My GE Spacemaker II died after 19 years of faithful service. I wanted its replacement to be a Panasonic – I really like Panasonic’s “Inverter” technology, which provides true variable power. Most other microwaves provide variable power by varying the on/off duty cycles.

However, my very compact galley kitchen is laid out to have the microwave on a 12”-deep shelf in a cabinet, and all of the Panasonic models were too deep. I bought another GE microwave instead. And I’m very glad to have it. Wow – you can’t appreciate how useful microwaves are until they fail!

I remember our 1st Microwave back in 1978 - 1st item to cook was a Hotdog - Just amazing.

My GE Spacemaker is dated 2003 and is on its third or fourth handle. It otherwise works great, but I cannot make these handles stop breaking. Gonna try to KrazyGlue this one back together before looking for a new door on eBay.

BTW, when I was a kid we would microwave scorpions we caught in the house. That was great fun.

quote:

Originally posted by RGRacing:
I remember our 1st Microwave back in 1978 - 1st item to cook was a Hotdog - Just amazing.

Yeah, I remember people trying to cook eggs in the micro nack in the day (it never produced edible results).

It was like magic or something.

Fun Fact:

Unless you have an old CRT TV, or tube audio amplifier around the house, it is very likely that the only remaining vacuum tube in your house is within the microwave oven. (the Magnetron)

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
Fun Fact:

Unless you have an old CRT TV, or tube audio amplifier around the house, it is very likely that the only remaining vacuum tube in your house is within the microwave oven. (the Magnetron)

Shit, My microwave is a Decepticon??

My wife and I still have the microwave my grandma got us ten years ago when we got married. Its a great one. (Knock on wood) because i know in that same time, my mother-in-law has gone through five microwaves.

They are definitely useful things!!! And i think we just got lucky on the Bell curve of technological longevity.

Thawing a frozen bowl of soup, stew, chili, etc. is the primary thing I love about microwaves.

I don't cook much in them (except maybe canned veggies I suppose) but MAN - almost everything frozen that needs to be thawed goes in the microwave. Except steaks. I try my best to let them thaw naturally.

I can't even remember how long it would take to defrost a big tuperware bowl of chili without the microwave. Hours I suppose.

Good god man, don't do it! The science oven will steal all the nutrients from your food.

Don't own one. We installed a steam over when we remodeled our kitchen, I was skeptical but don't miss it.

Oh, you're talking about the nuclear reactor on the shelf used to make popcorn? I agree, its one of Gods gifts to mankind. Except for Shugart using it to cook bacon, its just an expensive popcorn popper. Oh, and melt butter to pour on the popcorn.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
Oh, you're talking about the nuclear reactor on the shelf used to make popcorn? I agree, its one of Gods gifts to mankind. Except for Shugart using it to cook bacon, its just an expensive popcorn popper. Oh, and melt butter to pour on the popcorn.

I heat water for tea or hot chocolate in it, and heat/cook microwave dinners--as well as pop popcorn, reheat canned soup/chili, and fry bacon.

flashguy

I remember many, many years ago going to Montgomery Wards and watching a demonstration of this new invention called a microwave oven. They took a potato and minutes later "viola" a baked potato. The crowd went wild. LOL

quote:

Originally posted by RGRacing:
I remember our 1st Microwave back in 1978 - 1st item to cook was a Hotdog - Just amazing.

I still have one I bought in 1979. Use it to heat cold coffee while in the garage.

Fast Bacon!!!

I love mine. It isn't for real cooking, just heating stuff up, and you don't need anything big or fancy for that. A TV dinner, for example, takes an hour or more in an oven, but just a few minutes in a microwave. Potatoes do bake nicely. You can cook eggs, not in the shell, of course, but in a little dish made for it. However, they cook somewhat unpredictably. Sometimes one egg will explode from within multiple times and turn into rubber, while the other - in the same dish right next to it - is still virtually raw. Still easier and cleaner than frying.

I don't like microwaved bacon. It will cook, all right, but all you get is hot soggy bacon. I like mine crisper, so I bake it in a toaster oven.

Was in a Narcan, EMS continuing education class last night and learned the druggies use microwaves to speed up the drying of Meth. Seems this causes a lot of fires! Speeds the process up by s few minutes and the need their fix or product as fast as possible?

We bought a GE microwave 30+ years ago and after about 2 weeks of use it went POP!! and that was the end of it. I took it back to the retailer and they gave us a new one and that is the one we still have and use. It's great for reheating leftovers, corn on the cob, defrosting etc. Can't imagine life without one. We use ours a lot.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

I don't like microwaved bacon. It will cook, all right, but all you get is hot soggy bacon. I like mine crisper, so I bake it in a toaster oven.

As seen on TV:

Amazing invention, no question.

But, I avoid it these days. Not because of the microwave itself, but the packaging of the food that gets put into the microwave. Food packaged in plastics are not good and food nuked in plastic is not good to consume. (Easy to research why)

I'll sometimes use mine to reheat a cup of coffee or something, but otherwise it sits unused.

I can thaw things out just as easy with a bowl of warm water and heat up water for tea, hot chocolate, or coffee with an electric pot almost as fast.

I could easily do without mine altogether.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
Oh, you're talking about the nuclear reactor on the shelf used to make popcorn? I agree, its one of Gods gifts to mankind. Except for Shugart using it to cook bacon, its just an expensive popcorn popper. Oh, and melt butter to pour on the popcorn.

That weirdo makes his bacon and corn in it.

I use mine to melt butter and 1/2 cook frozen meals (once a month I eat them) which I finish in the oven.

Food was not made to be cooked by bombarding it with microwave radiation until the water molecules vibrate the food warm. Very rarely do I use it to reheat, almost never to cook anything.