Microwave magic

I remember going into a restaurant in Hatfield in 1980 where we were met by a bank of microwave ovens behind the refrigerated display. All the starters and desserts on the menu were cold, whilst the main courses had been cooked ahead and frozen, so our conversation was punctuated by frequent pings as the chosen meals were thawed and heated. I had never come across anything like it – but the food was delicious so we went back time and again taking family and friends to experience this innovation. Although microwave ovens were never intended for domestic use, the novelty of speed in the kitchen rapidly gained popularity and I found myself teaching their use in school and demonstrating their use to the Horticultural Society. A marble cake cooked in a ring mould still looked like a steamed pudding and tasted pretty bad, so was decorated with melted chocolate and raspberries. I still rarely make use of my m/wave and only this week discouraged a friend from melting her butter this way – an “A” level pupil suffered by overtiming his block, it was molten in the middle whilst still appearing as a firm block. Overheard in a supermarket – “we don’t need one of those taking up space on the worktop”. What’s your view ?