sanity savers: a semi-regular series in which I share quirky tidbits and habits discovered in my quest to avoid panic, head trouble off at the pass, and uphold law and order in the West (or wherever you hang up your spurs). While I certainly don’t think all of these ideas are completely original or something you’ve never heard before, I hope you find my ramblings helpful, inspiring, or adaptable for your particular situation.
When the turntable in our barely-a-year-old microwave died, I never would have guessed it would become one of my favorite sanity savers to date. But after several months of eating leftovers that were hot on one side of the plate and ice cold on the other we were ready to let it go. Sadly, another new microwave was not exactly in the budget. When we dropped the old microwave off at the back door of Goodwill we knew we were going cold turkey, and it was a little scary. I remember when my parents got our first microwave back in the day, and I haven’t been without one since. Not that I used the microwave for much more than defrosting things and reheating leftovers, but the thought of trying to reheat lunch without a microwave and a hungry toddler conditioned to insta-meals in the background didn’t exactly lower my blood pressure.
Here’s the shocking thing: after the first day minus the microwave I was hooked. Why?
1. Time—The amount of time I gained by not having a microwave is what surprised me the most. Now, instead of frantically trying to get cold lunch items ready before Spud hears the microwave go, “beep, beep, beep”, I spend a much more leisurely 10 or 15 minutes preparing lunch while everything heats on the stove or in the oven. Today, our reheated spaghetti, green beans, and corn took around 25 minutes to prepare, but in that time I was able to finish some paperwork, clean up the kitchen, and make plans for the afternoon while Spud played. The pressured, hectic feeling that used to surround lunchtime for me has been replaced by a definite air of calm, and I love it. On this point alone, I would recommend not having a microwave.
2. Everyone eats together—At meals when the whole family is present and eating leftovers, people don’t have to wait their turn to use the microwave, and we all eat together—very important!
3. Food heats better—Had I searched, I’m sure I could have found some factoid stating that ovens/stoves, etc. heat better than microwaves. But I didn’t, so this is completely my own opinion: food reheated on the stove retains its warmth better. Plus, there are no more shriveled pieces of food that got zapped for too long.
4. Organization—Not having a microwave forces me to think ahead and be more organized. Now, if I forget to pull something out of the freezer in the morning that we need for dinner I have to get creative, and fast! We’ve eaten several meals of spaghetti without French bread while I learned this lesson. Now I’m much more motivated to check the next day’s meal plans the night before so that I don’t end up scrambling for a solution at the last minute.
What I’ve learned and am still wondering about . . .
1. Pots & pans vs. # of burners—When there are several different kinds of leftovers to reheat and/or many people eating them, things can get a little tricky. Sometimes there aren’t enough clean pans or not enough burners. Thankfully, we have three cast iron skillets that serve us very well in the oven or on the stovetop in addition to our regular pans, and many of our leftover containers are oven-safe glass.
2. Extra dishes?—I haven’t noticed a huge difference in the numbers of dishes I’m doing. I’ve been disciplining myself to wash the pans, etc. used for reheating immediately after they’ve been emptied so I don’t have to deal with dried-on food later. I’d much rather wash a few extra pans each day than eat food microwaved in plastic containers.
3. Electricity?—I’ve heard that microwaves are huge electricity hogs, so I’m hoping to see a slight improvement in our electricity bill (maybe?). It would be a nice bonus, anyway!
How do you reheat leftovers? Have you gotten rid of your microwave (or stopped using it)? Has it been a positive experience?
We lived without a microwave before we moved into our current house. People thought we were nuts, but I really didn't mind. I don't think we'll ditch ours anytime soon, but it is a good reminder just to use the stove and chill out!
ReplyDeleteSo I cook the pasta and just before it is done I throw the veggie in and use the same water to heat it up. Then drain. This works especially well with mac and cheese. This also means that I use one less pot, one less burner.
ReplyDeletei was thinking a toaster oven would be even more efficient than the oven. But the whole idea of a timer beeping and rushing my routine does not seem appealing to me so I have yet to make the move.
We ditched ours a few years ago and then someone bought us one thinking that we needed one! We ditched that one too and have been microwave-free for over two years now. I don't even know any better. yes, we do heat our leftovers on stove in a cast iron pot. We don't have much problem with burners as we are all generally eating the same leftovers...
ReplyDeleteWe barely use ours. I totally agree with you, food heats up better. AND I think that microwaved food tastes drier!
ReplyDeleteI popped over to say hi from Sarah Janes (:
Such a good post!
Hmmm... I think I could probably live without mine too. Never really thought about it before this. I would love the reclaimed counter space. Thanks for this Wendy!
ReplyDeleteOur microwave recently kicked the bucket (in a shower of sparks no less!) and now I'm intrigued by the idea of not replacing it.
ReplyDeleteThis may seem silly, but how do you reheat things like left over mac and cheese or big pieces of bone-in chicken? Do you cover them in foil and put them in the stove or do you still use the stove top?
Ours also died and we too have not looked back! We found that having our toaster take over was a good tactic. I also love my tiny iron skillet, perfect for heating up small amounts.
ReplyDelete@ Sarah Joy--With larger items it just depends on if I have room left on the stovetop or not. If something like mac and cheese is still in the casserole dish, I pop it in the oven. When I put things in the oven in the cast-iron skillets I've been covering them with tinfoil. I've learned to put a little water in the bottom of my pan when I'm reheating things that might stick, like pasta. Putting the lids on the pans makes things heat up faster, too.
ReplyDeleteThe steamer is a great place to reheat leftovers too. It's fast. And the double boiler.
ReplyDeleteI've started freezing food flat in the bag. It is soooo quick to defrost without the microwave - a couple of minutes in the sink in hot water, then into a pan on the stovetop.
ReplyDeleteFor our baguettes from the freezer (we get to live in France - we have real baguettes :)) they just go in the oven for 5 minutes - and come out with a just-baked-crust!
Plus, like you, I'm convinced the food tastes better and stays hot longer... only microwave free for the last 6 months, but definitely planning on staying that way.