Go Tokyo Your Experience
With rising prices, stagnant wages, and an increase in dual-income households, the traditional Japanese practice of purchasing ingredients from local markets and slowly cooking three meals at home is gradually diminishing. Against this backdrop, the market for microwaveable foods, which can alleviate financial and time burdens on families, is experiencing significant growth in Japan.
However, Japanese netizens have recently started discussing an interesting phenomenon: most people seem to rarely follow the microwave heating recommendations provided by manufacturers when warming up these microwaveable foods.
For example, if the manufacturer suggests heating for 4 and a half minutes, many people will arbitrarily extend it to 5 minutes; or, if it is suggested to use a 500W microwave for 1 minute, users might change it to a 1000W microwave for 30 seconds. Now, let’s take a look at how Japanese netizens deal with these microwave foods.
Isn’t this how many people operate when using a microwave?
Recently, Japanese manga artist 255 (Nikoko) posted on the X platform, discussing how many people often do not follow the manufacturer’s recommended procedures when heating microwave food.
The packaging of microwave food often states suggestions like “heat at a certain wattage for a few minutes,” but 255 (Nikoko) often modifies this when heating microwave food.
Does this frozen pasta suggest ‘500W heating for 4 and a half minutes’?
Then I’ll go with ‘500W heating for 5 minutes’.
This habit immediately sparked heated discussions among netizens. Many netizens candidly stated that they would not follow the instructions on the packaging for heating and explained their reasons for not adhering to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Some netizens attributed their reasons to the insufficient functions of their microwave ovens, which cannot accurately adjust the wattage and time. Others indicated that their microwaves had either too high or too low power.
Some people are dissatisfied with the temperature recommended by the manufacturer and prefer it to be hotter or cooler, so they make their own adjustments.
The reaction of Japanese netizens is:
Isn’t this just talking about me?
Really, it always feels not hot enough!
Some netizens have said they will heat food for 4 and a half minutes at 650W, or for 4 minutes at 600W. Some people will heat it directly for 6 minutes, while others, not liking the feeling of it being too hot, choose to reduce the cooking time by 20 seconds.
For example, one netizen said: “If the manufacturer recommends 5 minutes, I would first heat it for 2 and a half minutes, flip the food 180 degrees, and then continue heating it for a while longer.”
Some people mistakenly think that “500W for 3 minutes” is equivalent to “1500W for 1 minute or 1000W for 2 minutes.”
I’m afraid of overheating, so I will microwave it for 3 and a half minutes before stirring it.
Some internet users shared their unique heating methods, such as microwaving at 900W for 2 and a half minutes, or microwaving for 4 minutes first, then stirring, and heating for another minute. Their viewpoint is that even adding just 10 seconds can make the food extremely hot, so they continuously increase the heating time.
Due to differences in microwave performance, some people mentioned that their home microwave has a lower power. For example, it may take 4 and a half to 5 minutes to heat at 600W, while some people’s microwaves are too powerful; if heated at 600W for 2 minutes as suggested, the rice will become overheated, and they often adjust it to 1 and a half minutes.
In summary, many Japanese people may not follow the microwave heating instructions on the packaging, as they adjust the heating time and power based on their own devices and personal preferences.
So, when using a microwave, do you all also follow the manufacturer’s instructions?
