Why microwaves?

[bigsallysmom]

It makes a secure place to store stuff that mice like. When mine goes out I'll probably pull the microwave and put in a door.

 

[mayble]

I'm just the opposite - I use my microwave almost daily, but have to blow the dust off my 1 burner hob whenever I want to use it.
I'm thinking something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse...ywords_three_browse-bin:7933008011|7933007011
would be good for the van.  Simple to use and no damn clock blinking and demanding to be reset every time it's plugged in.

 

[Queen]

I like that one, mayble!

Like you, I use the microwave a lot, when I was learning the basics of cooking it was what I learned on so it stuck. I can cook a little otherwise, but it's not my forte by a long shot... and I'm the only one who can cook at all in this duo.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'm 36 and verrrry rarely, basically don't use one. I've read all the stuff on them that says they are safe or that they aren't safe and other stuff that says it kills any nutritional value of the food you're eating. Honestly, not sure which side to believe on that part of the equation. But the decision for me was easy because I don't really care for the texture of food that comes out of them, it makes stuff soggy, like Pizza crust, so reheating a slice of pizza or cooking a frozen pizza in an oven just tastes better with the crispy crust to me. As well as most other foods.

As far as them being put in new RV's. Well they have too, they're built to be a one size fits all unit. Everyone of them has something in there one doesn't want but another will. It's just an extra cabinet if you don't want to use it as a microwave. Nothing wrong with extra storage.

 

[Weight]

I designed my house battery bank system so I could use a microwave. I have a 1000 watt Cuisinart in the van. It is the least expensive way to heat food and other. Just have to use it for the right things. And bacon is one of the right things.

 

[GotSmart]

Because Jiffy Pop only has one flavor.

 

[akrvbob]

I'm just the opposite - I use my microwave almost daily, but have to blow the dust off my 1 burner hob whenever I want to use it.
I'm thinking something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse...ywords_three_browse-bin:7933008011|7933007011
would be good for the van.  Simple to use and no damn clock blinking and demanding to be reset every time it's plugged in.

I have that exact microwave in my van, except mine is black. I liked it for it's small size and 600 watt cooking power. 

It works okay but it doesn't cook very evenly, I get hot and cold spots--you get what you pay for.

 

[Ballenxj]

I'm thinking something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse...ywords_three_browse-bin:7933008011|7933007011
would be good for the van.  Simple to use and no damn clock blinking and demanding to be reset every time it's plugged in.

That looks a lot like mine.

 

[TrainChaser]

I mostly use mine for warming up already-cooked food, like Chinese takeout.

ERLH: " I've read all the stuff on them that says they are safe or that they aren't safe and other stuff that says it kills any nutritional value of the food you're eating. Honestly, not sure which side to believe on that part of the equation."

A friend once said that many people get confused about the differences between microwaving and IRRADIATING. Irradiating isn't good for the nutritional value -- how many nutrients are left in a ripe mango after three or four months on the shelf?

 

[Weight]

The latest food preservation technology has always frightened people. My Grandmother would not use anything from the refrigerator. Insisted on having the Ice-Box on the side porch and the spring house down the path. Microwaves cause molecules to vibrate. Some can tell the difference from vibrations caused by fire. Irradiating kills micro-organisms that could cause rot or illness in food. Does it kill the living cells in a fresh vegetable? Can a hamburger kill you, or at least make you wish so? Does a mango have nutritional value beyond sugar?

 

[user 37446]

I have that exact microwave in my van, except mine is black. I liked it for it's small size and 600 watt cooking power. 

It works okay but it doesn't cook very evenly, I get hot and cold spots--you get what you pay for.

Nice thing about that mechanical dial 600 watt micro is that you can use a smaller and less expensive MSW inverter with it.  

Look at this U-tube comparison between a MSW and a PSW inverter:

 

 

[Wabbit]

Is my math right on a 600w microwave coming to 50a for 1 hour use?

I did 600w ÷ 12v = 50?

 

[Weight]

No. The watt rating of a microwave is not the same as the power it draws. I just measured my 700 watt. It draws a surge and then settles down to 10 amps at 120 volts. Over 1100 watts. At 12 volts I should see well over 100 amps from the battery bank. The only way to know for sure is to use a Kill-a-Watt meter.

 

[GotSmart]

Who uses a Nuk~O~lator for an hour? 

 

[Weight]

Yes, GotSmart and hdr. That is the idea. Not as much time spent cooking, and heating my space.

 

[Ballenxj]

That looks a lot like mine.

The difference being, mine says Magic Chef, I just looked.  

 

[user 37446]

Is my math right on a 600w microwave coming to 50a for 1 hour use?

I did 600w ÷ 12v = 50?

Divide the 1 hour rate by 60 (per minute) then add a fudge factor (highly scientific term) for efficiency losses due to 12v, inverter, wiring.  Say your microwave would consume somewhere between 1 and 2 amp hours per minute.  

Just don't use it for baked potatoes and you should be ok, as long as the voltage sag issue is looked at.

 

[user 37446]

While this ancient thread (2008) from boatbuilders forum cannot be used for pricing or equipment, it "sparked" a question:

[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Willallison, for the microwave you best use a starter battery. 80 Amps is just a light load for that.[/font]
[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]And nowadays microwaves are advertised as 800 or 1000 watts because it sounds more impressive than the actual 500 watts or less heat they generate.[/font]
[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]For this purpose the inverter's waveform is of no concern, even triangles are fine.[/font]


So is a starting battery, which is designed for a large, short duration amp draw, actually ok to use for just a microwave?  I understand that few would want to have one dedicated for just that but it's the question of the plates as discussed above.

 

[mayble]

So is a starting battery, which is designed for a large, short duration amp draw, actually ok to use for just a microwave?  I understand that few would want to have one dedicated for just that but it's the question of the plates as discussed above.

I was wondering the same thing after reading similar debates on the web. 
Is it possible to simply connect an appropriate inverter to the starting battery and run the engine while using the microwave?  People talk about  trying it, but no one comes back to report on their results.

 

[Weight]

The rating of a microwave, ie; 700 watts, 1000 watts, 1100 watts, is not the power used to operate the microwave!
I often use my microwave to 'bake' potatoes. I would not use a microwave with a starter battery, except as a test. When was the last time you cranked your starter for half a minute or even longer?