# What is the best Microwave oven for boat?



## SeaQuinn

Our microwave has died and was buried so we are in the market for a replacement. I would live one that works well and yet is small enough to fit the space....max 11 by 20" . 

Anyone have good experience with one? Have you run it off the batteries with an inverter? thanks!


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## Over40pirate

Have not tried to run mine off inverter yet, hummmm. The best kind I can recommend is a free one! Mine came from the pool snack shop at the golf club I work at. It is an open building with a cover over it. It sat on a shelf out there for 5-6 years and still works fine. I saw it under there a few months ago and the poolm operator gave it to me as they were getting a new one (bigger). It is a Majic Chef with the old turn dial for the time (no buttons)The thing is .5 cu. ft. with turntable. Can't go wrong with free! I think they would be about $50 at Wal Mart.


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## misfits

You can run a microwave off an inverter but it's best to have the engine running when doing so. Even a 750 watt microwave can suck the life out of the batteries quickly & the surge without the engine running will probably alarm out the inverter. 

That's been my experience anyway.


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## DavidB.UK

Are they not made in 12v then?


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## sea_hunter

Smallest power rating is best. We have a Magic Chef 750 watt unit a couple years old and it works fine off our Hart inverter. Keep in mind you need adequate battery Amphrs to keep it running.


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## chuck53

When we were looking for a microwave, it wasn't so much who made the best but more, what can we find that will fit the tiny space we have to squeeze it into.
We had to look around quite a bit, but finally found one that suited our space requirements and so far has done a good job.

I've never heard of a 12v unit but I'm guessing if they were available, they would not do a very good job. Much like the 12v coffeemakers that everyone who has one says they are extremely slow.


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## misfits

chuck53 said:


> I've never heard of a 12v unit but I'm guessing if they were available, they would not do a very good job.


They are avaliable & your right, they do not work worth a dam.


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## Ajax_MD

It would seem to me that small size, and lower wattage is the ideal for sailboats. With a common terrestrial household unit that draws 1200 watts, you're pulling 10 amps. If the microwave and fridge are on the same 15 amp outlet, you're approaching or exceeding the 80% safe load of the wiring and the outlet.

You're much safer with a 750, 800 or 900 watt microwave oven. (Unless you're giving it a dedicated circuit)

I'm talking about small and mid-size cruisers, who are equipped with the typical single, 30 amp service.

As for brand? Any of the well-known appliance makers should provide a long lived unit: Amana, GE, LG, etc. I'd be skeptical of any unit made by a company whose name I couldn't pronounce, and had never heard of.


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## bvander66

Not crazy about Microwaves on board, but if I did go that route would probably go with a microwave/convection oven.
This company Convection Microwave - Contoure Int, Inc.
produces small microwaves and microwave/convection ovens for boats. Check them out.


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## Ajax_MD

bvander66 said:


> Not crazy about Microwaves on board, but if I did go that route would probably go with a microwave/convection oven.
> This company Convection Microwave - Contoure Int, Inc.
> produces small microwaves and microwave/convection ovens for boats. Check them out.


Bummer. At least two of the models on that page have been discontinued, and at least two of them draw 1500 watts. Better have a dedicated outlet for that one...


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## hellosailor

Nice thing about a microwave on a boat, is that it works real well with shore power. And then becomes a very nice Faraday Cage for use when off mains power. ;-)


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## sea_hunter

hellosailor:907385 said:


> Nice thing about a microwave on a boat, is that it works real well with shore power. And then becomes a very nice Faraday Cage for use when off mains power. ;-)


Make sure you put a note on the door before turning it back on though; your laptop may or may not like a jolt of MW radiation.


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## night0wl

I'm sorry, but the microwave is the *LEAST* used feature of our boat...totally useless. First, we rarely stay at marinas or on shorepower long enough to need the zapper. Second, it is an amp hog. Third, it takes up valuable storage space! More often than not, I find myself stacking things inside the microwave to make use of the empty space. 

Once ours goes bad or is outdated, I plan on converting the space it occupies into another locker for storage.


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## sww914

I would recommend trying to live without it for a little while. I didn't even think it was plausible but I haven't thought about a microwave in months now unless I see one in a convenience store. I'm glad we have the storage space and don't need to supply the hungry little bastard with juice.


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## Minnewaska

We use our microwave for two purposes. Reheating and....... as a breadbox. Seriously, store bread in the micro and it will last substantially longer than on the counter. Dark and no air circulation. Easy to pull out when you need to use the oven.

As far as wattage, it seems you would need to have one with lower wattage output to even be able to handle an exception on many invertors. I suppose it depends on your invertor output and house bank capacity. However, lower wattage take much longer to cook/heat, so I'm not sure you really gain any ground. Unfortunately, micros and house batteries are as compatible as nuts and gum.

Personally, I would get the highest wattage unit and understand it lives off shore power and the genset. Basic timer is about all you really need, all the silly preprogrammed buttons are ridiculous. I don't need a button that says, potato or popcorn.


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## SeaQuinn

Mostly we used the microwave only at our marina. And mostly just to reheat leftovers if we are working on the boat...so I am also debating if I might not just want to not replace it and use the space to store a pressure cooker and bread box.

We have six batteries and a wind generator as well as two solar panels. Also considering adding a diesel generator. 

Thanks for the info on the twelve volt coffee makers....was considering one of those. Am ditching that idea because I am really happy with our percolator. We have a three burner LP stove with an oven. 

I was thinking that the microwave would put out less heat than the oven or stove, when in the summer and at anchor if it could be used with the inverter. But we have a grill too and use that when it is really hot.


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## sea_hunter

We have MWs installed in both of our boats and find them invaluable when in hot and especially humid weather. They're quick and heat the boat less than than when cooking with the conventional range. We also use it when cruising for hot drinks, soup and the like. Most products can be cooked in the MW and use less overall energy. We too use it for a bread box, finding it lasts longer. We installed a toaster oven on one boat as well, but requires shore power or the genset to work properly and the story is still out on that addition. But there's something to be said for fresh toasted bagel or English muffin with a MW poached egg that's ready to eat in less than 3 minutes leaving little to no clean-up.


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## msmith10

Little microwave ovens are disposable items. WelfareMart $50. If you're going to build it in, be sure to make (or plan to make in the future) a bezel for it because no matter which brand you buy or how much you spend, in 1 month they'll be selling a different model which won't fit the cutout you made.
I simply bungee mine to a lower shelf and pull it out when I want it.


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## Ajax_MD

I'm getting a mini-fridge and small, 900w microwave oven for dockside use.

I'm going to build a simple, wooden shelf to hold them. I'm going to toss it all up onto the dock whenever I want to go sailing. I'm not dragging that stuff around with me.


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## remetau

Go without it. We have been microwave free for years. We found that we only used it for reheating and popcorn, but when it died, we realized we already had a food reheater and popcorn maker; the Stove!!!


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## Leocat66

We have a Sharp Warm and Toasty. It is 650 watts and runs fine on our 800 watt Inverter as well as shore power. In addition it also Grills and Bakes. We liked it so well we put one upstairs in the house also. It has been with us for about four years so far and still works just fine.


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## sarafinadh

We use the MV to reheat beverages in the mugs, and to steam veggies and to heat leftovers and soup, and sometimes to defrost meats.

It's a Sharp Half Pint and is 600 watts. It's 12" deep x 12" high x 13" wide and I don't mind that small amount space for how much we use it. They are avaliable used and rebuilt. Built like little brick houses. And it does make a good bread storage ; -)


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## nauticalrich

I tried running a 700 watt off my 1000 watt portable generator.
Did not work. Need 500watt but cannot find. Not even sure 500 watts will run on my Honda portable gen.
Any experience from anyone here?


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## SeaQuinn

After being without one for the past 2 1/2 months I have decided to spend the funds on a new pressure cooker instead. The only things i would use the microwave for is reheating food or defrosting food, maybe occaisionally reheating a beverage. There are other ways to do those things. 

I don't think i would want to run one off of a generator. Under 600 or 700 watts it takes a long time to heat anything in a MW anyway.

Loving the pressure cooker!


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## Woodvet

No doubt there are "invaluable' purposes for anything on a boat provided you think hard enough on it. A bread box??? 
Years ago I bought up some old titanium and SS mugs and use them rather than fine china. I can heat a cup of coffee using Folger's coffee tea bags in less than 2 minutes and reheat in a few seconds. I do it by way of a torch (not a flashlight Limey). In fact a torch is a truly handy tool all around a boat. I even carry one on my dink as well. 
Now, what were we talking about…. "Oh, yeah, a microwave oven. Not an oven now, not really. It has its uses I suppose, I tend to think of it in the workaholic's archive. That is to say we have one but I keep it at home in our kitchen or rather shall I say "her kitchen." 
You see at home the kitchen is all hers but my galley is where I shine. She does the work at home and I do it on the boat. I tend to think of cooking as very sexy by the way. An endeavor that makes an ordinary boat a yacht and best executed slowly to provoke intimacy at a rate a woman buys. 
No woman I know brags on a hubby who gave her a quicky in the microwave. Cooking is not a task or something to get out of the way. It is pure pleasure on a boat. The cooking is the foreplay and the serving is divine…. 
For every action (or inch) there's an equal and opposite reaction. If I am going to do the microwave lets do a fridge and so on. "Hot food" in a "hot cabin???" Yikes, did I hear that right? Sounds as though a demon has possessed their boat and they are stranded in the tropics. That's when we do a lot of raw food and things you don't cook. 
There are two types of boats on the water. One a work boat the other a pleasure craft. If on a work boat cooking needs to get done ASAP. If a pleasure boat one needs to savor the act… That isn't to say I wouldn't have a microwave or fridge on a boat, on the contrary, when I'm on the hard and my quinine has rippened to the same color as my bottom paint I am obliged to get cooking out of the way. 
Long ago I knew an ex-cop who by divorce found himself inhabiting his sailboat and cooking for himself. 
He'd bought a fridge so big he couldn't get it below so he resigned it to the back of the cockpit . He was a fair hand at shopping and with little effort stuffed the metal box with all sorts of dead carcasses. He had so much on that boat there was but a path to and from his berth. On the way you saw the microwave. Traversing back and forth from fridge to microwave he'd dripped copious amounts of grease up and down the companionway. 
Dogs cats raccoons, rats and other guests, liked to make regular stops at his boat to help him clean up and he was most generous as a host to them. Yes I was a flowerchild of the 60s… No! Not one who called policeman "pigs." 
The neighbors found the sight of that rusty old fridge lodged against the wheel a god send. Not that it added an asstetic to the already overburdened vessel but because it meant he no longer attempted to actually navigate his leviathan in and out of the slip with such uncertain results... 

This situation is likely still going on. There are so many men that might have done better to marry a microwave over an unforeseeable problem with matrimony. I am no longer visiting that dock but should I have to there is one nightmare that persists. I awakened in those dark alley ways beneath and between the hulls of neighboring boats where galvanic action takes place as regularly as unprotected sex.


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## hellosailor

A microwave oven is also the perfect tool for resetting the Do-Not-Disturb feature on cell phones and pagers. Just place the phone or pager in the microwave, apply full power for 30 seconds per device, and you'll find they won't disturb you while you are off-watch, or engaged at the helm.

Really.


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## Bene505

I know this is an older thread, but I have some new information..

I recently replaced my 330 AH Gel cell bank with a single 165 AH Lead-Acid. Using a microwave before was simple and the 330 AH bank supported it with ease, even with the 120 amps coming out of the bank (as measured on the Victron battery monitor). Now, with the 165 AH bank, the inverter starts beeping about a low supply voltage. Starting the engine releive this condition, by the way, and picked up exactly half of the load; only 60 amps came out of the bank. I'll be picking up more batteries before the summer. Bottom line is that 300 AH bank is needed to support a microwave.

Note that the MW does not use any propane, so with enough solar power, it helps you cruise for longer. And using something like 1% of the bank per minute, doing a quick 5 minute heating results in losing only 5% of the house bank.

Regards,
Brad

P.S. Microwave popcorn doesn't pop so well in lower-powered microwaves.
P.P.S. Microwaves are great for melting cheese on things, like nachos.


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## hellosailor

Brad-
I'd suggest that a microwave presents a load that is similar to an engine starter motor. After all, a typical "1000W" microwave is a constant kilowatt load--and a small starter motor would be typically a "one kilowatt" or one and half kilowatt motor.
it would pull nearly 100A from a battery, which might be excessive for a small deep-cycle battery bank. And of course, the duration of the pull would be excessive for an SLI battery. So, no surprise you need a robust deep cycle bank to power an equally robust load.


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## Bene505

hellosailor said:


> Brad-
> I'd suggest that a microwave presents a load that is similar to an engine starter motor. After all, a typical "1000W" microwave is a constant kilowatt load--and a small starter motor would be typically a "one kilowatt" or one and half kilowatt motor.
> it would pull nearly 100A from a battery, which might be excessive for a small deep-cycle battery bank. And of course, the duration of the pull would be excessive for an SLI battery. So, no surprise you need a robust deep cycle bank to power an equally robust load.


I agree. It was 120 amps measured.

Funny thing was that the same microwave sucked down only 65 amps (or thereabouts) when powered by a square wave inverter. You really need a pure sine wave inverter to drive one.

So the most expensive part of the microwave-on-a-boat equation is the inverter ($1,500) which you would likely not need otherwise.

Regards,
Brad


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## hellosailor

Yeah, I've come to think that sine-wave-ness and most of the claims about needing it or not, or producing it or not, fit under the general heading of "the check is in the mail" and "I won't...in your mouth". 

Or as we say when short on time, "the check is in your mouth".

I know, there's real physics behind all the sine wave power issues. There's just never a physicist around when you need one.


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## Minnewaska

Genset on, microwave on, genset off. Burns a thimble of fuel. Corn popped.


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## miatapaul

Minnewaska said:


> Genset on, microwave on, genset off. Burns a thimble of fuel. Corn popped.


Put popcorn in pan with a few drops of oil. Put on stove and done in the same amount of time as the microwave. If you want to get real fancy use a whirly pop, but any pan will work, no electricity at all and much much better popcorn, with natural ingredients. Though most kids are so used to the artificial flavored stuff they may not like it at all. I usually just put some salt on it before popping and I am happy without even using butter. I have not microwaved popcorn at home for years. Perhaps at work where they really get upset when I pull out the butane burner at my desk. (How was I supposed to know I was under the smoke sensor?)


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## SVAuspicious

Bene505 said:


> Funny thing was that the same microwave sucked down only 65 amps (or thereabouts) when powered by a square wave inverter. You really need a pure sine wave inverter to drive one.


There is more energy in a square wave than a sine wave. Don't get too excited about that.

1. The energy comes from somewhere - using your batteries through the inverter it comes from the batteries and the energy consumed will be the same. Ammeters aboard measure RMS current, not energy content.

2. A lot of electronics and motors won't run well (or sometimes at all) on square wave power.


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## Bene505

SVAuspicious said:


> There is more energy in a square wave than a sine wave. Don't get too excited about that.
> 
> 1. The energy comes from somewhere - using your batteries through the inverter it comes from the batteries and the energy consumed will be the same. Ammeters aboard measure RMS current, not energy content.
> 
> 2. A lot of electronics and motors won't run well (or sometimes at all) on square wave power.


The battery monitor doesn't lie. (Not an amp meter on the 120v AC side, but on the 12v DC feed.)

Running the microwave with a square wave (cheaper) inverter pulled 12x65=780 watts. And that includes inefficiencies, so maybe 600 watts of heating on your food. Running on a true sine wave inverter pulled 12x120-1,440 watts. It's likely that the efficiencies are much higher, since the MV was designed to use a pure sine wave.

A pure sine wave inverter is delivering power that the microwave can actually use.

(I made a post that talked about the Fourier analysis of a square wave, but it disappeared when the MiFi had a hiccup. Let's just say that a square wave has a lot of unusable frequencies that are far from 60 hz.)

Regards,
Brad


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## newhaul

No nuker for over a year and for pop corn its jiffy pop pop corn made and packaged for stove top use tastes better than nuked anyway imo


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## SVAuspicious

Bene505 said:


> The battery monitor doesn't lie. (Not an amp meter on the 120v AC side, but on the 12v DC feed.)


Really? I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this.

The AC side is easy - since you talked about FFTs it should be readily apparent that integration of a square wave indicates more energy than a sine wave. As you point out, that is transparent on the DC side.

Have you done apples to apples comparisons? Does it take the same amount of time to boil a particular amount of water in both conditions?

Ultimately the energy has to come from the batteries and accounting for conversion and transmission efficiency the energy necessary to boil water from a known temperature is clear.


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## piclarke

night0wl said:


> I'm sorry, but the microwave is the *LEAST* used feature of our boat...totally useless. First, we rarely stay at marinas or on shorepower long enough to need the zapper. Second, it is an amp hog. Third, it takes up valuable storage space! More often than not, I find myself stacking things inside the microwave to make use of the empty space.
> 
> Once ours goes bad or is outdated, I plan on converting the space it occupies into another locker for storage.


I find them invaluable.

Saves Gas. 30 secs to cook greens. Scramble eggs 3 mins no mess to clean.

Chicken 20 mins.

Crew on day shift or night shift [ calm conditions only one on watch ] No need to boil the jug or kettle on the gas stove.

Single cup water in micr zapp for 20 secs - hey presto coffee and return to the helm.

Cheaper than refilling the gas bottle or risk a explosion re them forgetting to use the gas sniffer before hand.

Micro wave Chef.


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## SVAuspicious

piclarke said:


> I find them invaluable.
> 
> Saves Gas. 30 secs to cook greens. Scramble eggs 3 mins no mess to clean.
> 
> Chicken 20 mins.
> 
> Crew on day shift or night shift [ calm conditions only one on watch ] No need to boil the jug or kettle on the gas stove.
> 
> Single cup water in micr zapp for 20 secs - hey presto coffee and return to the helm.
> 
> Cheaper than refilling the gas bottle or risk a explosion re them forgetting to use the gas sniffer before hand.


On the merits, burning diesel to save propane doesn't work for me although it must for you unless you have huge wind and solar.

I don't think that is the most important point. The way we cook is generally the way we cook. There is room for all of us to grow and learn but the fact is that we all have our ways. I know people who pump out great food--afloat and ashore--with no microwave at all. There are other folks who have kitchens or galleys that center around the microwave. "Better" is relative. My answer and your answer can be different without either of us being right or wrong.

When I moved aboard I built-in a microwave because I'd always had a microwave. I rarely used it. That space is now some of the most valuable storage on the boat (because I took shelving out to put in the microwave) where all the tall stuff lives. This works for me.

Now if I could just figure out how to gimble and install my old 6-burner Thermador I'd be a happy camper.


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## Minnewaska

I still get a chuckle that our number 1 usage for the microwave is as a breadbox, as I mentioned above, but it really does extend the life of bread and bagels aboard. I swear, I would keep it just for that. Nevertheless, its nice to have to re-heat things, melt butter, microwave bacon (which would make an incredible mess on the stove) and heat pre-made meals. We buy these at a local grocery store on the way to the boat and some are pretty good. Stove tops are quite limited in size and I've commonly cooked for 6 and occasionally for 8. The microwave is like having an extra burner/stove for certain things.

The thought of burning diesel vs propane was interesting. I think I would prefer diesel, but make no argument against the inefficiency of both. Diesel is just so much simpler to top off along the way and, for the sake of running a genset for 5 mins, is never so close I need to consider fuel volume. Sometimes, I wonder if the propane tank is about to quit. Pulling it out and going ashore to refill is annoying. (I know, if only that was the toughest chore)


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## piclarke

Minnewaska said:


> I still get a chuckle that our number 1 usage for the microwave is as a breadbox, as I mentioned above, but it really does extend the life of bread and bagels aboard. I swear, I would keep it just for that. Nevertheless, its nice to have to re-heat things, melt butter, microwave bacon (which would make an incredible mess on the stove) and heat pre-made meals. We buy these at a local grocery store on the way to the boat and some are pretty good. Stove tops are quite limited in size and I've commonly cooked for 6 and occasionally for 8. The microwave is like having an extra burner/stove for certain things.
> 
> The thought of burning diesel vs propane was interesting. I think I would prefer diesel, but make no argument against the inefficiency of both. Diesel is just so much simpler to top off along the way and, for the sake of running a genset for 5 mins, is never so close I need to consider fuel volume. Sometimes, I wonder if the propane tank is about to quit. Pulling it out and going ashore to refill is annoying. (I know, if only that was the toughest chore)


Not only going ashore when cruising - it's hiring a taxi, or rental car to get to the darn place. Never in the centre of town nearly always on the perimeter in most island nations in the South Pacific and nearly always twice to three times the price as home base LPG.

Cabbage taste about three times more in flavour. You probably will never eat boil cabbage or steamed cabbage again if cooked as per above glad wrapped, lightly sprinkled with water by flicking water from a wetted hand. That's all you need

Butter nut, pumpkin three times the flavour and intense and at a fraction off the time. Gen sets virtual run on the smell 8-10 KWs.

At sea in rough conditions the less time spent in the galley, with the additional heat from the burners, especially in the tropics when the crew are in the cockpit getting fresh air with a sun downer, is a blessing that you can't put a price on.

On the pick or marina and guests from three other boats that have been invited? Speaks for itself especially if you have two or three microwaves as well as a 4 burner and a conventional gas oven.

Agree , Day old or 2 day old scones, bread, buns, on a low short heat and hey the yeast is reactivated. No body notices. Only if done above medium heat and too long they turn to rubber and as they cool go rock hard. And good for reheats and prepared pre cooked meals. Thawed every thing ready = in the mic and on defrost setting for ever how long and join the part in the cockpit on deck etc. until they are ready to tuck in.

Cruising is also about entertaining and saying thanks to all the people that invite you to their home for a meal. Have mics no need to go to a restaurant and doing individually but in one hit on the boat, which is a real experience for land lovers and they get to meet new people they would not otherwise have had the pleasure to do so.

To me this just as pleasurable as the passage making or the length of stay in port. Saying good by to all the good and friendly people.

How do you say thanks to a complete stranger in a Island state when with 2 minutes on stepping onto the wharf, you ask him for the taxi number to get a taxi and he reaches into his pocket, chucks you his car keys at you and says you got 120 mins. use is that long enough. Invite his whole family and perhaps his neighbours aboard for an evening meal before departing port.

I need mics to do that evening justice.

It did happen.


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## Dave_E

I concur with the "don't use it at sea" thinking. We have a small one I installed. When hooked up to shore power, we use it like we do at home. On batteries (including engine running), we stick to the old ways... CNG.


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## Group9

Minnewaska said:


> Genset on, microwave on, genset off. Burns a thimble of fuel. Corn popped.


Yeah, me, too. I 'm embarrassed how many times I have cranked my diesel generator, just to heat something in the microwave, and then turned it off as soon as it was done.


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## olysux

boo to microwaves


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## guitarguy56

Don't understand the fear of using a microwave onboard? My 800 watt consumes 120 watts from the battery when I use it for 15 minutes and it's running off a 3000 watt pure sine wave inverter. I also run my 1500 watt induction stove on that same inverter and it uses very liitle wattage for 5-8 minutes I ran it. Battery never saw a flicker. I don't see what the big deal is but I do know the boat won't catch on fire due to flames from propane, alcohol, butane or other flammable fluids while cooking.


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## Capt Len

I installed a Panasonic convection/microwave. Very happy with it. Can cook a pie or bird when plugged in or motoring and never a battery/inverter power problem if microwaving. In the summer,we're all electric or BBQ .During the short cold period we can cook and heat with wood.


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## guitarguy56

I'm sure everyone knows and understands how to calculate your power usage for your batteries... here is a useful calculator you can use that can calculate down to the minute.

Energy consumption calculator | kWh calculator


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## arnavhussain

I don't claim that i have a good experience with microwaves but i can speak of my own experience. I and my husband live in a small apartment, we bought Toshiba EM925A5A-SS Small Size Microwave the one Oven with Sound On/Off ECO Mode and LED Lighting. it is the best cheap microwave as per my knowledge, facilitates the 900 watts with 10 power settings, clock, and kitchen timer.


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