Why We Don't Use A Microwave

The short answer is that I like my counter space. And my cabinet space. Just think about how much space your microwave takes up, seriously.

The long answer is that at one point there was a science experiment going around where people watered plants with water that had been microwaved and cooled, water that had been boiled on a stove and cooled, and distilled water from a jug. The experiment implied that the plants given microwaved water floundered. It really weirded my husband out and he wanted to get rid of the microwave. We barely used a microwave in the first place so I agreed. (We put it in our finished basement- it still exists, it's just out of the way). The experiment has since been debunked (that's why experiments get repeated a lot before we acknowledge their findings), but you know what? I don't miss my microwave. We've used an electric teakettle for boiling water since I was in college, and since we don't eat soy, there isn't terribly much I want to microwave anyway.

-Making popcorn on the stove actually doesn't take much longer than making it in a microwave. I use a large pot, but DH prefers a really large skillet). Microwave popcorn takes 3-5 minutes. Skillet popcorn takes ~7minutes (AND you get to watch it pop through the glass skillet lid). The horror!

-Melting butter or scalding milk takes about twice as long on a stove than in a microwave. I've never been in such a rush that I can't wait 1-2 minutes for melted butter. We also have an espresso machine my husband uses everyday (which is about 6" x 10" and fits on a corner baker's rack) with a steamer attachment, should I feel so inclined.

I use the microwave maybe twice a year. If I'm feeling really lazy and don't want to put cream on the stove when making ganache, and when I make fastnachts (I microwave the raw potato). That's it. Twice a year. I wouldn't trade that 2 feet of counter space in a million years.