[slightly OT] cheap microwaves - how come?

[Brian Sharrock]

Perhaps you haven't read the manual;- as shipped the devices are 'equatrorial' ex-factory. You need to set the dip-switcha to North or South 1 / 0 . {along with settings for language; time (metric or sexagesimal; weight (Kgs/grames/ ounces (avoidupois or Troy) etc. etc. } When the machine 'knows' which way the water goes down the plug-hole it'll attempt to match this. - a turntable which alternates direction of movement on turn-ON may be an indicor for the device thinking it's still on a ship in the Straits of Malaccca. {Some forward shippersset the dip switches while the ship is in the Singapore Roads prior to the devices being shipped on to UK. These devices may cost more that than cheaper models. Luckily a Water molecules is the same dimensions all over the planet and a microwave will 'flip'; the diamagnetc molecules no matter which way the turntable is going. HTH.

Concur: who's got time to look through the glass window and comment; "Happen that turntable went t'other way'. Mother!"

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Frank Erskine saying something like:

It's often occurred to me there's a fortune waiting for the inventor of the cooling device that can cool things in a domestic setting as fast as a microwave can heat them up. Blast freezers are a bit cumbersome for the average kitchen.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember John Rumm saying something like:

I'm surprised at the demise of my last microwave. Fairly decent Sharp with loads of extra options which, of course, were rarely used. A carton of milk leaked in it and promptly caused the thing to constantly trip the RCD every time it was plugged in. What boggles me is the designers failing to take into account that internal spills are almost inevitable and siting a piece of mains circuitry beneath the level of the oven floor.

[Owain]

ITYM bottom-end Miele last longer than top-end Hotpoint?

Owain

[Owain]

Could you make a small hole in the top of the oven for insertion of a spurtle?

Owain

[Steven Briggs]

In message , fred writes

Most, if not all Panasonic models, with the "inverter" badging. They are also somewhat lighter than standard microwaves as the electronic "inverter" replaces several kg of iron/copper transformer.

I use my fully featured Panasonic a lot, highly recommended. M/W, grill and turbofan oven. Just to annoy andy, I'll have to say is does a cracking job of frozen pizza!

[Peter Twydell]

We bought a Saisho 2500 from Dixons in February 1988, and it was in daily use until we moved in December 2005. Bit too big for the new kitchen and anyway SWMBO wanted a s/s one. Used intensively during the period in the 90s when we had no gas cooking facilities while waiting for the new kitchen to be completed (about 18 months!). Didn't like cooking potatoes for too long, the thermal cutout would operate and it took an hour or two before it cooled down and reset.

Only major occurrence was when SWMBO put a plastic bottle containing frying fat in to warm it up and hit 55 minutes instead of 5. Took a lot of cleaning up, but at least we knew the turntable mechanism was well greased.

Digital interface, but only a 12-hour clock. Programmable feature very useful for things like rice that need multiple phases in cooking/standing.

Now sitting in a box in younger daughter's partner's father's garage, waiting for younger daughter's partner's brother and his partner to find a new house.

[Mike Barnes]

My mother's 1970s Moffat microwave still works today without having needed any spares or repairs. Mind you, it ought to, considering how much it cost.

[Steven Briggs]

In message , Steven Briggs writes

While I think of it, the predecessor to the Panasonic was an 80's vintage Toshiba. Had a huge cavity, and I couldn't bare to throw it away. So it lives in the shed now, for compost sterilising duties. I can get a big 10ltr bucket in the thing, then 10-15 minutes at full power. Sweet revenge on the vine weevil grubs when I turn out infected potted plants.

[Andy Hall]

That depends on whether the missing implied word is 'market' or 'range' (where range = range of that vendor)

[Owain]

Put it in the microwave and give it a quick squirt with a CO2 fire extinguisher?

Owain

[Dorothy Bradbury]

Not necessarily. Not sure the bottom-end Miele would have lasted longer than the ?top-end? Hotpoint Aquarius Ultima dryer that failed at 13yrs :-)

Microwaves price does correspond to duty cycle. PSU & Magnetron in £25 units are designed for low duty cycle, the £125-250 units for heavier domestic duty cycle, Commercial are designed for continuous duty cycle, sized/weigh/priced accordingly.

Using a domestic microwave in a Commercial environment will see it fail long before typical 2yr microwave / 3yr Magnetron guarantee.

Underlying reality... o Some low-mid models are actually outsourced and built by LG o Invertor microwaves have low weight/depth - but repairs cost more o Parts available only to qualified, experienced & approved people o Many parts & boards are quite literally unmarked & unknown :-) o Failure outside warranty is £12-15+VAT for drop-it-off diagnosis o Failure of Magnetron, perhaps PSU, is beyond economic repair

Frankly the choice 1) do you want stainless easy-clean for when you decorate the entire insides with boiled over soup, eggs etc &

2) is it going to be occasional use, daily use or very regular use.

No point buying a "£250 doorstop". I suspect many people just microwave vegetables for 10mins a day. Ironic as the manuals are better than many other consumer goods.

Built-in can be a pain in terms of bonkers priced "fitting kits" and potential size variations by the time the unit does need replacing.

Microwaves are very much duty cycle dictates price. Bits like fan/grill add a small cost, but often quite a lot to price.

Final note - the "cookbook time" guides vary with oven model, some can be spot-on & others can be quite a lot off the mark. Often worth creating your own "watt/time conversion charts".

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Sniff. Miele don't make bottom end. ;-)

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Owain saying something like:

Might work, but the setting jelly would be all over the kitchen.

[Huge]

Blimey, I hope you don't think I'd spend 250 quid on a microwave. We've had ours for so long (~20 years?)I can't recall how much it cost. And if it goes bang, I'm getting one of those 25 quid ones from Sainsers like we just bought for my M-I-L.

[Huge]

Just leave the spurtle in the bowl. They're wood, and don't heat up that much.

[Andy Hall]

Yes, but keep in mind that if Ready Brek is involved, the spurtle will become attached to the bowl as if the two were welded.

[Huge]

Ah, yes. I hadn't noticed we were talking about wallpaper paste instead of Real Porridge.

(We have a real spurtle, given to us by a friend in Kintyre, which I use regularly in cooking, not just for stirring porridge.)

[Owain]

I thought as a young child that Ready Brek was remarkably similar to the (asbestos) fibrous filler that Pater used to mix up with spit.

Owain

[jkn]

Hi all as the OP, thanks for all the replies, and the entertainment!

Cheers jon N