An exploration of why some people are ditching the microwave, focusing on changes in cooking methods, perspective, and space constraints, with anecdotal evidence from personal experience and a Facebook survey.
HuffPost turns reader contributions into real-world impact – uncovering injustice, challenging power, and inspiring change. Become a member and be part of the work that matters.There are kitchen appliances that seem indispensable to modern life.
I don’t mean the big, essential ones, like fridges and ovens, but the smaller ones that make food prep and cooking faster, easier and more efficient. Stand mixers, blenders, food processors … if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, these may be the small appliances you can’t live without. During my single gal days in Florida, a microwave was my go-to kitchen appliance, especially since I did very little cooking for myself. I’d use the microwave to cook a veggie burger, heat a single-serving frozen entree, reheat my Chipotle leftovers, boil a mug of water for tea, and simmer my rage in 2009, when I moved to Italy. In the whirlwind of things I had to adjust to when I downsized, changed countries, languages and cultures and started living with Paolo, my soon-to-be husband, not having a microwave barely blipped on my radar. I hardly missed it then, and, 16 years later, it’s become so unnecessary in my kitchen that I never think about having one.That’s partly a result of me living in Italy, but it’s also because I’ve changed my cooking methods and, perhaps most important, my perspective: I just don’t need the convenience that a microwave offers. And you probably don’t either.To see if I was the only oddball with no microwave, I conducted an informal survey of friends on Facebook. And I found that more people than I expected don’t have microwaves. Several mentioned lack of space as a major reason for skipping the microwav“Microwaves take up a huge amount of space, especially when you live in a one-bedroom apartment,” said Kelly Medford, an artist based in Rome. South Carolina resident Kim Giovacco lived in a tiny house for years, where space was a commodity. “It was very easy to get used to not having one. They are big space wasters,” she said.When I moved to Italy, I moved into Paolo’s apartment, a smallish two-bedroom with an even smaller L-shaped kitchen. Even the fridge was a tiny under-the-counter model with a minuscule freezer compartment, a far cry from the giant French door refrigerator and freezer I’d had in Florida . Most of the counter surface was gobbled up by the sink and stove, so there was simply no room for a microwave even if I’d wanted one. In fact, someone had the bright idea to gift us a microwave as a wedding present. To make space for it, we had to buy one of those Ikea-type kitchen carts to set the microwave on, and park the cart under a window. It had microwave, convection and grill functions and was large and loud. I rarely used it, as I was afraid I would do something wrong and make it blow up. When we moved houses, I left it behind.Another big reason I’ve grown accustomed to a microwave-less life is because in Italy, we shop, eat and cook differently. This was especially true when I first arrived here; grocery stores didn’t sell a wide range of frozen meals, and the frozen foods they did sell were mostly vegetables , pizzas or gelato . While that’s changed in the last decade or so with the arrival of more ready-made frozen foods, there are still no equivalents to TV dinners, macaroni and cheese in a cardboard box, or canned soups you dump in a bowl and heat in the microwave.Frozen vegetables can be reheated just as well on the stovetop as in a microwave. The lack of convenience foods means I had to learn to cook differently , by buying ingredients and preparing meals. Homemade soups, pasta sauces, roast meats, baked goods were all things I learned to make and for which a microwave was completely useless. Besides, as my Facebook pal Caroline Trefler said, “AIn my nonscientific survey of my Facebook community, respondents who do have microwaves cited the ease of reheating — mostly their cold coffee. But that’s a lot of counter space or would-be cabinet space to dedicate to reheating coffee or leftovers.In the 30 years she’s lived in Italy, Venice resident Jill Weinerich Luppi has never had a microwave . “I have no idea what they are used for besides heating up leftovers. When I need to do that, I either heat things up on the stove or in the oven.” Reheating items on the stove or in the oven felt like a bother to me at first, but then I just got used to it. Yes, I have to stand guard at the stove as food reheats, and dirty a pan and a wooden spoon. But I’m not a complete masochist — I have a dishwasher, and that’s what it’s for.In my case, at least, choosing to live without a microwave was less about being virtuous and more about practicality. But some people see microwaves as the small appliance equivalent to Velveeta — a symbol of everything that’s wrong with modern life: poor nutrition, instant gratification and the dissolution of shared meals around the family dinner table. For others, it’s a matter of taste. “ Food tastes better when it is not heated in the microwave,” said Deborah Schwartz Cunningham, whose microwave broke a few years ago and wasn’t replaced. “I also find myself buying less processed foods.”Several cited “cooking real food” and not “nuking their food” as a motive for going microwave-less. But according to fitness and nutrition coach, it’s not microwaves that are to blame for bad eating habits, but rather the glut of low-nutrition foods. “Processed foods are aggressively marketed to specific populations, including children, low-income groups, and racial and ethnic minorities, and are often highly accessible within these communities,” Van Buskirk said.Have you ever stopped to think about how processed the frozen foods are that you microwave? She adds that for low-income families, especially, frozen and canned foods, which are easily heated in the microwave, “represent a critical resource due to their affordability, nutrient density, and extended shelf life, which reduces food waste. These products also provide access to nutritious options in food deserts, where fresh produce is limited.”A microwave oven in good working condition poses little to no safety concern,” Lampe said. “Microwave radiation does not present the same types of concerns as X-rays, because microwaves are lower energy and non-ionizing.” Lampe also pointed toHuffPost stands apart because we report for the people, not the powerful. Our journalism is fearless, inclusive, and unfiltered. Join the membership program and help strengthen news that puts people first.Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever.Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever.When we moved to a larger home and had the chance to redo our kitchen, the initial design included a built-in microwave over the oven. I thought about the 1.5-2 cubic feet of kitchen space I’d have to sacrifice just to have a box in which to reheat food, and IFor my most recent birthday, my husband and daughter gave me an air fryer — a big one, with two cooking chambers. It takes up a lot of counter space, almost as much as a microwave might. But they spent so much time researching and selecting the right model, I didn’t have the heart to reject the gift. It’s fast, convenient and yields good results. Would I have bought one for myself? Probably not. And I’ll still happily heat up my leftovers on the stove, no nuking required.Realness delivered to your inbox By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our
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