Your microwave oven is one of the essential appliances in your kitchen, and probably at this point, you can't live without it. You can heat the leftovers from your dinner last night that you still want to enjoy in the morning. It's also helpful in heating the much-needed cup of coffee that went cold while you were caught up in work and didn't drink it fast enough. There’s plenty of reasons to want to use a microwave. They allow you to heat food while cutting down on the degradation of heat-sensitive nutrients like Vitamin A, B1, and B2. They enable the uniform heating of food. It allows for precise control over heating time and temperatures. They will eliminate the need for additional cookware for heating food when you’re just using the same serving dishes.
Features of a Quality Microwave
Now that you understand how vital a microwave is, it's vital that you get a quality one for your kitchen. Although it might seem like all microwaves are created equal, this isn't the case. Here are four features to look for to determine a quality microwave:
- Built-in cook settings - You should get a microwave oven with built-in cook settings. These settings would make it easier for you to cook things that would otherwise be tricky to get right, like baked potatoes and popcorns. Some more costly microwave options offer more built-in cook settings than more affordable options, thus saving you both effort and time.
- Convection cook option - It's time you start paying more attention to whether the microwave you are planning to buy offers a convection cook option. This option means that fans in the oven circulate hot air around the food to heat it both inside and outside evenly. Additionally, the convection cook option allows the food to retain its moisture; thus, eliminating the possibility that you will end up with a dried-out meal.
- An excellent carousel - Make sure that the microwave oven that you get has a quality carousel. These are usually made of glass, plastic, or ceramic. The option you settle for is up to your personal preference. Check that the carousel is big enough to accommodate most of the utensils that will hold the food you will be heating.
- Convenient placement - You should settle for a microwave that would conveniently fit into your kitchen. This means you have to consider how much counter space you have and which percentage of it you are willing to sacrifice. Besides the over-the-counter microwave, you can also install an over-the-range microwave or a built-in drawer microwave, depending on your style.
Popular Microwave Models You Should Consider
Currently, there are numerous microwave models available in the market. This means that it can be pretty challenging for you to pick a suitable model, especially if it's your first microwave purchase. Here are some of the best microwave models that you should consider;
- Panasonic microwave oven NN-SN966S - This is an elegant countertop microwave that boasts of having a built-in inverter technology coupled with turbo defrost. The microwave is stainless steel, which is perfect for most kitchens. It can deliver consistent power for even heating and faster defrosting times. The microwave has a 2.2 cubic feet of capacity and draws about 1250 Watt power, making it quite efficient. Moreover, it features a 16.5-inch diameter carousel, which makes it perfect for a large family.
- Toshiba EM131A5C-BS microwave oven - This Toshiba Microwave features a pre-programmed sensor menu optimized for heating popular foods like veggies, potatoes, and pizza. Moreover, it operates on 1100 Watt power with 10 power settings. It also features a large digital display which enables easy control of the different functions. The Toshiba Microwave also has a glass carousel for easy cleaning and features an eco-mode, and two settings of defrost mode.
- Black + Decker EM720CB7 Digital Microwave Oven - If you have a small kitchen, a large microwave might seem overbearing. This is why this Black + Decker microwave exists with a 0.7 cubic foot capacity. It draws 700 Watt power, which makes it very energy efficient. Additionally, it has a 10-inch carousel, which is quite impressive given its small capacity. It also has many features found on larger microwaves above, like an LED digital display and an easy to operate control panel.
