BUYING new microwave

Had an all singing all dancing Panasonic Combi for many years. Not only was it too bulky for my new, smaller kitchen when I moved, but I found I no longer used all the features now I live alone. I got rid of it and replaced it with a smaller Panasonic 1000w version, quite basic but with the simple features I need. Excellent! I chose Panasonic again and will do in the future as the layout of the digital panels are pretty much the same, making it easier for lazy me to switch over!

Bought a Goodman British made

I have a microwave rice cooker. A lidded plastic container you put rice and a measured quantity of water into and then cook for a specific length time and provides perfectly cooked rice every time.

I have a 900W Samsung microwave, it does just about everything, but, I have to study the instruction book for an hour to be able to do anything except of course defrosting or anything simple.
It was a present.

Vegetables - it basically steams them - chicken, salmon, heat up milk for latte or hot choc, for one person it's invaluable. Bought a basic one as I don't like digital, just one dial for heat choice and one dial for minutes. Cheap, Curry's, Russell Hobbs.

Now a rice cooker is a waste of worktop space for me. It’s so simple to cook rice in a saucepan. I sometimes bring the water to a boil for a few minutes then put the lid on, turn off the heat and it’s cooked within 15/20 mins.

Monica my Dh managed to burn spinach in the microwave! A small amount does not need 10 mins microwave time! The saucepan as well as the spinach was exceedingly well cooked and I ended up buying a new MW because I could not get rid of the burnt plastic smell from inside. 🤢

I had a panasonic for years until one day smoke started coming from it and I took it out and threw it on the lawn. I don't miss it!
I'm thinking of getting a rice cooker but not sure of which brand is best.

I bought mine from local supermarket think it was £40 or something I don’t really use it so didn’t see point in buying state of art just to warn my peas etc lol £40 or £400 still going to warm my peas

They are a time saver as yes you can heat/reheat and get on with other chores..like reading and posting on Gransnet my black microwave is about 10 years old the turntable has stopped turning and the enamel is cracking...so have looked on Amazon and other retailers like Argos and Currys but so far haven't found what I want...think I'm overthinking it

Today I cooked some frozen fish in my microwave, also rice and reheated a container of vegetable curry.

The advantage of the microwave is that i can put the item to be heated in it, set the timer and walk away and do something else, secure in theknowledge that it will not burn dry in my absence. I can also reheat drinks in the mug and heat soup and other similar foodstuffs in the bowl they will be eaten out of, in a fraction of the time it would take to heat them any other way and with less washing up.

On the day we have heard such alarming news about global warming, its biggest advantage, as with the sir-fryer, is that it uses less energy than would be consumed by more traditional cooking methods.

Mine is ages old, and built in, with a fan above my stove. I think 700 w, but does the trick.

We use ours all the time! Oatmeal in the morning, re-heat soup at lunchtime, veg steamed at dinner time. Popcorn sometimes in the evening.

Mine's a Morphy Richards.
It looks modern and minimalist, but it works well.
A dial where you have to guesstimate how far round you turn it, and the clunky door.

I have one that is also an oven, grill and air fryer, and I use it all the time.

The microwave function is used mainly for heating up leftovers, warming custard or gravy, that sort of thing. It's much cleaner and easier than using saucepans and more effective than heating on a plate in the oven. The other functions save a lot in power, as they basically mean I rarely need to heat up the oven. The grill in the microwave isn't great, so I don't use that often.

Norah

Just curious. Not a debate, just a question.

Do any posters actually use a microwave? For what?

We had one, I never could work out upside to using it, I believe it moved to one of my husband's buildings (as one is there) or to a daughter.

I batch cook 4 identical meals and freeze. I love my microwave

I wanted a small, simple one for my new, smaller kitchen and this is just the ticket. panasonicdirect.store.panasonic.co.uk/p-5413-panasonic-nn-e28jmmbpq-panasonic-20l-compact-solo-microwave-oven-silver.aspx?psn=13

To answer Norah’s query, I use ours to heat soup or baked beans and to cook frozen veg and fruit. I microwave potatoes prior to roasting them and also jacket potatoes before finishing them in the- airfryer. Also to reheat bits and bobs such as forgotten cups of coffee or warm up scones etc.

My kids tease me about our very first microwave in 1986, which was about the size of a washing machine. I did everything in it - if it couldn’t be cooked in the MW we didn’t have it. 😂

Porridge, scrambled eggs , vegetables, custard , sponge puddings , reheating my coffee 🤣

Mine has a convection setting too which we find useful for doing things like baked potatoes. The microwave setting 1000 watts. To be honest I could manage with out one but quite like it as a security blanket.

I prefer them done in the oven, but I'll often start them in the micro.

Ah, I lie! I do use the microwave for jacket potatoes.

Beams or beans

We have a microwave but only use it for quickly re-heating something already cooked, not for actual cooking. I know a lot of people use them for cooking but, never having done so, I wouldn’t have a clue.

Same as Miss A

Jacket potatoes, heating up beams amd things, to save using a saucepan

Cooking a small amount of veg.

Just curious. Not a debate, just a question.

Do any posters actually use a microwave? For what?

We had one, I never could work out upside to using it, I believe it moved to one of my husband's buildings (as one is there) or to a daughter.

Mine now 3 years old is a 1000 watt Panasonic. White. From John Lewis. Very pleased with it. I don't use all the settings. But it does have a 30 second 1000 watt button which I use a lot otherwise I set it for 1000w or 800 w. It's really funny I find we spend ages trying to decide what to get of the white goods and then once you have it you never think about it again. Our previous microwave was very old and built like a tank from Bejam. But did us many years of sterling service.