Microwaves- essential kitchen appliance or waste of worktop space?

[Cian]

I think I've used it maybe once or twice in 3 years - hangover ready meals from the shop at the end of the road. Which they'll actually heat for you to eat on-site/in your car if you ask. Nothing else seems to taste quite right with it, even for beans on toast I'll do them on the hob.

However my partner uses it at least twice a day to nuke porridge etc so its going nowhere.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I use it to cook for very few thinks but starting jacket potatoes, re-heating left overs and defrosting all make it worth having a microwave.

 

[Bombadier Botty]

It's got nothing to do with space, but we've not had a microwave for years and no intention of getting one.
The only use case I can think of where one would be handy is for jacket potatoes - part-cooking in a microwave before crisping up in the oven.

10 mins microwave then 10 minutes oven against 1 hour oven - no brainer. Jacket spuds and heating liquid or reheating food are the only things a microwave is used for in our house.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Personally, I have never owned one or felt the need to own one.

 

[Yoda]

One the flip side, mine's a combi microwave, grill and oven. So if the main oven is full and I still need to bake or grill something, I can use the microwave on one of those settings.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Essential. Why heat up ready meals in the oven (usually 25-30 mins) when you can do them in the microwave (usually 4-5 mins) ...?

Also gets used a lot for jacket potatoes (10 mins micro + 10 mins finishing in the oven with the fish fingers or chicken goujons).

My personal favourite usage is for "zapping" the jugged up gravy and bread sauce prior to serving a roast dinner.

 

[Steve in Japan]

Not allowed in our house. My wife is convinced they are bad for you. Puts tinfoil hat back on......

 

[desprateseagull]

Mine's on a shelf. More worktop space then, for all my tat

 

[Bozza]

Essential. Why heat up ready meals in the oven (usually 25-30 mins) when you can do them in the microwave (usually 4-5 mins) ...?

I'd counter with why eat ready meals? We never do and we still wouldn't with a microwave in the house.

As I said, I get the jacket potato thing but we don't eat many potatoes and very rarely have a "something with potatoes (and veg)" meal so we're not missing out greatly, I don't think.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

I'd counter with why eat ready meals?

Obviously. Everyone posting before me on this thread seemed to be from the "I only cook properly" side of the fence. I was adding a dose of realism.

 

[Curious Orange]

I mostly use ours for the children... though it can be a bit of a squeeze getting them in.

 

[jackanada]

no microwave.......this makes no sense.............how do you reheat the left over kebab from the night before?

Stir fry with added egg and cheese!

 

[beorhthelm]

Not allowed in our house. My wife is convinced they are bad for you. Puts tinfoil hat back on......

tell her they use the same frequency as Wifi... either get rid of that too, or get in the microwave.

 

[crabface]

Correct seasoning,butter content and cooking times make microwave scrambled eggs dead easy,done properly you cant tell the difference ......its just cooking temperature and science with eggs.

microwaved bacon however is a different matter,very handy when moosed at 3am but you dont get the same flavour with grilling or frying as the fat renders down

Il take your word for it and stick to my scrambled eggs on the hob. As for microwaved Bacon, I would never even consider it.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

we've got a small kitchen and make most of our meals from scratch so it's fairly redundant and lives in the cupboard most of the time. It only gets brought out to reheat leftovers

 

[crabface]

Obviously. Everyone posting before me on this thread seemed to be from the "I only cook properly" side of the fence. I was adding a dose of realism.

Cant beat a good ready meal every now and then. Especially after leaving the office and going out for a skinful before heading home.

 

[GT49er]

Essential? No. Useful? Yes.

 

[Nibble]

Very occasionally heat up a microwave mac n cheese in it if I'm very hungover. I don't eat leftovers that need reheating. Maybe the beans for a breakfast but wouldn't notice if I didn't have a microwave.
There's nothing you can cook in a microwave that doesn't taste far superior cooked in the conventional way. ESPECIALLY scrambled eggs. You either get a bowl shaped lump of egg you have to slice up or grainy watery slop from over cooking. And boy, does it reek.

 

[Simster]

We had one for many years until ours blew up about a month ago.

After thinking we'd better get a replacement PDQ, we've actually managed perfectly well without one. Come to think of it, the only time it ever really got used was for reheating my food when I came in late from work. However, I find sticking it in the oven for ten mins whilst I go and get changed pretty much resolves this.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

We use it for RICE.

Can't be doing with cooking RICE properly. Takes too long, and if you get it a couple of minutes wrong it's rock hard / disgusting MUSH.

Pilau rice, in a pouch ready to microwave, is 67 pence, in Waitrose. Enough for two people, takes 2 minutes, and perfect every time.

Feel free to reply at length telling me how doing it 'properly' is 'ever so easy' and 'tastes so much better' but you're kidding yourself.