Microwaves been out of fashion?

NotSpaghetti Yes all three of our sons and their families have microwaves and use them pretty much every day, especially the GC who make hot drinks in them, heat up snacks and even warm their gloves and socks in them in the winter!

I can't remember the last time we used ours.

Mine is only used for heating things up and for porridge. With both of us working full time, I wouldn't be without it

I am on my own and use mine for heating up a mug of water for my instant coffee, plus my cook vegetables, porridge and fish. It has been proved to be cheaper than the hob, electric kettle and oven but then I don’t have an air cooker.

NoddingGangan……. To make wonderful scrambled eggs in the microwave:::Mix the eggs in a microwaveable bowl, personally I add a dribble of milk and a dollop of butter. Only 30 seconds a time in the microwave before whipping the mix up again. 4 or 5 times. Whisk well each time, going down to 20seconds / 10 seconds before whipping again. When they look like you prefer them to look then they are cooked. If they turn rubbery then it’s you overcooking them. NOT the microwave fault

There was a lot of talk in the 80's about them being dangerous as the rays could leak out (and damage your body!) if the door seal wasn't a tight fit. And takeaways had to have a sign on the premises cautioning people that they were using microwaves and had to have them serviced regularly.

I know a few people who won't have one in the house.

It is also said by some to destroy the fundamental structure of the food.

I have a halogen cooker for heating up and I also use a microwave for the occasional ready meal and defrosting things

I very rarely cook roasts or chickens so almost never use my oven. I'm using it a bit just now to make crumbles with all the lovely apples from the garden.

I have thought to experiment with making a microwave Victoria sponge... seen a few recipes. Has anyone tried it?

Oh dear, and I've just bought a new one!! I love it!!

We had our first microwave in December 1991 when our first son was six months old. My in laws lived abroad and sent a cheque for Christmas. We had wanted one for a long time but could not afford one as they were very expensive at the time so this was what we spent the money on. It was useful for baby food as well as for us. I would not be without one now.

@NotSpaghetti - my son and D-I-L had a crisis with the cooker in their rented flat, and asked if they could borrow my super-duper combo oven. As far as I know, with 3 small children they still use it frequently. Quickest jacket potatoes ever!

I'm afraid the Daily Wail is full of rubbish. Here it's horses for courses - microwave, oven, hob, air fryer as needed. Better read The Guardian!

Wouldn’t be without my microwave. So handy, quick and cheap for so many things! Once you are familiar with them, can be used for dishes that take quite a time on the hob and in the oven, such as sponge/steamed puddings which I love. An absolute necessity along with my slow cooker and air fryer.

I use mine for making cocoa with oat milk, getting the lid off rock hard ice cream, warming my tea as I like it half oat milk. I use the microwave in conjunction with the table top mini oven when I make a large casserole for guests in the mini oven and need the mini oven for quickly roasting par-boiled potatoes.

I heard someone on the radio talking about washing lines and the concept of 'drying your washing outside' as if it was a new concept!! Really??

I got one in the 90's i think you could get them in the 80's but they were too expensive. I wouldn't be without mine, that and my airfryer

I use mine every day to warm the dinner plates (5-10 seconds at medium). Also for starting baked potatoes and softening carrots; also for melting things. I often pop in half a cup of coffee that I’ve allowed to get cold. I occasionally buy ready made desserts like sticky toffee pudding when we have visitors that say microwaving gives the best results. I wouldn’t be without mine though I don’t use it a huge amount.

I bought one in 1990 as we built an extension and finally had room for one. My daughter was a baby so it was used a lot for heating up baby food in the beginning, but I wouldn't be without it. I start jacket potatoes off in it as it speeds up the process so don't need the oven on as long, though I like them finished in the oven for a crispy skin.

The only mothballed microwave I'm aware of is the one at my church which normally lives on top of a high cupboard, but even that one is currently down on the kitchen surface as we used it about a week ago to heat up a vegetarian alternative meal as most of the attendees at our alpha course were eating cottage pie and we just had one vegetarian to cater for. We've left it there until the current series of meetings is over in case we need to heat up a separate meal again.

I had my first Microwave in c.1983… it lasted and was regularly used until c. 2000 . At that point I moved house and my adult sons insisted it was old and ugly ( which it was!) but it still worked and was a nice large size I countered… but sons insisted I get a new modern one and paid for it… the new one immediately blew up! So another replacement followed! Last year I was hospitalised and whilst there my youngest son moved into my house to help - and somehow managed to blow up that microwave!! So he bought yet another for me!
Oddly however, though I wouldn’t be without one, I bought a microwave mug cake recipe book for that youngest son ( 41 ) who normally lives near London ( I’m in West Wales) and he told me he doesn’t have a microwave…. I was shocked I thought it was an essential piece of kit for a single bloke!

I have used a combi convection oven, with grill and microwave function for over 29 years. They have the advantage of being a small oven which is very quick to heat, a grill which is useful for browning dishes, or just be used as a microwave for reheating and cooking fruit and vegetables. They are brilliant!

I also have a combined microwave/oven with a grill. I use it quite a bit as it is so fast. However, for me, the best use is for making frothy milk in my old cafetiere, I froth the milk using the plunger then pop it in the microwave for 1 minute giving me lovely warm frothy milk for cappachinos.

Utterly invaluable and much cheaper than they oven

I inherited my first microwave from my mother in1990.
In those days a comprehensive book came with it. There is very little you cannot cook in a microwave.
Now that because of my mobility problems and age I cannot cook anything involving saucepans of hot water or a frying pan, I use the microwave all the time from heating a cup of milk to cooking a Bolognese sauce . Much quicker but tremendous saving on electricity. I do not buy ready meals everything is cooked from scratch. An egg only takes 40 seconds and bacon four minutes, a frozen fillet of fish three minutes.
I do use my breadmaker because I am worried about all the additives in supermarket bread.

That’s utter rubbish, I use mine every day. To reheat drinks I’ve left to get cold, to make milky coffee, to heat up meals, to soften hard butter, to defrost items, to cook sponge puddings, etc. etc.

I find they are great for reheating food, and jacket potatoes

We had a microwave multi function table top cooker ( wedding present) before we had a full size gas cooker back in the 80s or fridge. The microwave was our first appliance! I had just returned from a warm climate where cooking was almost all done by microwave, to avoid excessive heat in the house. Perhaps stand alone microwaves have been replaced by multifunction microwave cookers now?
We use our multifunction microwave every day. Perhaps Im out of date too!

Never had a microwave, never wanted one. However, I'm impressed with the info in these posts about the saving in fuel costs. Could be tempted to get one but these days my brain is a bit slow and I fear I might struggle to understand how to use one. Not good with new and/or technical gadgets. Will ponder.