The microwave

[Trickyvee]

Who remembers the arrival of the microwave? At the time it was meant to revolutionise cooking. We'd all be getting rid of our old ovens and cooking EVERYTHING in these wonderous new machines.

My aunt got a huge one in the early 80's. Big brown thing with an incorporated grill to make things go brown. We didn't get one until a few years later, by which time the world had realised that you couldn't actually cook an entire Sunday lunch or do the cake baking of your dreams by microwave.

Re-heated left overs anyone?...

[Megawitch]

I had one in the 80s. It was quite expensive and very small. After one or two others I got a combined microwave and convection oven which I had for years and only chucked out last year. I saved the porcelain plate from inside though, I don't know why!

I was only thinking the other day when I cleaned the kitchen, my worktops are full of gadgets, foreman grill, toaster, slow cooker, kettle and at one time the cooker did everything!

[darren]

I had one in the 80s. It was quite expensive and very small. After one or two others I got a combined microwave and convection oven which I had for years and only chucked out last year. I saved the porcelain plate from inside though, I don't know why!

I was only thinking the other day when I cleaned the kitchen, my worktops are full of gadgets, foreman grill, toaster, slow cooker, kettle and at one time the cooker did everything!

did early microwaves come with porcelain plates i can't remember that.
although ones now have like glass type plates.
i always keep them.

[Richard1978]

My Mum got a Toshiba one in 1986, that worked for 21 years but started to act up at about the time we were having a kitchen re-fit & was going to be replaced.

It went into the garage & didn't work when given a try just before I moved out.

It was one of the first ones with a keypad rather than a clockwork timer & bell.

[Megawitch]

did early microwaves come with porcelain plates i can't remember that.
although ones now have like glass type plates.
i always keep them.

I think it had a porcelain plate because it was a combination microwave. All my others have just had glass plates, like my current one.

[darren]

I think it had a porcelain plate because it was a combination microwave. All my others have just had glass plates, like my current one.

it must have been the really early microwaves that had porcelain plates because i cannot remember them.
although im sure we had one.
i do remember the combo ones.
what was the grilled food like as it was done in a microwave.

can you remember when you first had a microwave MW.

[Richard1978]

My current microway has a grill but I've hardly used it because when I've grilled bacon on it the dripping fat goes everywhere.

[darren]

My current microway has a grill but I've hardly used it because when I've grilled bacon on it the dripping fat goes everywhere.

is there no plastic tray with it to catch the fat in rich.
ive never had a combo one before.
glass or porcelain plate rich.

[Richard1978]

It didn't come with a plastic tray, just a wire grill rack.

I did try placing a pyrex plate under but even that wasn't 100% perfect.

[stuckinthe80's]

My Father worked for Thorn EMI Domestic Appliances in the quality assurance offices and we used to have appliances at home 'on test'. We had a microwave from the factory called a 'Multi-wave'. It was brilliant for the time (1986). It was a normal microwave with halogen lamps inside for the browning and 'oven' facility. We had one on test because lots of them were setting on fire apparently. Ours never did! They discontinued them after 6 months and we were allowed to keep our test one. It lasted 14 years!!

[TimeWarp]

It was a normal microwave with halogen lamps (http://www.fashion4home.co.uk/lamp) inside for the browning and 'oven' facility. We had one on test because lots of them were setting on fire apparently. Ours never did! They discontinued them after 6 months and we were allowed to keep our test one. It lasted 14 years!!

Some microwaves set theirselves on fire apparently? Did they find out the reason why? So you needed to have a fire destinguisher next to the microwave, didn't you? :)

[darren]

My Father worked for Thorn EMI Domestic Appliances in the quality assurance offices and we used to have appliances at home 'on test'. We had a microwave from the factory called a 'Multi-wave'. It was brilliant for the time (1986). It was a normal microwave with halogen lamps inside for the browning and 'oven' facility. We had one on test because lots of them were setting on fire apparently. Ours never did! They discontinued them after 6 months and we were allowed to keep our test one. It lasted 14 years!!
wonder why your test one lasted so long and other peoples did not.
i guess you where more careful.

[stuckinthe80's]

I think i remember my Dad saying it was something to do with the halogen lamp function. My Dad was quality assurance manager for Thorn EMI so if any new appliances needed testing in a home enviroment we usually got one!

[zip55]

I remember a shop in Leeds in the late 60's called the Magic Box which was basically a whole raft of vending machines and a microwave oven (magic box). Not bad if you like to eat your cheeseburger with a spoon ...

[sandie76]

We never had a MW when they first came out, but did get one when we got a fitted kitchen in 1988. I was a massive brown one with a keypad and digital display. It lasted around 14 years, as my Dad gave it to me when I moved out but I had no room for it, so gave it to my bf's Mum who used it for a while.

[darren]

We never had a MW when they first came out, but did get one when we got a fitted kitchen in 1988. I was a massive brown one with a keypad and digital display. It lasted around 14 years, as my Dad gave it to me when I moved out but I had no room for it, so gave it to my bf's Mum who used it for a while.



14 yrs thats a long time for it to last sandie.
but was it used every day.
the better it was kept and the less it was used the longer it would last.

did it have the grill in it.

[sandie76]

14 yrs thats a long time for it to last sandie.
but was it used every day.
the better it was kept and the less it was used the longer it would last.

did it have the grill in it.

Yeah it was pretty much used everyday darren, guess my Mum just looked after it well. I don't think it had a grill, wasn't as fancy as that.

[lk_ie]

14 yrs thats a long time for it to last sandie.
but was it used every day.
the better it was kept and the less it was used the longer it would last.

did it have the grill in it.

My sister has a microwave oven she bought in 1987/88 and it is still working! She uses it most days. I will check and find out the model number.:)

[darren]

My sister has a microwave oven she bought in 1987/88 and it is still working! She uses it most days. I will check and find out the model number.:)

could you find out what make it is as well.

a 23 year old microwave its older that any kids you or your siater have if you have any.:D

[lk_ie]

could you find out what make it is as well.

a 23 year old microwave its older that any kids you or your siater have if you have any.:D

Not quite, my sister has a son who is few years older than the microwave.:) I think the microwave is a Sanyo, I took a quick glance at it today, must take a longer look and get the details. Btw my sister used the microwave oven today to heat some food for me.;)

[lk_ie]

It is a Sanyo, here is a pic of it(please excuse the rather low resolution and various tat surrounding it):)
3204

[tonyfinster]

My first encounter with a microwave was in about 1981-82 when we had a lovely brown Hygena fitted kitchen from MFI, dont remember the make, might have been a Phillips.
I remember it had buttons for power/defrost ETC but the timer was a twist dial and was as loud as the fan and turntable motor.
My parents were a bit on the technophobe side, the MW came with with the kitchen, i doubt they would have bought it intentionally back then.
I can recall as a young un' been told to wait for 5 seconds after it went "ping" to make sure all the "microwaves" had faded away, my father was so worried about "leaking" microwaves that he actually acquired a MW radiation detector to check it regularly, fortunately he got over his aversion and its still stashed up in the loft to this day.
I have to say that i only use a MW these days for warming up my coffee if i've left it to go lukewarm or heating up the odd Morrison's bakery pie.

[battyrat]

When I first saw a microwave back in the very early 80's it seemed to be something of a miracle.Then the scares started to circulate about the micro waves excaping from them.Many people did get worried about this.My parants were.Parants have had several microwaves cookers since and the going joke is "HOW WELL DO YOU WANT YOUR FOOD NUKED",or"NO THANK'S I DON'T LIKE NUKED FOOD",or simply"JUST NUKE IT THEN SHOOT IT"as a reference to shooting it down your throat(Micowave food always seemed a poor second in look texture and flavour compared to oven cooked food so the quicker you ate it the less you had to taste it).One still sits in the corner of their kitchen rarely used.I have never owned one as it's just as easy to warm things up in the oven.It's probably just me but oven cooked meals always seem to taste better as well.

[smurfie1]

My parents still have their original microwave. They bought it in the late 80s. It still works fine you just have to guess where some of the numbers are. I remember when we moved house and had to wait a week before the oven was fitted. We had microwaved meals everyday that week and loved it as kids. I used to love McCain's micro chips. It was also pancake day and my Mum made us pancakes on the sandwich toaster.

[80sChav]

I recall Microwaves first being popular really well, though i'm not too certain I can recall if people made a fuss about them like they did with Video Machine's. I can one of the most memorable thing's about Microwaves - before Cappuchinos and other differing Coffees became popular recently, that in the 1980s/1990s we used to make a Milky Coffee in the Microwave and it would take up a pint of Milk nearly!

My Microwave I have is now in it's 3rd generation of our family, it was new around 1987/1988 and ever since then it's been no bother at all to other members of the family including me. It really will be an extremley sad day indeed for me, when it finaly can do it's job's no more.

80sChav

[Richard1978]

I can remember microwaves seemed to get more & more popular during thr course of the 1980s. One selling point was how the could cut down cooking times.

[darren]

hey mate.
just how often is it used per week. from its early days to now.

the last one i had was a few yrs back abnd i had it many yrs.
i used it like every day near enough.



one of the best ever inventions.
one problem they have is the paintwork goes inside them which is very dangerous.



I recall Microwaves first being popular really well, though i'm not too certain I can recall if people made a fuss about them like they did with Video Machine's. I can one of the most memorable thing's about Microwaves - before Cappuchinos and other differing Coffees became popular recently, that in the 1980s/1990s we used to make a Milky Coffee in the Microwave and it would take up a pint of Milk nearly!

My Microwave I have is now in it's 3rd generation of our family, it was new around 1987/1988 and ever since then it's been no bother at all to other members of the family including me. It really will be an extremley sad day indeed for me, when it finaly can do it's job's no more.

80sChav

[Powdered toast man]

My parents bought a Sharp Carousel micro in 1984 when MW ovens were becoming popular and affordable. It lasted for at least 12 years then it got given to my Nan. I remember it had 2 dials for the cooking time and power settings and made a loud 'DIIIINGGGGGG!!' when the food was ready. It couldn't cook and brown potato waffles though.....

[havasack]

I've convinced one of my daughters that the microwave is just a useless plastic box that doesn't really work. It only works by the mind, you're convinced it works, expecting stuff to come out hot etc so the mind can convince itself that it's eating hot stuff after it's been in the plastic box. (Like the way the teenage mind can convince itself it has been entertained after watching TV on a Saturday night)

[amethyst]

Very handy inventions our first one a sanyo lasted for 15 years,the sharp one which we still have is 13.We do need to replace it as the inside bottom of the glass is rusting

[zip55]

In the late sixties there was a shop in Leeds called the Magic Box. You bought your food and cooked it in a microwave (although at the time I didn't know that's what it was). Strange thing is, there's a trend away from using them nowadays as they destroy most of the nutrients in the food. But I must admit they are handy.