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Buying a Microwave Oven?

Microwave oven is one cooking utility that has established itself as an indispensable tool in the kitchen. As someone said "Microwave ovens are the signs of our times" - or rather lack of time!

Lest (Indian) consumers assume otherwise, it is our duty to let it be known that microwaves do not serve any great and direct purpose in roasting, frying, sautéing or the like; but they do help a great deal in saving time, money and energy while working with pre-cooked foods, snacks, and re-heating leftovers. As a supplement to traditional kitchen resources, a microwave could be extremely helpful in quick heating liquid foods like milk, tea etc.

While relying on microwave for cooking needs it would be worth noting that foods heat unevenly: Foods containing oils, fats, saturated fats or cholesterol heat rather quickly than those that do not contain such substances. To establish this fact, try this experiment: Take a spoonful of water and a spoonful of any oil, in microwavable containers and heat them both at the same time for just ten seconds - make sure you take precautions for spills on the carousel. Open the oven door and check how hot each of the liquid got (be careful - don't burn yourself!)

When microwave ovens were first introduced, there was a big rumour that the units do not destroy all bacteria in the food while harmful rays were allowed out of the unit into the surroundings. While the first part of the rumour still holds true - it is the heat that kills the bacteria not the microwaves - the second factor was taken care of by immediately introducing protective shields around the microwave gun: microwave ovens are totally safe today.

One has to remember though that regular, day to day utensils cannot withstand microwave cooking and you need to accumulate a set of microwavable cooking utensils that are readily available in the market.

Since most microwave ovens last for many years, it pays to shop wisely for the features and performance you want. But which one to buy?

Key considerations

While purchasing a microwave oven, the key factors that play a major role in your decision are

Special note

Never place metal items like spoons and aluminium foil in a microwave oven; sparking and damage to the magnetron could render the oven useless. Damage can also occur if you operate an empty oven.

Space and Capacity

The microwave size, always measured in cubic feet, refers to the dimensions of the cooking chamber. Most small ovens are suitable for very limited use, offering chamber capacities of .3 to .5 cubic feet. A small countertop model with minimal performance and convenience controls may be perfectly adequate for a small family. Consider a smaller unit if counter space is at premium and your general use is heating drinks, small thawing jobs, or the occasional TV dinner. While countertop ovens take up valuable working space. (each unit also needs several inches of free space around them for ventilation to avoid a fire hazard!), over-the-range and built-in models free counter space.

Larger families generally need a microwave with larger capacity, it would be wise to consider all the features you would be using. The medium-size oven is the most popular among sizes.

Larger sizes also provide more programming features that improve the usefulness of the microwave as a supplementary tool in the kitchen. Large sizes, .9 cubic foot and more, can handle most of cooking loads but generally occupy significantly more counter space and may be more than the average consumer will ever use. Remember, larger the microwave oven, greater would be your power bill too.

Power

Power and size generally go hand in hand. Cooking power is measured in watts. The higher the wattage, the more power and the faster the food will cook.

Small ovens range from 500 to 650 watts, medium ovens from 600 to 800 watts and large ovens from 700 to 900 watts. This variation in cooking power can significantly affect cooking time; the higher-powered models cooking nearly a third faster than the low-powered units. Also, most recipes cooking times are calculated based on high power. Whatever size works for your kitchen, select the highest power available in that range.

You may want to avoid buying units with less than a 700 watt rating because most recommended cooking times for recipes or packaged foods assume at least that amount.

An oven with a variable power level selector helps you to reduce microwave-cooking power. For example, a 1,000 watt oven set at 50% power reduces the cooking level to 500 watts. Having a variety of power levels makes thawing and re-heating foods easier. The number of levels (usually two to 10) varies with make and model.

Features to consider

Carousel

Most ovens come with a revolving carousel (usually made of glass) that improves distribution of heat and eliminates the need to stop the cooking process to stir the food. The carousel uses up considerable space in the cooking chamber space because the corners of the cavity are not used.

The carousel is removable to add more space to the oven. Remember, if there's no turntable, you must stop the oven and turn or stir the food yourself several times during cooking.

Convection Oven

Microwaves with convection units can cook with microwaves only, with convection heat only or with both methods at once. Microwaves with convection heat is equipped with an electric element and a fan that circulates heated air around the food. This combination in a microwave attempts to overcome the technology's disability to 'brown and crisp' the food. This feature can usually be switched on or off as needed. For serious cooks, the convection/microwave combination is a must.

Convection ovens are usually sold with an option of cooking racks that are meant for use only during convection heating and should be purchased only for a microwave oven equipped with a convection unit. The rack increases available cooking space (by allowing dishes to be stacked) and ensures complete circulation of hot air around items being cooked.

Browning and crisping in a microwave are possible with special browning trays or with a convection unit. Ordinary plastic cookware may melt if used for browning.

Door

Virtually all side-hinged ovens open to the right. The door usually has a window in the door that allows you to monitor the process to prevent spill-overs.

Electronic Keypad

All microwave ovens are equipped with touch-sensitive keypads. Make sure the oven you are buying has one or two-touch cooking options (the ones you'll use the most). Preset buttons for popular foods like popcorn, tea, etc. are very handy - press button and oven instantly starts cooking; no need to press "start" button. Most ovens today have an 'add-a-minute' feature that adds a minute of cooking time at the press of a button. Shortcut buttons on some models can be custom programmed.

Temperature Probes

This electronic meat thermometer tells the microwave when the temperature inside the food is correct and causes the unit to power down or shut off. Unfortunately, this device is the most useful on the types of food for which the microwave is least suitable: roasts, turkeys, etc.

Auto Defrost

As microwaves do not generate heat evenly in food, defrosting is a balancing act between applying enough heat to defrost and not applying so much as to cook the most heated parts.

Once you enter the food weight and type, the oven automatically sets defrost time and power level. Auto defrost feature allows the unit to alternate power levels or go into no power mode for brief periods, allowing the heat to 'distribute' and defrost the food evenly. This feature is extremely convenient.

Moisture Sensor

Moisture sensors, found on pricier models, take the guesswork out of microwave cooking. Located in the oven cavity, the sensors measure steam given off by food during cooking and automatically adjust time and temperature for best results.

Many models have built-in sensors that prevent food from overcooking by monitoring moisture levels. When a sensor determines that a meal has shed most of its water through cooking, it signals that the meal is ready to serve; usually it's right. Some top-end models add convection heat so foods can be browned without moving to a conventional oven before serving.

Clean-Up

As with any cooking process, microwaves do get messy: you could have boil-overs and spills. Make sure the interior has a design that will keep spills on the inside when you open the door and has rounded edges and be easy to clean. Also, the oven cavity should feature an interior light.

Latest Features in Microwave Oven Technology

Help Display: This feature provides text instructions (usually in clock display window) for programming and using controls; eliminates guesswork.

Auto Start: A very convenient feature for socialising hosts - it automatically starts the oven at a specified time; useful if you’re entertaining guests before a meal.

Warm Hold: Keeps food warm by providing low heat at intervals for specified times.

Safety Lockout: Latest models have a safety feature such as child lockout with a keypad release.