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<p style="text-align: left;">Ours is refusing to come on, new fuse, dead!</p>
Need a new one - what do you need to consider??
Make sure your plates will fit in it. Don’t get one that does loads of other stuff that you’ll never use. Make sure it has one touch 30s start on full power - most do but I’ve seen the odd crap one that doesn’t.
I went for one with a combi oven, it's a great concept although I would not get a Samsung one. With the addition of a small amount of microwave power you can oven cook stuff in less than half the time and it's still crispy - possibly more so because you put it on a special plate that heats up with microwaves and that makes the bottom crispy as well, if it's something like frozen fish.
Get a flatbed one, you don't have to put round dishes in it. Much better than turntable ones imo.
How evenly it cooks! How easy to use.
Our 15 year old Panasonic has the magnetron at the side of the chamber, food rotates past it and heats evenly.Much newer intergrated Bosch has magnetron at the top, which over-heats the food directy below in the centre of the turntable.
Other solutions to acheiving even cooking may be available these days.
Plus the Panasonic is just easier to use, my default go to for quick bread defrost and anything needing multiple (microwave/oven/grill) cooking methods, even though its in the Utility room and Bosch is in the kitchen. Bosch has, on paper, similar capabilities, but I would have to get the paper instruction book out to see if I need program mode 6,7 or 8!
Can you cook meatballs in a combi?
A good start would be what sort of shops sell microwaves and also where those shops are.
HTH
Size. make sure the plates you want to put in it won't foul the sides*.
Other than that, get one thats 900w or more.
I've got a smalll 900w combo jobbie micro/grill/oven, but I still use the gass oven/hob for proper cooking.
*also, dont buy trendy square shaped dinner plates, get round ones.
I've got one of these, its very good https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9379275?clickPR=plp:3:7
it is quite small though.
The controls are a little bit RTFM, but it seems to be a solid unit.
Don't get one with an oven in the top! Impossible to clean with the elements. Big regret!
Don't get one without a turntable, crap for anything you can't stir the burnt bits into or be arsed to manually turn every 30s.
Microwaves are so last year. An air fryer, de rigueur.
There's differences of course, but an air fryer does the things that they both do better imho.
SWMBO insists on having stainless steel insides, otherwise condensation always gets under the enamelling and wrecks it.
There’s differences of course, but an air fryer does the things that they both do better imho.
I only use my microwave for defrosting stuff or warming plates in winter. Does an air fryer do that better?
defblade has it.
Don't bother with a multi-function one unless you def think you can make use of it, I think I used the oven setting in mine a couple of times 10 years ago. Other than that, as others have said, make sure you get one big enough to suit your needs. Oh and make sure the door opens the right way for where it's going to be (mine doesn't so I have to twist around getting stuff in and out...)
Those flatbed ones look interesting, I guess they're designed so the wave pattern means it cooks evenly?
I think I read that the spinnyness happens under the flat part. The bottom is glass I assume to let the microwaves through. I dunno but it works well and there's no issue of incorrectly sized crockery or the turntable knocking off.
Does it have dials ? So much better than buttons !!
But ultimately the only thing I need to know is, which one does the boss think is best ?
Don't get an Ikea one. I did - it works fine, but it's just so bloody needy. Yeah, you've done the food, beep once, thanks. Don't keep spinning, with the fan whirring, and beeping at me every 30s to let me know. I heard the first time.
I have a Panansonic one with a combi oven function.
It's massively useful and a lot quicker and easier than using the oven for single tray stuff, and cooks at least as well.
We bought a 'corner' one. It's taller than usual as the microwavy thingyjig is in the bottom, not the side, but the 'footprint' of it is much smaller.
Hotpoint Curve. Just press and hold the go button to increase the time
+1 for stainless steel interior, and as few other functions as possible.
Make sure it has one touch 30s start on full power
We have one with all sorts of power settings and programs. I only ever us 2 buttons; Start (30s) and Stop. If something like a gu pudding specifies 25 seconds then it's quicker to stand next to it and wait for 25s than it is to go through all the faff of about 10 buttons and a dial to set it to 25 exactly.
Might be worth seeing it in store and checking you can yank open the door without pulling the whole microwave across the worktop if it's too light or the door catch is too strong.
And don't get whatever one it is that my parents have. You stick something in it for 30 seconds then the fan runs loudly for about 5 minutes afterwards. I don't actually know what brand it is, so not much use sorry.
Microwaves are so last year. An air fryer, de rigueur.
There’s differences of course, but an air fryer does the things that they both do better imho.
Witness the air-fryer microwave:
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9552360?clickPR=plp:11:70
I now want to get one and accidentally air-fry soup.
It’s massively useful and a lot quicker and easier than using the oven for single tray stuff, and cooks at least as well.
Yep, also great in a heatwave because it uses less power and is quicker; and if you're really suffering you can put it outside on an extension lead! We did this a few times 🙂
Might be worth seeing it in store and checking you can yank open the door without pulling the whole microwave across the worktop if it’s too light or the door catch is too strong.
Thumb on the button panel?
I look for:
Stainless inside
Digital time setting not a twisty sprung knot random time generator
Large enough for plates etc we use
High power
Anything else is a distraction.
How many bleeps when it’s done, our Sharp does give big bleeps, it makes me want to kill it with knives.
More power does not mean that it'll be a better microwave. Most packaged foods only have heating instructions up to 1000 Watts. A rotating plate is also a good thing.
Another vote for the Panasonic combi. Had ours for years. Stainless interior so no rust or flaking paint.
And as per others, we do a fair bit in it as its quicker and uses a shed load less energy than putting the big main kitchen oven on for something small.
Eg good for baked spuds (get the baked skin like in the real oven but an hour quicker and a quid less leccy.).
My folks were sold one by a sales person at Curry’s, brought it home, and it was one with keypad on it. My mum couldn’t figure out how to use it, and literally ended up in tears, I spent ages trying to understand from the manual how to set it up, and gave up in frustration, put it back in the box, grabbed the receipt and took the bloody thing back, and had it replaced with one with two dials, one for the timer, one for the power. My mum was so relieved, seeing her crying because she was sold something so over complicated for a simple job made me really upset. Still using it, it’s outlived both my folks, it must be at least fifteen, possibly twenty years old now.
Thumb on the button panel?
I realised when using it later on yesterday that that is exactly what I do. It'd be nice if I didn't have to though.