Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why every microwave sucks these days

moth.monster

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 419 posts

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#191

Post by kalleboo »

stevage wrote: post #149
ForkMeOnTinder wrote: post #11

As a chronic comparison shopper, this is a first-world problem that's near and dear to my heart. I think the reason microwaves (and appliances in general) suck is because comparison shopping is so hard. I wish I could get a list of all microwaves and filter by criteria such as: - Does the +30 seconds button start cooking immediately, or do you have to also press "start" afterwards? - Does it beep every 30 seconds aft…

My ideal microwave would have two buttons. 1: The first two times you push it, it sets the timer to 0:30 and starts cooking. The next time, adds 0:30. Each time after that, it adds 1 minute and starts cooking. 2. Reset the timer to 0. And a door latch which stops cooking. I don't need power levels, or more precise timing, or any of that other stuff.

I just press "Start" on my microwave and it uses sensors to cook. Works at least as well as I do with guessing times.

For something like popcorn with a set time (2 min 20 s is perfect on ours, 10s too much and it burns), it's twist the dial then press start.

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#192

Post by rrr_oh_man »

eszed wrote: post #113
smegsicle wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Does the +30 seconds button start cooking immediately, or do you have to also press "start" afterwards? i've seen one where buttons 1-6 immediately start cooking for that many minutes, alongside a +30 button, so that every 30s interval between 30s and 6:30 can be activated in one or two button pushes; fastest nuke in the west

Ours does that. I never touch any of the (indeed useless) Potato / Popcorn / Soup (yes, soup... What?) buttons, but the instant-on time-interval buttons are lovely . It's "Magic Chef", for those of you who are curious. We didn't buy it (came with the house), and I'm not pulling it off the shelf to look for a model number on the back (I moved the vinegar bottles next to it, and there's no sticker on that side, nor the…

> Soup (yes, soup... What?)

Actually, yeah! The "soup" setting nukes it in such a way that you don't get a scolding hot bowl + top layer of soup, while everything else stays cold. (Mostly by spinning the tray and heating it in a burst-like pattern, I think)

I still would rather just cover the dish with another bowl, which achieves a better & faster result.

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#193

Post by thfuran »

citizenkeen wrote: post #26
ForkMeOnTinder wrote: post #11

As a chronic comparison shopper, this is a first-world problem that's near and dear to my heart. I think the reason microwaves (and appliances in general) suck is because comparison shopping is so hard. I wish I could get a list of all microwaves and filter by criteria such as: - Does the +30 seconds button start cooking immediately, or do you have to also press "start" afterwards? - Does it beep every 30 seconds aft…

Literally all those things are discoverable if you buy in a store. Edit: I maybe should have clarified "appliance store", rather than big box. But there are three appliance stores within ten miles of me that sell appliances. Not Home Depot, not Wal-Mart. Appliance stores. The refrigerators and ovens and microwaves are all plugged in and you can try any of them. The only thing you can't try is the gas ranges. This is…

>The refrigerators and ovens and microwaves are all plugged in

Not at the appliance stores near me.

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#194

Post by huytersd »

natch wrote: post #33

As far as I'm concerned there is only one microwave on the market worth buying. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074RCGYLB ONE dial. One. Zero buttons. Perfect. It does not have a turntable, but it's never needed one.

How do you set power levels? That’s a feature I use extensively.

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#195

Post by teo_zero »

I wonder how much the author has traveled abroad, because when TFA mentions "the world", I don't recognize what I see here where I live: I've never found a pocorn button, for example, or moisture sensors, not even in the good old times. And Instant Pot is completely unknown, Covid notwithstanding.

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#196

Post by toast0 »

RF_Savage wrote: post #161
toast0 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My parents have an ancient one, which they inherieted from a relative decades ago... It has a button to cycle through the power levels (the typical couple seconds on, couple seconds off duty cycle power levels), and four buttons to set the time: one under each digit (adds one to the digit and overflows to zero), the start button, something for temperature cooking if you have the probe (they don't). Actual buttons, be…

Same here, but unlike my rotating one, that one had classic coldspots and hotspots microwaves sometimes had. But I sure loved the fine grained time and power control. Figure out the setting put once and then it is unattended perfection every time.

Yeah, my parents have an upside down ceramic pie dish permanently in the microwave which raises the food to be heated up into what seems to be a more favorable area for heating. Before we got that in there, you'd have to do a lot of short bursts and mix / rotate, which is tedious especially when there was about two seconds of off time when starting...

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#197

Post by xapata »

hyeonwho22 wrote: post #117
ChainOfFools wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The kind of review you're looking for is what Consumer Reports is, (or at least used to be, as I'm not sure of the current state of things,) famous for. Because it's a paid subscription, and all of the items they review are actually purchased from retail suppliers who have no knowledge that Consumer Reports is the buyer, they can take their time and do very thorough comparisons incorporating tests of real world usabi…

I got a CR subscription to look at air filters. For good air filtering you really only need a hepa filter ($20) in front of a fan ($20), but CR only analyses the performance of brand name products ($200).

Not exactly. To be comparable to the good air filter products, you'd want to build a cube of air filters and attach the fan so it pulls air through the cube. Fun DIY project, but it's not for everyone. There's a good YouTube video for it.

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#199

Post by mentalpiracy »

da768 wrote: post #14

Got a Breville recently, seemed like the only units that weren't the same as every others out there... Not sure it's more durable, but at least it's super quiet, I can mute beep sounds, I can change time and power while food is cooking, and it's got a stainless interior so there's no cheap paint that'll start falling off after a few months.

Man, I got the Breville combo toaster/oven/air fryer/dehydrator thing (name escapes me) back in 2017 and it’s the best appliance I’ve ever had. I use it basically every day in at least one mode; I hardly use our full-sized gas oven at all anymore.

Highly recommend

Re: Why every microwave sucks these days

#200

Post by elbasti »

ForkMeOnTinder wrote: post #11

As a chronic comparison shopper, this is a first-world problem that's near and dear to my heart. I think the reason microwaves (and appliances in general) suck is because comparison shopping is so hard. I wish I could get a list of all microwaves and filter by criteria such as: - Does the +30 seconds button start cooking immediately, or do you have to also press "start" afterwards? - Does it beep every 30 seconds aft…

It seems like you have an amazing talent for reviewing electronics, and that you've identified a kind of review that doesn't exist in the market and people might find valuable!

NYT bought Wirecutter for 30 million dollars so... who knows, there might be a business here.

Post reply on HN