#Microwave October 21
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In October 2025, many of us will be taking part in the 30-Day Kitchen Coach4aday Challenge. Each day we will spotlight an appliance, utensil, or gadget found in a commercial or residential kitchen. The tools and devices used to prepare and cook food is quite extensive and this month we will take a look at both the sublime and ridiculous. My post today is focused on the MICROWAVE oven.
There are times in my life when I have been amazed at technology. One of those happened in 1976 when I got invited to the home of Butch Estes for lunch to watch some sporting event on TV. At the time we both were Assistant Basketball Coaches at East Carolina University. He was bragging on a new kitchen device they had purchased called a microwave oven. As a single guy with no cooking skills at that point in my life I had never heard of this newfangled oven.
Butch cracked me open a beer and said in 15 seconds I am going to cook you a frozen hot dog. I promptly stated there was no way. He went to the freezer grabbed a few frozen hot dogs and placed in this rather large rectangular box sitting on his kitchen counter. It looked similar to what is below.
He placed the hot dogs on a paper plate set the dial for 15 seconds turned the power control to high and boom that device had cooked a hot dog. I started asking all sorts of questions.
Kitchen-30 Day Challenge Guidelines
As with previous challenges, participants are encouraged to adapt the guidelines to fit their own circumstances. If you can, commit to sharing something about an appliance, utensil, or gadget found in a Kitchen during the month of October
- Record something about an item found in a Kitchen. Make sure you include a description and its purpose. Try, if possible, to include a photo.
- Share with a challenge partner if you have one.
- Join the conversation by posting on social media with the hashtag #Coach4adayChallenge
October 21-Microwave
Apparently, microwaves had been in American homes since the 1960’s but when they got mass produced in the 1970’s the prices began to drop. Some of the early models cost upwards of $500 in the late 1960’s. Not only did the prices drop but the size of the oven became smaller.
In 1986 it was estimated that 25% of homes had one. By the 1990’s that percentage has grown to 90%.
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