potatoes in a hurry :-)

nannygladys

Hi everyone

I have a microwave and used to use it but these days it's turned into a bread bin and I haven't used it for a long time. I won't get rid though, I retired a couple of years ago and quite enjoy cooking from scratch but when I have the oven on I make sure I can fill it up to make the most from it, but you never know I may start using it again for convenience and speed.

Nannyg

billy-bo

I am in my late 30s and have never had (or wanted) a microwave. There is one at work and I contemplate having a heated lunch but haven't got round to actually doing it yet!

LameWolf

Ooh, I nearly forgot....

I use the microwave to make Xmas pudding.
I have a book, given to me as a present many years ago, "Vegetarian Cooking in the Microwave" and the recipe is in there.

I usually make 4 puddings each year, as DH loves them, and I don't see why "Xmas pudding" should only be eaten at the end of December/beginning of January, and it takes very little time using the microwave, and you don't get a horrible steamed-up kitchen.

Each pudding does us 4 desserts for the two of us, we have them throughout the chilly months, interspersed with other things so we're not eating the same thing every day. I cut the portions we require..... and reheat them in the microwave.