To ask what you use you microwave for?

[Afternooninthepark]

At 47 and having lived together for 23 years, dh and I have never had or felt the need for a microwave.
However, ds (15) is badgering me to get one, he says he can make things quicker in it and in the future when we are away or out he and his sister can make quick and easy meals for themselves.
I remember having one when we lived at home and it was only used for heating beans and defrosting stuff.
They are obviously still popular as they are for sale everywhere.
So what do you use yours for?
Does anyone actually make proper meals in there microwave?

My parents got one when I, aged 10, was alone for breakfast and needed to heat up my milk. Didn't want me to use the hob on my own understandably.
Now age 37 only had one to heat up baby bottles in the middle of the night. Now she is 2 still is the only use we give it. Very rarely will be used for heat up beans or leftovers.

Defrosting
Jacket potatoes
Cooking frozen peas
Reheating tea/coffee
Mug cakes
Heating wheat bags and hand warmers (this one is the reason I wouldn't be without it)

Sterilising baby bottles, though I am guessing this isn't what your 15 year old son is intending

Reheating meals
Proving dough
Defrosting
Making single mugs of hot chocolate
Heating tinned food
Defrosting things, esp frozen mash
Cooking porridge
I'm ashamed to admit this, but reheating cold cups of tea
Melting chocolate
Making ganache without it splitting
Melting butter
Softening straight-from-the freezer ice cream
Softening butter for baking
Easy popcorn.

I tend to do a big batch cook once a week, so having a container of stew or soup or curry etc which just needs to be reheated when I come home from work is great. Also, the children can use it.

Frozen veg
Heating up left overs
Porridge
Quick cheese on toast (toast in toaster and melt cheese in microwave)
Very rarely defrosting

I do a lot of batch cooking, so I use the microwave to heat up portions. I also make my own soups and heat them in the microwave. It does my bowl of porridge, with bilberries and brambles every morning, in a couple of minutes, with no sticky pan to clean. I heat up forgotten half drunk mugs of tea and coffee. I used to make popcorn in it when the kids lived at home. And it’s great for defrosting stuff Ive forgotten to get out of the freezer in time.

We'd not had one for 12 years but the other day my DH returned from a friends house with one. So far we've only used it to cook packet rice but I've read this thread with interest as i kind of feel I've forgotten how to make best use of one!
Definitely want to try the mug cakes!

Porridge, soup, beans, custard, starting jacket potatoes off before they go in the oven.

Porridge every morning
Beans spaghetti hoops soups peas sweet corn etc
Reheating bolognaise left overs to make lasagne
And reheating batch cooked meals
Sponge puddings
Reheating leftovers / tea
Cooking emergency food such as frozen paella
Heating milk for hot choc or béchamel sauce
Starting jacket potatoes
Melting butter to make pancakes
Melting chocolate

I could definitely do with out one but it is handy you can do decent eggs but I prefer the stove or mug cakes

Heating milk for a flat white and beans.

I use mine most days to make porridge. I heat soup in it and frozen peas. Sometimes defrost rolls.

I have one that’s also an oven so it’s not just a microwave. I could definitely do without it but it’s handy.

Defrosting, heating tinned stuff like beans or soup, cooking frozen veg, Making porridge, heating milk for coffee, reheating leftovers, putting cheese between toast - 30 seconds in the microwave and the cheese is all melty but the toast is still crisp, quorn sausages... says nowhere you can, but you can um... oh parboiling, I parboil nothing, do it in the microwave instead and Christmas pudding, seconds instead of however many hours to steam them...

And a bit niche, bringing dog or cat food to body temperature if they’re not well and refusing food.

And the odd ready meal

Tinned stuff such as soup, baked beans etc, warming up leftovers, frozen veg, warming babies formula and food, warming plates.

I use ours endlessly, it's so convenient. Here's a short list:

Heating leftovers
Defrosting
Cooking anything from a tin (beans, soup)
Microwave steamer for veg
Porridge
Popcorn
Noodles
Baking - melting/softening butter/chocolate
Warming milk for DS or hot chocolate
Warming though dessert (fudge cake, brownie, cookie dough)
Reheating dinner when DH or I have been late home from work
Starting off baked potatoes

There are definitely more things, that's just off the top of my head!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/microwave-mug-cake

I’d be lost without my microwave! I use it to make porridge, noodles, reheat meals, melt butter, melt chocolate, melt cheese, cook broccoli and cauliflower, zap potatoes before throwing them in the roasting dish, to cook peas...

Steaming vegetables , warming plates and reheating DH dinner mostly. I couldn’t live without one!

Reheating my coffee that I didn't drink because I was dealing with children. Warming up spaghetti hoops and beans for said children. Defrosting sausages enough that I can separate them and stick them in the oven.
That's about it.

I put my lavender heat pack in the micro so it does have medicinal purposes as well!

Oh yeah I cook frozen veg in there too.

Jacket potatoes and soup.

Warming up a heat pad the cat has and reheating meals. I batch cook a lots if soup, store it in the freezer and when I am working at home just chuck one in the microwave. Stops me eating junk for dinner.

Porridge
Frozen mash
Reheating stuff
The odd ready meal or pouch of ready cooked rice
Defrosting
Softening slightly stale bread
Dotening the butter I forgot to take out of the fridge
Reheating every single hot drink dh makes himself.

We have just bought one after our last one died probably at least 5 years ago.
So far we've used it for reheating dinners when one of us is late home or reheating leftovers, heating tinned things up (beans, rice pudding, soup etc), stewing apples, porridge, heating up coffee when I've left it to go cold, and ds2 has made mug cakes a couple of times.
I haven't really missed one when we haven't had it, but must admit it's useful.

I coped for years without one. And now I have it I often consider getting rid. But it does get used regularly, but not for anything exciting. I batch cook pasta sauce/curry sauce/cheese sauce for the kids dinners and
Freeze portions that I then defrost and cook in the microwave. So that’s at least 3 times a week. And then for occasional jacket potatoes and the accompanying baked beans. It’s basically good for quick dinners for hangry kids. It’s commendable that your son is thinking about cooking for himself, but he’d be better off learning some simple recipes than relying on microwave meals!