goodbye microwave

Was there another microwave con/pro thread anywhere? Hmm, don't remember.

Anyway: It is not unnormal for German households to have microwave and dryer, but it is not standard either. I never had a dryer, but we installed a microwave in the kitchenette of our aupair room 15 years ago (in the basement).

I never use it. My reasoning would rather be: What can a microwave do that a similar appliance couldn't? Is there any added benefit? For me, not.
As I cook and bake a lot I know my ways to prepare and reheat food without a microwave. Microwave dinners are really not standard here. Single persons (or elderly widowers) rather use prepared foods in tinfoil pans to prepare in the oven.
Hot water gets heated in the kettle, frozen foods go directly in the pan or are put in warm water to defrost.

When I worked in an office (without canteen) you could order food by a caterer which was only lukewarm when it was time for lunchbreak. Everybody used the microwave to reheat it. But it did have a special taste which was not only the caterer's fault - because my own food also tasted weird when reheated in the microwave.

I think good cooking does not require a microwave at all but rather spoils your taste and your cooking practices. I would also resent the space in my kitchen (which I don't have).

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is a trivet. On a wood stove you can reheat by putting a frying pan, or Dutch oven on a trivet. Or you can put a pan within a Dutch oven to reheat just as you can to bake the first time. Also there definitely is the factor of remaking the leftovers into something else. You can add a sauce, some cheese, some other leftover or new veggies, broth, meat scraps. A bit of food can be used this way to become the next meal again and again with just a bit of tweaking. A fun way to use your imagination!
I've got a microwave but I prefer to reheat and reimagine food other ways. The end product is better for you and tastier!!
 

I use a skillet for just about everything. Add a little butter, olive oil, coconut oil, or lard and heat up on a low setting. Sometimes I add a little water and put the lid on to steam it a bit. The sizzled bottoms are extra crispy and yummers.