Electric Kettle to Extend Life of Microwave?

[scfr]

I mentioned on another thread that I'm shopping for a new microwave. Our current one lasted 8 years, which is considered average, and so I suppose it's not bad considering how much we use it. But still, I'd like the next one to last longer, at least 10 and hopefully as long as 12 years, so I've been thinking about how we can extend the life of the next one. We already cover to minimize eliminate spatter, keep clean, and clean/change filters.

I use a stand-alone dehumidifier so that we can use the A/C less and (hopefully) extend its life, and so I started wondering if there was something similar I could do with the microwave.

I'm thinking that using an electric kettle when we just want to boil water would be an option. I can buy a good new electric kettle for $30. I know I could boil water on the stove, but then I have to run the vent and the cost of propane is high, so I think electric kettle would be a better option.

For the minimalists who hate having appliances out on the counter, I'll just say that having an electric kettle on the counter wouldn't bother me in the least.

Has anyone done something similar? Thoughts?

I'm thinking for $30 I might as well give it a try . . . lots of upside potential for a very small initial investment. But I'm wondering if anyone sees a downside that I haven't thought of.

[kork13]

Aren't microwaves only about $100 anyway? Is a $30 purchase worth an extra 2-3 years of useful life on the microwave?

Also, how often do you use the microwave exclusively to boil water? Unless you do so commonly (multiple times a week, if not daily), I doubt that the electric kettle will make a significant difference in the degree of wear that your microwave takes. With that said, if you frequently boil water, such as for daily tea or significant cooking, I can absolutely see the utility of an electric kettle, simply because they're simple, fast, and typically handle a good volume of water (1-2 liters).

I guess the real issue I have with the idea is that I don't think I buy the idea that boiling water is quickening your microwave's ultimate demise. You have the thing to use it.... So use it! Keep it clean & address any malfunctions, but otherwise I think reducing a few heating cycles a week would significantly impact a microwave's effective life.

[disneysteve]

I agree with kork. I think buying 2 appliances to try to lessen the wear and tear on one of them just doesn't make any sense. I'm also not a fan of single-use appliances. Use the microwave as intended, though I wouldn't bet on getting 10+ years out of it.

That said, if you boil water a lot, the electric kettle could make sense. I know someone who drinks tea constantly and keeps an electric kettle in her office (she doesn't have a microwave there) and it gets used all the time, so it's a perfect solution for her. But in a home kitchen, it seems superfluous.

[scfr]

Aren't microwaves only about $100 anyway?

Alas, no. This is an OTR (over the range) vented microwave.

But you've now got me thinking about replacing the microwave with just an over-the-range vent and going with an inexpensive countertop microwave. So, thank you very much. If that is the way I go, then an electric kettle would indeed be superfluous.

[StormRichards]

Also, how often do you use the microwave exclusively to boil water?

Personally, I have never used the microwave to boil water.

[disneysteve]

Personally, I have never used the microwave to boil water.

I never do at home. I use the teapot. I have occasionally done it at work to make tea but since we got a Keurig, I use that instead.

scfr, do you have a Keurig (or something similar)? If so, you can just use that to heat water when needed.

[scfr]

scfr, do you have a Keurig (or something similar)? If so, you can just use that to heat water when needed.

Nope.

If the average life expectancy of a vent range hood really is 14 years as I'm reading, then I'm really start to think that may be the way to go, and just continue to use a microwave (but a cheap countertop model) when boiling water.

Thanks all for the feedback, as it brought alternatives to mind that I hadn't thought of before posting.

[kork13]

But you've now got me thinking about replacing the microwave with just an over-the-range vent and going with an inexpensive countertop microwave. So, thank you very much.

If you have the free counter space, it's not a bad option. I didn't realize the hanging version was so much more expensive. Low end of around $150, but quickly jumps to $300-$600.

Funny enough (I'm a nerd -- forgive me), heating water is exactly what microwaves are specifically designed to do. They operate by emitting energy at approx 2.45 GHz, which is readily absorbed by water. This fact is the technology behind microwaves, using energy to heat water in a targeted manner. So in reality, heating a measure of water in the microwave is actually one of its most efficient applications.

[StormRichards]

I never do at home. I use the teapot. I have occasionally done it at work to make tea but since we got a Keurig, I use that instead.

At work, we have boiling hot water in all of our break rooms.

[msomnipotent]

I rarely use our microwave. The last one had to be replaced because the handle broke off. It fell off in my hands and there was no way to fix it without buying a new door, which was almost as much as a new micro. So I bought a nice one for show because we can't have an empty space when we sell the house.

I use an induction cooktop more than anything. It boils water in 2 mins or less, and I do a lot of other cooking on it. I also take it with when we go to hotels to save money on food. In fact, I just bought another one from Costco. The first one is kind of a menace and acts up, but I got it for free from doing surveys years ago so I really can't complain.

[~bs]

idk... Microwaves are pretty cheap, and considering how much work and utility they have, stretching $100 over 8-10 years of life is not a bad deal. And I think 8 years is a conservative estimate of useful life, but ymmv. At work, we have a microwave being used pretty much all morning and through lunch, every day. That thing is still going strong.

buying extra appliances to extend the life of the original appliance is a bit too much for me, and clutters your house unnecessarily.

It would be like using a supplemental portable heater and a normal furnace or heater at the same time because the heater won't have to work as hard if you have a portable helping to heat the rooms.

I boil water on the stove top. If I'm just heating water, the microwave is fine. Buying additional appliances to serve the same function as can already be provided by existing appliances is a waste IMO. If you really like boiling/near boiling water, they have appliances for those as well. This kind of stuff only really makes sense if you're using hot water A LOT. Like if it's a company lunchroom or something, and people need hot water all day for their tea or their ramen or whatever.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/InSinkErator-Hot-Water-Dispenser/999959853?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA_ONLY-_-Kitchens-_-SosDisposers-_-999959853:InSinkErator&CAWELAID=&kpid=999959853&CAGPSPN=pla&k_clickID=4799e9cd-5712-49ce-ae8c-e92532459848

Buying and using additional appliances is done for convenience, not frugality.

[bjl584]

I don't think that it is worth it. Microwaves are fairly inexpensive and will last a good while on their own.

This is sort of a smaller scale version of someone buying a second car so that their primary car lasts longer. At the end of the day, there is probably no benefit to this strategy. It might actually end up costing more.

[scfr]

Replacing the OTR microwave with a range hood and buying an inexpensive countertop microwave does seem to be the way to go, though we'll still end up with 2 appliances instead of 1 and we'll have to give up more countertop space than we would have with an electric kettle. But we'll save money, have more options, and will end up with better ventilation over the range to boot. We have the counter space. Down the road, when it comes time to sell the house, not having a "built-in" microwave could be a detriment, but who knows when that will be, what homebuyers will be looking for then, or what other changes we will have made in the meantime.

I do think that sometimes having a second tool or appliance is useful, and I'm not sure that the comparison of buying a second car is applicable. I think it would be more fair to compare buying a bicycle to run short errands to save wear and tear on a car and reduce operating expenses. In fact, my husband grabbed a free bicycle that a neighbor was giving away just for that purpose. He runs quick errands around the neighborhood using that bike.

And I definitely believe for us, having a stand-alone dehumidifier is worth it to save A/C operating costs and wear & tear. Depends on where you live, but keep in mind that we are in Texas. Today it is muggy and is going to get warm. I am already running the dehumidifier, but hope that I won't have to turn on the A/C.

Thanks again for all the feedback. As mentioned previously, I hadn't thought about the countertop microwave option until I started this thread. It's been about 25 years since I've had one (since then we've always had an OTR whether in a home or apartment), so it didn't even cross my mind at first, but it's definitely a good option to consider.

[~bs]

^I'd rather have an OTR microwave than a range hood and countertop microwave, but to each his own.. Of course, I do have a countertop toaster oven (that collects dust) where the countertop microwave would go if I had one. The toaster over was not a well thought through purchase for me.

In actuality, the range hood plus countertop microwave might actually be cheaper than the OTR microwave, assuming you're doing the installation yourself.

[97guns]

I use an electric kettle, electric frying pan, electric wok and toaster/oven primarily to save on electricity. Using the stove or oven on a 220 line eats up way more energy than the plug in 110 lines, we don't use the cooktop burners and rarely fire up the oven