I read an Anti-Microwave thread and got rid of my own!
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kshama2001 wrote: »I'm not anti microwave, I just don't do most of the things people have mentioned.
Reheat leftovers: I often prefer cold, stews or soups or most bean dishes I prefer doing on the stove, most of the leftovers I reheat I do at work so use the work microwave.
Water for coffee/tea -- I use my electric kettle (one of my favorite appliances)
Butter for popcorn -- popcorn is better without butter (yes, this should go in the unpopular food opinions). If I find my contraption that does airpopping in the micro I may switch back to this for my occasional popcorn vs. cooking on the stove, but the stove is super easy.
Veg -- I like veg better steamed on the stove or, more often, sauteed or roasted or raw
Heated milk -- I never use heated milk, but I do occasionally heat frozen berries
Oats -- I like to make them in a rice cooker.
Frozen stuff -- I defrost in my refrigerator (almost always) or use a cook from frozen option
Happily for me the microwave my house came with has a nice spot off the counter, however, so it doesn't take up space I miss, and I like having it in case I need it.
I agree that an electric kettle is far superior to heating water for tea over a microwave or electric stove. In 2012, I was a house guest of people with an electric kettle and bought one as soon as I got home.
I make popcorn rarely, but when I do, it's on the stove, in oil, and then I add butter. Otherwise, there's no point as far as I'm concerned. (This is a lot of calories, hence the "rarely"
)
I am with you on both points. I really dislike popcorn made in the microwave so I use an air popper but melt the butter in the microwave. I have never like water heated in the microwave for tea, I always used a stovetop kettle but went to an electric kettle about 10 years ago.
I never had butter on popcorn as a kid, so for me it spoils the taste. I like making it with oil, because the oil helps the salt stick, and I like the simplicity of making it on the stove. The air popping contraption that I have misplaced (not microwave popcorn, but a way to air pop kernels in the microwave) is okay, but then I spray the popcorn with some oil afterwards. Still lower cal.0 -
Butter for popcorn -- popcorn is better without butter (yes, this should go in the unpopular food opinions). If I find my contraption that does airpopping in the micro I may switch back to this for my occasional popcorn vs. cooking on the stove, but the stove is super easy.
Not so well-known tip: You can air-pop popcorn in a regular paper bag in the microwave. If you prefer, you can toss the kernels in oil first. No contraptions necessary.0 -
autumnblade75 wrote: »Butter for popcorn -- popcorn is better without butter (yes, this should go in the unpopular food opinions). If I find my contraption that does airpopping in the micro I may switch back to this for my occasional popcorn vs. cooking on the stove, but the stove is super easy.
Not so well-known tip: You can air-pop popcorn in a regular paper bag in the microwave. If you prefer, you can toss the kernels in oil first. No contraptions necessary.
Or just in a large enough microwave-safe bowl with a plate on top. I do it without oil quite happily.
How do you people finish your cups of tea/coffee in one go? That only happens at work for me, never at home. The most common use for our microwave is reheating a cuppa (and then forgetting it there. My partner and I have a running joke of texting pictures of deserted cups of tea when the other has gone out). We use it, the hob and the oven for preparing meals. But the microwave: mostly for cold cups of tea.0 -
bmeadows380 wrote: »I had never heard of an over the range model, though, until I was out of college; in my neck of the woods where I grew up, everyone had them on the counters.
Our first microwave (when I was a kid) was from around 1980, I think, and it was on the counter. Now it seems de rigueur for them to be in a dedicated shelf if the kitchen has been redone at least as recently as the '90s. (Again, here=where I am, and the few other places I am familiar with real estate in, as there could be differences within the US.)
We are getting ready to redo our kitchen (circa 1970) and are having an argument about where to put the microwave. I want it counter height, husband thinks over the stove is good. I'm barely over 5' and he's 6'2" - what's convenient height for him is not for me.
I use the microwave a lot. I like to batch cook so defrosting quickly is great, soups, hot chocolate, popcorn, etc, etc.0 -
bmeadows380 wrote: »I had never heard of an over the range model, though, until I was out of college; in my neck of the woods where I grew up, everyone had them on the counters.
Our first microwave (when I was a kid) was from around 1980, I think, and it was on the counter. Now it seems de rigueur for them to be in a dedicated shelf if the kitchen has been redone at least as recently as the '90s. (Again, here=where I am, and the few other places I am familiar with real estate in, as there could be differences within the US.)
We are getting ready to redo our kitchen (circa 1970) and are having an argument about where to put the microwave. I want it counter height, husband thinks over the stove is good. I'm barely over 5' and he's 6'2" - what's convenient height for him is not for me.
I use the microwave a lot. I like to batch cook so defrosting quickly is great, soups, hot chocolate, popcorn, etc, etc.
I put my microwave inside a cupboard that we wired with an extension cord and have tried it both at eye level and chest height. Chest height is much preferred as I cook things like creme caramel on the defrost setting in the microwave and lifting pans of milky uncooked custard to eye level was really tricky.0 -
paperpudding wrote: »I must be the exception on this thread - or maybe other readers arent game enough to post against the grain
- I use my microwave a lot.
Defrosting meat, reheating leftovers, cooking frozen meals, cooking small items like cheesey cauliflower that its not worth turning the whole large oven on for - even just mini defrosting - eg am making an omelette for my tea, using eggs and diced veggies - and then I defrost a handful of diced ham from the freezer to add to it.
yes I know a handful of diced ham wouldnt take that that to thaw on the bench - but if I decide on the spot to add it in, I can do so
Incidentally, although I have a good length of bench space, the only appliances kept on the bench are the microwave and the electric kettle - other things like toaster, rice cooker,crockpot, sandwich maker get kept inside the cupboard and just brought out when we use them.
We use our microwave all the time. I just reheated a stuffed bell pepper for breakfast...took all of one minute instead of pre-heating the oven and waiting. We cook a lot and always have leftovers of this or that and it's way more convenient to just reheat things in the microwave. Pretty much all of the microwave fearmongering has been debunked as just that.
We also have a 7 and 9 year old so we're always heating up quick things for them.1 -
autumnblade75 wrote: »Butter for popcorn -- popcorn is better without butter (yes, this should go in the unpopular food opinions). If I find my contraption that does airpopping in the micro I may switch back to this for my occasional popcorn vs. cooking on the stove, but the stove is super easy.
Not so well-known tip: You can air-pop popcorn in a regular paper bag in the microwave. If you prefer, you can toss the kernels in oil first. No contraptions necessary.
Or just in a large enough microwave-safe bowl with a plate on top. I do it without oil quite happily.
How do you people finish your cups of tea/coffee in one go? That only happens at work for me, never at home. The most common use for our microwave is reheating a cuppa (and then forgetting it there. My partner and I have a running joke of texting pictures of deserted cups of tea when the other has gone out). We use it, the hob and the oven for preparing meals. But the microwave: mostly for cold cups of tea.
I adore my Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer! Now, instead of my tea being too hot in the beginning and too cold at the end, it is a perfect temperature the whole cup!
I bought one for each of my parents, but could not convince them to use it, so now I have one in my kitchen (far left in image I posted above), my office, and my exercise room.
It will work best with a flat-bottomed glass mug. I have two kinds similar to this:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07JFH5RYR/ref=psdc_367144011_t1_B07GLSZWYK
If anyone knows where I can get more for cheaper and without the infuser, please advise. Preferably also bigger. That one is 13.5 oz. This one says 17 oz but the one I rec'd was 14 oz.
Note: these look very fragile but I've only broken one in 7 years, and that was in the dishwasher. I hand wash now.0 -
bmeadows380 wrote: »I had never heard of an over the range model, though, until I was out of college; in my neck of the woods where I grew up, everyone had them on the counters.
Our first microwave (when I was a kid) was from around 1980, I think, and it was on the counter. Now it seems de rigueur for them to be in a dedicated shelf if the kitchen has been redone at least as recently as the '90s. (Again, here=where I am, and the few other places I am familiar with real estate in, as there could be differences within the US.)
We are getting ready to redo our kitchen (circa 1970) and are having an argument about where to put the microwave. I want it counter height, husband thinks over the stove is good. I'm barely over 5' and he's 6'2" - what's convenient height for him is not for me.
I use the microwave a lot. I like to batch cook so defrosting quickly is great, soups, hot chocolate, popcorn, etc, etc.
If you're going through the expense of a kitchen remodel, I'd suggest a built in microwave, either over range or an oven/microwave stack like this...
I'm assuming you're in the USA...most remodels and new builds are done with a microwave built in and it's something prospective buyers will look for if you ever put the house on the market. When we moved a couple of years ago it was definitely on our list of expectations for the kitchen. The house we bought has a stack like the picture and a flat range...a lot like what is pictured, except our range is induction and completely smooth and flat on our kitchen island.4 -
I wonder if there's a socio-economic class aspect to microwaves' standard locations, in the US. Most of my upper-middle-class-ish friends have the built-ins, whereas more of the working/lower class friends seem more likely to have theirs on a countertop or cart. It may just have something to do with when the kitchen was remodeled, as I think someone suggested.
Mine is on what appears to be a kitchen desk (there's a kneehole) that (because I live in a diversely whacky house) is right in front of a functional door from downstairs that opens into the kitchen, basically right where you'd be sitting if you tried to use it as a desk. Not very functional as a desk, so it's a desk-height microwave counter (quite convenient), and there's a wine rack in the kneehole. (My house was a ranch on a crawl space, raised by a housemover to put a basement underneath. All living areas upstairs. So weird.) I don't remodel, because I don't personally find it an interesting way to spend money.
I don't eat popcorn often, but just pop it in a covered pyrex dish in the microwave, which works fine. Then I usually use a little spray oil, and popcorn salt. I think the microwave stuff in the packets is mostly kind of gross-tasting. For a while during chemo, everything tasted like artificial butter flavor to me, and that microwave popcorn mostly has that same quality (I disliked it pre-chemo, too, though).
I heat water in a teakettle on the gas stove.1 -
I wonder if there's a socio-economic class aspect to microwaves' standard locations, in the US. Most of my upper-middle-class-ish friends have the built-ins, whereas more of the working/lower class friends seem more likely to have theirs on a countertop or cart. It may just have something to do with when the kitchen was remodeled, as I think someone suggested.
Mine is on what appears to be a kitchen desk (there's a kneehole) that (because I live in a diversely whacky house) is right in front of a functional door from downstairs that opens into the kitchen, basically right where you'd be sitting if you tried to use it as a desk. Not very functional as a desk, so it's a desk-height microwave counter (quite convenient), and there's a wine rack in the kneehole. (My house was a ranch on a crawl space, raised by a housemover to put a basement underneath. All living areas upstairs. So weird.) I don't remodel, because I don't personally find it an interesting way to spend money.
I don't eat popcorn often, but just pop it in a covered pyrex dish in the microwave, which works fine. Then I usually use a little spray oil, and popcorn salt. I think the microwave stuff in the packets is mostly kind of gross-tasting. For a while during chemo, everything tasted like artificial butter flavor to me, and that microwave popcorn mostly has that same quality (I disliked it pre-chemo, too, though).
I heat water in a teakettle on the gas stove.
It's probably similar to units coming with washer and dryer hookups or not - higher end apartments tend to have these, as do houses.
I'm south of Boston and in 2012 would have to have paid a lot more for an apartment with a washer and dryer, so ended up getting a cheaper place with an agreeable landlord, who let me install hookups at my expense. This paid for itself really quickly.
In addition to the convenience, fabric softener makes me sick, so I'm not going anywhere near shared machines.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »bmeadows380 wrote: »I had never heard of an over the range model, though, until I was out of college; in my neck of the woods where I grew up, everyone had them on the counters.
Our first microwave (when I was a kid) was from around 1980, I think, and it was on the counter. Now it seems de rigueur for them to be in a dedicated shelf if the kitchen has been redone at least as recently as the '90s. (Again, here=where I am, and the few other places I am familiar with real estate in, as there could be differences within the US.)
We are getting ready to redo our kitchen (circa 1970) and are having an argument about where to put the microwave. I want it counter height, husband thinks over the stove is good. I'm barely over 5' and he's 6'2" - what's convenient height for him is not for me.
I use the microwave a lot. I like to batch cook so defrosting quickly is great, soups, hot chocolate, popcorn, etc, etc.
If you're going through the expense of a kitchen remodel, I'd suggest a built in microwave, either over range or an oven/microwave stack like this...
I'm assuming you're in the USA...most remodels and new builds are done with a microwave built in and it's something prospective buyers will look for if you ever put the house on the market. When we moved a couple of years ago it was definitely on our list of expectations for the kitchen. The house we bought has a stack like the picture and a flat range...a lot like what is pictured, except our range is induction and completely smooth and flat on our kitchen island.
I think the stacked oven and microwave is what we have agreed to as a compromise plus it will free up counter and cupboard space. We won't need to enlarge the kitchen as much as we originally thought to make it more functional.0 -
I wonder if there's a socio-economic class aspect to microwaves' standard locations, in the US. Most of my upper-middle-class-ish friends have the built-ins, whereas more of the working/lower class friends seem more likely to have theirs on a countertop or cart. It may just have something to do with when the kitchen was remodeled, as I think someone suggested.
I think it's mainly when the place was last remodeled.
There does seem to be a distinction, perhaps, with the above stove one. I had that in my old place and it's pretty common in condos here, but I read a real estate blog and people are super snobby about how awful it is not to have a real range hood (I never minded and liked that the microwave was out of the way and not taking up space I would otherwise use, as the kitchen was not that large). I do find the hood is more common in more recently remodeled houses (more room) and higher priced/luxury condos around here. Another thing that seems increasingly common are super high priced ovens and refrigerators. Still in higher priced places, of course, but much more of a demand than I recall when I was the age of a typical first time home buyer, and I think often for conspicuous consumption reasons vs. really needing the tools for cooking. (I sold recently enough that buyers/commenters sneering at a place for being "so 2013" or whatever drives me crazy even though I sold quite easily.)
But, yes, I think kitchens remodeled/built now tend to have a dedicated place for the microwave. The house I mostly grew up in was built in the '70s, and it did not, we just had the microwave on the counter. I love my counterspace, so am glad to have a dedicated built in area for it (even though I am someone who could easily live without a microwave).
Re washer/dryer, it's pretty hard to find an apartment here with one, and it was one thing I was super excited about when moving into my first condo (as most condos here do have them, in part because they are much more likely to be newer build or extensively remodeled).
My neighborhood now is mostly houses build between 1900 and 1920, and it is fun to see the differences between the places based on when and how extensively they have been remodeled. During one block party we were all touring each other's houses.0 -
Back to the original item- I love my microwave- and yeah i am "old school" it is on the counter top-1
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I wonder if there's a socio-economic class aspect to microwaves' standard locations, in the US. Most of my upper-middle-class-ish friends have the built-ins, whereas more of the working/lower class friends seem more likely to have theirs on a countertop or cart. It may just have something to do with when the kitchen was remodeled, as I think someone suggested.
Mine is on what appears to be a kitchen desk (there's a kneehole) that (because I live in a diversely whacky house) is right in front of a functional door from downstairs that opens into the kitchen, basically right where you'd be sitting if you tried to use it as a desk. Not very functional as a desk, so it's a desk-height microwave counter (quite convenient), and there's a wine rack in the kneehole. (My house was a ranch on a crawl space, raised by a housemover to put a basement underneath. All living areas upstairs. So weird.) I don't remodel, because I don't personally find it an interesting way to spend money.
I don't eat popcorn often, but just pop it in a covered pyrex dish in the microwave, which works fine. Then I usually use a little spray oil, and popcorn salt. I think the microwave stuff in the packets is mostly kind of gross-tasting. For a while during chemo, everything tasted like artificial butter flavor to me, and that microwave popcorn mostly has that same quality (I disliked it pre-chemo, too, though).
I heat water in a teakettle on the gas stove.
I think it's a bit of both, but mostly when the remodel took place. When my wife and I bought our starter home right before we got married, the kitchen didn't have a built in microwave...we didn't really think anything of it as we were both just coming from student life and living in apartments near the university that were pretty old and we just had the microwave on the counter...and I think that was more the norm anyway as I didn't really know anyone who had a built in microwave, including my parents who were in an upper middle class home.
We eventually did a bit of a kitchen upgrade and got all new appliances and did a few other things. One of my buddies is a real estate agent and I remember him telling me that since I was changing the appliances out to do a built in microwave as it would add appeal value if we ever wanted to sell, particularly as the kitchen was pretty small and even our small counter top microwave took up valuable space. I remember him telling me it was becoming more common and more commonly expected.
It's what I would think of as an upper working to middle class starter home. I'm not sure when the last remodel of the kitchen was done, but it looked to be early 2000's as it was fairly newish looking when we bought the house in '05. Out of curiosity I did a quick google, and that's right about the time when you started to see a decline in counter top microwave purchases and started seeing more built in microwaves...so whoever did the remodel then looks like they were right on that line of a changing trend.
It looks like sales of counter top microwaves peaked in 2001 and have halved since while sales of built in microwaves have increased 100% since 2000.2 -
I have a personal preference for just hiding the microwave in a cupboard that has been wired for electricity. Because both our current flat, and our previous loft were both open plan, I don't like having a lot of kitchen appliances on show. In open plan spaces, I like the kitchen to look more like a bar than a kitchen. Also, microwaves break down with more frequency than ovens, refrigerators or dishwashers which I do like to have built in, in order to hide them.1
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We are in the UK where it is norm to have the clothes washer and dryer in the kitchen. When we lived in the Netherlands these appliances would typically be located in the largest bathroom. That made more sense to me as it was closer to both the laundry hamper and the closets. Curious where these appliances are typically located in the US?0
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We are in the UK where it is norm to have the clothes washer and dryer in the kitchen. When we lived in the Netherlands these appliances would typically be located in the largest bathroom. That made more sense to me as it was closer to both the laundry hamper and the closets. Curious where these appliances are typically located in the US?
I'd say there isn't a "normal" in the US. My parents old home (and my grandparents old home) had the laundry room in the partially finished basement. Their current newly built home has a mud room with an indoor/outdoor sink and the washer and dryer at the side entrance to the house. My apartment has a laundry closet off the kitchen that you could use as a walk in pantry as well. I looked at other apartments that had the laundry in a closet in the bedroom hallway. My brother's house has the laundry hookup in their garage. His in-laws house has a laundry closet upstairs with the bedrooms I think the popular place for the laundry keeps changing and there are still a lot of houses where the laundry hook up was an after thought stuck wherever they could easily sneak it in!1 -
We are in the UK where it is norm to have the clothes washer and dryer in the kitchen. When we lived in the Netherlands these appliances would typically be located in the largest bathroom. That made more sense to me as it was closer to both the laundry hamper and the closets. Curious where these appliances are typically located in the US?
I live in a small US apartment. Our washer and dryer are stacked in a dedicated closet that is in the entry way between our bathroom and kitchen.
I have never seen a washer/dryer in the kitchen in a US apartment, although I did have an apartment where they were in an alcove by the kitchen. It's pretty typical for them to be near the bathroom in apartments. For people with houses, it's pretty usual for them to have their own dedicated room, but it can be kind of unpredictable as to where that room actually is.0 -
We are in the UK where it is norm to have the clothes washer and dryer in the kitchen. When we lived in the Netherlands these appliances would typically be located in the largest bathroom. That made more sense to me as it was closer to both the laundry hamper and the closets. Curious where these appliances are typically located in the US?
It depends on what kind of building your home is and where you live. Here in the Great Lakes region, almost every single family home has a basement and the laundry is commonly placed there along with something like a utility sink. Other parts of the country don't have the kind of land where basements are possible so the laundry might be in a mud room or utility room on the main floor. Condos and some apartments will have the laundry in something like a utility room that also holds the water heater and furnace. A few will have it in a closet in a place like the powder room. Many apartments will have community laundry facilities used by the whole building.
I have a townhouse condo (commonly called a terraced house in the UK) with 2 stories plus a basement. My laundry is in a utility closet in the main floor powder room but the furnace and water heater are in the basement.0
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