# Life in America without a microwave **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 16, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022 "2008-11-16T19:23:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/21 "2008-11-17T15:37:53Z")
The microwave is the most do-without-able appliance I have, and I’m counting the rice cooker in that. The only thing I really use it for is reheating leftovers, and I can certainly do that on the stove. Sometimes I make popcorn. That’s it. It’s way, WAY better to defrost under running water. Much better results, and it only takes 20 minutes for a couple chicken breasts. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/22 "2008-11-17T15:46:44Z")
I’ve lived without a microwave before, and I could do so again, but I don’t know why I’d make such a choice. I actually use the microwave far more than the range, oven, or toaster in our kitchen - its benefits to me far outweigh its costs. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/23 "2008-11-17T15:52:51Z")
> [@HerbalTea](#): > > We don’t have a microwave and it’s never been a problem. We reheat things on the stove. We make popcorn on the stove. We boil water on the stove. I sometimes wish we had an oven, but none of us likes or even knows how to bake, so why get one? Wait a sec, you don’t have a conventional oven? I use our oven all the time, yet rarely do I bake anything. I know you can get along without one, but I can’t imagine anyone who cooks with regularity going without an oven. I have lived without a microwave quite often in the past several years. No problem there. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/24 "2008-11-17T15:54:54Z")
My favorite meat defrosting method is the one Alton Brown plugs: put it in a bowl, put the bowl in the sink, and put the tap on to just a mere trickle of COLD water. Keeps it cold enough to be out of the bacteria danger zone (unlike defrosting on the counter), works pretty quickly (unlike the fridge overnight) and won’t accidentally cook your meat (unlike the microwave). [QUOTE=voguevixen] I remember a couple years back when those “as seen on TV” meat thawing sheets were being discussed on here we found you could get the same results by just laying your meat on a cookie sheet or (room temp) skillet. I don’t remember the science behind it but I’ve done it and it seems to work pretty well. [/QUOTE] They work by being large heat sinks - the heat in the metal goes into the meat. Not heat as in, actively heated, just the room temperature energy that metal holds onto so well. As \*\*Blue\_Kangaroo \*\*pointed out to me the other day, you have a huge heat sink without taking out a dish: your stove. Put a wrapped piece of frozen meat directly on the stove and all that beautiful metal will gently warm the meat faster than a laminate countertop or plate. > [@](#): > > Also if you split up a large bulk package of hamburger for freezing make sure to flatten it out after you divide it into separate bags so it’s wide and thin, not a super-thick ball that will take 16-hours to thaw out. I make large flattened donuts out of my ground beef. One pound in a ziptop freezer bag, press the air out, seal, then smoosh the meat to the corners and excavate a hole the size of your fist in the center. Makes it defrost more quickly and evenly no matter what method you use, because you have a higher surface area to mass ratio. ETA: Freeze them flat, and then they nicely stack either flat or in files in your deep freeze. I prefer files 'cause it’s easier to grab the back one (oldest) than the bottom one when I want to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Jelymag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/25 "2008-11-17T16:18:09Z")
I have a terrible habit of _breaking_ microwaves. As we are always short on money, it generally takes a minimum of three months to squeeze something onto the “priority” list of our budget, even relatively cheap things. So when I broke ours earlier this year (while melting chocolate, of all things) we did without for several months. As long as I remembered to take meat out in enough time, the only really big thing I got aggravated with is the ridiculous amount of time it takes to bake a potato in the oven. FWIW, I use the microwave for steaming veggies. The faster cooking time helps retain the vitamins and it is a much more efficient appliance, with regard to energy conservation. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/26 "2008-11-17T16:24:12Z")
I haven’t had a microwave for about a decade. Just no room in my kitchens. Leftovers are the biggest problem. I think if I were reheating a ton of food for multiple people it would be less of a problem. But reheating a single serving in the oven is not usually a successful endeavor, and causes a ton of extra dishes. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/27 "2008-11-17T16:28:59Z")
> [@Alpine](#): > > Air popped popcorn is still worth it, especially with a bit of melted butter and Cabot Cheddar Cheese Powder (yum!). Nope. I can’t believe I just read my new recipe for additional fat on thighs and butt. ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/28 "2008-11-17T21:30:26Z")
Another microwave-less household here! We don’t really have the counter space for one, and I don’t miss it too much. Leftovers are cooked in the oven on a low heat, tea is from an electric kettle, the toaster oven doubles as a re-heater, we de-frost the Alton Brown way, and the only popcorn I make is in a big pot with oil. I love stove-top popcorn! I missed it at first when I wanted to reheat leftovers, but if you give yourself a bit more time the oven will do the trick. Now I just have one of those rice-filled muscle relaxer things that I can’t use, but a hot bath is good enough. We also have no dishwasher. HEATHENS! ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/29 "2008-11-17T21:51:14Z")
> [@HerbalTea](#): > > We don’t have a microwave and it’s never been a problem. We reheat things on the stove. We make popcorn on the stove. We boil water on the stove. I sometimes wish we had an oven, but none of us likes or even knows how to bake, so why get one? And yet you have an internet connection. A microwave is cheap and does the job. Hot food or Coffee in less than a minute. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/30 "2008-11-17T21:59:30Z")
> [@Elysium](#): > > Now I just have one of those rice-filled muscle relaxer things that I can’t use, but a hot bath is good enough. Do you have your own clothes dryer? Throw your rice-filled muscle relaxer in with a load of wet clothes. It’ll get just the perfect amount of moist heat in it. ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/31 "2008-11-17T22:00:26Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Do you have your own clothes dryer? Throw your rice-filled muscle relaxer in with a load of wet clothes. It’ll get just the perfect amount of moist heat in it. We do indeed have a dryer! That’s the best suggestion I’ve ever heard, you’ve saved my aching shoulders **WhyNot**! I will have to go home and do some laundry. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/32 "2008-11-17T22:03:06Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > And yet you have an internet connection. A microwave is cheap and does the job. Hot food or Coffee in less than a minute. Coffee in the microwave? Abomination! ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/33 "2008-11-17T22:06:53Z")
For defrosting meat, as mentioned upthread, either take it out before going to work or put it in a ziploc and dump it in some water. Or you can put it in a ziploc full of water. Popcorn was meant to be cooked in a standard pan on top of the stove. With real butter afterward and, sometimes, either dry ranch dressing mix w/ parmesan cheese or with sugar & salt for kettle corn. Water can be boiled on the stovetop in a pan. Frozen dinners can usually be stuck in at 375 until they’re hot in the middle. Leftovers can be done stovetop or in the oven (again, usually 350 to 375) until they’re hot. Sheesh, now I feel old. I remember when we first got a microwave. I think I was 6. I loved watching things melt in there. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/34 "2008-11-17T23:22:13Z")
I don’t mean that some foods are impossible, just that they’re less convenient. Yes, I know that I can make popcorn in a pan, but the added mess and trouble means it’s not worth it. Ditto tea, ditto leftovers, etc… It’s not about the money, it’s about the space in my kitchen and the hassle of procuring an appliance that is mostly useless. Ooh, except for one more thing I forgot in the OP: I used to have instant oatmeal all the time. Half a cuppa water, two minutes on high, let it nuke while I’m in the shower. Bam: hot breakfast from the pantry to my belly in under 5 minutes. Very tricky without a microwave. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/35 "2008-11-17T23:59:29Z")
Before microwaves were common, we used to reheat leftovers by putting the plate in place of the lid on a pan half filled with boiling water on the stove top. I don’t recall it working all that well though. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/36 "2008-11-18T02:09:28Z")
I’ve never had one and I never will. Call me old fashioned, but there’s something sinister in the way they even boil water. That steamy funny smell - urgh. The only possible use I could have for them would be the thawing thing. Seems like they pull a lot of current too. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/37 "2008-11-18T14:49:11Z")
No microwave here either. Never had one. Don’t need one. Don’t want one. I worked in the offices of a BIG-named corporation that manufactured them when microwaves first came out. We had one in the office and, for publicity purposes, got a recipe to make a cake in it. It was blahhhhhhh.:eek: Anything it can do I can do better another way. Oh yeah, I also PERK coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/38 "2008-11-18T15:33:28Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > I’ve never had one and I never will. Call me old fashioned, but there’s something sinister in the way they even boil water. That steamy funny smell - urgh. The only possible use I could have for them would be the thawing thing. Seems like they pull a lot of current too. They typically use far less energy than reheating things in the oven, I believe. Heating an entire conventional oven when a microwave is available is just plain wasteful, really. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/39 "2008-11-18T15:36:37Z")
> [@luv2draw](#): > > I worked in the offices of a BIG-named corporation that manufactured them when microwaves first came out. We had one in the office and, for publicity purposes, got a recipe to make a cake in it. It was blahhhhhhh.:eek: > . Hysterical. That’s like saying “I’ll never buy a Camry, because I used it to tow a 47’ sailboat this one time with disastrous results.” ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022/40 "2008-11-18T15:53:06Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Heat water quickly and efficiently (I use my coffee maker to heat water for tea) Most of the rest of the developed world have electric water kettles. I know we had one in New Zealand, Prague, Tbilisi, Dubai and Mauritius… among other places. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-america-without-a-microwave/473022.md?page=3)