Do you use a microwave? If so, what for?

[AnonymousBird]

I've never had one, other than in student digs a zillion years ago. My mum always told me they were common and meant you weren't cooking properly. DH not a big fan either, so we've just never had one.

I don't have room for one in the kitchen, and also they are damned ugly, so I don't want one on show. But in my newly laid out utility room I would have room to put one on top of the washing machine. Everyone I know seems to have one, and people have always been amazed when they came round with our DC were younger that they then couldn't heat up their bottles/baby food or whatever. Am I missing out?

But, I'm not sure what I would really use it for? I wouldn't spend much money on one either, so if it is one of those things that is rubbish if you buy a cheap one, then I also need to know this!

Thanks.

Defrosting meats and heating tinned soups, generally.

beans, soup, milk, reheating homemade bolognese/chilli

Here's the recipe for the chocolate pudding. Might make it tonight, glad I read this thread now

I sometimes think it would be nice to have to heat leftovers, but usually work out a hob method.

All of the above and also warming my wheatbag before bed.

Porridge
White sauce
MELTING CHOCOLATE, I do this a lot
Heating up left overs
Jacket potatoes to speed things up prior to oven
Rice, GREAT for rice

Also sterilizing baby stuff.

Ooh yes, I sometimes do a quick microwave treacle sponge for late evening emergencies. :)

Popcorn. That's about it.

We used to use one for heating only. Never did any cooking apart from white sauce. We moved house five years ago and hadn't got round to buying a new microwave. When we were about to, we wondered why we needed one because we never felt like we missed it! So haven't used one since.

And yeah people do seem pretty surprised. But it's not one of those must-have kitchen appliances, people just think that they are!

We caved in and bought one as we are now reheating a lot of food and I am drinking hot cocoa at least once a day to get my calcium intake up. When researching bottle sterilization methods I discovered microwave bags that you can reuse up to 20 times. You wash the bottles by hand, put the bottles in the bag and zap in the microwave. Spoke to a couple of friends who have kids and they swore by them so we will be giving them a whirl.

I've been without mine for a year now (in rented accommodation - no room) - now I have the space but as it does not colour co-ordinate with my new kitchen - I keep it in the garage so it is a bit of faff as the garage is not attached to the house. I have used it once to reheat something for a quick lunch but that's all. I could happily be without it.

Have gone back to melting chocolate for baking the old fashioned way.

Can I just say to all you people who say rice in the microwave - you don't need it, you only need a pot you can put in the oven.

Normal rice/water quantities - rice plus double water.

Turn oven on at 150 and put curry/sauce whatever in oven to warm

Put in pot on stove, bring to boil

Stir once

Stick pot in oven

12 - 15 mins depending on the rice and it'll keep for a minute or two

Perfect rice no hassles

And you don't need a micro for it.

Warming DCs milk/apple juice etc.
Warming milk for milky coffee, hot chocolate etc.
Making porridge
Defrosting - especially bread, which I slice and freeze before defrosting only the number of slices needed.
Warming soup/jars of pasta sauce/baked beans etc.
Cooking some vegetables, really good for carrot/peas/sweetcorn.
Making emergency syrup (or jam) sponge pudding - takes about 5mins instead of 30mins.
Warming DHs supper when he has got delayed at work (plate it up, cover then warm). It's not ideal, but at least means the meal isn't wasted.
Starting off jacket potatoes. Cook in MW for about 10 mins, then put in oven for about half an hour to get the crispy skin.
The occasional ready meal.
Cooking poppadoms - watching them twist and blister is hugely fun.

It's much cheaper and more energy efficient to warm things up in a microwave than in an oven, especially an electric oven. If you got a cheap one it could almost pay for itself in a couple of years the way leccy costs are going.

All frozen veg - far more efficient and cost effective than hob.
Hot choc for bedtime drinks.
Warm milk for dc cereal in winter.
Porridge so less washing up.
Jacket potatoes 90% cooked then finish in oven.

Basically, every day, every meal as it saves so much energy.

But have built-in combi so it looks good too :)

I use mine most days for
defrosting chicken breasts/fish fillets
thawing bread/buns
jacket potatoes
scrambled eggs
par-boiling potatoes before roasting
cooking veg - I chop it all up, add olive oil and black pepper and ping! 3 mins later, veg is done. I sometimes add sliced potaoes too, takes a bit longer.
I now usually just buy microwave rice

actually white sauce is the easiest thing to do in the microwave,

add butter, flour and milk into the jug, and cook! I tend to stir every min/ 2 mins and just make sure it doesn't boil over.

No faffing with meltin butter or stirring milk in gradually.

I cook peas/baked beans/soup etc

reheating cups ot tea

defrosting/reheating meals

heating mik for hot chocolate.

It's much more energy efficient than the oven/stove.

Ours blew up a couple of weeks ago and so we've just bought the cheapest one we could (about £40)

Reheating the delicious left overs, homemade stew/casserole/curry.
Reheating a complete plated roast dinner
Starting off baked potatoes, so they can quickly become jacket potatoes, finished in the oven.
Cooking fresh veg in tiny amounts of water.
Reheating the gravy.
There are small units which are a combi oven and microwave so very useful in a small space.
20 years ago, a friend of mine who was a Girl Guide Brown Owl, took in a microwave to her group. Her enlightened thinking was that it was part of their education and a complimentary tool.

Typical day:
Porridge for me (oats, jumbo oats, raisins, nuts, milk, 2 1/2 min)
Warm up milk for ds
Re-heat half of my tea
Defrost something for dinner
Cook frozen peas or mixed veg
Re-heat half of another mug of tea
Heat bedtime milk for ds
If ds wakes in the middle of dinner, or dinner got cold before MrNC got home, heat up dinner.

I asked my mum how she coped without one when she had a baby. The answer was a) toaster oven or heat food in a frying pan, b) drink lots of cold stuff.

So it's drinks I really use it for, although it's good when you only want one jacket potato.

can we have the recipe for microwave syrup sponge please BelligerentGhoul

I use mine mainly for potatoes prior to mashing them using a potato ricer.

I also use it for:

• softening butter, when baking
• heating up chapatis, naan, flour totillas, etc.

I very occasionally use it to defrost meat if I have forgotten to take it out of the freezer, but I don't like too really so it is a rare occasion.

I use ours for warming the kids milk and cooking peas.

I have a microwave rice cooker. Perfect rice every time.

I microwave all veg except potatoes and unless there is a specific reason to cook them another way (e.g. roasted, stir fried). Much quicker (therefore cheaper and greener) and less nutrient loss in cooking water.

Custard does beautifully in microwave. No lumps (which I can rarely say with stovetop method).

I also make white sauce using fat free cornflour method (works as well as the custard).

I defrost infrequently but find it invaluable when I do need to.

I have a fab recipe for Banana Bread & Butter pudding for the microwave.

DH reheats leftovers for lunches (he works from home).

Have had a microwave for years and would not be without.