Buying a New Microwave
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
You simply have to take a look in any electrical stores catalogue or read microwave oven reviews to realise that the array of microwave ovens out there is huge. So how do you go about picking one which is going to be suitable for you? Well, I cant advise you which is the one you should pick, but I can tell you that there are a pair of fundamental questions you need to ask yourself that will help you decide which microwave ovens you must think about more carefully.
What Will the Oven be Used For?
The first subject is the most vital for narrowing down whether you ought to think about ordinary microwave ovens or models with other features. Most individuals only use their microwave to warm up food rather than really cooking whole meals from scratch. For this, regular microwave ovens are unquestionably ample. If you were planning on using it for more different tasks you might want to look at combination microwave ovens which can also function like a normal convection oven.
This question will also help you to narrow down the microwave choice further by helping you think about the size of microwave you are going to want. If you live on your own then a small microwave will probably be all right, but if you propose to cook for a complete family then you will almost certainly want to look at larger models.
Are There Any Particular Features I Will Need?
Most models of microwave will come with a catalog of features, and for some the list can appear pretty immense. This doesnt of necessity imply that those with more features will be superior for you though. Further features are only worth paying for if you think they will be useful to you. One of the first you ought to think about is the auto-program functions which are available. If you are quite lazy then it may be quite alluring to get one where you can merely press one button to automatically set the time and the power level. As well as saving a few seconds, this feature is also truly useful if you are a novice with the microwave and you arent very convinced how long and at what power things should be cooked it can save quite a lot of additional time that you would spend looking these things up.
An added feature that many microwave ovens such as the Sharp R959SLM include is an auto-defrost feature. This lets you key in the weight and the microwave works out the power and time needed for defrosting once more a handy time-saving device which saves you looking it up.
If you have a slightly higher budget you might want to consider a model which has sensors which will stop the microwave oven when they discern the food is cooked such as the Panasonic NN-A554W. Again, this is probably mainly useful for all those new microwave cooks out there.
What Else Should I Consider?
In conclusion, there are just a couple of issues which you should be acquainted with to make sure that you get the best microwave in your price range. Most microwaves come with detachable plates and turntables as standard, but this is certainly something that will make your life easier, so decide on one with detachable parts over one with a fixed turntable if achievable.
The power of the microwave (e.g. 700W/800W/1000W and so on) is an indicator of how rapidly it cooks. Make certain that you select the highest power microwave you can within your budget, as even 100W more can make a big divergence in cooking times.
So if you follow all of these guidelines then you should be able to narrow down the list of microwaves which are best for you. The only factor left to do then is decide on the one which you find most visually appealing.