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The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours

Technology Connections · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Product & industrial designConsumer devices & gadgetsCooking & food

What it is

Technology Connections examines an old feature-rich microwave and shows how it uses a humidity or steam sensor and lookup data to cook food well, arguing it beats many modern ones.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Cited again and again in microwave and smart-appliance threads as proof that older appliances were smarter, especially for steam-sensor cooking.

  • 7 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2020, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “Technology Connections published an interesting video just a few days ago”

    Interesting video on an antique microwave

    TonyTrapp, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “Pimp My Microwave”

  2. “Great 'Review' of an old Microwave loaded with features.”

    Review of a feature-rich old microwave

    gibolt, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “Pimp My Microwave”

  3. “Fun video about microwave oven now vs thirty years ago”

    Compares microwave ovens now and thirty years ago

    guerby, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “The future of microwave cooking is solid-state (2016)”

  4. “technology connections just did a recent YouTube video on microwaves that might be of interest to you.”

    Technology Connections video on microwaves relevant to the discussion

    andrewxdiamond, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “Pimp My Microwave”

  5. “it explains how microwaves use a humidity probe to sense steam escaping from say a microwave-popcorn bag to determine when its done.”

    Old microwave with better features; explains humidity probe sensing steam

    tux1968, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “Pimp My Microwave”

  6. “this really shows the sad direction smart appliances have gone in.”

    Shows sad direction of smart appliances versus smarter older designs

    cuddlybacon, 2021-11 · Recommendation · in “A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today”

  7. “Thanks to Technology Connections, great channel. Convinced me to read all the fine print until I found a Breville that had it.”

    Convinced commenter to seek out a microwave with a steam sensor

    TimeBearingDown, 2024-09 · Recommendation · in “Microwave spontaneously turned on by its LED display”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: microwave, steam sensor, appliances, 1990s technology, product design

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