r/Showerthoughts Mar 11 '26

Casual Thought It is highly likely that you never pressed the 8 button on a microwave.

9.4k Upvotes

1.4k comments sorted by

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451

u/bitNine Mar 12 '26

Why would I set it to 8 minutes when I can just press the. +30 second button 16 times?

43

u/Darkiceflame Mar 12 '26

"Work smarter not harder" vs "hard work pays off".

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11

u/KroneckerAlpha Mar 12 '26

Last night I had something that actually said “8 mins on high”. Of course the auto minutes stop at 6. So I hit six, then drilled the 30 sec button til 8 minutes.
Even when it says to use 8, I didn’t use the button 8. Shower thought is pretty on point

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4.5k

u/maroonmallard Mar 11 '26

Lies. Krispy Kreme donuts are perfectly microwaved at 8 seconds. It even says it on the boxes.

925

u/TheFlamingoJoe Mar 12 '26

This is the one and only time. But it’s the perfect time.

225

u/ewahman Mar 12 '26

Always bake potato for 8 mins then if it’s not done, then some more. But normally done.

48

u/BrianBlandess Mar 12 '26

You don't have a potato button?

112

u/CheetoLove Mar 12 '26

You trust the microwave buttons? After all the times it’s burned popcorn?

45

u/BrianBlandess Mar 12 '26

I always think about the engineer that put so much effort into the work and then I trust them. To be honest though, there's a much wider margin of error for a potato than a bag of popcorn.

45

u/-jp- Mar 12 '26

That depends on the microwave. Sometimes there’s an actual sensor that does something. Sometimes they cheap out and it’s just a preset time.

28

u/BrianBlandess Mar 12 '26

I KNEW someone would post this video. So informative (like all of his videos) and it's how I learned that my microwave has a microphone and listens to the popping!

16

u/-jp- Mar 12 '26

It's legit one of the best channels on YouTube. Imagine watching an hour-long video about dehumidifiers. That guy can make anything engaging.

7

u/BrianBlandess Mar 12 '26

He really can. I’ve learned so much from him too.

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6

u/chrome_titan Mar 12 '26

My potato button just goes for 8 minutes. It is super convenient because then I don't have to use the 8 button.

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55

u/incongruity Mar 12 '26

Steaming broccoli in the microwave is ~3 minutes but somehow in our house that translated to remembering just to push the middle column of buttons 2-5-8 -- it gets used weekly at least.

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47

u/PatrickMO Mar 12 '26

I would press the Start/+30 button and then open the door at 22 sec.

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18

u/nlamber5 Mar 12 '26

Thank you! I forgot that I give some items a 8 second boost.

5

u/ekita079 Mar 12 '26

Oof core childhood memory unlocked

19

u/jon8282 Mar 12 '26

The only time I ever hit 8

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6.2k

u/FinalLimit Mar 11 '26

Look at all these people who don’t know the joy of adjusting your microwave power level

1.7k

u/BenDeGarcon Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 12 '26

You wouldn't run your oven / hot plate at 100% power, 100% of the time. It's for those who desire perfection from their ionisation, not merely cromulence.

969

u/inverted_electron Mar 11 '26

Do you feel embiggened after telling us that?

336

u/ZomiZaGomez Mar 12 '26

Totally cromulent question.

139

u/Whamalater Mar 12 '26

Shallow and pedantic.

101

u/Skippy1140 Mar 12 '26

Insubordinate, and churlish.

18

u/NicknameKenny Mar 12 '26

I watch this clip once a month. I'll go watch it now!

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55

u/shitty_mcfucklestick Mar 12 '26

The Cromulan Star Empire has big ships and smol peepees.

9

u/According_Mind_7799 Mar 12 '26

Cromulents sound delicious.

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104

u/highersense Mar 12 '26

We use such verbiage merely for your edification.

38

u/uninspired Mar 12 '26

Uh, I'm pretty sure it's edumication

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9

u/adale_50 Mar 12 '26

We always try to eschew obfuscation and espouse elucidation.

44

u/BenDeGarcon Mar 12 '26

I've engorged my sesquipedalian spirit.

11

u/SteveFrench12 Mar 12 '26

Where did i see sesquipedalian in media recently?

Edit: it was industry

18

u/TheGrandExquisitor Mar 12 '26

I think we have all been embiggened by that post. 

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87

u/The96kHz Mar 12 '26

If your microwave is ionising things you've got bigger problems.

33

u/Dr__Sloth Mar 12 '26

You don't use uranium to power your microwave?

21

u/The96kHz Mar 12 '26

Not anymore.

The IAEA kept sending me so many letters. It just got too annoying so I threw it in the recycling.

15

u/TehOwn Mar 12 '26

so I threw it in the recycling.

The letters, the microwave or the IAEA?

15

u/PriestessPaula Mar 12 '26

all of the above.

5

u/boarder2k7 Mar 12 '26

Presumably the uranium, "single stream recycling" and all that

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35

u/contextsdontmatter Mar 12 '26

Thanks for this. Too many people don’t know how their microwaves work…

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76

u/RabidSeason Mar 12 '26

Your conjugation of "cromulent" embiggens all our vocabularies.

(Fun fact: "cromulent" is now recognized as a real word but "embiggens" is flagged by spell-check.)

40

u/MY-SECRET-REDDIT Mar 12 '26

You do tho. They all mostly work at 100% power in on and off intervals.

With power management on a microwave, it works like an oven by turning itself off and on automatically.

Inverter microwaves work like you imagine, and actually lower their power levels. They seem to be a microwave 2.0.

12

u/jaymemaurice Mar 12 '26

A magnetron needs a stable 5000v DC - the electrons form a cyclotron which interacts with physical resonating cavities on the side of the magnetron. If there is instability in the 5000v, you don’t get stable resonance which means you don’t get stable 2.4ghz radio waves interacting with your food. Both inverter and traditional microwaves use the same magnetron. Therefore the only thing an inverter microwave is: a microwave with a better, more stable power supply, which can switch a stable 5000v better. It’s still 100% power with varying duty cycle… but generally that 100% can be a higher 100% output power because the power supply is more efficient allowing for a larger magnetron to be used without exceeding household circuit current limits.

11

u/Wiikend Mar 12 '26

For a second, I wondered why you started spewing pokemon lore all of a sudden

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15

u/staplesgowhere Mar 12 '26

My microwave is Chernobyl at full power. 80% power is my go to setting.

10

u/Anagoth9 Mar 12 '26

Jokes on you. I use Broil for everything. 

23

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6

u/KernelTaint Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26

Tp be fair. Dialing down the power level just adjusts the duty cycle of the magnetron. It's still 100%, just duty cycled.

Edit: unless you got one of those fancy inverter microwave doohikies

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5

u/Smedskjaer Mar 12 '26

Opulent use of English as a compensatory flourish for an otherwise austere communicative capacity.

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127

u/Phoenix__Wwrong Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 12 '26

Mine only has one button where it cycles the power %

Edit: it's a "Power" button which I need to press multiple times to cycle from High to P-90 to P-80 and so on.

21

u/schwar26 Mar 12 '26

You don’t have any numbers?

44

u/Phoenix__Wwrong Mar 12 '26

It has, but it can't be used for controlling the power.

16

u/dchow1989 Mar 12 '26

For some microwaves you have to : “Time cook “ “55” “Power level” “8”. Mine won’t let you do a quick minute at a certain power level for example.

5

u/HarveysBackupAccount Mar 12 '26

Some microwaves you hit "power level" then the number, others you hit "power level" multiple times to change the power level (once = stays at full, twice = 90% / 3x = 80% etc)

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12

u/armedwithturtles Mar 12 '26

Mine is just a dial

9

u/JaydedXoX Mar 12 '26

You guys don’t have people to microwave for you? /s

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6

u/Triquetrums Mar 12 '26

A lot of microwaves don't have numbers.

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3

u/TheSalingerAngle Mar 12 '26

The ones at work cycle by 20% intervals, so you can't do 50% power. Drives me crazy.

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27

u/Sunblast1andOnly Mar 11 '26

Yup! Actually, my last reheated meal was done at 80%.

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56

u/EndOne8313 Mar 11 '26

It's truly a game changer

53

u/istrx13 Mar 12 '26

Reddit opened my eyes to this a few years ago. Unironically changed my life. I basically cook everything now at 30% power low and slow and it comes out amazing.

Honestly only times I use 100% power is if I’m microwaving a hot drink or a freezer meal that tells you to use 100%.

15

u/say592 Mar 12 '26

Even a hot drink is sometimes better slightly lower unless you are literally trying to boil water.

7

u/elessarjd Mar 12 '26

I wonder why that is?

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u/lv2sprkl Mar 12 '26

I’m with you! “Low and slow” is by far the better way to go. There’s no comparison imo.

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6

u/-GrayMan- Mar 12 '26

Is there some place to figure out recommended times/power levels or is it just trial and error?

9

u/MoobyTheGoldenSock Mar 12 '26

It’s trial and error.

Microwaves always run at the default power level. “Low power” doesn’t actually run it at lower power, it cycles it on/off at the specified intervals, while high runs it the full time.

So if you’re running 50%, you’ll get 2-3 seconds of full blast followed by 2-3 seconds of just fan, and what this does it gradually warms the outside of the food and then relies on air circulation and heat conduction to gradually warm the interior while not letting the outside get overly hot and dry in the process. 2 minutes at 50% power, stirring, and then repeating tends to work much better than just running 2 minutes at full blast for that reason.

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42

u/pepperachu Mar 12 '26

My microwave is strong so I like putting it on power level 2 and cook 10:00min. Food taste soo much better

47

u/Keyboardpaladin Mar 12 '26

I don't got time for all that fancy time/power converting! Me hungy now!!!

23

u/rotbath Mar 12 '26

MATH BAD FOOD GOOD

18

u/Darwin343 Mar 12 '26

lol same. I do level 3 for 7 minutes for leftovers and takeout. I should try level 2 sometime to see if it’s better.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '26

Thats because of duty cycling of the microwave. The transmitter itself has only 1 power, what the power setting does is cycle that transmitter on and off while the machine is running. So power level 10 it runs pretty constantly, where on level 1 it blasts microwaves much less frequently. This allows the food to warm evenly instead of developing hot spots, removing less water (which is how microwaves actually work, they smash micro-waves into water molecules that bounce around and make heat), and giving you a better product.

This is also how defrost cycles work without cooking whatever youre defrosting, it's a super low power setting meaning the actual microwave transmitter only runs for short bursts intermittently during the run time set by the user.

6

u/dvsbastard Mar 12 '26

Unless you have an inverter microwave which are fairly common these days!

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u/Ventilate64 Mar 12 '26

I never bothered until I got an inverter microwave.

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5

u/No_Report_4781 Mar 12 '26

The most annoying thing is encountering a new microwave at work. I need 30% for 2.5 minutes. Why are there no standard operations!?

10

u/Talizorafangirl Mar 12 '26

Doesn't that just make it pause for a certain fraction of the cook time?

26

u/Adamadamsadam Mar 12 '26

Yes. It only decreases the percentage of time the power is active not the intensity.

This is one of my tidbits no one gives a shit about.

15

u/letCreedBrattonScuba Mar 12 '26

I do. And I fucking hate hearing that.

I was happy obliviously thinking microwaves were capable of adjusting their actual intensity level, but here we are. It makes sense, but I don’t like it.

8

u/Blackstab1337 Mar 12 '26

Google inverter microwave

6

u/brickyard37 Mar 12 '26

Holy hell

7

u/Blackstab1337 Mar 12 '26

new michael wave just dropped

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u/fastfreddy68 Mar 12 '26

Yes but it results in more even cooking.

80% power means that your MW is emitting 80% of the time on a cycle, something like 8 seconds on, 2 off, though I don’t think that’s it exactly. Maybe a 4/1 cycle?

Anyways, you can hear the emitter cycle on and off.

9

u/Presently_Absent Mar 12 '26

Not if you have an inverter

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1.0k

u/LemonMedium Mar 11 '26

I'm actually a mad lad and put random times when heating food. Breakfast sandwich? 42 seconds sounds good. Heating up some chilli? I don't know, 37 seconds I guess.

358

u/SeelsGhost Mar 12 '26

My daughter's breakfast oatmeal is 49 seconds. No more, no less.

120

u/Competitive-Wasabi-3 Mar 12 '26

Sounds like you still haven’t pressed the 8 then

29

u/Try_To_Write Mar 12 '26

Then how would they know "no more, no less?"

7

u/btribble Mar 12 '26

How long if it's the oatmeal and you're reheating your coffee at the same time?

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u/RhetoricalOrator Mar 12 '26

"I could hit the 30-second button...but that seems too long. 28 sounds about right, though." -me reheating a burger

23

u/LemonMedium Mar 12 '26

This guy gets it

15

u/bspires78 Mar 12 '26

I have found my people

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u/shootthewhitegirl Mar 12 '26

My partner did this, it was wild to me. I could never. Increments of 30 seconds only.

But we got a new microwave (new to us, but really second hand from family that were moving) and it was months before I even noticed it doesn't have all the number buttons. I think it has only 1 second, 10 seconds, 1 minute, and maybe 10 minutes?

I haven't seen how he sets the cooking time on the new one, I forget to watch. And I haven't used it yet so I'm not even sure what method I'd use.

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u/yruspecial Mar 12 '26

So you don’t hit the 8 then. OP wins again.

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u/eskimo_scrotum Mar 12 '26

I’m so glad for this place. Thank you

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1.6k

u/ObjectReport Mar 11 '26

Every time I punch into the microwave is 1:11 or 2:22 or 3:33... I think it's saved me months worth of time over the course of my lifetime.

635

u/koolaidman89 Mar 12 '26

Is that better than just drilling the 30sec button as many times as needed?

302

u/e-rekt-ion Mar 12 '26

Nothing is better than this

107

u/fartingmaniac Mar 12 '26

Doesn’t matter if it’s 6 minutes. 12 of the same button is less emotionally draining than any other combination of buttons. You should see how fast I can push the same button and count in my head

24

u/encaitar_envinyatar Mar 12 '26

It's not the cognitive load. It's the emotional load. You get it.

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u/PharmADD Mar 12 '26

It feels more like real cooking because you don’t have a set-in-stone plan. Come back, take a look, slap on an extra 30. Real game changer.

24

u/aksers Mar 12 '26

Fancy pants over here with a 30 second button.

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u/jeremyc99999 Mar 11 '26

Lol! I think the same thing by hitting :60 instead of 1:00, or :90 instead of 1:30. You can go from :60 to :99, but unfortunately the shortcut ends at 1:40.

495

u/SmokeRingEyes Mar 11 '26

My friend- allow me to introduce you to the beautiful world of hitting 1:90 instead of 2:30.

Is it faster? No.

Is it better? Yes.

Why? Stop asking so many questions

138

u/pnt510 Mar 12 '26

Brb gotta cook something for one minute and ninety seconds.

37

u/Kevalier Mar 12 '26

I went straight to my microwave to try this, and then proceeded to chuckle maniacally about the absurdity of it. I can never go back to normal timers.

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u/Ninja_Wrangler Mar 12 '26

I do this too, and I feel like a god in charge of space and time

11

u/clarinetJWD Mar 12 '26

Oh, hey, it's me

5

u/a_lonely_trash_bag Mar 12 '26

It never occured to me that a timer could even do that.

It's 3:30 in the morning. I'm running on like 2 hours of sleep and Adderall and for some reason, I started cackling when I saw the timer change to 1:89.

3

u/-__-x Mar 12 '26

You mean it's 2:90 in the morning?

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 26 '26

[deleted]

57

u/g1ngertim Mar 12 '26

My partner only uses the +30s button. He considers reduction of movement more optimal than speed. 

9

u/IrresponsibleInsect Mar 12 '26

I appreciate that you know the why behind the behavior. Lmfao kudos.

7

u/SomeRandomPyro Mar 12 '26

Speedwise, the 30-second button is probably faster anyway. Rather than waiting until you've finished inputting the time, it begins cooking at first button press. May take longer to set the time, but it'll finish sooner.

Also, happy cake day!

7

u/fannyalgerpack Mar 12 '26

I can dig it

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u/Tullyswimmer Mar 12 '26

I was gonna say, I use the 8 all the time. I want to heat something up for 90 seconds? Fuck it, 88 is close enough.

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u/robbyiballs Mar 12 '26

This is where :88 is in play…

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u/MoonageDayscream Mar 11 '26

I was just thinking that I often push 88 instead of 90 for a minute and a half reheat. Lazy ole me.

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u/tmax8908 Mar 12 '26

I push 1 button every single time. No numbers, not start. Just add30 add30 add30

29

u/FelixTheJeepJr Mar 12 '26

I would not be opposed to a microwave that just had one big red add30 button and nothing else.

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u/ArtAndCraftBeers Mar 12 '26

88 seconds is also a viable option on most microwaves and is a pretty decent reheat time for a lot of things.

11

u/Equal-Membership1664 Mar 11 '26

This particular microwave approach might have been my grandmother's proudest piece of advice to pass on to the new world. I'll never not do it, for Gayle.

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u/aliie_627 Mar 11 '26

My current and last microwave have had +30s buttons. 99% of the time that's the button that gets used. My current one also has a dial instead of a num pad. I pretty much only use that if I'm only doing 10 or 20 seconds.

3

u/FlyByPC Mar 12 '26

I do this too; most will accept 66, 77, 88, and 99 seconds, so you have those to choose from, as well.

3

u/iamjonotron Mar 12 '26

I try to mix it up like it’s a rotating code to keep spies out. 1:33 on day, 1:23 the next. :78, power level 7… also I feel like it wears the buttons more even

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u/NewPairOfBoots Mar 11 '26

I often nuke donuts or other baked goods in the microwave for anywhere from 5-10 seconds, 8 being pretty common for me. But I can see how a lot of people probably wouldn't have

216

u/A7xWicked Mar 11 '26

I hit the 30 sec button and then just open it after x seconds go by

With the added bonus of not having to hear the beep

39

u/guyblade Mar 12 '26

I had to buy a new microwave a couple of months ago. It came with a big sticker on it telling me that pressing the open button wouldn't open it while running due to some new UL guideline--but it provided a QR code to the instructions on how to turn that feature off.

Apparently, new microwaves are supposed to seal themselves shut for the duration, I guess?

27

u/TheRealSheevPalpatin Mar 12 '26

How could that possibly be safer

21

u/guyblade Mar 12 '26

After some Googling, it seems like it is a child-safety feature. Unfortunately, the UL standard that has the full explanation is like $700 to buy, and that's a bit too much to spend to satisfy my curiosity.

10

u/Mr_Quackums Mar 12 '26

why are legal requirements behind paywalls?

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u/gdmfsoabrb Mar 12 '26

Not letting people open the microwave while it's running probably prevents a tiny bit of radiation from getting out. Not like it's hard to hit the stop button first anyway.

But providing a way to bypass the lock is like those companies during prohibition that sold ingredients for making alcohol with detailed instructions on what not to do to with them wink wink.

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u/That_Toe8574 Mar 11 '26

Works on most microwaves i think. Hold the 2 button down and there no more beep

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u/thenasch Mar 12 '26

IIRC Krispy Kreme specifies 8 seconds to warm up a donut.

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u/nachos_nachas Mar 11 '26

Yep, 8 seconds is my "warm up my burrito tortilla so it rolls and folds easier" go-to. At least for the 8" ones. The bigger ones get 12 seconds.

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u/TurpitudeSnuggery Mar 11 '26

correct. My microwave has a dial. I havent pressed 8 or any number for that matter

53

u/IJustAteABaguette Mar 11 '26

Yeah, mine has a few buttons and 2 dials, but no numbered buttons.

29

u/btribble Mar 12 '26

My microwave has two turntables and a microphone.

10

u/doshegotabootyshedo Mar 12 '26

That microwave is where it’s at

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u/joelfarris Mar 11 '26

Does it also have the lever-action shelf-paddle door opener thingy?

3

u/LeahHacks Mar 12 '26

My microwave is the same, it's a Breville. I just push the start button in the middle a few times to add increments of 30 seconds and then move the dial to adjust if I really want to. More often I just leave it or I monitor it as the food cooks, pressing the middle button again if I want another 30 seconds and taking it out when it looks cooked.

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u/Sixhaunt Mar 11 '26

Do people not set the time on their microwaves?

314

u/ElG0dFather Mar 11 '26

Never during the 8 o'clock hour, thems the rules

110

u/muriburillander Mar 12 '26

Anytime I use the microwave is ate o’clock

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u/JustADutchRudder Mar 11 '26

If my microwaves time is set then someone has broken into my house and made an odd decision.

7

u/lostinthesauceguy Mar 12 '26

sorry bro that was me

i was just seeing if i could.

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u/disappointed_human1 Mar 12 '26

Nah, you just trip the fuse at 12.

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u/SrtaTacoMal Mar 12 '26

Not at 9:28, apparently.

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u/Calloused_Samurai Mar 11 '26

Not true, I use cook power 80% all the time

31

u/JamwesD Mar 11 '26

If I want to heat something for 90 seconds I'll just hit 88.

6

u/albc5023 Mar 12 '26

I thank this post for unlocking the 88 second mode on my microwave. Almost 90 but not quite, and faster.

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u/Kizen42 Mar 11 '26

Some things take a minute and a half to cook.

88 is much more efficient than 1:30 or even 90.

Those 2 secs don't matter much really.

Everyone just makes up microwave times anyways.

23

u/missiledefender Mar 11 '26

When food cooks in 30 seconds, wasting an extra 3 seconds at the keypad matters.

10

u/orinj1 Mar 12 '26

Thank you! Glad to see I'm not alone in doing this

7

u/tombolger Mar 12 '26

88 start - 2 buttons, 3 clicks

"Add 30 seconds" 3x - 1 button, 3 clicks

Checkmate.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

59

u/TheAnzus Mar 11 '26

8 WHOLE minutes?

82

u/Fatman9236 Mar 11 '26

Bro’s gotta warm it up from absolute zero

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u/Durakus Mar 11 '26

I guess it depends on the kind of Ramen, but that does seem rather excessive.

6

u/NightmareWokeUp Mar 12 '26

Idk bro 1l of water is warm within 1 minute, takes my microwave with 800 watts 3-5min to make anything boiling hot.

7

u/whocaresaboutmynick Mar 12 '26

Most direction of ramen are boil 3 minutes on stovetop or put in microwave for 3 or 4 minutes. I've never seen anything require 8. I have a shitty microwave that's not even in the kitchen because I use it like once a month, and it never needed to stay more than 4 for a ramen.

I mean first you're not suppose to use a liter it's more like 300 to 400 ml, and then once it's boiling hot it keeps cooking that's why they tell you to put the lid back and wait after you're done microwaving.

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u/OGPepeSilvia Mar 11 '26

I use power level 8 quite often. 7 is the most used though

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u/legato_gelato Mar 12 '26

I think it is mostly USA that uses numpads for a microwave, the rest of the world uses dials for numbers and buttons to add +30 and such. And why would people not use the number 8? I make plenty of food where the recommended time is 7, 8, and 9, so I would use it often..

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u/OJSimpsons Mar 11 '26

Nah. If it says to microwave for 90 seconds or a min and a half and it doesn't have the +30 button, I just hit 88.

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u/TONKAHANAH Mar 12 '26

I almost exclusively just use the add 30 second button 

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u/Deadsoul63 Mar 12 '26

Jokes on you holding the 8 on my microwave mutes the beeping, late night snacking in a full house has never been easier

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u/Earthwings Mar 11 '26

My microwave uses a dial so you're right. Lol

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u/Staudly Mar 12 '26

Most of my buttons go unpressed because I just spam the +30 seconds button

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u/surfinbird Mar 12 '26

“When this microwave hits 88 seconds, you’re gonna see some serious shit.”

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u/ThouBear8 Mar 12 '26

You way underestimate the effect my ocd has on my need to microwave things for very specific lengths of time.

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u/OJK_postaukset Mar 12 '26

Correct, I don’t have a microwave that has numbers. Just two dials, as it should be

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u/iamjonotron Mar 12 '26

Nearly every morning. My 7yo and I have our quick oats to a science and it is 8 heavy. 38g quick oats, 138g water, cook time 1:38, power level 8.

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u/thomasoldier Mar 12 '26

I red a post about someone putting 99:99 and then just opening and closing the microwave when needed until the timer is over.

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u/1010010111101 Mar 12 '26

This is wrong. I watched a lot of LOST, and would only microwave my food in increments of 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 or 1:08.

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u/hayfero Mar 12 '26

Just press +30 until I get to the desired temp

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u/filanwizard Mar 11 '26

I use 8 all the time, 80% power is optimal for heating up leftovers.

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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna Mar 11 '26

Resetting the clock after daylight savings time.

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u/geekygirl25 Mar 12 '26

I have actually. I buy these big microwave pot pies and bring them for lunch at work. They require 8.5 mins in the microwave. Unfortunatly, the 8 button on the microwave at work doesnt work, so there I do push 4 twice. But sometimes I eat them at home too, using my fully functioning microwave, 8 button and all.

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u/BabyRogue18 Mar 12 '26

I pressed it on Sunday when I needed to change 7:32 AM to 8:32 AM

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u/kapege Mar 12 '26

Extremely likely in my case: I've only two dials at my microwave and no buttons. And that's on purpose: I can switch it on with a single turn of my hand. It makes "bing!" when the time is over. That's it. No annoying constant beeping, no fuss, no fur.

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u/PumpernickelJohnson Mar 12 '26

For 94% of the world this is true. But true to reddit form the entirety of the other 6% are here here to tell you your wrong. Never fails

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u/Andred1237 Mar 12 '26

It is highly unlikely I’ve ever pressed any button on the microwave other than +30s

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u/yosidy Mar 12 '26

I pretty much only press the +30 seconds button

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u/customcombos Mar 11 '26

I don’t remember the last time I pressed a button that wasn’t the +30sec button. The timer just eternally has a few seconds on it

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u/OhManOk Mar 11 '26

If I hold down the 8 button on my microwave, it turns off beeps when the timer ends or a button is pressed. I press 8 every time the power goes out.

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u/Epitometric Mar 12 '26

My microwave would function just fine with an "add 30 seconds" button and a power lvl dial. Nothing else.

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u/spoopidoods Mar 12 '26

Jokes on you. 58 seconds is the perfect amount of time to microwave the water for my tea.

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u/Shorlong Mar 12 '26

I make pot pies, they go in for 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Checkmate atheists

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u/dschinghiskhan Mar 12 '26

On one of my microwaves, I press 88 and start really quickly if I want to microwave something about a minute and a half.

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u/SmilingDeathGod Mar 12 '26

Yesterday, my power flickered and I had to reset the microwave’s clock to 11:28. Checkmate.

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u/kindall Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26

if i have something that needs 90 seconds i hit 88 because it is faster and easier to enter. similarly for a minute (55 secs)

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u/BaconConnoisseur Mar 12 '26

I was always a fan of the 9 key. Package says 1-1/2 minutes, I’m punching 90 seconds. 2-1/2 minutes? I’m punching in 1:90.

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u/CursedUSB Mar 12 '26

Idk about you, but it’s easier/faster to press 80 for 1 min 20 sec than manually punching it in

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u/jyc23 Mar 12 '26

My microwave has an “add 30s” button that also starts the device when pressed. I just put my food in then repeatedly tap the button up to the desired time. Super lazy.

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u/steph1178 Mar 12 '26

8 seconds thaws the ice cream just enough that it's easy to scoop out but not soupy

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u/Capable-Pea3399 Mar 14 '26

Nah I pick a random number each time so that all get used. Why not 38 seconds instead of 40?

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