When we were in England and staying at the Doc Martin Cottage, one of the {many} quirky things that caught our eye was the microwave.
Specifically the buttons on the microwave.
Here in America, typically the buttons on the microwave will be something like beverage, popcorn, vegetable, baked potato, defrost and reheat.
But across the pond, you get exciting buttons like curry, chinese, pasta, jacket potatoes {!!} fresh vegetables and fresh fish.
There was even a bread button. Call me crazy, but I think I’d rather have a microwave with a button for jacket potatoes and curry than the standard popcorn or beverage button like we have here.
And the word jacket potato. How fun is that? The phrase makes me think of Beatrix Potter and Benjamin Bunny and tea and scones and small cups of tea and sitting by the fire.
It’s almost like it gives the whole idea of serving a jacket potato as a meal more of a sense of occasion. Doesn’t it?
Or maybe I’m just weird that way.
Ahhhh England. I miss you already.
~Mavis
P.S. If you could somehow customize a microwave with buttons that were specific to you or your family… which buttons would you choose?
I’d have to have one labeled “15 seconds”. Because that’s all the time my husband can stand to wait for something to reheat is 15 seconds. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cinnamon roll or a bowl of soup. In his mind, everything heats in 15 seconds. 😉
Diana says
The only one I can think of for me would be “Tea Water” for 2.5 minutes, lol.
Alice says
Create your own labels and place them on top of existing ones that most closely resemble the times . Then show us a picture.
Patti Vanderbloemen says
Ha – I have 15 second button, and a 30 second button!
Julie says
Mine would definitely have buttons for coffee and lunch.
Lesley says
I can’t see myself microwaving fish for any reason … barf!
Allison says
Check out Barbara Kafka’s cookbooks on microwaving – she thinks the microwave is the BEST means of cooking certain types of fish. I almost always cook salmon in the oven, “frosted” with a little sour cream and dry dill. Perfect in a very few minutes.
Mel says
Not a food setting, but a volume setting would be nice. You can hear our microwave chime from anywhere in our 3 story house. If you dare not respond, it goes off again in 2 minutes, and then again 2 minutes after that.
If we’re really going out there, humility would also be a nice feature. Our microwave always flashes the word “Good” when it’s done, and I’m like, that’s not your job, dear microwave.
It’s not a bad microwave, but it’s a little over eager.
Terena says
It sounds a bit ‘needy’ to me. Perhaps reassuring it every time you use it would help. I mean, I talk to my plants, and it seems to work. Not weird at all…
Tanya says
We had a microwave like that. Turns out when I came across the instruction book in a drawer that you could change the volume of the beep at the end and turn off the reminder beeps. Of course I came across the book when it was having “end of life” issues and needed to be replaced anyway.
Pam says
Mel,
You can probably turn that annoying sound off…pull the book out, it will be something like holding the button down for 5 sec. ,etc.
Mel says
You would think so, but it doesn’t. For whatever reason, that’s the only setting. There are tutorials online for how to disable it (like taking it apart), so we aren’t the only ones with that issue, but it’s not built into the microwave settings for whatever reason. It’s a very cheap microwave that was here when we moved in, and I think later models do have that option.
Stacie says
I need a button labeled cookie. I’m always warming a cookie to get it slightly warm like fresh out of the oven.
Nicole says
A button for softening butter, melting chocolate and oatmeal.
Chef says
I’ve read that you can fill a tumbler with hot water. leave the water in long enough to heat the glass. Place a stick of butter in the tumbler and place it upside down on the counter. The heat from the glass will soften the butter.
The Chef
Pat says
Mine actually does have a button to choose either softening or melting butter.
OregonGuest says
A “self clean” button for after my son cooks chili. (And no “Chili” button to give him the idea in the first place!)
Mimi says
I would have a button for “elevenses” because I also love all things British. I have a daily habit of a second cup of coffee and a small scone or something similar which is always better if nuked for 10-15 seconds.
Judi Y. says
What about the Meat Joints button under the defrost option. Oh my, I don’t even want to know what that represents. Is that because I’m a vegetarian? Does anyone find themselves wanting to defrost meat joints? Cancel that…..I don’t want to know.
Angela D. says
In our home, customized buttons with each family member’s name would be best.
My oldest son cooks everything on HIGH for 1 minute– everything!
My youngest son prefers to heat his leftovers to just barely warm.
I prefer to NEVER cook anything on HIGH, and instead play around with mid-range
power levels, for increments of 25-45 seconds.
We are a family that actually uses the popcorn button, for the occasional bag
of microwave popcorn (a “snack” that we are no longer very crazy about.)
Elizabeth says
My top button would be coffee b/c I get so distracted in the morning piddling around, I don’t ever drink the whole cup when it’s hot and need to reheat it 3 times before I finish mid morning!! (I will say, It’s a big mug)
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I need a louder sound for when it is finished. We usually sit down in the living room to wait because standing is hard for me. I never hear it over the TV. We use the minute buttons and I don’t know why. I need a 15 second button for things I heat, like leftover scrambled eggs–planned leftovers. Tommy heats bread for 3 minutes, so it needs a 1-minute button that says “bread” so he won’t heat it until it is tough.
The Duck Lady says
What in the h*@l is a Jacket potato???
Mavis Butterfield says
A baked potato. 🙂