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Help me ditch the microwave, please!

15 years ago

So, I *think* the only thing a Breville Smart Oven can do that a microwave can't is reheat coffee and tea (which, let's face it, isn't so great anyway), and requires an oven proof container to reheat foods. It also may take a little longer to reheat than a microwave but that's ok with me.

Is this accurate? Is there a way to reheat coffee in the kitchen w/o a microwave? If you ditched your microwave & toaster in favor of a convection toaster oven, how did you modify your cooking habits?

Thanks for any insight you have.

Comments (18)

  • 15 years ago

    I *think* you've got things backward in your first sentence - i.e. a toaster oven can't reheat coffee. Yes, you can probably live without a MW but it will make things more difficult for you. MWs reheat so much more quickly than an oven. If you don't mind waiting say 1/2 hour for something that might take 5 minutes in a MW then sure you can live without it. By the way, I recently got the Breville convection toaster oven and I love it but I wouldn't do without my MW.

  • 15 years ago

    Doh! Yes, backwards.

    Here's the situation: I'd be reheating for 1. Small kitchen and apartment so there would never be family living here. Am debating a warming drawer beneath the oven. But I just can't handle using the regular oven for making little things, plus a toaster, plus a microwave, etc.

  • 15 years ago

    We have a small kitchen. Haven't had a microwave in 10 years. Don't miss it in the least, and we do some pretty serious cooking around here. If the only reason you think you need one is to heat coffee, the you don't need it. Heating cold coffee in a pot on the stove is probably no worse that zapping it in a microwave.

  • 15 years ago

    Well folks, I don't think I can get away with it because of the vague concern over resale value. Ergo, I'm going to get the smallest and cheapest one I can find.

  • 15 years ago

    Are you now planning to build in the MW? If not, then whether or not you have a counter-top MW won't affect resale one way or the other. You can always pick one up just before you decide to show the house.

  • 15 years ago

    I was going to build it in--small kitchen and I want everything off the counters. But instead I'll be I could build a cabinet with doors and an electrical outlet. That way, it's multifunctional.

  • 15 years ago

    I like the multi-function idea. Though you might not use it, lots and lots of others do. My DH says if he lived by himself, he might consider not having an oven, but he'd never be without the MW.

    I'll occasionally use ours for reheating leftovers, but almost never for beverages. The one thing it gets used for the most is defrosting.

    I do a lot of bulk cooking, and it's so fast to take a serving out of the freezer, pop it in the Micro and hit one of the auto sensing features, and come back to a perfectly heated item. Our new MW has ones that work very well. Even fried pies come out almost as good as fresh out of the pan.

  • 15 years ago

    Panasonic has a model with new technology which is currently sold out on their site and at Amazon. It's only 20 inches wide. It includes the variable output technology not available from Sharp. 50% is 500 watts compared to 1000 watts cycling on and off 50% of the time. Edges and surfaces don't overcook. But that's not the new tech. Model NN-SF550M is the first to dump the turntable and let you load up the entire floor surface with plates or a casserole. No turntable because the microwve generator is located on its own turntable below the floor surface. It spins so your food doesn't.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Panasonic micro flat & wide

  • 15 years ago

    My second idea is to get a Miele speed oven or AEG 9810 as my only oven...it's a convection oven, microwave, and toaster all in one. Woohoo! I would supplement it with a warming drawer.

    It's on the compact size, but then again, it's a compact kitchen in a compact apartment.

  • 15 years ago

    That Panasonic microwave is discontinued everywhere, how new is it? Funny to have it discontinued so fast.

  • 15 years ago

    We ditched our microwave about 15 years ago and have never looked back. We were also only using it to reheat stuff and have found that's easily doable with the stovetop and oven. We've redone two kitchens since and have not made accommodations for a microwave in either space. I imagine if a buyer wanted a microwave they could figure out where to put it. I doubt that would be a dealbreaker in terms of buying the house.

  • 15 years ago

    Our MW is gone but we did replace it with a Miele speed oven. Now that we have that, we're finding that we rarely use its MW-only mode. Don't miss the MW one iota.

  • 15 years ago

    You can do a lot of cooking on a cooktop.
    I have a 24" induction cooktop. And pots.
    I haven't yet gotten a stovetop pressure cooker or tagine or anything.

    I have a 24" wall oven.
    In addition to it, I have nothing.
    No toaster, no microwave, no breville, nothing.

    In addition, I'm looking at maybe getting
    SHARP KB6014MSC
    drawer microwave under the counter
    AEG KB9820 E-M (you wrote 9810)
    Steam/Convection multifunction oven (fully integrated steam)

    It's a small kitchen, but we manage very well by NOT having small appliances, of the kind that cook or heat. We haven't given in to the impulses one can get (I've got to have the latest, or the best or what my most affluent friends have).

    Many people do want to get these appliances off the counter. See below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Future of Counter Top Cooker Appliances. Toaster Oven, Roaster

  • 15 years ago

    Around here, anything induction would be the latest, best, and something the most affluent people I know don't have!

    I really want the AEG9810, but have to find an American distributor. I will have to wait until Monday to call Euro-line. My local Electrolux appliance guy can't get it for me.

    I've read that thread many times, and by the way, you've all convinced me. With the 9810 I will be saying goodbye to the microwave and toaster.

  • 15 years ago

    I should have written "not small Countertop appliances, of the kind that cook or heat."

    I have small appliances. I think 24" ovens are great. I can fit a large roasting pan inside. I'm often the only one writing about 24" ovens or cooktops.

    With induction, there is no gain by getting it 24"w, since the burners aren't dangerous in any way, not even after being used to cook something. It's jsut as good as an extension of your countertop.

  • 15 years ago

    While we are building our house we bought a small single wide to live in. There isn't much room for things so I opted not to have a microwave. I never missed it. For some odd reason when we were in Lowes a couple of months ago, I picked up a small counter top microwave. It sits here taking up space as I found I don't actually like anything about microwaves anymore. I am going to donate it.

    I bought the Breville convection/toaster oven, and it works great. However, I'm not sure why I bought that either. It makes wonderful toast, but I learned to make wonderful toast on my old Lodge cast iron griddle, on my gas range.

    If I had it to do over again, I would not have wasted my money on either.

    The convection/toaster oven I will keep, and use mostly for toasting large amounts of toast, but I actually hate microwaves and will not have one again. There isn't anything either of these do that my regular range can't handle nicely.

    Sandy

  • 15 years ago

    For me, the first appliance I would do without in a small space would be the warming drawer. You may have found another solution, but the drawer micro also has a keep warm setting and can do much of what the warming drawer would for you. The warming drawer also takes a lot longer to get warm, much less keep warm, and it heats up the adjoining cabinets spaces. I'm sure it's a bigger energy hog too.