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Comment by the__alchemist | Hacker News Reader

I blame the UI. IMO should be two knobs and a button. (Maybe you just push one of the knobs instead of the button)

IMO, for prepackaged foods like frozen dinners, the UI should be that you put the food in the oven and close the door, and the microwave figures out the rest. (Of course there would also be manual controls available.)

The simplest way would be with a barcode on the plastic food tray. The barcode would contain the actual cooking instructions so that there's no internet dependency.

But each food company would patent their own barcode retrieval system and put it behind a subscription, only $12.99 for the plan for foods with ads, $24.99 without!

Actually, all implementations would be nearly identical, non-novel, and not patentable. But each one would carry a trademark and microwave manufacturers would charge the TV dinner makers a license fee per meal to put it on the box

My Tovala oven does this (you scan before you put in), though it uses steam and broiler not microwaves.

This sounds like a next-gen microwave idea! Perfectly microwaved food every time!

Juicero vibes here...

(Good idea, though)

Hmmm, only if the microwave worked with their own specially prepared frozen upscale meals.

Yes, something like changing the power levels normally require pressing of multiple buttons. Many menus and options are also hidden that way. Unfortunately, the true potential of a microwave is locked away. Pretty much everyone I know just hits the 30 second button and is content with super hot or unevenly heated food.

Presumably Duration, Power and Start/Stop. My NEF microwave has a Duration dial, 6 different power buttons (presets for 900, 600, 300, etc) and separate Start and Stop buttons. Oh, and another small button for forcing the Duration dial into a clock setting mode (to set the time-of-day display which is the default when the thing isn't heating).

Works okay, quite intuitive, entirely used to it now.

Just don't get me started on the controls for my induction hob

Two knobs will do. The timer knob can be used to stop the microwave and it starts once the timer is set and the door is closed.

yes! mine's like that, two knobs: one for how hot and the other is for how long. it's the dumbest one I could find and I'm never buying one with WiFi, thank you very much!

WDYM, but it is two knobs and a button?

Every one I've used looks like a blown-up calculator watch from the 80s.

Two rotary knobs for selecting power and duration and two push buttons for start and stop.

Actually a third push button is also required, for storing a power+duration pair, when you want to have multiple segments where different powers are used.

When using a microwave oven for cooking, not just for reheating, it is very common to use a high power for a short time, then one or two decreasing power levels sufficient to just preserve the current temperature, in order to avoid making a mess in the oven, due to violent boiling or high pressure steam generation.

Knobs seem to be common on European microwaves. NA microwaves have all sorts of granular settings.

My microwaves have no knobs

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