5 Reasons to Get Rid of Your Microwave + Healthier Alternatives

Find out 5 reasons why you need to get rid of your microwave + healthier alternatives you can use instead to cook your food (like the Instant Pot).

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Three years ago, I got rid of my microwave. I did it to keep my family healthy and to see if I could live without it. And honestly, I haven’t missed it at all. In fact, it’s made me get back to basics with food and cooking. I want to give my family simple foods that are as close to the real ingredients as possible.

5 Reasons to Get Rid of Your Microwave

1. Retain the nutrients in your food.

Nuking your food in the microwave can kill the nutrients in your food. Microwaves heat food by causing water molecules to resonate at high frequencies. While this heats up the food, it also creates hot spots in the food and changes the chemical structure of it.¹ Think about why we’re not supposed to microwave breast milk to re-heat it.

2. Buy fewer packaged foods. 

Cooking your food in the oven or stove top usually means you’re less likely to buy packaged or heavily processed foods. Microwaves seem convenient but it doesn’t take much more time to make Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese than it does to cook something in a microwave that’s out of the box.

3. Prevent toxins from leeching into your food.

Many microwavable containers are plastic that leech dangerous chemicals into your food. These chemicals are known carcinogens.¹ Even in you switched to glass containers to heat up food, many pre-packaged foods like microwave popcorn still have toxins lined in the bag.

4. Teach kids how real food is made.

Enjoy the process of cooking and get your kids cooking too. Rather than popping something in the microwave to cook, show your kids how to cook homemade meals from scratch. Lifelong skills such as batch cooking, reading recipes and trying new foods, herbs and spices will help teach kids to become better eaters.

Check out my book, Gluten-Free, Real Food Recipes for Kids. I wrote this book with YOU in mind. Parents who want to provide kids with wholesome meals without artificial colors, preservatives and other additives. All the recipes are gluten-free – with many options for grain free or Paleo, dairy free, egg free and vegetarian.

5. Save counter space.

Ditch your microwave to save space on your counter. Enjoy a clutter-free kitchen that puts more focus on real food cooking techniques.

5 Ways to Cook or Reheat Foods Without a Microwave

No microwave? No problem! Here are a few tips to cooking and reheating foods without a microwave. Get even more tips in my post 9 Ways to Reheat Food Without a Microwave.

1. Stove Top

The stovetop is excellent for most meals with a cast iron skillet or stock pot. The trick to reheating foods without drying it out (such as pasta with marinara sauce) is to add to a pot with a couple of tablespoons of water over low-medium heat for a few minutes.

2. Oven

The oven is perfect for getting foods to be crispy like pizza or a quick reheat. It does use more energy than the other methods, so I recommend saving the oven for reheating larger portions, such as a full family meal.

3. Toaster Oven / Air Fryer

The toaster oven is great for reheating anything that can be done in a conventional oven (keep foods crispy) but with less energy. In fact, my toaster oven also has an air fryer, which cooks up food way faster than a conventional oven and makes it crispy too.

My favorite options for cooking food fast are the toaster oven/air fryer and Instant Pot. I don’t even miss having a microwave because these two options cook food fast and much tastier too.

4. Instant Pot

This electric pressure cooker is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. You don’t kneed a microwave to defrost meat or others foods now. Just put it into the Instant Pot. I can make a frozen whole chicken in just about 40 minutes in the Instant Pot – no defrosting needed. I’ve even reheated leftovers in the Instant Pot, which helps food to retain its moisture.

If you need easy-to-make recipes in less than 30 minutes, check out my book Instant Pot Recipes Made Simple. You can download it instantly to your phone, computer or e-reader, so it’s portable and can go with you anywhere!

With this book, you’ll get:

• Tried-and-true recipes the whole family will love – including pot roast, spaghetti, tacos, carnitas, soups, and easy breakfast meals
• Instant Pot starter guide on how to use the buttons, tips and tricks, and more
• Printable shopping lists for ingredients
• Step-by-step video lesson on how to use your Instant Pot, pressure cooker safety, and some of my favorite tips and tricks
• Two-week meal plan that you can put into action for no-stress weeknight dinners

5. Crock pot

While not a speedy solution to reheating foods, crock pots are excellent for convenience. Just put all ingredients of your one-pot dish in a crock pot in the morning, and by dinner everything is done.

What’s your favorite way to reheat foods without a microwave?

More Posts You Might Like

• How to Season Cast Iron Pans and Make Them Non-Stick
• Minimalist Meal Planning for Busy Moms (with Free Printable)
• 10 Chemical Additives to AVOID in Gluten Free Foods

Did you try this? Don’t forget to rate it and comment below to let me know how it went. You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Photo credit: Bigstockphotos.com / Jay_Zynism