How would not owning a microwave oven affect your life?

You would probably be a lot thinner.

Yes, it would. Despite the way microwaves cook things more unevenly than stoves and ovens, I heat up a lot of things and having to do it on the stove or in the oven would significantly increase the time it took to heat things up. My parents cook a lot and there are always leftovers, which easily heat up in the microwave. Also, we eat a lot of rice and store it in the fridge so it needs to be heated up if you want to eat it. It only takes a minute or so in the microwave and I can see the stove could be damaging to rice in that way. Not to mention using the oven and stove would use more gas and electricity being on longer than a microwave.

Hence why I got a little microwave for my dorm room. Can’t be without it. :)

Not very much these days.
I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my oatmeal as much, and I wouldn’t have nice melted cheese on my sandwich. Those are about the only 2 things I microwave.

Used to be that I cooked almost everything in the microwave. But I’ve learned to enjoy stovetop.

A while back my sister was dating a guy who “didn’t believe in” microwaves. I thought that was so weird. I always wanted to ask him why, but never got around to it.

We didn’t have a microwave in my house til i was 18 or 19 – the late 90s. My parents never wanted one. We just used the stovetop and oven more. and a convection toaster oven.

Nah. Mine broke a month ago and I’ve barely noticed. I just heat stuff up on the stove, now. It always tastes better, anyway.

A friend of mine was robbed and killed with a microwave oven….to his head. Guess they coulda used a knife.

I didn’t have a microwave for
the longest time. My cousin and her gf were visiting and while I was at work they decided to warm up leftovers for lunch. My cousin pulled the plate out of the fridge, looked around the kitchen, turned to her gf and said, “What do we do?”

I’d miss it. I’d have a lot more dirty dishes to wash.

I am currently trying to wean my family away from the microwave. At this point the only thing that we use it for is microwave popcorn about 2–3 times a month. It’s an awfully large counter space hog for an occasional popcorn popper.

I’d use my toaster oven a lot more.

“My cousin pulled the plate out of the fridge, looked around the kitchen, turned to her gf and said, “What do we do?” (@kevbo)”
Hilarious.

@erichw1504 we have a toaster oven, too, & use it a lot. It just depends on what we’re cooking. Some foods just can’t be cooked in a microwave.

@jbfletcherfan

We have a four-chamber toaster and a separate toaster oven. Not sure why we have the latter; it never gets used. If we want to heat something up in the oven, the oven gets used. If we want something toasted, the toaster gets used. The toaster oven shouldn’t even be there…lol

My dad uses it to heat stuff up wrapped in foil sometimes, but still, not much usage. I can’t remember the last time I used it.

Without it, I would have succumbed to inanition long ago.

Did those Gremlins really blow up? ( in the micro )

@DominicX yeah, I don’t use it as an oven much. It takes too long. But the broiler & pizza settings get used almost every day. The broiler makes great grilled salmon.

@Da_Wolfman uh…sure. ’-)

Our microwave stopped working several months ago. At first we talked about replacing it, but it’s an over-the-range model which requires some effort on our part. My husband rarely does any of the cooking, so I think he’s forgotten all about it. For a while, I missed the microwave when I needed to soften some butter for baking or heat up leftovers. I just have to plan ahead a bit. At this point, I don’t even want to replace the microwave! Although I do miss popcorn. I’ll have to buy some non-microwave popcorn next time I’m at the store!

I only use it to re-heat food, or to make a fast cup of tea. I eat mostly raw food though, so it’s mostly handy when it comes to my son.

@MissAusten It’s just as easy to make pop corn on the stove in a casserole, but maybe that’s what you referred to. Thanks, I’ll go and make some right now to my son. I forgot about the corn bag I have.

My mother cooks a lot, so I’m eating microwave-reheated food at least once a day (for lunch) and sometimes more.

I feel like I’m detecting some microwave hate in this thread. Is there something wrong with microwaves?

I don’t hate the microwave, I’ve just gotten used to living without it.

@oratio I haven’t made popcorn on the stove for so long, but I think I remember how to do it. I just keep forgetting to buy it. We used to have one of those air poppers when I was a kid, and my brother and I thought it was the coolest thing. :)

Nope. I use it rarely.

I would have to plan better… and wash a few more pots and pans.

I’d be hungry.

It makes many things more inconvenient, but totally worth it. I never use a microwave, but food tastes better, and is better for you, and it’s one more thing I can do to not be so lazy.

i had one but gave it away because i never used it. I have not used one for about 10 years. I heat up water for tea in the kettle, – it takes about 2 minutes.

I have a george foreman so I can just grill anything that I would microwave.

I rarely bother with it and lived many years without one, not a problem.

I use it for the quickness, but I am quite aware that the over serves the same purpose.

I loved that scene in Grandma’s Boy when he couldn’t find the microwave, and just grabbed the burning hot plate out of the oven LOL

It did mine when I first moved in with my husband and we didn’t have one. It made cooking take a lot longer. If you wanted to eat a can of soup you had to dirty up a saucepan and a bowl. Leftovers sucked because it was hard to heat them back up. I hated it. My folks got a microwave when I was in kindergarten so I had never really lived without one. The microwave was my most favorite wedding gift!

I honestly couldnt tell you the last time i used a microwave….

@uberbatman that’s cuz you’re used to getting baked ;)

@eponymoushipster touche

I would feel sorry for my loss.