After Christmas, I did something a little bit radical. I got rid of our microwave. By 'got rid of', I mean I left it at my folk's and gave microwave-free life a whirl.
I'd read about the dangerous downsides to microwaves (an article on Medical Daily states they zap nutrition and can create carcinogens in food when wrapped in clingfilm ) and whilst I'm taking the, 'everything in moderation' stance the Greeks themselves invented, I was curious to see if could manage without one and hopefully help our health in the process.
And we did just fine for the most part. Yes, it was inconvenient not to have a microwave, particularly when it came to reheating food as I never used it to actually cook or defrost anyway and whilst roast leftovers would go in the oven, they came out dry (something that never happened in the microwave) which had a drying effect and I found it a bit of a nuisance not to be able to bung cold tea in there too.
Minor things yes, but towards the end of the three months, I was starting to become a little bit frustrated. I'd plan meals based on how easy they were to reheat which is basically nuts and being microwave-less was starting to put a real downer on the joy I find in cooking.
We've only been reunited with the microwave for two weeks now and I'll be honest and say that life definitely feels easier. I do, however, use it a lot less than before. I still reheat some food in pots and pans (curry and soups work well) but I love being able to microwave roast leftovers, so much so I ate roast chicken for breakfast this morning, just because I could! I'm also trying to refrain from putting cellophane in there by placing another microwaveable dish over the plate instead.
I do miss the space though, those microwaves are chunky and going without, freed up space in the kitchen I miss so I'm trying to see where I can hide the eyesore.
Overall though, I'm glad it's back.
Would I do it again? Yes, and if you're curious I'd say try it out, you might find you don't need one after all. After the roast situation, the worst thing was not being able to heat up those easy packets of basmati rice the kids love as rice takes ages to cook, and reheating it in a pan can be a sticky business! End of the world, no? but I'm grateful for reheating tea in the morning!
Have you tried life without a microwave or are you tempted to try it, I'd love to hear from you?
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