I hate microwaves.

[Abbey]

Alright. I'll give you that this is a silly thing to gripe about, but I just want to put something in a microwave and push 30 seconds. No...not these days. It wants to know how many pounds, should it be thawed, turned over...NO. I just want 30 seconds.

I want one that just says cook and you enter the time. Argh.

Abbey

 

[Andy]

Sometimes convenience is far from it. Might as well just heat the oven and cook whatever - by the time it is done, you may have figured out the microwave?

I am not looking forward to microwave shopping - I think we will need a new one soon - are there still any left that are easy to use?

I may have to wait until there is a microwave that can figure it out - a scale inside? Shall we invent one and make lots of $$$$?

 

[gcvmom]

Mine has a button for adding time in 30 second intervals... so if I just push it, it comes on and cooks for only 30 seconds. It also has express cook buttons for 1 to 6 minutes -- just push that button and it comes on for that number of minutes.

It's a GE and I've had it about a year now.

 

[SRL]

A friend recently taughta microwave cooking class to a group of 4-H kids and said that what struck her is that the kids had a lot of experience with the microwave but really didn't understand the reasons behind the times or temp settings. They were just used to pushing buttons. I realized my kids aren't that way, but that's because I have a small microwave with dials. They just can't push the button that says water.

The only decisions I have to make are low/medication/high and minutes.

I need to replace my range and went out looking seriously for the first time today. Talk about changes--I'm cooking on a 30+ year old Tappan electric range.

 

[Hound dog]

I'll tell you what...........

I miss my very first microwave. husband bought it for me in 87. It was big, and I could cook anything in it. Heck, I baked in the darn thing.

Remember when Betty Crocker had microwave brownies and cakes??

I had special pans from Tupperware and I cooked all my meals in the microwave. Heaven for those hot summer months. My microwave was so big it had an oven rack in it.

Not now, at least not the ones I see. (or can afford)

by the way where did all the microwave bake goods go??? I mean, those were super easy and fast. Wonderful for little kids.

The one I own now is a PITA. All I do is warm up food in it and defrost. It's no good for anything else. It's too darn small.

 

[susiestar]

The GE we bought 3 months ago has time cook then you enter the min and sec. It also will give you 1 min on 1, 2 min on 2, 3 min on 3 up through number 6. That is at full strength. To get more I have to push the time cook, then push the power and setting.

It also has a button to add an extra 30 seconds to something.

It is very strong, and many of the things our old one heated in 1 min take 30-45 seconds, so that has been an adjustment. But I didn't see any that didn't have the settings like this. Well, one didn't, but it was too small to cook a bag of popcorn.

Sorry yours is so confusing.

 

[donna723]

I agree 100%! We got one a new one at work that nobody could use without reading the instruction booklet! We'd all be lined up with our lunches, waiting while somebody is studying the book! This isn't a fancy, expensive model either. Nothing is easy with this thing! If you want 30 seconds and hit the "3", it's set on 3 minutes before you can hit the "0"! You needed to study the book to be able to change it from "High" power to "Low". Does anybody really use all those settings? "Popcorn"? How do they know how long it's going to take? I put mine in, set it on 5 or 6 minutes, then when it stops popping, I take it out! They're trying to make rocket science out of it!

 

[flutterbee]

So, microwaves can be used for things other than heating up and defrosting?

That's the only thing I use it for.

 

[donna723]

I use mine as a bread box! I always put all my bread and hamburger buns in there and then have to take them out when I need to use it to warm something.

 

[nvts]

Susie and GVC, I have the same "nuker". I still like my old one best. When we redid the kitchen, husband went out and bought all new appliances. We were without a kitchen for close to a year. All I could cook with was the nuke and an electric skillet on a board across my washer and dryer (best pancakes in the world!). About 8 weeks before the kitchen was done, the microwave died.

I went to Wholesale Liquidators and bought on for $60 dollars.

I loved it. Everything came out perfectly. The buttons were simple to figure out, it had all the bells and whistles, but was simple to operate.

He finished the kitchen and put in the fancy GE.

I miss my $60 dollar nuker!

Beth

 

[Abbey]

I agree 100%! We got one a new one at work that nobody could use without reading the instruction booklet! We'd all be lined up with our lunches, waiting while somebody is studying the book!

The visual is too great!!

After reading the responses, I just went down and checked AGAIN to make sure I wasn't insane. (Ok, it's 4:30am and I can't sleep. What better thing to be doing?) There is NO button for just time. I don't cook in it, I just reheat stuff. Come on. There is a button for every other darn thing, but not just TIME.

The maddening thing for me is I've moved 4 times in the last 7 years to relatively nice places that have all these techno microwaves that are built in. I just want one that has TIME, then you put in a number. That's it. I don't even need low/medication/high. It's simple to please me.

Still chuckling at your work, Donna. Hey...here's an idea. Maybe they could hire me to be a trainer for the mic. Eh? I'd even read the manual.

Abbey

 

[WhymeMom?]

I soooooo agree......I went out and just bought a cheapie and thought okay little price fewer buttons to push.......nah......gotta hit time, power level, do I press start, no cook, no it's not coming on, is the clock set?, no wait there's a clear button, try that and begin all over......why is there no light on this thing?, oh, yeah, its a cheapie, okay coffee isn't hot, but my blood is boiling, was I standing too close and waves escaped? Think I'll just drink my coffee cold.....

 

[Marcie Mac]

I hear you Abbey - I have a microwave at work that I got from Montgomery Wards back when they first came out. Its got a dial, thats it - you could cook a small animal in it, its that big (not to mention heavy) - Its got to be close to 30 years old, and still works like a charm.

I get really frustrated trying to buy appliances - I want things with knobs - don't want to deal with having too many little buttons to push - guess I have the thought process of "too many buttons" means you will be seeing the repair guy sooner than later. When I went washer shopping a while back it was just overwhelming - do I really need an electronic display where I tell the darn thing I am washing jeans? Or sheets?

I still struggle with the remote for the Direct TV..

Marcie

 

[OpenWindow]

I hear ya. The only button I ever press on my microwave is +30 seconds. I work on a computer all day, and and am somewhat a "techy", but don't know how to use any other function on the microwave.

 

[Hound dog]

I still struggle with the remote for the Direct TV..

OH, Marcie!! I thought I was the only one who can't for the life of me figure that darn thing out!!! by the way, my washer and dryer still have knobs. Washer is still going strong and was bought back in '88 (knocks on wood), and I got my dryer replaced for free when easy child bought her house. The old residents left their new one behind, but easy child didn't need it because sister in law had just bought her one. (I love the darn thing.)

 

[muttmeister]

My new one is not so good either. I got my first one when we moved in this house and we didn't have the oven or cooktop installed yet so I cooked EVERYTHING in the microwave and so I learned to use it for a lot of stuff. The book that came with it had a recipe for hot German potato salad that I still love. And I was crazy about those cakes you made in the microwave. They were the perfect size and were really good. I wonder why they stopped making them? Anyway, my new one does have a 1-minute button that can be pressed repeatedly and it does have time cook if you can remember how to use it but everytime I want to use anything other than full power I have to drag out the book and re-read the directions. Even then sometimes it takes more than one try. Who the #3!! figures this stuff out. It must be some man who's never cooked anything in his life.

 

[gcvmom]

...okay coffee isn't hot, but my blood is boiling, was I standing too close and waves escaped? Think I'll just drink my coffee cold.....

 

[Shari]

Hey Abbey, I still have one like that. 2, actually. THey're so old its amazing they work.

I could send you one.

 

[KTMom91]

I have the same microwave that first hubby bought me for a wedding present in...are you ready...1984. It works great. He bought the best, has everything but a meat probe, which I didn't want, and the thing's still going strong.

 

[Abbey]

See, KT...it's a sad state when your mic out lives your husband.

Mutt - I'm nearly pure German, but if I go to another family party where they have hot German potato salad, I'm running for the door. husband just went to a huge German family party. At the end of the night (which is about 9pm WI time) they all realized there was 1/2 of a keg left. They had already downed 2. He said they all looked at each other after they had folded their lawn chairs to walk home and promptly put them back up to finish the keg. Stubborn people. Oh, wait...I guess that would include me.

GCVMom - are you glowing yet? (You KNOW you're not supposed to stand next to one while they're cooking.)

Don't even get me going on remotes. The last place I lived had 9 remotes. I counted them one day after 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to turn the TV on. I tried a few times...but just gave up and watched TV on my little 12inch that has no remote.

You gotta love technology.

Abbey