Am I the only person in the world who does NOT have a microwave?

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do you have a microwave?

  • i dont have a microwave

    Votes: 13 25.0%
  • i have a microwave but i never use it

    Votes: 8 15.4%
  • yes i have a microwave and i use it all the time

    Votes: 31 59.6%

  • Total voters
    52

HappyAvocado

Senior Cook
Joined
Jul 29, 2005
Messages
119
we had one when i was a kid, but we never used it. when i moved out of momma's house i just never got one.... microwaved food tastes funny to me. people are shocked! they come over to my house with cold coffee and say "can i just pop this in the microwave?" and are baffled when i say i dont have one. "how do you heat up leftovers?" they ask me... well, i heat them up in a pot on the stove. am i the only one?
 
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I have one. And I do use it too much. But, I know quite a few people that feel the same as you. Nothing wrong with that at all.
 
I do not own one, I do not use one for my home catering service either. To me that is not cooking that is reheating. I was trained in an old fashioned kitchen by an old fashioned chef, she did not need one either. I have cooked around the world and have yet found a need for a nuker(microwave), cooking is all about timing, not speed heating.

And I agree food tastes like burnt plastic to me when served out of a microwave. I can tell everytime.
 
texasgirl, its not that im against it, its just that growing up, in my house the microwave was sort of a novelty appliance that we used to make microwaved popcorn in once or twice a month. and then i went out into the world and found that there are such things as microwave cookbooks!
 
i use mine all the time to reheat leftovers and to make a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
though i rarely eat them i also use it for t.v. dinners and to heat up canned soup. i also cook corn in it
 
Andy M. said:
Recent survey results reveal that you are the only person who does not have a microwave.

uh-uh. so far the poll says that there are two people in the world. me and one other.:LOL:
 
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I have one, but do not use it for much. I pretty much only use it for heating some leftovers like soups, stews, leftovers from a restaurant. For instance, I used it to reheat my ribs and mashed potatoes from dinner the other night. this was a great use of the microwave IMO. The ribs heated up in about 2 minutes and tasted as good as when I had them in the restaurant. The potatoes took no time at all and also tasted perfect. It took almost no time and I did not have to dirty multiple dishes to accomplish this.

I hate the microwave for a lot of things (defrosting for one), but I do think it has a very valuable place in my kitchen. I could certainly do without it if I had to, but knowing the right things to use it for, I find it a great tool at times.

Edited to add that I did not vote in the poll because I would need another choice that says I have one, but only use it every once in a while for certain things.
 
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I rarely use it, it came with the apt. I reheat something like leftover rice or broccoli (takes a few seconds) or thaw out frozen spinach for a dip or soften rock hard ice cream. But that's about it.
 
HappyAvocado said:
texasgirl, its not that im against it, its just that growing up, in my house the microwave was sort of a novelty appliance that we used to make microwaved popcorn in once or twice a month. and then i went out into the world and found that there are such things as microwave cookbooks!

:) I just meant there isn't anything wrong with not having one. Cause that's what the ones I know feel when people look at them funny about not having it.
 
I use mine for all sorts of things: browning burger and sausage, sweating onions, cooking spaghetti sauce, making cheese dip, etc.
One thing I don't do is heat things in plastic containers (except the hard plastic made specifically for microwaves) because the plastic emits some chemical into your food that is supposedly a carcinogen.
 
Constance said:
One thing I don't do is heat things in plastic containers (except the hard plastic made specifically for microwaves) because the plastic emits some chemical into your food that is supposedly a carcinogen.
Yep I am with you on this as well.

Just like any other tool in the kitchen, there are right ways to use it and incorrect ways to use it. You would not put a plastic bowl on your stovetop, for instance. I would not use plastic in a microwave either (unless it is the kind made for it).

When microwaves first started becoming popular, people thought they replaced every other cooking method. I think most people quickly realized that was not the case. If used for the right things though it can really be a great tool. That is not to say that it is necessary or that everyone will want to use it. I completely respect the people who do not like then and do not want to use them for anything.
 
we use our microwave to reheat leftovers and defreeze... and I usually cook the rice in it... It's quite simple and gives me more place on the stove...
 
My mother is afraid of microwaves!

I have one and do not actually "cook" (as in finished dishes) with it but use it for prep work. Yesterday there was too much going on on the stove so I used the microwave to parboil carrots.

Also reheat leftovers -- though some leftovers are better reheated in the oven, I admit. But when you are dumping leftover chinese food on a paper plate, nothing is more efficient that the microwave to reheat.
 
I don't really "cook" anything in my microwave.

I use it to reheat rice most of the time (cover the rice with a fairly damp paper towel and it comes out perfectly). I also may use it to reheat some stuff, but am just as likely to do that on top of the stove or in the oven.

I think that microwaved food has a different taste and texture and neither compare favorably to standard cooking methods.

:heart:
Z
 
The microwave is just another tool in the kitchen. I don't attach any stigma to using one.

The closest I come to actual cooking in the microwave is steaming veggies for a side dish. We also use it to melt chocolate or to boil a cup of water for tea. Otherwise, like many of you, I use it to reheat and defrost.
 
Funny memory, I will never forget the episode of Dharma and Greg when her father is forced to use the microwave and he is across the room ducking behind the bar so as not to be zapped by any harmful rays.... I rarely use the microwave, unless I am reheating something. The defrost seems to partially cook stuff, and that drives me nuts, so I don't use it for that. hmmm, maybe i just need to read the manual.....:wacko:
 
I am going to echo many.

There are just the two of us, and it is hard to make a lot of foods for just two, and we love to cook.

So leftovers are plentiful.

And find the nuker very useful to warm the stuff up and it does not seem to cook the stuff, such as meat, as much as the oven during the warm up process. Just my opinion.

When we first got our first one, which is still working by the way, it was over twenty years ago.

When we first obtained ours, tried cooking with it and found it dismal for that use.

But to warm stuff and maybe a bit of prep heating, oh yes, and heating up frozen sliders, it works just fine for us.
 
If I had to give up either my stove and regular oven or my microwave, of course the microwave would go. However, I love it, and I do use mine quite a bit. Of course I reheat in it, plus I cook rice, "baked" (more like steamed) potatoes (only if I don't have time to bake them in the oven), some main dishes (I have a steamer dish that is good for ground beef/tomato dishes), and I bake some cakes in it.

:) Barbara
 

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