Yooper so you're suggesting to do a boil/extract brew and to forget the kits?
Homercidal answered this quite well. I'm not suggesting that you should forget all kits- just those "kit and a kilo" kits that are junk.
There are quality kits out there, and if you let us know your location we can steer you to a homebrew store that can supply one. They do require a boil, as the hops must be boiled, but that can be done in most cases on your household stove.
I liken the kit & a kilo kits to a can of spaghettios. It's easy, some people like them, but it's in no way a "good" version of pasta.
The next level up can be likened to canned pasta sauce, but you can add some seasoning and serve it over pasta and it's pretty good for what it is.
Partial mash (the next level from that) is like opening a can of tomato sauce and some tomato paste and making the spaghetti sauce. Much more "homemade" (better) and still not all that difficult.
That's how I see the beer kits. You can get the Spaghettios version which is like mixing up orange juice from a can. And for many people, especially those who value quantity over quality, those kit & a kilo kits may be good enough.
If you want a better homemade product, though, you have to start with a better set of ingredients.