Microwave ovens

[Jafo232]

I have an Aunt who is still convinced that if you somehow rig the microwave to run with the door open, it will vaporize everyone in the room.

I use mine for steaming veggies all the time. Reheating leftovers is another use.

I don't find my popcorn as dry and crumbly, maybe it was the brand you tried Brook?

My microwave also has a toaster built into it which comes in handy, but by far my favorite feature is that it has a separate built in timer. In fact, I use the timer more than I use the microwave itself.

[Big Daddy's Kitchen]

I have an Aunt who is still convinced that if you somehow rig the microwave to run with the door open, it will vaporize everyone in the room.

That would be very impossible to do.

Built-in safety featuers will not allow anyone to do that.

And besides, if anyone DID do that or has attempted to do that, and the unit is a new one just bought, guess what? The warranty gets tossed out the window!

It is also against the law to do that. It's almost like committing suicide!!

[Max Sutton]

I use my microwave mostly to heat up leftovers.

[Keziah]

I have a microwave oven. The last one died of old age so we went and bought a combi microwave. This combination cooking is really good and fast.

Microwaves are great if it's one of those days when every one is coming in and going out at different times.

The thing I find with microwave oven that they are great for two but for a family they are nearly useless because of the capacity or lack of it.

[The Ironic Chef]

I also se the microwave for things like heating leftovers, defrosting meat, cooking veggies and soup.

I personally believe that the downfall of the family meal was due to the microwave. Use to be that cooking was a family activity. The microwave came out and then the food manufacturers came out with microwaveable meals then dinners started being made by popping something into the microwave for a few minutes. Eat and run. Eat and run. Thanks to the microwave kids aren't learning to cook a real meal. Point them towards a stove and hand them a pot and you get the look that you are a three headed alien.

[Keziah]

Your not wrong there, Ironic Chef.
Eat and go, that's the exact term. You are also right saing that kids/young people are not learning to cook but I do not think that is wholly to do with the microwave.

When I was in school way back when Adam was a boy, we had a whole afternoon each week dedicated to domestic science, as it was termed then, in which we learned the basics and much more as the years went on. Girls only. The boys did gardening.

I think it should be that way now but split 50/50 with cooking and gardening alternating between the sexes.

Saying that I've never had a gardening lesson in my life and I still managed an allotment for years.

[The Ironic Chef]

We use to have classes like that here in the states when I was a sprout Kez. Through the years though those classes have been done away with. No more learning basic cooking, sewing or even shop classes. Kids here today are lucky enough to still have gym class in school.

[scubalaydee]

most of what you are stating might be true but lets take into consideration that mostly everything we use has some direct affect on our bodily functions, the polluted air we breathe for instance. I believe if you use mostly everything that is fresh from the garden a chicken in your back yard etc and not use the canned foods or the frozen products especially meat then you are on the right track to creating a healthy body, but with the fast pace era we are in most of us are so tired after a hard days work a quick dinner most times in the microwave is the easy way out.

[jpshaw]

I guess I'm the only one that bakes a potato in one. Besides re-heating I do fresh corn on the cob (husk, coat with butter or margarine, add seasoning and 5 minutes on a cheap paper plate and it's actually better then boiled). Baked sweet potato, wash pierce with fork, 6 minutes then add a little butter or margarine. My low sodium diet has me on the produce aisle a lot so I'm going to work on fresh green beans in the nuke machine.

BTW: Times will vary according to each unit.

[CanMan]

I love the 'steamer' bags for nuking my food these days and now that FoodSaver has a vacuum-seal steamer bag that goes in to the freezer I'm trying to get in to the habit of blanching and freezing my veggies in advance, especially the seasonal ones.