Parrothead Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) Our microwave went bad about two weeks ago. I'm finding I don't miss it. Dh is still partially missing it - he would like another but is in no big hurry to buy one right away. So I'm wondering how many folks don't have one. If you don't, please post why you are microwave free. Edited December 22, 2009 by Parrothead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I have a microwave. I mostly use it to melt butter and heat up water for iced tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Our microwave went bad about two weeks ago. I'm finding I don't miss it. Dh is still partially missing it - he would like another but is in no big hurry to buy one right away. So I'm wondering how many folks don't have one. If you don't, please post why you are microwave free. Have one but I don't use it. Dh and ds use it occasionally. I am just very careful these days how I prep food and where the food comes from. I generally like the way the oven browns things, tastes better to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We haven't had one in a little over six years. We'd had a built-in in our previous two apartments, so when we moved into a house that didn't have one, we just decided we weren't in a hurry for a new one. I didn't use it all that often anyway, and I wasn't (and am not) completely convinced of the long-term safety of having one in daily use in the house. I don't panic when we're around microwaves or anything -- both dh and my parents have them and use them regularly -- but I just didn't think it was something we needed, much less needed enough to overcome any niggling doubts about safety. And we have a more practical reason not to have one. :) Space. There's never enough space in our kitchen, and a microwave takes a big ol' hunk of counter. Now, when we renovated the kitchen, dh suggested a microwave over the range, instead of a traditional vented hood. But we decided that reaching up like that to pull out hot foods was probably unwise, especially for the children. Plus, lol, I just hate the look of 'em. I really don't ever miss a microwave. Except for hot chocolate. I like the real kind made with hot milk and cocoa. And it's kind of a pain to heat milk on the stove. ;) But, lol, truly that's the only time I miss having one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I've never owned one. I don't feel they cook anything well. And there is nothing they do (like heating water or re-heating food) that can't be done another way. I feel like microwaves promote unhealthy eating choices. Microwaved popcorn is bad for the lungs. There are issues with plastics leaching in microwaves. I have concerns about them leaking, and I'm not sure about what microwaving does to the nutritional value of the food. So I see only down-sides, and no upside. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We have one - mounted over our stove. I use it regularly to defrost meat, reheat my tea that I don't always get to finish, and reheat leftovers. I don't really cook in it. I suppose I would live without it, but I am sure that there would be an adjustment period where we would eat out very often due to forgetting to get the meat out in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetobeme Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 ours just went out and i am debating over whether or not to replace it. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 But I hardly use it. My husband heats up left overs in it. The kids use it to heat water for tea. I occasionally cook frozen vegetables in it. It's on it's last leg and I really don't want to replace it when it dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndie Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We own one but never use it. It's just a giant clock at this point. We feel like Spycare about it - nothing positive really but lots of negatives. Using the stove works just fine for reheating for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We have one, but we won't replace it when it croaks. If it ever does (I'm afraid its a species all its own - we built a shelf in the broom closet just to house the beast - and it intimidates me a bit). We use it mostly to warm up water when its not for tea (that we put in the tea pot). Occasionally the dc will warm individual bowls of soup in it, but if both of them are having it, they'll put the soup a pot on the stove. No way would I put a protein source in there - microwaves have been proven to alter the molecular structure of food. Scary.((shudder)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in TN Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Lightning got ours about 3 months ago. I don't miss it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I have never owned one, and have never had a need for one. I have a beautiful wood slow combustion combination electric stove with 2 ovens it. It beats everything hands down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We have one - mounted over our stove. I use it regularly to defrost meat, reheat my tea that I don't always get to finish, and reheat leftovers. I don't really cook in it. I suppose I would live without it, but I am sure that there would be an adjustment period where we would eat out very often due to forgetting to get the meat out in time. Exactly... I would have to learn to plan a meal ahead of time instead of right before dinner so I could thaw the meat in the fridge instead of pushing defrost on the microwave. We would be eating a lot of cereal for a while! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prudent Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Ours died in October and we have no plans to replace it. I wanted to use it a couple times to soften butter during the 1st week, now I truly never miss the counterspace hogger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I picked other because we didn't have one for years and if it were up to me we would still be without. I don't like what it does to food but the kids like the instant gratification of it. When we didn't have one all of my kids friends joked about us being Amish or something :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We don't cook in it, but we use it heat water to make tea, reheat our coffee, reheat leftovers, make popcorn, melt butter, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 So I'm wondering how many folks don't have one. If you don't, please post why you are microwave free. We have one, but we use it for extra storage (breads, etc.) instead of for cooking food. I don't prepare meat at home, so we've never needed it for defrosting; we don't really ever make popcorn at home, so that's not an issue; we're big tea drinkers so there is almost always a pot of warm/hot water available - failing that, there's always a pot on the stovetop so it's just as easy to warm it there than to warm a separate cup in the microwave. I didn't use one growing up, so it's never been a go-to appliance for me. The whole microwaving process also is a bit weird for me; nothing I've researched extensively, but questionable enough that it keeps me from developing any love for the microwave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I voted other. We have a very small one. It's 15 years old and I'm waiting for it to die. I never use it. Hubby will use it to reheat left-overs. Whenever I need to reheat left-overs I'm doing it for everyone and use the stove or oven anyway. I just think it is unhealthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I've never owned one. I don't feel they cook anything well. And there is nothing they do (like heating water or re-heating food) that can't be done another way. I feel like microwaves promote unhealthy eating choices. Microwaved popcorn is bad for the lungs. There are issues with plastics leaching in microwaves. I have concerns about them leaking, and I'm not sure about what microwaving does to the nutritional value of the food. So I see only down-sides, and no upside. Bill Except, we got rid of ours a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babysparkler Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I voted Yes because I have one, but I never use it. It gets used when MIL heats up her coffee, but that is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I don't feel comfortable with microwaves, so I don't own one anymore. I also like having the extra counter space now. It is more inconvenient reheating things, but I'm used to it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I have one. Dh loves it. I however would prefer not to have one in the house, because I dont think they are very healthy and I tend to use it when I am tired or in a hurry. I could live without it easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We have one because it came with the house, and has it's own special shelf. DH will use it to heat up leftovers. I don't use it. I would love to throw it out, but, well, we rent the house, so it's technically not mine to throw away. I have found a good use for it, though. I put my dough to rise in it, with a measuring cup of boiling water. Great closed place to keep the dough warm for rising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I have one, but it's on a shelf in the garage. It is plugged in. I use it to melt butter & chocolate, and reheat some leftovers. It used to be on the counter, then we decided we wanted to try going microwave free. After a period of not using it at all, I decided that I do like it for a few things, enough to keep it, but not enough to give the counter space up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Our home had one built in when we moved in. Otherwise, not sure that I would get one. I avoid ever using it because I feel they are unsafe. But my dh uses it to heat water in the morning real quick and does not see the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We have one, but it's out in the garage. I rarely use it, preferring to reheat stuff on the stove or in the toaster oven. I'd probably not be in a hurry to replace the one we have if it stopped working, but dh does like using it to reheat his breakfast in the morning. The kids use it for lunches sometimes. I don't think it's a very healthy choice for heating foods, but we have replaced our plastic food storage containers for glass, so at least I feel better about them not reheating in plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Over the stove venting one here. We use it to make coco, paper-bag popcorn, reheat left overs, water for tea, melt butter, and I rise my bread dough in there and ferment my yogurt. I'm not sure I'd give up counter space for one, but this one is a plus to my kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpupg Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Well I'll be the politically incorrect rebel and tell you that I'm glad I have one. Reheating leftovers during the lunch rush -- or some evenings during the supper rush before racing out the door to activities -- is a blessing. We have two evenings a week where it's not really even feasible for me to make a pot of spaghetti. I hate the schedule, but I want the activities my kids are doing more than I hate the schedule. So the micro keeps us out of the fast food restaurants. In an emergency, I can bake potatoes in 12 minutes. No, they're not gourmet baked potatoes with a sea salt crusted skin, but they're a meal when it's needed. Again, staying away from fast food. You can control what you keep in the house, if you're worried about popcorn fumes or whatnot. You can teach the family not to put plastic in it. These issues are about education, not the appliance. Don't you have to teach your kids not to put plastic in the conventional oven? I remember having that conversation with at least one of my kids LOL. By the way, microwaves operate by boiling the water molecules inside the food. That is why you need moisture added to most things to cook them in a micro. There is no ionizing radiation involved, so microwaves are not "unsafe." Nutritional values of foods are not affected differently than heating by any other method affects them. If you've seen plastic melted in the micro, that's because the food was heated to the point that melted the plastic -- the micro did not directly melt the plastic as a conventional oven does -- it was the boiling water molecules in the food heating the plastic. That's why micro-melted plastic items melt weirdly and in spots rather than evenly. Just use glass or ceramic dishes instead. I've lived with micros and without them during various seasons of my getting-longer life. I'm glad to have one when I do have one. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 I suppose I would live without it, but I am sure that there would be an adjustment period where we would eat out very often due to forgetting to get the meat out in time. :lol: Ask me how many times we had sandwiches for dinner last week. I don't feel comfortable with microwaves, so I don't own one anymore. I also like having the extra counter space now. It is more inconvenient reheating things, but I'm used to it now. That is dh's main concern. Honestly we haven't had to reheat anything since it went to the garage. Thanks everyone for your replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) I use our microwave all day: In the morning - heat water for tea, dh heats water for his tea, heat milk for hot cocoa, make grits for kids, make oatmeal for me, heat lunch for ds thermos to take to school. Afternoon - reheat dinner leaftovers for lunch. DD vegetarian heats Morning Star burgers/nuggets. Evening - thaw meat from freezer, make instant mashed potatoes, cook root veggies before putting in oven to cut down on oven time, cook frozen peas or corn. Snacks - melt cheese for nachos, cook frozen edame. Edited December 22, 2009 by Ferdie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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