Microwaves been out of fashion?

I have a combi one since the late 80s. This is my second. I use it regularly, although rarely use the actual combi programme except for baked potatoes and find the grill slower than the one in the main oven.

Since I was widowed, I use it more than ever.

LadyGracie

I've got a Panasonic convection microwave, I use it for porridge, heating milk, defrosting meat, bread etc. Warming plates, heating oatbags. I use it alot.
I'd love to use it to cook in it as an oven but the temperature does not reach anywhere near what it says, I put an oven thermometer in whilst warming plates, the lowest temperature setting is 150°c it only reaches 80°c.
Are there any better?

I'm not sure if this will answer your question, but mine (a Sage one) will boil water, as have previous ones I have owned. My oven thermometer (or the thing that Mr Dog* used to test the temp of my old oven) is metal and won't go in the microwave. So if yours is not able to boil liquid it is not working properly.

*He was wrong in his insistence that it was keeping to temp, so lost his bet and I got a new one .

I have a combi oven/microwave/grill, no big oven. Wouldn't want a big oven again.

Obviously she like that program are out of touch with us poor folks lol I got my first microwave as a wedding present off my now ex inlaws and I’ve had one every since I use mine for warming stuff milk tin food obviously not in the tin lol pudding in a mug bacon I used it most days

We use ours everyday. It is a combi and it is so efficient I can't imagine being without it.

This may get deleted.
Have just read the article and two words come to mind.
Patronising Plonker

Well I can be labelled a Dotty Dumbo too! I haven't had a microwave since the 90s when all the reports of loss of nutrients from food and leach of toxins from plastic containers came out. I was already not using it much because stuff reheated in it had such an awful texture, and never cooked in it because flavours never developed properly. One of my friends uses hers strictly for scrambled eggs. They taste of nothing and have the texture of rubber!

We haven't had a microwave for years. Never used it.

We do have a front opening air fryer now which has a rotisserie in it.

I'm using that alot more now to save money as its much cheaper than using the gas oven

When my last MW broke, a few years ago, I didn’t replace it. Food had become too instant and my consultant told me ready meals were highly not recommended for me.

BUT with the energy costs such as they are, I am contemplating buying a MW again because say 5 minutes in the MW vs 35 minutes in the real oven, the MW wins.

I bought my first MW in 1989, when I moved into my first flat. 29 years I had one, three in total. The original 1989 MW lasted until 2006, 17 years!

Frequent user of microwave, every day for heating milk and cooking veggies and at Christmas I cook the pudding in so bye bye hours of cooking on hob and watching water dry up.

I don't have an oven just a combi microwave. Only two us, lot cheaper to run

Use mine every day

A friend of mine was very suspicious of microwave cooking and said, "It's not proper food". I'm afraid I caught a bit of her prejudice. But then it's very useful for part-cooking jacket potatoes for finishing in the oven.

When did they ever go out of fashion! We use ours several times a day, particularly as our little dog likes the chill taken off her very expensive frozen dinners! When we've moved house or otherwise had no kitchen we have managed with with just a microwave and camping gas stove. These days it's even more useful as it's quick and less expensive.

I first got a microwave on 1985. I use it almost every day to heat my lunchtime soup. I batch cook and freeze so I wouldn't like to be without it

I use mine every day. I don’t know who these people are who only cook with fashionable appliances! It’s wonderful for last minute frozen vegetables!

We have one, but I honestly find it annoying to use.

I only use it for warming things like sausage rolls up.

It may well use less electricity than our induction hob, but having once tried making porridge in it, I went back to the cooker!

Our electricity prices are still lower than the UK's - if they go up, I shall re-instate the hay-box rather than faff around with a microwave.

I have concluded from this thread that many of us like the microwave and use it a lot abd a few of us have had one in the past and found no point to it.

I'd be interested to know if younger people have them and use them so I asked my family via WhatsApp.

Of my 5 adult children, 2 daughters don't even have one and one has one and uses it "now and then". Of the sons they both have them and one uses it "pretty regularly".
So 3 out of 5 have one and 2 use them enough to count.

Do your sons/daughters use them or is my family odd?

Ha ha. Yes. They are odd - but maybe nothing to do with microwaves!

I couldn't live without mine. Makes the best sponge puddings, cooks veg and ready meals, defrosts bread etc and will heat the Christmas pudding in the time it takes the main course to go down. Couldn't use the slow cooker for the Christmas pud as it is used to keep the mulled wine/cider warm.
We are fans of 'Masterchef' but can never understand why, when they are running short of time, they don't just finish it off in the microwave! Are they banned from using one? They use just about every other kitchen gadget you can think of!

We use ours every day, wouldn't be without it. In fact we have two but the other one (older worktop model) only comes out when we're a large household such as Christmas time.

Back in the 80's a friend of mine (an excellent cook) longed to have a microwave but her husband, a fireman, flatly refused to have one in the house, insisted they were dangerous. I think he simply didn't understand how they worked. Sadly she's not longer with us, but her husband now lives on ready meals etc which he cooks in his microwave.

I found lifting things out of the oven difficult so bought a combined microwave/oven. So now I realise how much I actually use the microwave. Fried onions? Cook in microwave before frying. Chicken? Ten minutes in the microwave then change over to oven mode until it looks cooked. ( you’ll never go back to cooking chicken only in the oven, again ). The microwave cooking keeps the chicken moist. Then there’s the cold half of coffee in a mug. Pop in microwave. Left over chips from last nights fish and chips? Pop into microwave. Etc. Couldn’t do without the microwave!!

I put mine in the garage cos I hardly use it. Porridge in the morning and usually don't need it the rest of the day.

My children both have one, and use theirs as I do mine - for a mixture of defrosting, heating up leftovers and helping with cooking from scratch.

It's only recently that I have thought of them in terms of saving money - I have used mine as it's quick, convenient, clean and saves on washing up. Now that energy is so expensive I will factor that into decisions on cooking methods, too, although they are largely subliminal or borne of habit.

It's interesting - I was talking to a friend of mine about cooking the other day. She can be rather snooty about 'cooking from scratch', and refused to have a microwave, an air fryer or slow cooker, as 'they are just for people who buy ready meals'. She knows that I (usually) cook from scratch, and that I am a great fan of a kitchen gadget, have all of those things and more, but it didn't stop her from looking down on them - until the energy crisis. Now she's changed her mind and wants to buy them, she is incensed that the prices have risen so much. Obviously it's because of people like her, who are suddenly flooding the shops with orders .

I use mine loads and have just ordered an air fryer so i expect not to be using main oven at all in future…. Unless family come for Sunday roast.

Mum had one in the 70’s and put a metal spoon in it lol. I’d never use one I’m still sceptical about it creating health issues…