Microwaves are key to an easy, convenient time in the kitchen. Since the microwave became mainstream in the 60s, it has made reheating leftovers and defrosting food a quick, easy process. With so many options on the market, it can be tricky to decipher which microwave oven is best for you. Whether you’re after a small microwave to heat or defrost food quickly or a multi-purpose microwave with a grill or steam element, we’ll walk through the basic features to look for in this microwave buying guide.
Types of Microwaves
Although the microwave isn’t an essential appliance to have in the kitchen, it sure makes life easier. Day-to-day life gets busy, and sometimes our time is limited. Zapping up leftovers or quickly defrosting meat from the freezer is simple with a decent microwave oven.
The countertop microwave is the most popular, affordable and recognisable microwave available, but there are a few other types: convection microwave ovens, over the range microwaves and built in microwave ovens.
COUNTERTOP MICROWAVES
Countertop microwaves are the most popular and affordable microwave on the market. Fast and efficient, countertop microwaves quickly convert energy into microwaves that heat your food. Countertop microwaves are convenient and simple and easy to use, compact and portable. They’re easy to replace and take with you when you move house or travel. On the other hand, they may have less advanced features than convection microwave ovens or built in microwaves. Some countertop microwaves come with grill and steam functions and usually feature shortcut presets to make cooking as user-friendly as possible.
CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN
If you’re looking for a versatile, microwave oven combo, the convection oven microwave may be for you. Typically, a convection microwave oven allows you to roast, crisp, brown, broil and bake food. You can even opt to use both convection and microwave features at the same time to speed up the cooking process. By using heating elements and a fan similar to that of an oven, convection microwave ovens circulate eat around the microwave, heating your food fast and evenly.
These are especially useful in small homes like an apartment where a full-size oven isn’t suitable, or in a caravan, van or holiday home.
BUILT IN MICROWAVES
Built in microwave ovens are a great way to save bench space, especially if your kitchen is on the smaller side. Built in appliances suit modern and renovated homes and will blend in seamlessly with other modern appliances. The only downside is that if you ever need to replace it, you’ll need to find one with the same dimensions, with room for ventilation to avoid replacing the entire cabinetry.
Built in microwaves tend to be pricier than your standard countertop microwave, but they usually come with plenty of additional features too.
OVER THE RANGE MICROWAVES
Similar to built in microwave ovens, over the range microwaves free up bench space and give your kitchen a sleek, tidy look.
With built in exhaust fans to eliminate odour, steam and smoke, over the range microwaves have a decent ventilation system in place. On the flip side, over the range microwaves may be less accessible than the countertop microwave for shorter adults and kids.
Key Elements to Consider
Whether you’re upgrading your current microwave, looking to purchase a convection microwave oven with a grill or after a microwave oven combination, there are a few things to consider.
SIZE
First up, it’s important to consider how much space you have in your kitchen. If you have a small kitchen or limited bench space, a countertop microwave may be tricky. In saying that, you can move it around or store it away as need be. Countertop microwaves come in various sizes, so you can choose depending on your needs. Alternatively, you can opt to install an over the range or a built in microwave so it doesn’t take up bench space. For this, you’ll need adequate cabinetry and will need to install it professionally.
STYLE
With so many microwaves on the market, you’re spoilt for choice for style. Whether you’re after a sleek, modern microwave, or a vintage style, there’s a microwave out there that will suit the style of your kitchen perfectly.
VOLUME
If you’re looking for a microwave to heat large amounts of food or defrost something like a whole chicken, you’ll need a microwave with a capacity or volume. Go for a microwave with an over 30L capacity.
FEATURES
The more expensive the microwave, the more advanced its features. What you go for depends on your personal needs, but look for these key features.
Wattage: A higher wattage significantly speeds up cooking time. Be careful to ensure your wiring meets the wattage and amp requirements of your microwave.
Smart Features: Newer microwaves sometimes feature include smart features so you can control your microwave through Bluetooth, an app or voice control. This is super convenient, especially if you want to multitask while cooking.
Sensors: Some microwaves feature sensors that will adjust the time and temperature of cooking and will automatically shut off power to avoid overcooking your food.
Controls: Look for a microwave with shortcut keys to assist with choosing the right time and temperature for your food. Some microwaves will have popular presets for defrosting and heating foods like chicken, fish, popcorn and pizza. More advanced microwaves even have presets for melting butter and softening food like ice cream.
Grill and steam functions: Some microwaves, like countertops, convection, built in, and over the range microwaves feature grill and steam functions so not only can you heat and defrost food, but cook too.
Automatic defrost: With an automatic defrost feature, you can enter the type of food and its weight, and the microwave will calculate how much time it needs to be defrosted for.
Time adjustment: This feature allows you to change the programmed time while cooking–there’s no need to stop and start.
Child safety lock: This one is pretty self-explanatory. Depending on your microwave, there may be a child safety lock to avoid dangerous accidents.
Multi-stage programming: With this feature, you can program your microwave to perform a sequence of functions. For example, defrost, cook and stand.
Visibility: If you want to check your food as it cooks, go for a microwave with a bright interior light and a transparent viewing window.
CLEANING
Making a mess in the microwave is inevitable, which is why you should look for an easy-to-clean microwave.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, there is a huge range of microwaves on the market to choose from. When purchasing your new microwave, check the product specifications so you can get the most out of it, whether you want to grill and steam as well as microwave, or want specific features that’ll make microwaving even simpler!
