Metal Meredith

As many of you know, we moved in to a 1977 ugly house almost 2 years ago. Since then, we have been taking on some minor and major projects to get the house more contemporary and less, well, colonial.

One of the things I have complained about was the ancient over the stove microwave. It was black and bulky and too low. The vent was super noisy and didn’t do that great of a job. The light kept going out more than any light should. Finally, we stopped putting in new bulbs and just took our chances cooking under the dark hood.

When we went to Europe last March, my mom accidentally pulled the handle off. It was a previous wound, gone undetected, that had been fixed more than once. After that, I did it about 5 more times.

My mom gave us a gift certificate to Best Buy for Christmas in order to replace the relic. And replace it we did!

It has been a long time since I bought a microwave. In fact, I have never bought one for more than around $40. You can imagine what one can get for $200 these days. Phil helped me pick out a sleek stainless steel model with more room than our refrigerator. He liked it because the vent door slowly opens and closes when you turn it on.

The first night I used it, it yelled at me. I was defrosting some meat when it stopped, beeped a few times and displayed the words “TURN THE MEAT OVER”. Um, ok ok, calm down. Then, we wanted to have some broccoli the other night and it asked me if it was frozen or fresh. When I responded, it told me to put it in a dish, add some water and just press start. The microwave KNEW when the broccoli was done and just stopped. Same with frozen vegetables.

Want some Nachos? It can not only heat them up, but will tell you how to make them: “Layer tortilla chips on a plate. Add shredded cheese. Press start”.

I know it is a silly thing, but this appliance has now become my best friend in the house. If only it could make me some money, I think Phil might have a new rival.