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Comment by walrus01 | Hacker News Reader

The electric outdoor barbecue sure didn't become a thing, turns out that people prefer meat cooked over gas or coals...

also the electric oven that will cook appetizers in 6 seconds? I think an overly optimistic idea of how powerful a consumer microwave could be.

The kitchen island with built in slide out fridge/freezer definitely did become a thing in higher end real estate.

also, I want that Eames chair from the living room. But maybe not with the white leather...

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On a close listen, you find out that the "electric outdoor barbecue" is electric by dint of electric starter and electric motorized rotisserie. Sounds like even the "electric barbecue" runs on charcoal or gas.

I got that same sense from the indoor fireplace they show early on in the video.

Those super powerful microwaves were real. You just need them to be huge and expensive. Turns out 6 seconds vs. 6 minutes doesn’t matter much compared to the unit being the size of a fridge vs. a toaster.

I'm guessing these days even when you get a built-in microwave in a modern kitchen (such as above stove with ventilation hood unit) it's still a 1500W max load thing designed to go on a normal household 120V 15A circuit. You'd need to go to some expensive high end stuff before you have like a 240V 30A capable microwave.

Would the six second microwave work well? Would it obliterate your food in one region, while another isn’t warm?

yes, microwaves don't penetrate that far.

It would be like tanning under the sun vs tanning under a giant magnifying glass.

Another problem with electric grills/BBQs from my experience is that they’re just not powerful enough - even the smallest breeze is enough to blow away the little heat created by the heating element and the food takes ages to cook as a result if outdoors. I’m sure it’ll perform better indoors but then you have to deal with the fumes.

I had the opportunity to compare all three (coal, electric and gas) at the same time, preparing the same meat. Not a single person in our group of ~10 could tell which energy supply had been used in the preparation. But you need a proper electric grill with a hood and ~2kW power. This also limits the size of the grill, so if you need to feed a group of 6 or larger, maybe focus on gas or coal over electric. Or maybe someone builds an electric bbq to connect to an EV charging station?

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