Choosing a modern microwave

Skillful Microwaves

The only disadvantage of cooking in the microwave is with prolonged when exposed to microwaves, they "dry" food, causing moisture to evaporate.

A microwave oven, also known as a microwave oven, is a household appliance that allows heating and/or thermal processing of food using radio waves. The magnetron emitter emits powerful radio pulses inside the microwave, which are absorbed mainly by water contained in food products. Intensively heated by radio waves, water causes food products to heat up. At the same time, the statement that products in the microwave are "cooked from the inside" is incorrect – microwaves are usually absorbed in a small near-surface layer of food. And in order for the microwaves to be more or less evenly distributed over the surface of the heated dish, the food product in the microwave rotates on the plate.

Periodically, rumors about any harm of cooking in microwaves are nothing more than ridiculous speculation. The only small drawback of cooking in a microwave oven is that with prolonged exposure to microwaves, the food "dries", causing moisture to evaporate from the products. At the same time, the advantages of using a microwave oven are undeniable: cooking in a microwave oven allows you to preserve useful elements – vitamins and minerals as much as possible. Plus, in a microwave oven, food is not soaked with extraneous (and often harmful) fats, because they simply do not need to be added for cooking in a microwave oven. Therefore, products cooked in a microwave oven retain their natural taste, consistency and colour as much as possible.

At the same time, the microwave oven is different. The models differ in volume, power, and functionality. What should I pay attention to when choosing such a device? Let's figure it out.

Volume and size

The most popular "medium-sized" models for 20-25 and 25-30 liters.

Microwaves differ in volume – the useful size of the inner chamber in which food is prepared. Naturally, the larger the size of the camera, the larger the external dimensions of the device itself. Manufacturers produce microwave ovens with an internal volume from 9 to 41 liters, but the most popular among users are "medium-sized" models. These are microwave ovens for 20-25 and 25-30 liters. Note that if the microwave has additional functions, such as a grill, then its volume will be "above average" — usually microwaves with a volume of 25 liters are offered with a grill. In a small 20-liter microwave oven, you will easily warm up a plate of borscht, porridge, and defrost the meat. The stove with a capacity of 25-30 liters will already accommodate a chicken for grilling or bake "in one go" several small fish, such as dorada. Finally, a roomy oven with a capacity of 30-40 liters makes it possible to bake a large turkey or cook a large container of meat stew for the arrival of guests.

The external size should be taken into account when selecting models, because if you have, for example, a small kitchen, then a microwave oven with large dimensions can take up too much space. Whereas for the usual heating of food (the most frequent function of the microwave), the average family of 3-4 people will have enough oven for 20 liters.

Use cases and power

If you are not fond of cooking and are going to use a microwave oven only for heating or quick defrosting of products, then it is quite reasonable to choose the simplest model with mechanical control and a single microwave (microwave) mode of use, with a power of up to 800 watts. These are furnaces Gorenje MMO 20 DE stainless steel , Zelmer 29Z020 white , Samsung ME711KR white and others .

But if there are lovers of delicious cooking in the family, you will need to fork out for a more multifunctional microwave oven, at least equipped with a grill and convection. Grilling and convection require increased energy consumption for heating, so the power of microwaves with support for these functions is above 800 watts. The most inexpensive of them use a power range of 800-1000 watts. Similar models include Elenberg MG-2950D black , Candy EGO G25DC W white , Gorenje Simplicity MO 6240 SY2B black and others .

Inverter principle

There are conventional microwave ovens, and there are inverters. From the point of view of operational properties, both options are absolutely identical for the user. Therefore, it is not worth giving preference to microwaves on this basis. The difference between inverter furnaces lies in the principle of magnetron control – here its operation is realized in continuous mode, whereas in conventional furnaces it emits radio waves in short pulses. Manufacturers of inverter microwaves claim that their approach makes the heating of food more uniform, but since the power of the radiation absorbed by the dish is exactly the same in both cases, this is just a clever marketing ploy.

Delicious crust. Grill

Grilling and convection require increased energy consumption, the power of such  microwaves above 800 watts.

The grill allows you to cook delicious dishes with a fragrant and delicious crispy crust – the same chicken or fish. A microwave oven with only a microwave mode is not capable of such culinary masterpieces (as we have already said, microwaves are absorbed in the near-surface layer of food, and they simply cannot "warm up" a large duck or chicken evenly). Therefore, all fans of delicious choose the option of a microwave oven with a grill.

The grill in the microwave oven can be a heating element or quartz. Devices with heating elements (a conventional tubular electric heater with a thread or spiral inside) are cheaper, in addition, often in microwaves, heating elements can change their position (for example, be installed along the back wall) for more uniform roasting of meat.

Quartz grill is, in fact, a powerful lamp that emits infrared heat waves. A device with a quartz grill will cost more, but it has its advantages: it heats up faster at rated power and is more economical than a heating element, takes up less space inside the microwave and is easier to clean (due to the quartz surface and rectilinear shape) from the inevitable dirt that accompanies cooking in microwave ovens – splattered droplets of fat and small particles of food.

In microwave ovens, a flat grill is mainly used, which has nothing in common with the classic spit grill. Therefore, for uniform roasting of the product on both sides, the food has to be turned over manually at a certain time (the microwave usually signals this need with an audible signal). On a flat grill, flat dishes are ideally prepared – sausages, sausages, fish. More voluminous items, such as a large chicken, are not fried as evenly as on a classic spit, despite all the tricks of the manufacturers. Popular devices with a flat grill are Samsung GE83XR silver , Bosch HMT 84G421 white , Whirlpool JT 469 SL black and others . At the same time, if desired, you can find quite expensive models of microwaves with a classic grill, such as Panasonic NN-CS894B black .

The disadvantage of cooking on the grill is the fat inevitably splashing around the inner chamber, which then has to be removed in order to maintain proper cleanliness inside the microwave.

If you are going to cook delicious pastries in the microwave, you will need model with convection support.

These are the pies. Convection.

If you are going to cook delicious pastries in the microwave, you will need a model with convection support. The essence of convection is simple: a fan continuously drives air heated to a very high temperature through the furnace chamber. This not only ensures the most uniform heating of food from all sides, but also gives a beautiful ruddy crust on pies and other baked goodies. In addition to cooking the dough, the convection mode helps to bake meat or fish most evenly. Usually, in microwaves, the convection mode is combined with microwave processing, which speeds up the cooking process. Excellent convection ovens are Samsung MC28H5135CK black , Panasonic NN-CD565BZPE black Price from 13 299 up to 27 066 ₴, Gorenje GMO-25 DCE and others .

Management and capabilities

The most affordable ovens have simple mechanical control, when the required radiation power is determined by two rotating handles and the cooking time is set. Furnaces of this type include Zelmer 29Z018 white , Gorenje MO 17 MW white , Samsung ME711KR white and others .

More advanced modern ovens have advanced push-button or touch controls and offer an extensive electronic menu for ease of use. You can programme such an oven for the necessary actions. Among the most popular functions are available: automatic defrosting, automatic cooking programs (dozens of recipes are available in modern models), child protection (device lock), setting the clock on the indicator, etc. Furnaces with software control support include Samsung ME83KRW-2 white , LG MS-2342BS , Panasonic NN-ST254MZPE black Price from 3 483 up to 4 317 ₴ and others .

Elegant finish

The interior ceramic coating is more expensive, but much stronger.

The interior finish of the microwave oven chamber affects the convenience and durability of using the device. Most often, the inner chambers of microwave ovens are covered with enamel, which is quite easy to clean from food residues, which helps to keep the oven clean.

The interior ceramic coating is more expensive, but very durable – it is much harder to scratch than enamel. Plus, ceramics are almost perfectly smooth, so it is even easier to clean than enamel.

Finally, another commonly used option is a stainless steel coating. It also has its advantages. Steel cannot be damaged, broken or chipped by an accidental strong blow of dishes, like ceramics or enamel. The steel chamber withstands high temperatures no worse than ceramics, which is important when using convection and a grill. The only disadvantage of the steel coating is that it is relatively more difficult to clean it from stains remaining after cooking.

In the cheapest models of microwave ovens, you may encounter the so-called "non-stick" (or otherwise spectacularly named) coating, for which negligent manufacturers give out ordinary iron painted under enamel. If possible, avoid such options.

Give me a pair!

Fans of a healthy lifestyle often prefer steamed food. Such food forms the basis of many therapeutic diets. This is because when steamed, the food retains its nutrients and its natural structure as much as possible. It is not surprising that among the microwaves there are models who can cook for a couple. Such a microwave oven contains a special container for heated water, above which there are baskets with products for steam treatment. To protect against microwaves, the baskets are covered with a special hood, impervious to radio waves. Microwave radiation heats up only the water in the container, which evaporates and "soars" the products, as if in a gas steamer. Quite often, large roomy microwaves with steamers have several food baskets, allowing you to cook several dishes at the same time (although it is worth considering that the smells of dishes can be mixed at the same time – for example, if you cook fish with seasonings and steamed vegetables separately). This significantly saves housewives time. Often models with a steamer have an additional useful function of cleaning the inner surface of the microwave with steam. A series of "dietary" microwaves with a steamer include Samsung MS23H3115FK black , Whirlpool JT 469 SL black and others .

Delicious and healthy dishes for you!