Last week our built-in microwave oven broke. Since we live in an apartment community for retired seniors, most repairs are the duty of the maintenance department. Within a few hours our maintenance man, whose name is Radar, (no pun intended) showed up and examined the appliance. “Yep,” he said, “This oven is broke. I’ll put in an order, but it will take three weeks to get another one.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I thought to myself. “How can we survive?” My thoughts raced as I imagined an average day in our kitchen. My husband uses the microwave to make instant oatmeal for breakfast. Our granddaughter loves microwavable macaroni and cheese when she visits us for lunch. Every afternoon I heat a cup of water for tea. And how will we prepare the standard bag of popcorn in the evening while we watch a movie? At this point in my life I honestly don’t know how to make popcorn any other way.
The microwave dilemma influences the choices I make at the grocery store. Today as I pushed my cart through the frozen food aisle, I noticed Healthy Choice frozen meals were a BOGO. I paused for a minute, then realized I wouldn’t be able to cook them. I could store the meals in the freezer but it’s already full of frozen vegetables, which by the way, I usually cook in the microwave. I sighed and proceeded to the checkout thinking, “With this wave of modern convenience I have been greatly inconvenienced!”
Who is responsible for my dependency? None other than self-taught engineer, Percy Spencer. As an employee of Raytheon Laboratories during World War II, Spencer noticed a candy bar had melted in his pocket while working with a live radar set emitting microwave signals. He accidentally discovered the radar’s compact cavity magnetron tube generated heat.
Spencer experimented with heating foods by directing the magnetron tube toward popcorn and eggs. That must have been messy until he created a metal box to contain the magnetron tube. Once the box was created, a rough model of the first microwave oven was patented by Spencer in 1945. Surprisingly, Mr. Spencer only received a $2.00 bonus for his invention, and never collected any royalties.
The early appliances were huge, practically the size of a refrigerator, and expensive—costing $5,000 each, so initially microwaves were used only by industrial kitchens. In 1967 a residential countertop model was manufactured by the Amana Corporation and sold for under $500. During the 1970’s cheaper parts and advancements brought prices down. Today microwave ovens are considered a standard built-in feature in most American kitchens and have transformed modern cooking.
Our microwave was brand new when we moved into our apartment in 2021. Wouldn’t you think it would last longer than three years? An old saying rings true, “they just don’t make things like they used to.”
As far as my microwave dependency I guess we’ll have “cold turkey” for dinner tonight.
debbieburton.blog 
It’s funny how we become so attached to modern conveniences like the microwave, only to realize how reliant we’ve become on them. It sounds like you’ve had quite the challenge without it! I’m amazed at how a single invention, like the microwave, has shaped so many day-to-day habits, from breakfast to movie snacks. Hopefully, the three weeks will fly by and your kitchen will return to normal. Who knows, maybe this will be an opportunity to try out some other cooking methods for a change!
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Amanda, thanks for the comment. We’re back in business now. I must say I’m starting to get into air frying. But I have much to learn.
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Originally I didn’t want a microwave oven. I figured I would need to learn a whole new way to cook. Well, my husband bought me one for Christmas one year anyway. It was so large that it needed its own cart to hold it. I did, in fact, attend the complimentary cooking lessons and picked up a number of tips. My family favorite recipe for lasagna is actually adapted by using the microwave lasagna recipe I learned there.
Best wishes as you and Herb adjust to microwave-less cooking for a bit.
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Mary, change is always hard! Fortunately, our new microwave has been installed and we are back in business!
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We take all kinds on conveniences for granted. I bought my first microwave in 1979 to heat my daughter’s bottle instead of hot water on the stove. It was a huge box on my counter. I remember thinking…how can one heat something faster than heating in the oven? Introduce the microwave.
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I like Percy’s story. We owe a lot to good old Percy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sue.
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