Living Without a Microwave

Life Without a Microwave

Are Microwaves Safe to Use?

We ditched our microwave five years ago and we’ve never looked back.  When we got rid of our microwave, we were convinced that it was a health-robbing appliance that should be avoided at all costs.

According to Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats,

Unfortunately, the microwave achieved instant popularity without much prior research to study the effects of eating microwaved foods.

Now, I’m not jumping on a soapbox and stating boldly that everyone who cares anything about his or her health should throw away the microwave asap.  I don’t make those types of statements.  I’m saying that there may be something to the studies that have shown microwaves to be health-robbing and while I research for more information, I’m choosing not to risk it.

I think Mark Sisson says it best in his blog with a post on the topic of microwave safety.

Now, let’s be honest.  The microwave isn’t the only thing in our homes that could have a negative effect on our health.  Our smartphones, our laptops, our wi-fi . . . we really just don’t know the issues these could cause with long-term use.

But, I’m not giving up my smartphone, my laptop or my wi-fi.  No way.  The microwave was easy to toss in comparison to giving up those things.  I actually enjoy cooking my food the old-fashioned way. I don’t enjoy life without my phone.

So, we picked our poison.  And the microwave had to go.

How to Reheat Food Without a Microwave

So, how do I cook food without a microwave?

Well . . .Very slowly.

But, thanks to one of my favorite kitchen appliances, not quite as slowly as I would expect.

When we donated our microwave, we purchased a large toaster oven to replace it.  Specifically the Hamilton Beach Countertop Oven with Convection and Rotisserie.  I love this silver giant.

I especially love the convection setting. It heats food at the same temperature as my oven but in less time.

No, it’s not faster than a microwave, but I’m okay with that.  This health journey has been a tremendous paradigm shift and I’m learning that convenience may not cost me time, but it does cost something–usually health, quality, or flavor and I’m not willing to sacrifice those, either.

At first the toaster/convection oven replaced both my microwave and my non-stock griddle. (Then, I found this griddle and have never looked back.) I reheat leftovers in the convection oven and I’ve used it to make bacon.  It makes lovely bacon.  Crispy instead of crunchy.  Collecting and saving the bacon grease was easy, too, with the drip tray beneath.

Overall, living without a microwave has been an easy experience.  We never even missed it.  By the time we made the decision to stop using the microwave, we were making most of our meals from scratch.  Reheating leftovers is a snap with the toaster oven, so we really had little use for it anymore.