The microwave

[jamesa]

Re: The microwave

We got one sometime in the 80's - I remember it well because we had baked potatoes every night for nearly 2 weeks as my Mum loved the fact that she could get home from work and not have to cook anything. I've had my Panasonic one for about 10 years but it doesn't get used much - good for the packaged rice and lentils though. Those microwave ready meals in the 80's were disgusting - eating them is what got me into cooking as a hobby.

[darren]

Re: The microwave

I HOPE YOU POKED HOLES IN THE SPUDS THO LET THEM WARM THROUGH.

ITS ONE THING ID FIND HARD TO DO WITHOUT.

ITS HARD TO BELIEVE THEYVE BEEN AROUND SO LONG.
READY MEALS IN THE EIGHTIES

We got one sometime in the 80's - I remember it well because we had baked potatoes every night for nearly 2 weeks as my Mum loved the fact that she could get home from work and not have to cook anything. I've had my Panasonic one for about 10 years but it doesn't get used much - good for the packaged rice and lentils though. Those microwave ready meals in the 80's were disgusting - eating them is what got me into cooking as a hobby.

[Richard1978]

Re: The microwave

I remember the programme with a family eating typical food from each decade had ready meals to try in the 1980s.

I'm still surprised they haven't killed off Vesta curries yet.

[staffslad]

Re: The microwave

I ate my fair share of Vesta ready meals back in the 70s/80s. My favourites being Chop Suey and Chow Mein. Not sure those two are still available.

[trip2themoon]

Re: The microwave

i remember one time when i did ambrosia creamed rice and after like 5 or so minutes i heard a massive bang the door had flown open and the plate and rice had hit the far wall must have been build up of steam that did it or perhaps it was the rice that caused it.

I near had a stroke.

My younger sister once decided to cook a batch of Bachelors Super Noodles in the microwave and genius that she is didn't add any water to them and just chucked them in on a plate and whacked them on full for a bit. The smell of burning took weeks to dissipate, the noodles did go on fire a bit and were burnt black. I thought it was hilarious trying to microwave Super Noodles with no water.

My parents still have that same Hinari microwave that was bought around 1991/92 and still works great. I had only really used it for boiling milk to ad coffee to or to heat up some drinking chocolate. Because it's digital it doesn't look old or outdated.

[lemonlime]

Re: The microwave

I remember in the late 70s some people had microwaves. I lived in Canada then so I can't say what the UK attitude was, but they were seen as sort of futuristic but also a bit of a lazy way to cook. I think they also had a snobby connotation as not many ordinary people could afford them.

Our first microwave was when we moved to St Andrews in 1986 and the house contained a microwave. I don't remember much about it except that it cooked pizzas to a cardboard texture. And I heated up jam donuts in them. The filling was always so hot that I burned my mouth. D'oh.

I was surprised to learn that they were commercially available as early as the late 1950s!

[Chris-T]

Re: The microwave

We had a Sharp 'Carousel' - it was brown. I was well chuffed when we got it. Lasted many many years and even then we gave it away as a runner'

[teepee]

Re: The microwave

I had 'older' parents who were generally very conservative and cautious, so it was a surprise that they were the first people I knew to get a microwave when they became widely available and more affordable (although still pretty expensive) in the early 80s. It was a great big ugly brown thing and dominated the work surface in their kitchen. The only thing I ever remember them cooking in it was baked potatoes. My mom used to wrap the spuds in kitchen towel in order to prevent them producing so much steam.

My then other half was mad keen for us to get one, but I wouldn't have it and didn't relent until 1996. These days it's only really used for heating ready meals or starting baked potatoes before they get finished off in the oven. I could quite happily do without it.

[ken70]

Re: The microwave

10 yrs thats a long time with regular use say 4 or 5 times a week at a guess. Mw radiation just another scare story ive never been affected anyway and ive used microwaves for at least 15 yrs.

woul Indeed, for starters the radiation is not like the radiation from x-rays or bombs - its basically harmless, at most it will heat things up. So you would feethe l something wrong and move away.... it takes a lot for the microwaves to leak from a oven, I pierced a hole in the front of one for a laugh and they still did not set of a proper detector.... the wave length is something like 14cm so thats why you can have holes in teh front to see through - the waves are too big to get through small holes... lots of leeway for safety.. Main risk is a damaged seal on the door/loose hinges so the door is hanging off just enough to not switch the machine off. But its VERY hard to get a leak ... If it did leak, its not going to fry you unless you sit with your head in front of it for ages and ignore the discomfort I would assume.

[ken70]

Re: The microwave

I remember Watchdog testing out Microwave & found hardly any leaks, & the detectors sold to test them out were a waste of money unless you were a health inspector.

Most detectors are unless you pay stupid money (ie good money) for a one that is calibrated... Cheap ones are useless.