It’s been a long time since we got rid of our microwave.  I must admit, after having grown up with a microwave, the thought of not having one in our kitchen was slightly scary.  What would we do if we needed to, gasp, reheat something?

Our reasons for getting rid of our microwave were not entirely wholesome.  We were renovating our kitchen and were worried that our current microwave’s location would be too close to the large and leaping flames of our new gas range getting installed directly underneath our behemoth of a microwave.  The microwave itself was probably installed in the 70s, as our good friend Samira and Philip can attest to, since they have the very same one in their condo which was built around that time.

So, with a little trepidation and a lot of hope for what our food future would hold, we ditched our giant microwave.

While prior to saying goodbye to this large device, we were making most of our food from scratch and not eating processed food TV dinners, easy mac, vegetable “steamers” or the like, I don’t believe we knew what a profound impact life with out a microwave would have on our family food culture.  Think about it, what foods can’t you prepare without the help of a microwave?  Processed, typically frozen foods, of course.  Just ask anyone who has, in desperation and sans microwave, tried to heat up a lean cuisine in the oven…what anyone would end up with is a bunch of semi-hot food surrounded by melted plastic-yum!

…also, as a side note, do we really need to be eating frozen “health food” anyway?  Take a look at the current Cambell’s Soup Select Harvest tv ad in which shoppers are blindfolded as they purchase their “health food” and ask yourself…should they be looking at the calorie content or should they actually just be reading the ingredients???  Yes, it is true that a lot of the American public walks around a grocery store with blindfolds on when it comes to intelligently discerning the ingredients present in the foods we eat, but guess what…no microwave = no processed frozen TV types of foods.

Colin and I have a hard time figuring out just how many processed foods we consume currently, the reason being that we do not consume much aside from the occasional bags of chips or crackers and the cereal (we try to find the best possible) that we eat in the mornings sometimes.  MOST of the food we eat, about 95% of it, in fact, is made from foundational ingredients, like unbleached flour, unsalted butter, local eggs, local meats, local or organic veggies and fruits, or both, depending on the season.  All of these ingredients, when used in conjunction with each other, can turn out some pretty tasty dishes that are really, really healthy for our family, and require no microwave to cook.

The bottom line is this:  If you want to make healthy food for your family, get rid of your microwave.  How to reheat that cup of coffee?  Pour the rest in a small saucepan and heat up over low heat.  What about defrosting that chicken?  Place the chicken in the fridge 1-2 days prior to cooking.  Also, you can defrost any piece of meat, sausage, etc quickly by placing it in a ziploc bag and then inside a large bowl filled with cold water.  Change the water out every hour, and within 1-3 hours your meat should be thawed.  (Do not think that running hot water over the meat will defrost it quicker-it will not…it will only harm the texture of the meat by cooking it slightly.)

When in doubt, think 19th century…how did they cook and heat food in the old days?  There’s no reason why we can’t figure this out in today’s culture!

As a family, we feel better when we eat real, healthy food.  We’re teaching our children about how to do this for themselves as well, which is an invaluable lesson.  Life with out a microwave may take a little more planning and organizing, but its values go far beyond tonight’s meal.  Good luck!