Last month I moved in to a studio apartment in Brooklyn Heights, New York. I relocated from a much larger space to a minute space, so I had to give up some of the comforts of having room for stuff I don’t use every day.

The space I have now is 13×20 ft, with a bathroom, walk-in closet and small kitchenette off to the side. The kitchen is where I had to make the most adjustments regarding having very little square footage, and needed to make a choice between a toaster oven and a microwave. I don’t have enough counter space, or room for extra shelving or a table, to house both. Even though I have a normal size oven already, I chose the toaster oven.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First, I use a toaster oven more than the regular oven, and more than the microwave, especially during the summer, and I moved in on July 1^st. I eat toast for breakfast almost every day, and generally only use the microwave to reheat things and the oven to bake and roast in, not to make toast for breakfast.

And, I have mixed feelings about microwaves. They are a bit of an odd contraption to me- sending short radio waves we can’t see in to our food, it’s inside not warming up even though our food comes out hot. A little too bizarre for my taste. Of course I’ll use one when I have to, but I rather cook and re-heat things on the stove top. The act of stirring something over a flame is satisfying and relaxes me.

If I zap something in the microwave, I get anxious, constantly opening the door to check to see if it’s ready yet. So living without a microwave slightly reduced my stress levels, and I don’t really miss it because in the summer I don’t cook much. I make salads and eat leftovers cold.

What’s one kitchen appliance you could live without and why?