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Old 06-29-2022, 06:40 PM   #1
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Default Microwave... needed?

Besides popcorn which isn't something I NEED during trips and vacations, I don't think there is anything that can't be done on the stove instead. We're not too much into those ready-made process food "meals".

Anyone else out there not using their microwave and thinking about removing it and reclaiming the space for another cabinet?
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Old 06-29-2022, 06:47 PM   #2
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we use ours for storage: our plates and bowls with tea towels in the stack


when we have shore power I may use to make hot water for coffee or tea rather than the stove top ( esp when it's hot)


once in a while...



Mike
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Old 06-29-2022, 07:09 PM   #3
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I took mine out and use space for extra storage. Rarely used it but you’ll find others who use theirs all the time. It does make for fast meal prep and defrosting
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Old 06-29-2022, 07:13 PM   #4
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Hey Glenn I might be able to use a newer microwave ( mine sounds like godzilla snoring)



is yours for sale? how much and which model is it ?


Thanks, Mike
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Old 06-29-2022, 07:33 PM   #5
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The microwave oven is the only thing we use for cooking inside the van. It's a very good quality LG unit that I purchased to replace the Danby-brand one installed by the up-fitters. The old microwave worked fine, but every time the power cycled, its clock had to be reset in order to use it. This was annoying. The LG doesn't care whether the clock is set.

Our microwave gets a surprising amount of use.
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Old 06-29-2022, 08:37 PM   #6
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Thank you for all the replies. Everyone is different.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkguitar View Post
we use ours for storage: our plates and bowls with tea towels in the stack

when we have shore power I may use to make hot water for coffee or tea rather than the stove top ( esp when it's hot)

once in a while...

Mike
Good thinking, good compromise. I think I'll do the same for a while and see if it gets any more use. Thing is we're rarely plugged in and firing up the generator just to warm up a bowl of soup is silly. But good point about not heating up the inside that much!
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Old 06-29-2022, 09:45 PM   #7
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...we've never used our genny when camping


we only use the microwave on shore power


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Old 06-30-2022, 01:17 AM   #8
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We use the microwave every day. Space-wise, I gave up a plumbed sink for it and have never regretted the choice. No "TV dinners", I bring prepared meals from home to be reheated. Loaded nachos are a frequent after-hike snack. With a pure sine inverter, it runs fine off batteries.

A water boiler is much better for heating water.
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Old 06-30-2022, 02:19 PM   #9
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It is an excellent bread box. It can double for other soft storage of food. We have stored bowls and serving plates in it as well. Popcorn is a good snack if you can stand it not laden with butter. Coffee gets cold sometimes faster than you want to drink it so heating it up it doesn't go to waste. We don't need shore power or to run a generator to use the microwave as we have more than enough lithium battery power and turning on the inverter is a touch screen right above our microwave. It gets about the same use as our kitchen microwave at home though we don't use our home microwave for storage.
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Old 06-30-2022, 02:28 PM   #10
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We are in the same camp as @MsNomer on this one. For us, it is SOP to prepare and freeze all kinds of main course dishes, which we keep in the freezer until needed, when they are defrosted and heated. The majority of our dinners are done this way. For this purpose, a microwave is hard to beat. We would give up our stovetop before the microwave.

Note also that there is a new generation of 3-way and 4-way units that combine a microwave, convection, air fryer and broiler in one unit. I don't know how good they are, but we are researching them as a possibility for our new rig.
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Old 06-30-2022, 03:28 PM   #11
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Quote:
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new generation of 3-way and 4-way units that combine a microwave, convection, air fryer and broiler ... we are researching them

let us know where you end up


Mike
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Old 06-30-2022, 07:17 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by avanti View Post
We are in the same camp as @MsNomer on this one. For us, it is SOP to prepare and freeze all kinds of main course dishes, which we keep in the freezer until needed, when they are defrosted and heated. The majority of our dinners are done this way. For this purpose, a microwave is hard to beat. We would give up our stovetop before the microwave.

Note also that there is a new generation of 3-way and 4-way units that combine a microwave, convection, air fryer and broiler in one unit. I don't know how good they are, but we are researching them as a possibility for our new rig.
We are like you. Precook our meals, package and store in refrigerator. Use the micro wave to heat up. In 4.5 years, we have never used the propane cook top to cook anything. Our microwave can run off our battery. Same with our coffee maker. Everyone is different. Some people really like to cook outside. Others prefer inside cooking?

To each their own!
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Old 06-30-2022, 10:54 PM   #13
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Discard it - supposed to rub sticks together to make fire. If you are using a microwave you aren't really camping.
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Old 07-05-2022, 03:44 AM   #14
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I'd love to send our microwave to Goodwill and build a drawer for that space, but my bride wants it for the one or two times a season that she may reheat something. AHHHH
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Old 07-05-2022, 12:51 PM   #15
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Quote:
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I'd love to send our microwave to Goodwill and build a drawer for that space, but my bride wants it for the one or two times a season that she may reheat something. AHHHH
It is already a drawer. Well, maybe a storage cabinet. I use it as a bread box or more importantly, a box of donuts.
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Old 07-05-2022, 12:54 PM   #16
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Quote:
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Discard it - supposed to rub sticks together to make fire. If you are using a microwave you aren't really camping.
Are we really camping in a decked out Class B?
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Old 07-05-2022, 01:09 PM   #17
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We use our microwave a lot and would never want to get rid of it.


Microwave and gas grille take care of our cooking well.


For us, it is the stove that never gets used.
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Old 07-05-2022, 09:50 PM   #18
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Sorry. Been on the road. The microwave that I removed was falling apart. Plastic on door was deteriorating and crumbling. It was original and 25 years old

We also do much cooking at home and freeze. Only we just reheat in pan on stove. All bacon and sausages precooked etc.
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Old 07-06-2022, 03:37 PM   #19
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We use ours a lot. When boondocking, we'll turn on the generator just long enough to run the microwave. We tend to pre-cook a lot of stuff before a trip so we aren't spending vacation time cooking. The microwave is great for this purpose.
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Old 07-07-2022, 06:10 PM   #20
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We removed our Microwave and added a tambour door to make a nice storage space. We never used the Microwave and find the storage much more useful.
Jim
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