No microwave oven....???

Hi,

FWIW, I'm in the kiss camp, and as such do not feel a need for a microwave at home or on a boat. Cooking is not rocket science, no need for a magnetron.

Good luck with your new boat!

dhmeissner said:

Hi,

FWIW, I'm in the kiss camp, and as such do not feel a need for a microwave at home or on a boat. Cooking is not rocket science, no need for a magnetron.

Good luck with your new boat!

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Magnetron! That's the ticket. If you don't have a microwave, can you just park the leftovers next to the radar dome for a few minutes to heat them up?

Shot this picture a couple of days ago at Trawlerfest/Anacortes. The boat is a relatively new Krogen, around 50', not sure exactly.

Really nice looking unit. I believe it is this product:

24" RNB Series Gas Range | Freestanding Range

Speaking of propane stoves. In the PNW, do fuel docks generally have propane available? So you have a locker with two tanks, when one is empty you switch to the full one and then next opportunity refill the empty?

Wifey B: I think at least some part of microwave use is generational. Bet for most of you who never use one, your kids do. To each their own. Don't bow to group influence. I'll also admit that I'm a lazy cook. I want the easiest and quickest way. Typical meal for me since we married has been hubby grills the meat and I do the salad and veggies and the veggies are often out of a can. Now we travel with others who do far more cooking. I do spaghetti. That's about as fancy as I get. We're happy with simple meals but some of the things most of you cook, I'd never try. I leave them for our more skillful friends.

JustBob said:

Magnetron! That's the ticket. If you don't have a microwave, can you just park the leftovers next to the radar dome for a few minutes to heat them up?

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I don't know about those little boat radar transmitters, but the APA-165 continuous wave transmitter on an F4-D Phantom will heat up a big sammich in 12 seconds. Ask me how I know-

JustBob said:

....do fuel docks generally have propane available? ......

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I have never seen a fuel dock with propane but I'm sure it exists somewhere.
I have a 20 lb bottle for my Coleman Camping Stove and another 20 lb bottle for my grill, both located on the rear deck. They never go down at the same time and last us a very long time. In the past 3 years, I have filled one of the bottles each year. We travel and explore somewhat, but not nearly as much as I think we do. When we lived aboard my sailboat we had a propane stove inside and a grill outside and used them a lot since we didnt have electric stove. A 20 lb bottles lasted about 3 months or more.

Propane cooks fast and lasts long. With 2 20 lb bottles, surely you can get by till you have the opportunity to refill. In out-of-the-way strange places, someone will always stop by and offer you a ride.

JustBob said:

Speaking of propane stoves. In the PNW, do fuel docks generally have propane available? So you have a locker with two tanks, when one is empty you switch to the full one and then next opportunity refill the empty?

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Not in the PNW, but FWIW -- without my having paid religious attention to availability -- I've never seen propane available on a fuel dock. Hence a new 4-stroke gas outboard when we were shopping; had to decide again the Lehr units...

BandB said:

Wifey B:
... and I do the salad and veggies and the veggies are often out of a can.

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Yuck!

But to each her own.



-Chris

ranger42c said:

Yuck!

But to each her own.



-Chris

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Wifey B: Fortunately, I don't prepare many meals by myself, so all are spared. Maybe once a month on average.

To all of you with frozen veggies, I do hope you're keeping up with all the recalls. It's been huge the past month. Hubby gets emails on all those things.

I'd like to add myself to the 'meh, I never use my microwave' camp. I don't think I ever used it, actually. I didn't do a lot of cooking on the boat, but when I did, I just used the propane cooktop. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

We have two microwaves aboard. Our Great Harbour came with a GE Microwave/Convection oven 27" - can cook a turkey or pizza in it. The original GE unit needed replaced 2 years ago, and the only wall mount 27" we could find was this unit. It can vent through the front to limit heat buildup. GE Profile™ Series 27 in. Single Wall Oven Advantium® Technology | PSB9100SFSS | GE Appliances

And we have a countertop microwave we brought from the house. They both get plenty of use.

For cooktop, we have an electric 4 element Kenyon.

Bruce B said:

Today's lunch at home... No microwave!
An egg fried in olive oil on a bed of arugula and a piece of whole grain toast. The sweet peppers are stuffed with some home made hummus!
Delicious, nutritious and it took my lovely wife about 5 minutes to prepare.
Bruce

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Well, you didn't tell us you eat like a rabbit!

That's entirely different. Nevermind...

FlyWright said:

Well, you didn't tell us you eat like a rabbit!

That's entirely different. Nevermind...

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Wifey B: Don't pick on him. You obviously misunderstood. That was his appetizer. Maybe he'll show the main course later.

If that's what he likes, then fine.

No Microwave oven!? I would never know what time it is ;-)

I love the quick, quiet (using inverter) warming of my microwave. Had a combo Convection/micro oven in a cottage, could heat the whole place making brownies on a cold New England night.

FlyWright said:

Well, you didn't tell us you eat like a rabbit!

That's entirely different. Nevermind...

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No rabbit am I! Here is a nice ribeye I cooked using a reverse sear on our Big Green Egg MiniMax while camping in Florida last year... Wait...no microwave in the Bambi Airstream either!
Bruce

This is like a toolbox collection discussion...not everyone needs every tool to make things work. Some tools are great at some things..but if you don't fix those things..those tools are all but irrelavent.

Doesn't make one a better mechanic over the other.

I could live without a microwave pretty easily..but I choose it for convenience in how I choose to eat.

Some will argue certain foods really can't be prepared any better any other way..and I agree,,,,but it certainly doesn't make the microwave indespensible.

I feel better already, Bruce! I'm not trying to change your mind...just having a little fun with you.

I've never found a use for a microwave with a good steak. There's no substitute for a good grill.

Cheers!

Have had micro's in multiple boats and RV's..... never use them....

Do have a Captain Oscar fireside story though.

You see, a microwave makes a nice Faraday cage.... so on my Catalina 42 I would take the autopilot head, chart plotter and sundry electronics and put them in the microwave when we were not on board to protect them against electrical storms. Not a crazy idea as we had been "hit' in that very location before.

Well, to make a long story short.... the keystrokes required to set the clock, or to defrost 5 pounds of burger meat are very, nay eerily similar.

I'll leave the rest of the story to your collective imaginations.

Defrosted chart plotter!!!!

The first thing we did when we got our current boat was remove the microwave. Not once in 8 seasons have we regretted it. We also don't have a coffee maker. I use a stove-top percolator and we use the stove and grill for everything.

"Microwaves....helping lazy people heat mediocre food for decades!!"

Opinions abound here...because there are no "facts" to determine whether microwaves are good or bad kitchen utensils.....or making good food better or bad food worse....

Do whatever you want as strong opinions in this topic just show personality issues.....probably by people who love reality cooking shows.

I too thought of the Faraday cage issue...but just decided if I was going to the trouble to disconnect all the equipment....wrapping it in tin foil wouldn't be a big deal either.

How people can make this an issue beyond personal preference is a sign of what is going on in TF....

I just read back through the thread. Thought it was very informative as the OP intended. Some people said what they use a microwave for, some said how they got along just fine without one and what they used instead. I think it simply represents different strokes for different folks.

There was humor including rabbit and microwaving a chart plotter and a couple of other interesting pieces introduced such as combo units, induction cooktops, etc.

I am the "OP" and this thread did exactly what I hoped...
It helped me think outside the box. In the end we will do exactly what I thought we would do initially but I did enhance my understanding of the issues a little bit.
My thanks for everybody's input!
Bruce

caltexflanc said:

That Wolf combo looks great. Can't imagine not having a microwave on a boat let alone a real oven. But then we do a lot more cooking, and complex cooking at that, than 90% of cruisers.

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2-burner propane stove, no microwave ...

Couldn't delete the one with Sharon at the table ..... we didn't do that one.

Dang, I want to eat dinner with you people.

boatpoker said:

2-burner propane stove, no microwave ...

Couldn't delete the one with Sharon at the table ..... we didn't do that one.

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Now that's cooking!
Looks yummy, one and all.
Very nice
Bruce

FlyWright said:

We often cook in advance of a trip and reheat on the water. A microwave serves us well in this function.

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We do that and when we eat in restaurants, we usually have enough left over for another meal, heated in the microwave.

We also carry a supply of non-refrigerated, microwavable meals. These, along with a can of vegetables are the backup plan. Many are not that bad.

Bruce B said:

Now that's cooking!
Looks yummy, one and all.
Very nice
Bruce

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C'mon by Bruce ! Sharon drives the boat, changes the oil and impellers. I do the cooking. The first photo is a pork roast marinated in Drambui. stuffed with black berries and glazed with a carmelized black currant balsamic and dusted with Jamaican jerk spices.

We are leaving Ontario in August heading for the Bahamas, Keep an eye out for DIRT FREE and stop by for a meal.

boatpoker said:

2-burner propane stove, no microwave ...

Couldn't delete the one with Sharon at the table ..... we didn't do that one.

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Of all the opinions in this thread I'm most fascinated by the photos of food on actual ceramic plates. Haven't you people ever heard of paper.???