All I remember is that the microwave was the very first thing my mom bought with her paycheck once she went back to work in 1984, and thus, since I also work full-time, I do not feel the least bit bad about relying on the device now!
What would be even worse is the endless stretch of sandwiches I would have to endure for my lunches at work if we did not have microwaves there. That’s where a lot of my leftovers get reheated.
We didn’t have a microwave when our first was a baby, and we heated her formula in a pan of warm water, until a drop from the nipple was just warm to the touch.
I also far prefer to heat pizza in the toaster oven and soup on the stove
As for the rest, being a 20ish man, there were no leftovers.
We waiting for a lightning strike to start a grass fire and then put the food as close to it as we could. Or, we put it in the oven/on the stove. I was young; the details are fuzzy.
But I’m confused by the talk in this thread of reheating pizza. Why would someone ruin perfectly good next-day pizza like that?
Back in the olden days, early '60s, out in the country, you didn’t reheat anything. The main meal of the day was Dinner (lunch.) Full meal. Afterwards, what was left in each bowl and platter was covered with a clean dishcloth and set in the pie closet, to be brought out again for Supper. It wasn’t refrigerated, not even the meat, and nobody died from it.
The only thing I questioned was…Why bother to put the food up at all? But the table was always wiped down before everybody went back to work. Maybe so it would look good, and neat, if company happened to stop by.
If is went in the oven, it went in the oven (or toaster oven, if it was small). If it did on the stovetop, it did on the stovetop. That was about it.
A microwave is a great help and very quick; but sometimes, especially if time is not important, things just seem better if reheated slowly using the range.
Toaster oven, stove, kettle, Popcorn machine…there were a lot of heating things we used.
Come to think of it, grandma’s first microwave back in 1992 or so was a complete and utter piece of shit. It didn’t become a *useful *household appliance until another five years or so after for us.
It was a good many years before I got a microwave. Before that, I mostly reheated things on the stove (which, for that matter, is mostly how I cook things the first time, too).
And pizza should never go in a microwave. Cook it the first time in a real oven, then either reheat it in the oven, or eat it cold. Microwaving pizza makes it all mushy.
My mother used to have an enameled metal plate on which she would dish up dinner for anyone who was going to miss the actual sitting. That would be covered with a smaller plate and warmed later by setting it on top of a pan of water boiling on the hob.
Leftovers in the sense of more food on the table than we needed for that meal were pretty rare
We were hungry and there was just about enough.
In the late 80’s, husband and I were stationed in Okinawa, in a tiny Okinawan apartment, with a tiny Japanese kitchen. I heated everything in or on the tiny gas stove/oven. We spent a brief time (like 2 days) in between that apartment and our on base house. In that time, I wanted a cup of tea, and was upset because I didn’t have a kettle to heat the water in. Husband said “Um, honey? We have a microwave.” Me: “Oh…yeah.”
You know, I don’t have any memories of heating up leftovers before the microwave and I was around eleven when we got one.
I do remember the time Dad micro’ed some eggs he’d tapped ‘vent’ holes in as instructed by the manual. After a couple of minutes of cooling on the counter they blew all over the kitchen, like yolky little bombs. Fun times!
Heating really does work better if you stir or flip half way through.
Mostly, I ate leftovers cold. If it had to be heated, put it in a pan and stick it on the burner set low.
A few weeks ago, we had pizza one night. Next morning, we went out to get groceries. While we were putting them away, VWife breaks out the pizza and the biggest skillet we’ve got, and puts the filled skillet on the stove, set quite high.
:dubious:
“I read about this great way to heat pizza in a web article…”
We’re putting stuff away, and the skillet is smoking mildly. I’m beginning to smell it. She ignores me.
A few minutes later, “Check your goddamned pizza!” She still ignores me. I shut the burner off.
When she was done with her part of the groceries, she opens the skillet and puts her pizza on a plate. The bottom crust is burned so bad there is ash. Mind you, my wife doesn’t like toast that has a hint of brown. I didn’t say a word as she went to eat her lunch.
Later, “How was your pizza?”
“Not bad, where it wasn’t burnt…”
:rolleyes:
ETA: We’ve had 3 pizzas since then. She hasn’t tried doing that again.
I’m amazed at these people reheating coffee. How long doe sit take you to drink a cup? And making a cup of tea if easier in a microwave than using a kettle? What is this madness?
We never had leftovers when I was growing up. I do remember when Microwaves first came out. I was working in a nursing home and all the old folks were very much against bringing one of those in to the home. They were very afraid of those “death rays” they must shoot out.
I thought using a microwave to heat formula was recommended against anyway? Because it can heat spottily and a baby being fed a bottle of milk isn’t going to be able to just pull away instantly and whince at a hot spot.
Remember they don’t have proper kettles. Even my friend in LA who has an electric kettle doesn’t have a proper one - you have to turn it off yourself.