Tangent: it remains deeply funny to me how Europeans have access to so much more power at any household outlet yet microwave ovens over there are usually only 700W or so.
We don't settle for less than 1,000 and 1,200 is pretty normal now! Explain that!
We don't settle for less than 1,000 and 1,200 is pretty normal now! Explain that!
Reposted from
Technology Connections
The clearest evidence to me that human brains have some irreconcilable differences comes from the popularity of the idea that the only button a microwave oven needs is +30 seconds and how that doesn't fit at all with how much I would hate such a microwave with a passion.
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also wondering how much of it is WW2 recovery - they first started being a home kitchen thing in the 60s
also I recall my mum being v dubious before we got our first one bc "radiation" + it only having been like a year since Chernobyl which was of course also closer to home than for the US
both consume the same amount of power. energy is energy
I'm saying that sincerely and without snark because many people are confused by the difference between power and energy but you need to use those 700W for a longer period of time to heat the same food to the same temperature, so the energy is the same.
I have demand charges now at my office (yay commercial power bills) but they're calculated as an average over the highest-demand hour. Perhaps it's different for you but I would look into it
Also, it's 220V using a NEMA plug 😬
But for my power bill, the 1600W is what matters.
Still, a whole kilowatt of heating power, I'm not mad
Never used one much so I'm in that excited experimental phase microwaving everything to see what works lol
To me it's some magical new technology!
Unless I am trying to soften butter. Then I do ten second intervals. But that is pretty much the only time I use the dial.
Interesting reading:
https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/product-list_en#cooking
Perhaps this wildly differs per country over here?
Yes, it technically takes a bit longer, but there's excess water that will slowly cool off so if I need another cup, it reheats faster. Most importantly my mug is NOT boiling hot!
PS I'm in the US
it's a good thing i'm not charge of the cooking in my household
Although, I did see a 1,000W one at work, which I assume is just so queues for it would be shorter. My coworker told me that they are usually used set at 80% power anyway...
Last time I saw a 700W microwave was probably 5 years ago now
Tbf, I think it's just a case of familiarity bias, we, and food companies, are used to 800-900W microwaves, so we don't change them
It's like how Americans...
It could be changed, but if it's not broken, why fix it?
Tbf I only buy really cheap microwaves here in Britain.
1000W is too weak half the time imo. it shouldn’t take me 5 minutes to steam 2 heads of broccoli to al dente
Also I didn’t noticed a difference in heating time when I was living in USA.
What I did notice, was how slow my kettle was in USA though.
Try telling someone that a dishwasher takes of 3 and half hours to do a heavy cycle and they have a panic attack.
Even the 900W options often cost more than what we consider reasonable.
Then there's Energy Efficiency Directive
https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-targets-directive-and-rules/energy-efficiency-directive_en
This might be a mix of both. I am not sure.
https://youtu.be/mg79n_ndR68?si=zjAf9SZC1UrXevLl
Like actually on fire
https://youtu.be/mg79n_ndR68?si=zjAf9SZC1UrXevLl
I was watching a German YouTuber talk about computer builds and he spent SO much time on the energy savings which for people in the states just aren't (usually) that important.
by the way I'd love a video of yours explaining the quirky inner workings of microwaves with no platter
I live in spain and some elderly people now have their minds blown when they learn that, actually, the radiation box is perfectly safe
I wish I could to blind test to them to reveal their bs lmao
I only use the +30s button.
900s are bargain bins, and you can't even buy a new 700 anymore unless it's ultra dirt cheap
It's used to reheat food or forgotten cups of coffee...
Or defrosting. You can’t hurry defrosting.
Homes I've been to in Europe (mostly Denmark and Germany) tend to have smaller countertop models rather than the over-the-range monsters typical here.
Could it be that a 1.2kW cavity magnetron is just not going the be fit in the smaller unit?
I've actually grown rather fond of my microwave after learning how to use it, however the first thing I learned is that the reason why I used to hate microwave food is that if you use too much power that's what makes it taste bad.
Any differences in cooking experience are down to something else, probably better microwave patterns
microwave an egg or a steak and they will feel very different to frying/grilling
Perhaps placebo, though
Either that or I've only ever had bad ones. Which might be the case! People tend to not spend a lot of gear they don't plan to use much
But it's teal, so
It's in there because it's great for warming up snacks.
It cannot actually cook anything because it is too weak.
Absolutely no idea how they tolerate anything below a minimum of 900 if you're wanting to actually cook stuff
But I would hate any microwave with only a 30s button that’s for sure. Mine is precise to the second I like that
I can't imagine why I'd need more power than our 900W one.
And I'd rather just use my pan or oven to reheat stuff. It's tastier.
I suspect the moisture in the chicken came to a boil too fast and ruined the meal.
(No hamsters were harmed in the making of this post)
It kept taking me out of the bit to the point where I just assumed it was the writers being wrong
I mean, I’m sure some do, we’re a big country, but it’s not quintessentially American like coffee is.
(Australia? 1000W for me. Sister in law has a 700W one. She burns food in ours.)
generally for anything else we use pots and pans and either convection or gas stoves.
All the microwaves I've had/used had two dials, one for power and one for time and that's it
Although honestly, I didn't even know it mattered. My brain just goes "microwave starts, spinny plate goes spin, food becomes hot"
I'm sad I don't live in that timeline. I want to get that hot pocket burn in 30 seconds or less dang it.
Americans reheating a meal for two with 1kw is a dangerous excess and a sign of our deeply suck culture.
But I think it's mostly the no-name brands that are like this. I feel like everytime I see a decent microwave it'll be at least 1000 w (in effective output)