My grandmother’s ancient microwave. She is the only one that knows how to work it. Apparently in the 70s you cooked lamb in one of these…

    by BeefersOtherland

    39 Comments

    1. Hey, we had one of those when I was a kid (born 1965), or one very much like it. Alas, I’ve totally forgotten how you set it to cook.

    2. That was high tech in the day. Back then, we mostly cooked lamb in our regular ovens. Microwaves were used for the same reason most people use them now, to heat up leftovers, cook frozen meals, melt chocolate, and boil water.

    3. We just renovated an old doctor office that had a 70’s era wood grain microwave “oven”. Even came with the temperature probe and wire that you’d insert into the ham or chicken to then have it slowly microwave it until the inside was done.

      SOOOO GROSS!!! Lol

    4. GustavoSugawara on

      First two numbers, 10 minute increments, 1 minute increments. 3rd and 4th numbers, same, but for seconds. If you want to reduce power, press that power.

    5. I had this!!!! (Am old) Can still hear the noise when you push the button in to pop the door.

    6. This just triggered memories of my Grandmother’a house – things I haven’t thought of for 20+ years. She had the exact same microwave.

      She was a good lady. Thanks OP.

    7. JuliusSeizuresalad on

      When they first came out it was intended for lasagna and turkeys now it’s leftovers and pizza rolls.

    8. benfoldsgroupie on

      The cookbooks that came with the purchase of an early microwave are hefty! My mom has loads thanks to her brother selling microwaves for a while in the early 80s.

    9. Holy crap. My parents have that exact same model and it still works great, just a slight loss of power..

      Your mom’s microwave looks brand new still.

      *grandmother

      **Incidentally, operating that microwave is super easy. I never used the presets. Just hit ‘power’ once for full power, repeated presses to reduce. Then set the time, like u/GustavoSugawara said, then ‘start’. Super quick.

    10. I remember my neighbors having this still in the early 80’s before upgrading to a more modern one.

    11. I kid you not, this was our first microwave! It was bought in the very early 80s and was in use up until 2020.

      It was an absolute masterclass in bad user interface design.

    12. I feel like most microwaves try to push all of these “fancy” features, its just that more modern ones hide the label a bit better.

      Yet I’m not sure anyone actually uses them. At the end of the day, everything just calls for some form of “time cook” or “time defrost” and that’s pretty much it.

    13. My uncle had one of these! It finally quit a year or so ago and they replaced it with a new Panasonic microwave

    14. The only difference between her microwave and a new one is……

      Your grandmother’s was built to last.

      Better yet was the ones with just a knob.

    15. 80’s kid here. Y’all missed out. Moms all over America cooked some nasty shit in those things. The damn marketing had them thinking they could cook whole chickens in there. A continuous string of food crimes until they finally realized it was just a big popcorn popper and leftovers reheater.

    16. Fragrant-Explorer443 on

      This thing probably leaks like a sieve. Buy a microwave leak detector. Then buy your grandma a microwave.

    17. I used this same exact model until my grandma died a few years ago, it still works and is sitting in the basement storage. It probably has a new Bounty paper towel in the bottom for easier cleaning.

    18. My father still has this exact microwave and I have seen this one more than any other old ones. They are basically indestructible when used as intended, or not. I definitely put cds/dvds and metal in to see what would happen. Made many marshmallows giant. Blew up eggs I tried boiling in 4cups of water and melted my face and eyes.

      My mother bought it new before she even met my father. Still works great and I don’t think I could ever buy anything but a Panasonic Genius for a microwave.

      I will give Toshiba an honorable mention though. I like that you can turn the beep off on those.

    19. I have this microwave! my late grandfather bought it in the 80s and it’s still working perfect

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