Technology ConnectionsI made a video on the popcorn button controversy
https://youtu.be/Limpr1L8Pss
https://youtu.be/Limpr1L8Pss
YouTube
lime!@TechConnectify i probably already left this comment under the last microwave video but the inconsistencies between different ovens and insistence on touch-based controls is why i will never buy a microwave oven with controls other than just a timer knob and effect knob. that's already more features than i use most of the time anyway.
@lime I don't love the touch-based controls, but I appreciate and use plenty of extra features because they work very well.
If you don't, cool.
@TechConnectify yeah i'm not judging anyone who uses them, but it to me it's just extra stuff that can break...
one "feature" that riles me up every time is when the only way to set the time is to press a button to add 30 seconds. i'm not a fan of the keypad approach either, but i can live with it. just having a single button makes me very annoyed though.
one "feature" that riles me up every time is when the only way to set the time is to press a button to add 30 seconds. i'm not a fan of the keypad approach either, but i can live with it. just having a single button makes me very annoyed though.
@lime I have never encountered such a microwave. Seen plenty of
+30 seconds buttons but they've always been in addition to the keypad.
The most irritating UI to me was GE machines from the early aughts. Buttons 1 through 6 would start the microwave in a single push for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 minutes. If you wanted to enter a time, you HAD to press "time cook" first otherwise it would just start.
@lime ...buuut I've also heard people say the +30 seconds button is the only button they ever use.
Brains. They're all so different!
synthBirba@TechConnectify @lime Well, sometimes is more easy to learn the right time for the same thing made every single day in the same way 
@TechConnectify i think they're most common in offices, that's the only places i've encountered them. they usually only have a "start" button and an "open" button.
i actually ran into one of those immediate start things this summer while visiting family in north america, made me even more confused than the cavalcade of buttons already had...
you know what kitchen appliance i *don't* mind being a bit smart is an induction cooktop with a "boil water" mode. handy, and intriguing to figure out.
billatq@TechConnectify @lime My Toshiba microwave has the same annoying design, but its timed popcorn button works great for me, so it’s a wash.
mnemonicoverload@TechConnectify @lime My "new" (bought within the past couple of years) off-brand "Master Chef" microwave uses that interface. It definitely took some getting used to after decades of just being able to enter whatever time I wanted without pressing any extra buttons. That said, after an adjustment period it is actually pretty convenient. Assuming of course you're already the type of person who uses the mode buttons extensively. Probably way more annoying if you're the type who likes to set the power level manually instead of using the "defrost" button, etc.
Nick@TechConnectify @lime how about touch controls with blue LEDs 🤬
Robotistry@lime @TechConnectify I use the "melt" button all the time. It has different settings for melting butter and chocolate, and the butter never boils over and the chocolate never burns, and I can walk away without checking it every five seconds or stirring constantly.
@robotistry @lime heh, funnily enough, I just discovered that my microwave has a specific setting for softening cream cheese!
Needed to do that for a recipe, found the "Soften/Melt" button, arrowed over to cream cheese. It asked for the size in ounces and it worked perfectly!
@TechConnectify @robotistry honestly what this whole exchange has taught me is that cooking itself is pretty different between the us and europe.
@lime @robotistry I mean, that's why my videos on kitchen appliances are so... triggering, I suppose.
Lots of "we would *never* do that here!" and my general response would be... why not?
I get the sense that the European mindset generally views microwave ovens as some sort of cheating. To some degree you get that here too, but nobody's snobby about it. Or few, anyway.
There are some things it's not great at, there are plenty of things it excels at! But you gotta try to find out
@TechConnectify @robotistry yeah that seems about right, it sort of slotted into the niche here that warming cabinets (?) at worksites used to occupy and it's never left. i've never seen a microwave used for anything other than popcorn and leftovers, and it's honestly never been on my mind to try it when my pots and pans are *right there*.
i wonder if this is another consequence of the 110/220V thing? the speed advantage of a microwave is much smaller when a regular stove is on three-phase.
@lime @robotistry nah, it's not a 120/240 thing. Our cooktops are just as powerful as yours; they're on a 240V, 40 or 50A 240 circuit (depending on the age of the home mostly) so use more current rather than phases.
*but*
Our microwaves generally have 1000W cooking power *at a minimum* and 1200W is becoming common. Only the cheapest, smallest dorm room micros are 700W. And I keep hearing that 700W is common across the pond.
So our microwaves are indeed faster, but our stoves aren't slower.
@TechConnectify @robotistry our stoves generally run at 400V. they use a special plug and everything: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilex
edit:
oh yeah the current. that should be about the same then. hm.
@TechConnectify @robotistry actually now that I think about it the situation may be reversed; i've definitely seen 1200W microwaves in stores but i've never seen someone own one, possibly because of the aforementioned cheating thing.
also the "it makes your food radioactive" myth is unfortunately still alive and well in some circles.
Lexi@TechConnectify @lime @robotistry I work for an Asian tech company’s US office and they have 2 700W micros. That keeps the power draw below 1500W when two people are heating up their lunches!