Microwave ovens

[User482]

I think I can confidently say that my automatic washing machine is older that yours - twenty nine years!

Yes, you win. Mainly because 29 years ago, my mum was washing my nappies!

 

[Spinney]

Baked potatoes are fine - as long as you crisp the skins in a normal oven for abotu 20 mins after they are cooked through!

Personally, I hate the programmable ones with little buttons that you have to press. Mine is basic two dials - one for setting, one for time. Does the job.

 

[Mr Pig]

I don't trust them. You're supposed to have them tested for leaks once a year or something, do you know anyone who does?

Plus, everything that comes out of them tastes rubbish!

 

[4F]

I don't trust them. You're supposed to have them tested for leaks once a year or something, do you know anyone who does?

Plus, everything that comes out of them tastes rubbish!

I am glad it's not just me then. It will be a cold day in hell before I ever buy one again.

 

[Speicher]

Baked potatoes are fine - as long as you crisp the skins in a normal oven for abotu 20 mins after they are cooked through!

Personally, I hate the programmable ones with little buttons that you have to press. Mine is basic two dials - one for setting, one for time. Does the job.

Would you like me to programme your video recorder for you?

 

[willhub]

Plus, everything that comes out of them tastes rubbish!

You're doing it wrong.


I remember my last flatmate, he hated microwaves, his argument was that his grandma was killed from using a microwave too much....

 

[Archie_tect]

Bought son and daughter [both at university now....sniff] a very cheap Tesco microwave with buttons- [along with several hundred parents doing the same!]...needs a rotating plate [but they probably all have them now].

I microwave bacon for 2 minutes, drain off the excess fat and 'injected' water, then finish off under grill to crisp the fat up in another minute or two... fantastic. Sausages OK that way too...nicely browns the casing under grill. My wife prefers to grill from start but it seems to take forever....

 

[JamesAC]

Thank you one and all.

So I'll get a cheap silvery one with buttons rather than a knob.

I want to get one, not because of its culinary prowess, but because the cost of gas is set to rise by a huge amount over the next few years. It seems very inefficient to heat the whole of the conventional oven up just to warm up a couple of Sommerfield's Shepherd's Pies. As I mentioned in the OP, we do do proper cooking several times a week.

Thanks again

 

[badkitty]

The worse thing about microwaves is getting replacement parts.The machine itself cost me £35 in a sale, and the replacement glass plate cost £18.99 + delivery, (and lots of research, 3 phonecalls and hassle to get too).
I would hate to be without one - I do all sorts in it - rice, steamed veg, beans, hot chocolate, scrambled egg etc. They're fine as long as you know their limitations and don't expect miracles. But as others have said, don't bother spending a fortune on one.

 

[Archie_tect]

Your house for dinner then, I'll bring the garlicky french beans [to go with your Shepherd's Pie] and ginger sponge for pudding, Sharkey the custard?...

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Thank you one and all.

So I'll get a cheap silvery one with buttons rather than a knob.

I want to get one, not because of its culinary prowess, but because the cost of gas is set to rise by a huge amount over the next few years. It seems very inefficient to heat the whole of the conventional oven up just to warm up a couple of Sommerfield's Shepherd's Pies. As I mentioned in the OP, we do do proper cooking several times a week.

Thanks again

We used our old one for doing frozen veg, baked beans, warming milk through to put on the Little-LCs weetabix and that kind of thing. It's also a (very) quick way of melting chocolate, softening butter and so on for baking.

When you do proper cooking, you can make some extra, freeze it and then use the microwave to reheat it: we do soups and stuff like chilli that way.

Our old one broke a couple of years ago and we lived without until just recently having had our kitchen refitted. Then we got a built in combi job. As others have said, that does a good job with jacket spuds: 20 minutes or so on "combi" mode and it's cooked through AND with a nice skin. I never really rated spuds just microwaved, but the combi is OK.

 

[swee'pea99]

I wouldn't cook in one, but as others have said, they're absolutely invaluable for defrosting and heating up. I cook things like ragu sauce and chilli in great vats, and store blocks in the freezer. Add a microwave and you have spag bol at 10 mins notice.

 

[swee'pea99]

Oh, and I definitely endorse the 'buy cheap': ours was the cheapest own-brand, has been used constantly for 10 years, and is still fine. (Oh, actually the light did die last year, but it still works.)

 

[tyred]

Oh, and I'll add that with many electrical gadgets these days, they try and sell you "extended warranty" - don't bother.

 

[wafflycat]

Had the cheap ones, had the expensive one. Gone back to the best one I've yet used. Got this recently as the cheap & cheerful turned out to be cheap & nasty:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000AKRT...ode=asn&creative=7974&creativeASIN=B000AKRT7M

Roast a chicken to succulent juicy-fleshed, golden, crispy-skinned deliciousness, complete with roast veg in 45 minutes on dual cook. Jacket potaotes with crispy skins and cooked through in 15-20 mins. Big enough to cook a proper family meal in as well as basic reheat duties. I use it as a microwave, a grill, convection oven and can dual cook with microwave+convection heat or microwave+grill.