My diet used to be garbage—not in the way you’re probably assuming: eating empty calories through unhealthy fats, high sugar, and a lot of sodium. The foods I ate were actually pretty clean and nutritious: bananas, pears, rolled oats, seeded bread and sourdough, and roast beef and turkey, in the form of lunch meats. But that list was all I ate—literally! Did you notice what all those foods have in common? They don’t require cooking.

My hyperacusis and tinnitus are so severe that microwaves and ovens were absolutely no-gos. The beeps, sizzling, and whirring sounds while cooking caused too much pain and louder ringing, even with earplugs and earmuffs. I had a big problem: I was getting sick of my diet. No hot food and the same crap over and over; it was enough to kill my appetite and make me feel like skipping meals.

So I started thinking outside the box. Hey, it’s 2026—technology has come a long way, I told myself. I wondered if they make microwaves you can remote control. Sounds absurd, right? Well, I researched on Google, expecting that they don’t, and was sort of shocked that they do, because it doesn’t seem like most people would need such a thing.

Once my surprise subsided, I was delighted by the prospect of such a device. I knew it would be revolutionary for my sound sensitivities. Because this technology is completely quiet, people with hyperacusis who lost their passion for cooking would be able to reclaim their kitchen pastime. These microwaves were said to utilize “smart” technology with a straightforward process: connecting them to WiFi, loading the food, and using an app to control the cooking remotely. I’d be able to leave the room, use my phone to program the microwave’s power settings and cooking duration, and the app would tell me when the food is ready. I thought it sounded too good to be true, but I took the leap anyway.

I ordered a model that was priced reasonably: the TOSHIBA ML-EM34P(SS) for $179 on Amazon—only 20 bucks higher than your average appliance! It was easy to set up and took about 15 minutes. All I had to do was activate the WiFi button on its keypad. You won’t have to do this again, as the machine will keep the connection in its memory. (And to avoid the 65-decibel beep, I was able to get someone to press the button for me; hopefully you could too, if necessary.)

The first test went off without a hitch. The below pictures show what the interface is like in the SmartHome app. You can see the power and time settings (5 GEAR means 50% power), and how you can start and pause the microwave and defrost frozen meats. I’m happy to report that this machine has changed my life. It does exactly as promised. Now I can cook whatever my stomach desires and my diet isn’t bland. I just had a turkey burger and loaded baked potato. Bon appétit is back in order!

Side notes: if you don’t want to leave the room, can tolerate the whirring and just want to silence the beeps, that option exists as well with the model that I bought. To do this, you’ll have to endure the beeping once while you’re navigating the settings (unless you have a helper, of course). The only other thing to mention regarding the microwave’s noise is that closing the door is loud if you don’t engage the trigger on its handle. If you hold the trigger down, you can gently close the door.

Soon, I’ll be sharing additional hyperacusis hacks. This piece is intended to be the start of a series. Do you have a hyperacusis hack? Drop a comment or shoot Hyperacusis Central an email at hyperacusiscentral@gmail.com. I’d love to share your discovery!

*AI wasn’t used to write or edit this article.