# How often do you use your/a microwave? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321 "2013-07-12T14:50:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/21 "2013-07-13T01:21:23Z")
I used to use my microwave alot more often, before I had the instant hot water faucet installed. Now that I don’t need it to make hot water for coffee or tea, it’s done to a few times a week, on average. Mostly to reheat something. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/22 "2013-07-13T03:26:16Z")
I have at least one cup of hot tea every day, and I might use the microwave for other things during the day, as well. I cook most things on my range, though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/23 "2013-07-13T04:34:43Z")
Lately I’ve been really enjoying those steam-in-the-bag frozen vegetables, so I’ve been using my microwave a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/24 "2013-07-13T04:53:06Z")
I use it as a timer all the time, at least once a day probably. I’m assuming you mean using it to actually cook/defrost things though, so I selected 3-5 a month. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/25 "2013-07-13T05:02:27Z")
Just a few times a week. I use the stovetop for things like boiling water and popcorn. I only tried the MW for defrosting stuff a couple times and was not happy with the results, so I just use a water bath if I forget to put it in the fridge early enough. I use the MW for just heating things up from the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/26 "2013-07-13T05:04:17Z")
I don’t have a microwave. In the 3 years I’ve been working at my current place of employment, I’ve never used the microwave we have there. Frankly, I can’t remember the last time I used one… perhaps 15 years ago or so. ETA: Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there so far I’m the only person who answered “I never use microwaves…ever.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/27 "2013-07-13T05:13:45Z")
> [@nachtmusick](#): > > I’m calling social services. Oops. :smack: …the baby _food_ ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/28 "2013-07-13T06:27:17Z")
Reheating, thawing, cooking - I do it all. I inherited a microwave from my sister that is approximately a thousand times more powerful than our old one - it is so awesome! I feel like the lights should dim on my block every time I start it up. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/29 "2013-07-13T06:41:10Z")
Pretty much daily…reheating stuff, thawing stuff, or occasionally making popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/30 "2013-07-13T13:34:45Z")
The wife heats her coffee + milk every morning. I use it to melt or soften butter from time to time. Works well for cooking corn on the cob. It mostly gets used as a timer. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/31 "2013-07-13T14:38:40Z")
Multiple times a day. Heating up milk for cafe au lait every morning, defrosting bread things, warming leftover canned dog food, defrosting occasionally, warming up leftovers, making sauces. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/32 "2013-07-13T17:14:27Z")
Once or twice a day. Usually to warm up leftover for lunch, or make instant oatmeal or an egg-in-a-mug for breakfast. Sometimes I use it to warm up frozen rice packages for dinner, like from Trader Joes. When it’s hot out it’s better than simmering on the stove for a half hour. I saw in a magazine a recipe for a microwave risotto and I really wanted to try it. I’ve never really cooked anything in the microwave, except for eggs. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/33 "2013-07-13T17:23:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Lately I’ve been really enjoying those steam-in-the-bag frozen vegetables, so I’ve been using my microwave a lot more. Yeah, the broccoli steamable bags at ALDI are wonderful. So much less hassle than having to clean a steamer. I use mine mainly to re-heat cups of tea. I make a pot with loose tea, then strain that into a thermos. Usually that keeps it hot enough, but later I’ll give it a zap. I do intend to try out the _Modernist Cuisine_ microwave beef jerky recipe ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/34 "2013-07-13T17:35:10Z")
Reheating coffee a bajillion times a day, heating leftovers at lunch and/or dinner, wife heats water for tea and occasionally makes popcorn. That’s about it, but would never live without one. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/35 "2013-07-13T18:03:36Z")
Softening butter, mainly in the winter although I will admit the occasional ‘autopilot’ error recently which resulted in pourable butter ☹ And occasionally zapping the aforementioned ALDI nuke-in-the-bag vegetables. Twice a day max (winter) once or twice a month (summer) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/36 "2013-07-13T19:03:27Z")
We re-heat, bake potatoes, cook microwave dishes (store bought stuff made for the microwave, not real food) but only defrost in emergencies as it is a terrible defroster. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/37 "2013-07-13T21:46:12Z")
I’ve been cooking ears of corn in mine, and boiling little potatoes in a big plastic tupperware bowl. Sometimes early in the day so I can just reheat a minute or two later on, with the rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. I don’t care to stand over a hot stove in 90 degree heat, after a long day. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/38 "2013-07-14T09:29:07Z")
It’s the easiest way to make corn tortillas palatable. There’s just this funky taste when they are uncooked. It’s also how I cook bacon. It only makes it rubbery if you have the wrong type of bacon. The microwave is the only way I can get that perfect combination of crispy and chewy without fear of burning. It’s also a good idea if you want boiled eggs. No, you can’t boil eggs in microwave (at least, not any faster than on a stovetop), but you can poach them, and that tastes pretty much the same. I also make scrambled eggs in the microwave for my mom’s breakfast, as she likes them better that way, for some reason. (I like my scrambled eggs lightly browned.) I also once successfully made chicken dumplings in the microwave. The recipe said to boil them, and I remembered that microwaves can simulate boiling pretty well. The only down side was that the dumplings were all square, as I had to cut them. But they tasted perfect. Someday I’m going to figure out how to make them again. I also learned that it’s a great way to cook freezer-burned hamburger patties. They come out moist, unlike if you try to cook them on the stovetop. All in all, I think I do at least 50% of my cooking in the microwave. I can’t imaging not having one. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/39 "2013-07-14T11:04:58Z")
None of the poll options. In winter probably 7 - 10 times a week, reheating stuff for lunch most days, part cook veges to bake or stir fry and heat up a pad for aches and pains. In summer virtually never. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321/40 "2013-07-14T18:11:03Z")
I use it to make tea in the morning. Usually three or four mugs worth. That’s all I use it for. Husband uses it all the time. Heats his coffee up, reheats leftovers, etc. I don’t eat leftovers so the only time I cook in it is if I get frozen vegetables to go with a meal - like the broccolli with cheese sauce kind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-your-a-microwave/663321.md?page=3)