Do you use a microwave? What is your favourit kitchen appliance?

My microwave has gone kaput!!! I went looking for a new one and Oh my Goodness, when did they get so expensive??? I use it mainly for defrosting or heating milk or starting off jacket potato’s, hubby uses it for his popcorn :slight_smile: what do you use yours for and what is your favourite kitchen appliance or gadget?

I had the same thoughts when ours broke and considered not replacing it. But then realised that I’m always having to reheat drinks that I’d forgotten to drink, and i love my porridge in the morning, its great for that. Also jacket potatoes like you said. My favourite appliance is my toasted sandwich maker, I just love a cheese and tomato toasty, yum I’m getting hungry now. Might just have to pop off to the kitchen for one!

Oooo I need to buy a new sandwich toaster too, my old one got thrown out because the non-stick coating was scratched and it was a pain to clean. Cheese and onion with a spread of mayo for me :slight_smile:

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I use the microwave for reheating my lunch time soup and the cups of tea I didn’t quite get round to finishing. Few years back when we were getting the kitchen done the OH and I almost came to blows over the ovens (yes ovens - we have 2 AND a microwave), I wanted the combined microwave oven (no need to start baked potatoes and then move them as this baby did both bits at once) whilst he wanted a steam oven (for low temp cooking and steaming). In the end he got his way and I got to choose the holiday time and destination (christmas in Costa Rica) instead. So my favourite gadget is the dishwasher, his would probably be the vacuum packer along with his beloved steam oven (does the best slow cooked yet still rare steaks).
Sasha

@SashaGarrett my favourite kitchen gadget is the dishwasher too :grinning:
I use our microwave a lot for the jacket potatoes (my son’s favourite) and also for cooking veg from frozen (if I use a pan on the hob I have a tendency to overcook them) as well as reheating tinned beans, soup, custard etc. To be honest all microwaves were expensive when mine was bought 26 years ago (yes it is really that old) and I haven’t a clue how much it would cost to buy a new one now but when we do have to replace it (hopefully not for a long time!) I will definitely buy a smaller model as ours seems enormous compared to the newer ones my family have

I should add when we redid the kitchen we got rid of the old microwave (it had come from sainsbury’s a few years previous) on freecycle - stylistically it didn’t fit in our shiny new kitchen and was still in perfect working order so we figured someone else could use it. Might be worth looking in your local large supermarket for a basic microwave (tesco have one for £35 online at the moment) or on freecycle.

My microwave is currently a porridge only appliance. So easy in the mornings.

I couldn’t do without my microwave but the latest kitchen gadget that I love and saves me so much time is my electric steamer.

I saw the Tesco one… Asda have a £30.00 one at the moment too but I need a larger one. Hubby is popping into Curry’s on his way home from work. :slight_smile:

My favourite kitchen gadget has got to be my health fryer, I use it for everything from healthier chips to baking fish, even curries and stews! It’s a wonderful thing that I just couldn’t do without, unlike our microwave which I’d happily see gone as I never use it. Oh does though, so I have to have it taking up room in my small kitchen :expressionless:

This thread has made me realise our microwave is now nearly 10 years old! We bought it when we moved house and it was very reasonably priced from ASDA. I hope it keeps going for a while yet as I really like it - it has a handle that perfectly matches the ones on our kitchen cupboards :grinning: My favourite kitchen appliance is the dishwasher as that’s the one that changed my life the most!

My gas cooker is my most used kitchen item.

I have a large microwave which I only use if I’m not filling up the oven.

I might temporarily change my mind and say the bottle opener is my favourite gadget.

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I dont have a microwave.
My favourite gadget is my vegetable chopper, you know the sort, you bang down and it rotates the zigzag chopping blade and you get instant chopped veg.
Also doubles up as a stress buster.

But I couldnt live without the bread maker either…

Suzzie x

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I have two microwaves.
One is in the garage and I use if when I make little glass globs in my hotpot kiln (Can get them ready in an hour whereas my proper kiln needs more like 12 hours so I use it if I want a particular colour of glob fast!)
That microwave is the cheapest my daughter could find me as I said I wanted as basic as they come,

The other microwave in the kitchen is used for defrosting, melting butter and chocolate, pre / part cooking jacket potatoes and not a lot else.

My first husband insisted on buying me one for a Christmas present in about 1985. I didn’t want one as I saw no need for one. Note : I divorced him !

I don’t use a microwave. Tea never tastes the same if you reheat it, and porridge only takes 10 minutes in a saucepan, soup even less.

My favourite appliance is my bread-maker. No more yeasty, vineagary supermarket bread!

Sam x

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Our previous kitchen microwave was 20+ when it eventually stopped heating and we had to replace it. It came with a lovely long lead and sat on the fridge. When we bought a new one the lead was only about a foot long and we had to reposition everything. grrr. Now it’s on the freezer which is 6 inches taller and I can’t see inside as easily.

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My slow cooker is my favourite, I love doing curries in it :slight_smile:

My microwave very rarely gets used. Just occasionally for defrosting if I forget to get something out of the freezer but I generally get things out the night before to defrost.

I guess he most used appliances are the cooker and washing machine.

Have you tried the toast pockets Jan @HandcraftedbyPicto - you can fill them up and pop them in a conventional toaster - just have to make sure you don’t make them too fat or the middle bit doesn’t get hot but other than that they are fab for a quick toastie.

I don’t have a lot of kitchen gadgets but I guess I would struggle to live without my kettle and the cups of coffee it provides :slight_smile: