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Poll: How often do you eat microwave meals?

* Please note that the results of the online poll represent just a snapshot of opinion from the site members who participate. The results of each poll do not necessarily represent the national picture. Participants are only allowed to vote once in each poll.

Anonymous   Posted: 28/02/2005 21:25

I don't eat microwave meals because there are far too many E numbers and other additives e.g. salt and sugar in them.

Anonymous   Posted: 01/03/2005 11:17

The only food items cooked in my microwave are porridge and fresh/frozen veg./occ.reheat leftover food.

Anonymous   Posted: 01/03/2005 11:37

I must admit when I come in from a 12 hour day at work, the last thing I want to do is stand in a kitchen preparing a meal. They are handy and the range of low fat ones is improving.

grainne(IBT11981)  Posted: 02/03/2005 13:43

I think they are ok occasionally but think they could be bad for you on a regular basis as they contain loads of e nombers and whatever other additives we dont know of to exeend shelf life the mind boggles?

Anonymous   Posted: 02/03/2005 17:21

i think it is ok to eat microwave meals on aevery once in a while but real food tastes better anyway you cook it to suit your taste

Anonymous   Posted: 02/03/2005 18:23

Premade dinners are usually made in the morning and then heated up in yhe microwave.Does this count as a microwave dinner?

Anonymous   Posted: 03/03/2005 09:35

I never eat them. I use the microwave to defrost something if I've forgotten to take it out the night before, to re-heat something or to quickly cook veg. The problem Ihave with microwave meals is that I simply don't know what goes into them - a lot of preservatives and colourants perhaps? I eat simply a lot of the time during the week and I find it just as convenient to pop a piece of chicken, pork or fish under the grill and some veg in the pot.

Anonymous   Posted: 03/03/2005 09:51

A good meal can be prepared and cooked in 5/10 minutes. You'd wait this long for a vile microwave meal. It's a no-brainer.

Anonymous   Posted: 03/03/2005 10:27

Please tell us about this good meal that can be cooked in 5 minutes?

Anonymous   Posted: 03/03/2005 10:40

"Please tell us about this good meal that can be cooked in 5 minutes?" Well you could make do a homemade soup in 10 mins, you can cook a steak in ten mins, you can make a slice of toast (!) in less than ten minutes. Uncomplicated, simple dishes. Salads etc.

Anonymous   Posted: 03/03/2005 12:18

Homemade soup (not packet or tinned or carton) takes longer than 10 mins. Packet soup (full of additives) and toasted bread is hardly a dinner.

Anonymous   Posted: 03/03/2005 12:23

Much easier to cook a nice meal than to have microwaved "ready meals". I've eaten them in the past and found them to be tasteless and generally the advertised foodstuff e.g. chicken is totally overpowered by cheaper foods to cut costs

Elaine(ElaineDunne)  Posted: 03/03/2005 18:43

Following the removal of so many goods from the supermarket shelves, I will not be using microwaveable foods.

carol(UCA20270)  Posted: 03/03/2005 18:48

hello. in regard to the latest scare about sudan red in foods. can anyone tell me how this got into the food chain? i understand this is used in floor polish, petrol, etc etc? so where does the connection lie??

Anonymous   Posted: 03/03/2005 20:28

There wasn't a box to say 'rarely'! We might have a pre-prepared Indian meal as an alternative to a take-away Chinese (again a rare occurrence)occasionally, especially after a day of gardening, for example. Like anything else, it's a case of balance; buy the 'healthy eating' range and do read the label - but nothing would have alerted us to the presence of Sudan Red, as it would have appeared on the ingredients list as (say) garam masala. I'm now wondering whether some of the spices we have bought in ethnic food shops could be contaminated? They are often made up in plain clear poly bags and only labelled as a single spice (which of course garam masala, for one, is not). I am reminded of the scandal of antifreeze in Austrian wine a decade or so ago - anyone else remember that? (But perhaps it wasn't imported into Ireland - we were in England then)

helen(ASF23675)  Posted: 04/03/2005 00:59

watched jamie oliver last night should be compulsory viewing (minus the language) to every parent and child. Put them off processed food for life!!

Anonymous   Posted: 10/03/2005 12:45

Microwave meals? They are expensive, fatty and smelly!!! Only stupid people who can't read and don't give a hoot about their health eat them. Much cheaper and healthier to chop some fresh vegetables to make a salad!

Anonymous   Posted: 10/03/2005 14:32

I think it';s goign a littlew too far to say that only stupid illiterate people use microwave meals. I personally dislike them because I believe they ave low nitritional value but I can see how they save time in the kitchen

Anonymous   Posted: 10/03/2005 16:49

Saving time in the kitchen, while reducing your life expectancy!!!

Mary T(Aggie)  Posted: 10/03/2005 17:01

Combination microwave, grill and oven is really versatile for roasting chicken, grilling fish, chops, sausages & rashers (the odd time) and microwaving porridge and scrambled egg, etc. Hardly use it at all for ready-cooked stuff.

Anonymous   Posted: 10/03/2005 20:22

Microwave meals bought in ,never. We do use the microwave oven quite a lot but only to reheat healthy, wholesome meals made by my wife in advance.The combination microwave oven & grill is not use except to make the porridge.

Anonymous   Posted: 11/03/2005 08:52

Many things reduce our life expectancy, stress, financial pressure, pollution, alcohol, sweets perhaps. The answer is balance and moderation. Personally they are not my preference, but I can't see the harm in someone having one once in a while

Anonymous   Posted: 11/03/2005 09:11

Mary T, Microwaves are highly dangerous!

bernadette(QVY16731)  Posted: 11/03/2005 09:55

As a rule I do not agree with microwave meals as I feel they have no nutritional value, but I do use the microwave to heat milk and beans.

Anonymous   Posted: 11/03/2005 09:58

I use the microwave for scrambled eggs, etc. but only have ready-meals maybe once/twice a month.

Paul(ZGC24977)  Posted: 11/03/2005 10:06

very rarely. depends where you find yourself. in college i ate alot more microwave stuff but now i hardle ever

gillysue  Posted: 11/03/2005 10:06

I agree that a relatively healthy meal can be made in as quick a time. Throw some veggies into a wok, stir fry, boil some 3 minute noodles and throw on some soy sauce. Easy. There may be some 'low fat' microwave meals on offer but they are high in sugar, salt and full of additives. I never eat them. When i cook i try to cook enough for 3 or 4 meals and then freeze it, then i just defrost one whenever i don't have time to cook.

catherine(PWJ18570)  Posted: 11/03/2005 11:16

We never eat microwave meals, I find them tasteless. There is nothing better than a home cooked dinner.

Anonymous   Posted: 11/03/2005 14:11

Mary T. - what makes you think that microwave meals are highly dangerous. Gillysue, your suggestion for stir-fried vegetabls with noodles sounds fine but it's extremely low in protein.

Anonymous   Posted: 11/03/2005 18:23

Anonymous Posted: 11/03/2005 14:11 Mary T. - what makes you think that microwave meals are highly dangerous. Gillysue, your suggestion for stir-fried vegetabls with noodles sounds fine but it's extremely low in protein. Whoever wrote this should wear their glasses or get their eyes checked, as number one, I am not Mary T, and number two I never said microwave meals were dangerous. Read my post again! BTW, you also forget to put a question mark at the end of your "question".;-)

Anonymous   Posted: 13/03/2005 19:51

My wife and I eat microwave meals perhaps once a week.

Anonymous   Posted: 14/03/2005 08:47

i very rarely eat nicrowave meals maybe once every two months i much prefer my mam's home cooked dinners

Anonymous   Posted: 14/03/2005 09:43

I only use the microwave to heat food up -make scrambled eggs and cook veg quickly.I never eat microwave meals - full of salt, sugar and god knows what else!

Anonymous   Posted: 14/03/2005 11:44

To the person who posted that microwaves are highly dangerous - what leads you to believe this?

Anonymous   Posted: 15/03/2005 20:41

Microwaves are a form of radiation. There are constant ongoing debates about the ill-effects of radiation. Enter "microwave radiation" into your search engine to read some articles. Just make your healthy dinner first, sit back and read!

Margaret(Margf)  Posted: 15/03/2005 22:44

Margaret I never use microwave meals.Ido use the microwave a lot to cook veg.carrot ,cauliflower frozen veg.Ideal for cooking fish shepherds pie moussaka. All sauces, sponge puddings, stewed fruit.Iforgot to mention potatoes.Allcook well and in a matter of minutes.No reason to miss out on home cooking if time is short.

Anonymous   Posted: 16/03/2005 09:57

We get far more radiatin from radio masts, mobile phone masts, naturally from the ground and from TV, than from microwaves

Anonymous   Posted: 16/03/2005 15:26

We don't even have a microwave; I don 't feel superior or that I am a better mother than those who choose to use them, it's just I really believe that I would be tempted to 'throw something in the microwave' regardless of it's content rather than think about what we are eating and cook from scratch.

Anonymous   Posted: 21/03/2005 11:59

I take your points regarding the Bad reputation of Microwavable meals, however some brands are really making an effort to remove all e numbers and all the nasties we refer too when we think of such meals. Birds Eyey have a huge range of Microwaveable meals and they claim no artifial anything - not flavours preservatives or colours. And in their new steam meals, you can actually get 1 - 2 of your 5 a day veg & Fruit intake.

Anonymous   Posted: 21/03/2005 12:07

Sudan 1 has been traced back to one and only one UK supplier who had used a specific spice from the far east. The company, a mass producer of worchester sauce, continued to use this ingredient once a fragment of the spice was recognised as being cancerous. This supplier has also continued to supply manufacturers such as Tesco private label, Sainsbury private lable, Weight watchers, Heinz, Pot Noodle and Birds Eye. As the manufacturers would have bought the ingredient, as an ingredient that consumers would always have in their cupboard - manufacturers never asked the question - Is there anything cancerous in this ingredient. You would imagine that that would not have been necessary considering all factories in Europe are strictly regulated. Well apparently not!

Anonymous   Posted: 22/03/2005 21:18

yum yum. Microwave lazy pig dinnerwith lots of high blood pressure and sugary sh** ingredients. energy zapped out of food, duh huh

Anonymous   Posted: 23/03/2005 09:21

I can't see how someone working a 12 hour shift, could be a lazy pig for using steam fresh microwavable veg or fis for their dinner at the end of a long week.

Anonymous   Posted: 08/04/2005 17:27

The problem today is too many temtations, a microwave meal is ok the odd time but having them regulary is just stupid and lazy. If thats what your lifestyle is only allowing, you need to change it 30 mins is not alot of time to cook a simple nutrious meal.

Hampshire Lassie  Posted: 14/02/2008 23:35

Never! The Russians banned microwave ovens in 1984. Take two healthy plants, give one plant tap water and the other plant cooled water from the microwave and see how the plant with the microwave water begins to die after about ten days!

Anonymous   Posted: 15/02/2008 10:46

Oh Hampshire Lassie, The Russians banned many things which they saw as having Amercan influence.

Hampshire Lassie  Posted: 15/02/2008 16:31

Get back to me when you have tried the plant test. The Russians know more about microwave radiation than the Americans. they even gave an american diplomat cancer when they covertly used it to irradiate him while sitting in the American embassy!

Anonymous   Posted: 18/02/2008 09:25

Hampshire Lassie. Microwaves are no longer banned in Russia and emit less radiation than using a mobile phone. If you give a plant cooled water than has been boiled in a kettle, suacepan, microwave or anything else, it won't die. And an obvious point - people are not plants.

Witofire  Posted: 20/02/2008 13:12

Every day. I would use a microwave oven any day before cooking in a gas oven. I could not help but think of the burnt gas on the meal. Ugh!!! By the way, that plant test should use cooled boiled water from a microwave oven and cooled boiled water from another source to be a scientific test. Try it!

Anon  Posted: 21/02/2008 01:49

Wit of Fire, Seriously you need some help. You can't believe for a second that cooking in a microwave is safer or healthier than cooking with gas? And then you talk about scientific tests???

Witofire  Posted: 21/02/2008 18:07

Anon, What sort of help would you recommend me just because I use a microwave oven to cook wholesome food (not junk food from supermarket shelves). Or is it just that anyone differing from you must be mad? Would you explain to me why food cooked cleanly in a microwave oven is inferior to that cooked in a gas oven where the fumes from the burning gas get into the food over a long period of time. It is revealing that you do not want me to even talk about scientific tests!

Anon  Posted: 22/02/2008 19:24

Wit of Fire, I use a microwave myself. But it is most definately not a safer or cleaner way of cooking than gas. Think about it WoF, How do you think food is cooked in a microwave? Why is the center of the food the fastest cooked? Because it is radiated. Gas does not radiate food, it just cooks using a dry heat.

Papa  Posted: 26/02/2008 12:19

There's plenty of nice food you can microwave, M&S is full of it. E numbers are tested and approved, if everyone is so afraid of "unnatural" stuff in their food they should eat purely organic food.

Patti  Posted: 06/05/2008 22:28

Every Day.

Witofire  Posted: 07/05/2008 14:15

Anon, I believe that food cooked by radiated heat in a microwave is cleaner than that cooked by radiant heat in a conventional gas oven because of the residue of burnt gas remaining on the food after cooking. I do however use a gas hob as the gas fumes can be ventilated out of the kitchen and do not get on to the food. I understand that some people are nervous, even afraid of the radiation used in a microwave and which does not remain on the food while they happily use a mobile phone which subjects them to direct radiation.

KISSEY  Posted: 03/08/2008 20:28

COOKING FOOD IN YOU MICROWAVE, PROBABLY ONCE A WEEK YES IS OK BUT NOT EVERYDAY. NOT ALL FOOD TURNS OUT GREAT.

Witofire  Posted: 05/08/2008 14:07

Organic food and natural food are not one and the same thing. Many who eat so-called organic are not aware of the permitted additives. To get natural food you would almost have to grow it yourself.

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