BS: Doing without a Microwave?

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 08 Sep 13 - 04:30 AM

Haven't had a microwave for years, gave the last one away as I hardly used it. I remember when they'd just come out, going to a Women's Institute demonstration. It was shown that one could cook a whole chicken very quickly, and the demonstrator made an entire meal, custard, gravy and everything. I was most impressed. But I never liked it. I tend to cram my ordinary oven with all sorts of things and use the heat economically. And I find food tastes better cooked this way. The microwave seemed to remove the flavour somehow. But if one likes to buy 'ready-made' or frozen complete meals (yuk!) I suppose they're fine. I know many busy folk who work all day may enjoy the convenience of heating food up in a couple of minutes.

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 08 Sep 13 - 03:58 AM

We find we don't miss ours at all. When it broke we hummed and haa'd about getting a new one in, but after a few weeks of humming and haa'ing, eventually realised that we didn't use it that much in the first place.

If you don't have one already I would get a three tiered steamer; either stainless steel for use on the hob or a plastic electric powered one. Layering your spuds/rice, fish and vegetables to all cook from a single energy source (timings are important, so get a kitchen timer if you don't have one of those) is a really good economical compromise to using a microwave for such things.

Pretty much the only thing we still miss is the ability to zap a too cool cup of coffee!

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Sep 13 - 03:55 AM

How "necessary" a microwave may be could depend a lot on your circumstances.

If you're cooking for a "family" with several members, and if you have a regular schedule so that everyone eats together, a good argument can be made that it's easier and just as efficient to use pots and pans. This may also apply if you prefer one or two large meals to "intermittent grazing."

For a single person, or often for a couple, cooking in small microwave portions may be a whole lot easier than messing up a lot of stuff and then cleaning up the messes. The advantages include both the easier preparation of "small portions" but also in easier control of the size of portions prepared.

For many "special diets" needed by those with medical peculiarities, a microwave and a small blender (and an accurate scale) may be necessities, and pots and pans (and a food grinder and sausage stuffer) are just "things in the way."

If you're set up to use lots of frozen foods, the better microwaves are very useful just for thawing small amounts quickly, even if you cook them using other methods. Irregular "feeding schedules" where quick preparation when the patient needs food are a situation that may benefit a lot just for "thawing" stuff that you burn otherwise.

Most things can be "nuked" with good results, but you may have to study up on some of the more exotic methods. Microwaved potatoes can come very close to baked ones, once you learn how many holes to poke through the skin (and how deep) to let the steam out so they're not boiled.

Of course, there are things you can't do in a nuker. (Eggs "sunny side up" or "hard boiled" are NOT RECOMMENDED MICROWAVE RECIPES.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: GUEST,Ebbie
Date: 08 Sep 13 - 01:26 AM

Speaking of economical, you guys do realize the microwave saves you money, don't you?

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: JennieG
Date: 08 Sep 13 - 12:46 AM

Oh, I dunno......as well as reheating leftovers we use ours for cooking vegies, and it is great for cooking rice. As we are now a household of two Olde Phartes it is more economical to cook up a large batch of stuff - perhaps a casserole, or a curry - which we can then re-heat in meal-sized batches, rather than just cooking enough for one meal at a time.

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 11:36 PM

Yup. They say that "haste makes waste", Sandra, and it's true. For example, my good buddy Al, the vacuum cleaner salesman, wasted himself AND his car totally by tryin' to beat the 6 O'Clock train across a level crossin' recently. They buried him with a brand new vacuum, which seemed like a fittin' ending for Al.

- Chongo

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 11:09 PM

I use mine to cook my porridge every morning, & to Quick Defrost stuff but mainly as a shelf to keep my tomatoes, garlic & a few other miscellaneous kitchen & non-kitchen things.

I bought my first microwave within the past 10 years & am using my second one.

When the first one died I automatically bought a new one, but I might ponder upon getting a replacement for this one after reading what I've typed!

My disaster was Quick Defrosting a Date slice - the dates tried to catch fire & filled the oven with nasty black smoke which set off the Smoke Alarm & 'perfumed' the oven for some time. After opening all my windows & front door, I took another slice out of the freezer & left it on the bench until it was ready to eat.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: GUEST,Ed T
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 11:07 PM

Microwave versus the toaster oven- no contest.

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: Joe_F
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 10:54 PM

Nobody *needs* a microwave, but I find there are some dishes (aside from leftovers) for which it is decidedly helpful, mainly in lessening the number of dishes to be washed:

1. When you microwave a potato, it is not a boiled potato, still less a baked potato, but it is still a potato in a useful state for, say, mixing into the goop left in a frying pan.

2. Hot buttered rum & hot chocolate can be made in the vessel from which you are about to drink them.

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 09:55 PM

I gave up on 'em after I exploded some hard-boiled eggs one day. What a friggin' mess! I thought the place was gettin' bombed when it happened.

- Chongo

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: ranger1
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 09:43 PM

I've been living quite nicely without a microwave for some time now. The appliance I can't do without is my toaster oven.

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: gnu
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 09:13 PM

If yer just starting house, no. Don't spend any $. Save. Eat it cold.

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 09:05 PM

Oh, yeah...it's easily possible to do without. I don't care for microwaves in the least, despite the fact that they are handy for quickly heating certain things. I had one....but I donated it recently to someone starting up a new home. What I use in its place are various radiant heat devices: a toaster, a small countertop radiant oven (that's good for doing a pizza slice or piece of pie), and a full sized normal oven.

No problem at all. I have not missed the microwave, and had barely ever used it anyway, even back when it was here.

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 08:26 PM

Good heavens! Do without? Is it possible?

Subject: RE: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: Bill D
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 08:00 PM

I 'think' I remember how I used to warm various things before I had a microwave.... but now I would hate to try.

I could warm tea and soup in a saucepan...etc... but I now use cloth bags filled with rice to warm my bed in Winter, and those require a microwave.

I pre-heat in a MW all sorts of things before toasting or baking them...

I 'could' do without a TV or phone or car, too....but.....

Subject: BS: Doing without a Microwave?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 07 Sep 13 - 06:07 PM

Ours is on the blink. At todays prices (£40-ish) we could easily buy a new one but do we really need to? Son #3 reckons we should not use one and I am not convinced that they do food any good so... What are the alternatives? What do you use? Is food better off without?

Ideas anyone?

Cheers

DtG