Buying The Best Microwave Oven
Back in the 1970s, microwave ovens were considered a staple of modern households, allowing working families to enjoy hot meals, which could be ready within minutes. Nowadays there are many different uses for microwave ovens, including making cakes in a mug!
Things have definitely changed! Whether you’re interested in re-heating yesterday’s yummy dinner, defrosting meat for tonight’s meal, or steaming vegetables, microwave ovens can pretty much do it all. But with so many options out there, you will need a comprehensive guide to buying the best microwave oven for your family, luckily here at Adelaide Appliance Gallery, we are experts!
What do you want to do with your microwave oven? To get started, bring out a pen and paper and decide what your microwave oven should do. If you’re solely interested in the convenience of heating up meals or a mug of soup, then high-tech functions should be of little interest to you. Alternatively, if baking and grilling are common techniques you’d like to use, a high-end unit is bound to make life much easier.
Kitchen Space
Another thing to consider is where the microwave oven will sit in your kitchen. The location affects the features, installation of the appliance, and overall price –remember that you will need a 15cm gap behind and above for ventilation purposes. For example, if you have a tight kitchen and are looking to free up some much need workspace, perhaps a built-in model will suit you better. We have a range of built in microwave ovens on display in our Adelaide Appliance Gallery showroom.
Microwave oven size
Microwave oven capacity can range from 17L to over 32L, with bigger sizes being ideal for larger families –more interior height to cook multiple dishes at the same time.
Microwave oven features
Microwave oven only
The start-up version of microwave ovens is often referred to as solo microwave ovens, this basic choice is ideal for convenient tasks such as defrosting, reheating, or cooking ready-meals.
Microwave oven with grill
Microwave ovens that have an integrated grill feature display all the characteristics of a standard unit, but with the bonus of an internal grill. If you love your food well cooked and browned, giving it a more appealing texture and appearance, then you might opt for this type of microwave oven. Typically models come with a metal rack for grilling, and the microwave oven and grill options can be used separately or combined.
Combi
Well, the name says it all. Combi is a combination microwave oven designed to give you more flexibility when preparing food –using grill only, microwave oven only, or convection heat. The models are usually praised for their excellent baking and steaming results.
Power
When it comes to microwave oven power, we are talking about watts. The higher the wattage, the quicker your food will cook and develop that attractive crispiness that will make you want to lick your fingers. Ranging from between 650 and 1950W microwave ovens are usually rated from A to E, the latter being the most common rating. You should ensure that your oven has a full range of temperatures available for convection cooking.
Functions
Auto-reheat: there’s a lot to love about this option, as you simply enter the food and the microwave oven calculates its weight and appropriate cooking time for you.
Auto-defrost: you simply enter the weight of the food, and the microwave oven does its trick by defrosting it accordingly.
Vegetable steamer: some microwave oven models are equipped with a vegetable steamer, offering a fast and healthy way to cook vegetables.
Pizza function: have you ever met someone who doesn’t like pizza? Neither have we. If you’re not one for wasting food, keep leftovers from a party and reheat your tomato and mozzarella rich pizza in the microwave oven. Especially if you have a grill or a combi microwave oven, this will work a charm, and you can enjoy finger-licking pizza in a matter of minutes.
Now that you know what type of microwave oven you want, and the features to look out for, visit our Adelaide Appliance Gallery to find the best model for you at a great price!
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