house kitchen real food

We don't have a microwave

by Liz Beavis
When the cabinet maker asked me where we wanted the microwave in the new kitchen I had a mental-blank.  I couldn't think where to put it and when I really thought about it, I didn't actually want a microwave.  We did still own one at that stage, but we hardly used it.  I find them kind of ugly and I don't completely trust them.  We haven't had a microwave in the new kitchen since we moved in Easter, and I really don't miss it.




There may or may not be reasons to not eat microwaved food, but personally I don't like the taste of it and I don't like the look the microwave, so I'm happy not to have one in my kitchen.  When I considered whether to include a microwave in the new kitchen, I could only come up with three things:

  1. Defrosting meat
  2. Heating leftovers
  3. Heating wheat packs
 
Defrosting meat without a microwave
This one is pretty easy.  If you want a roast or a large chunk of meat, you do just have to be organised and get it out of the freezer the day or night before you need it.  These don't defrost well in the microwave anyway (I find the edges start to cook).  For smaller cuts like chops or steak, I just put it in a container of hot water and turn it over a few times, which usually defrosts the meat in about 30 minutes, which is not too bad I think.
Heating leftovers without a microwave
I'm lucky that at work we have "pie-warmer" ovens in every lunch room, so I never had to use a microwave to heat up my lunch (unless I forget to put it in the pie-warmer).  At home, I heat up leftovers in a frying pan or pot on the stove, or in the oven or Weber BBQ.  It does take a little bit longer and gets another dish dirty, but I think it heats more evenly and tastes better.
Heating a wheat pack without a microwave
I wasn't sure how I was going to heat my wheat packs, which I do like for keeping warm on winter nights.  This was about my only remaining use for a microwave, but I didn't want one in the kitchen just for that.  I found a solution the other day - I put a cup of water in a large pot and sat it on the woodstove on a trivet, they warmed through in about 10 minutes with me turning them.  I think you can also put them in the oven (but I didn't want to turn on the over just for that either).
I think microwaves had their peak of popularity when we were sucked into cooking without fat.  I can't think of anything that I would actually want to cook in a microwave.  I would rather cook in butter or macadamia oil and create a tasty meal with healthy fats.
Do you use a microwave regularly?  Would you consider not including one in your kitchen?

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