Microwaves: How to buy
Which microwave is right for you?
Ready meal fans
Jacket potato testing
If you’re a fan of the five minute curry, a microwave-only oven is likely to meet your heating and defrosting requirements You’ll be able to pick one up for as little as £30.
Budding chef
You can do a lot more than heating and defrosting with a combination microwave. With a combination oven standard heating and defrosting tasks are taken as read.
Combination models come into their own when grilling and cooking with the convection oven which allows you to brown food. If you’re a little more adventurous in the kitchen a combination microwave would be a good choice.
New kitchen
You can find all types of microwave that come in built-in versions. Good news for anyone looking to plug a gap in their shiny new fitted kitchen.
Which features matter?
Dinner for two
Cooking two dishes at once
If you cook more than one dish at a time, look for a model with a shelf. Remember, you’ll need to double the cooking time if you’re making two meals, but they will be ready at the same time.
Visual impairment
Go for a microwave with large text that bleeps each time a button is pressed. This will help you to count through the settings.
Limited hand use
The best models for people with limited hand or arm strength have doors that are easy to open and controls that can be pushed or gripped without too much force.
What to look for in the shops
Bargains
Prices are falling especially for standard solo models. Supermarkets are a good place to pick up a cheap microwave.
Extended warranties
Avoid expensive extended warranties for microwaves. Reliability isn’t bad and with prices falling products can be cheaply replaced.
Dishes, metal and cleaning
Microwave safe
Heatproof glass or pyrex are ideal for use in a microwave. Use plastics labelled as microwave safe. Don’t use containers from frozen or chilled food such as margarine tubs.
Metal
Some microwaves come with metal trays and racks these days. If you microwave includes metallic accessories you can feel safe using them but make sure that you read the instruction manual first.
Cleaning
Lemon juice in a bowl of water boiled in a microwave-safe dish will leave the inside of your microwave clean and citrus fresh once wiped clean.
A cloth dipped in hot soapy water and wrung out will help to clean stainless steel. Specialist stainless steel cleaners can be used for really tough stains and a few drops of baby oil can be used to restore the finish.