Those £35 versions you can get at the supermarket are Ok if you only ever heat up a late-night pie, but if you want your microwave to really justify its space in the kitchen, take a look at these clever cubes. Whether you want something that will expand your cooking skills or pretty much do it all for you, we have a model that will thrill.
By Kerry Young
Jargon Busting
Combi
The smarty-pants of the microwave world, these can cook with microwaves, grilling, conventional fan, or any number of combinations. Ideal if you want a microwave to pull its weight as a back-up to your main oven.
Microwave with grill
This type of microwave does what expect: it can cook food either by microwaves, grilling or both. Good for giving your microwave dinner a little bit of colour and crispness.
Automatic programmes
Saves your brain from having to make too many decisions. Select from a range of foodstuffs and the machine will choose the right power level and cooking time for the job.
Type
Micros come in three basic types – microwave only, micro with grill or combi. A microwave with grill gives you the speed of microwave cooking plus tasty, crispy tops and bottoms, while a combi includes elements of conventional fan cooking as well so your microwave becomes more of a second oven.
Features
The stuff some models can do is incredible, but as ever, they are only as good as the idiot who (doesn’t) use them. If you just want a defrost and reheat machine, then don’t be talked into anything more.
Automatic settings
Gives the whole process a little more precision – key in the food type and weight and the microwave will calculate the correct cooking type and time.
Internal space
Some combi models have a rack so you can have two tiers of food cooking at the same time. Look out for a recessed turntable, too, which allows you to fit a wider choice of dishes inside.
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