When microwave ovens first were entering mass-production it was imagined that they would replace conventional ovens a lot more completely. They were an emergin

When microwave ovens first were entering mass-production it was imagined that they would replace conventional ovens a lot more completely. They were an emerging high-tech appliance for avant-garde consumers, they were going to be expensive so they had to be big and strong. They were huge and heavy, you had to be able to cook a whole turkey. I was an appliance-repairing college student at the time, when these went out it took two delivery operators to pick one up and put it on the customer's countertop. A refigerator usually only needed a single driver. In the sales showroom they were giving free microwave cooking lessons to introduce the skills needed to make the transition. A factory representative would come regularly to conduct a culinary demo. In hindsight more of an appliance enthusiast than a food enthusiast. In the advanced classes they would prepare an entire holiday dinner, and we could partake in the surplus. Few foresaw that more often younger unskilled family members than ever would one day be conveniently using ovens without supervision.