I remember when my mom got her first microwave.  I think I was around five years old (about 1990).  She got it for Christmas.  It was in this huge box, and I had no idea what it was.  But it was a pretty big deal.

Microwaves were first invented in 1946 by accident.   Dr. Percy LeBaron Spencer, an engineer who was working on magnetrons, found that a candy bar in his pocket had melted.  After some experimenting, he discovered that microwaves could cook food much faster than conventional ovens.  The first commercial microwave was produced in 1954, and later in 1967 a domestic microwave was produced.  Of course the price for these was exorbitant!  As the years went on, microwaves became more affordable, and by 1975, microwave sales exceeded that of gas ranges.

So what’s my beef with microwaves?  Well for one thing, I have a very small kitchen, and I could not stand the amount of space my microwave was taking up on my counter.  All so that I had a quick and easy way to cook frozen meals.  Commercially prepared, over processed meals.

And let’s not forget popcorn!  Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks.  But according to the FDA, a chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags breaks down into a “likely carcinogenic substance” when microwaved.  No thanks.

So how do I live without a microwave, especially with a large family?  Pretty easily.  I make popcorn on the stove top, and it tastes much better than the microwaved stuff.  I make sure to thaw meats ahead of time in the refrigerator (I never defrosted meat in the microwave anyways…it always turned out disgusting).  I melt butter on the stove top for  baking recipes.  I reheat leftovers in the oven.  Other than a few extra dirty dishes and bit more time, it’s really not that big of a difference.

I found that the pros of not having a microwave heavily outweighed the cons.  So what’s keeping you from getting rid of yours?