Microwave Buying Guide: How to Select the Perfect Microwave in India?
Microwave ovens bring great convenience to your kitchen. Whether to bake, grill, or reheat your food, it always comes in handy to do a variety of things in lesser time. With a microwave, you can make instant snacks, tea or coffee, soups, and even warm leftover food.
Back in the day, microwave ovens were no more than a luxury to own. Today, you will find them in the majority of Indian homes, seeing how quick and convenient it is to use. So now the question is how to choose the right microwave? Which type of microwave is the best? What should I consider when buying a microwave?
In this post, we have elucidated answers to all of these questions to help you make an informed decision.
Let’s dive in:
Detailed Microwave Buying Guide
The type of microwave oven is one of the crucial factors you must consider before any other factor. There are 3 main types of microwave ovens:
- Solo microwave ovens: These types of ovens are the basic, standard-level equipment, ideal for easy-peasy cooking, reheating or defrosting food, and steaming vegetables.
- Grill microwave ovens: As the name implies, these types of models are mainly designed with grilling accessories to suit all your grilling and cooking needs. It is similar to the solo microwave models, but with extra bells and whistles. With grill ovens, you can grill vegetables and meats; it gives a beautiful texture and mouth-watering look to the dishes.
- Convection microwave ovens: These ovens comprise a fan and a heating element that pattern the airflow within the microwave to cook or grill food evenly. It is a multi-purpose appliance that can be used for grilling, baking, cooking, and reheating.
If you’re looking for a versatile oven that allows you to bake, grill meats or vegetables, defrost or reheat foods and cook a variety of dishes, then the convection oven is your ultimate choice! Some brands even offer air frying mode in a convection microwave for added convenience.
The capacity of a microwave oven is measured in Litres. The ideal size of the microwave for you depends upon the family members and the frequency of usage. Mostly, people use microwaves to reheat or warm food than cooking or baking. Here’s a reference of what size of the microwave would be perfect for different family sizes:
| Ideal Type of Microwave Oven | Capacity in Litres | Family Size |
|---|---|---|
| Solo Microwave | 15-20 Litre | 2 to 3 members |
| Grill Microwave or Convection Microwave | 20-25 Litre | 2 to 4 members |
| Solo Microwave | 25-30 Litre | 4 to 6 members |
| Grill Microwave or Convection Microwave | 32 Litre and Above | 5 members and above |
Moreover, consider the outer dimensions of the microwave to ensure it will easily fit onto your kitchen countertop.
The type of control panel provided on the outside of the microwave decides the convenience and ease of use of a microwave. There are 3 types of panels seen in the ovens generally:
- Tactile Knobs: The dial type of control panel was very commonly found in the traditional, low-end ovens. It allows you to set the temperature and time via a dial and is quite durable in the long run.
- Mechanical buttons: A control panel with mechanical buttons is a widely used design in ovens to control temperature and other functions. It is durable and less likely to wear and tear.
- Touch-screen: A touch-screen control panel is found in high-end models and allows you to control various functions with a feather touch. Often, this design comprises LED backlit controls which add a classy touch to your kitchen decor.
The power of the microwave oven is measured in Watts. The power rating of the ovens decides their heating efficiency and cooking time. It can be anywhere from 600 Watts to 1500 Watts, as per the capacity of the oven. It is highly recommended to go for the oven with at least 800 Watts or above power rating for better cooking efficiency. Anything below 800 W would be of low efficiency and will take more time to heat. Bottom-line is, the higher the power rating, the better.
A few microwave oven models come with humidity sensors that prevent overcooking of your food and power wastage. No need to guess the time needed to cook the dishes as these types of ovens will automatically gauge the cooking time as per the food item placed inside.
It is a crucial feature to look for if you have small children in your family. It locks the appliance to prevent children from opening or operating the oven whilst it is ON, thereby avoiding hazards or accidents.
The multi-stage cooking function is a good feature to look for, especially to cook Indian dishes as it commonly involves cooking at varying temperatures as per the stages.
Say, for example, some foods are initially kept at a high temperature and then the temperature is lowered for slow cooking. The multi-stage cooking feature will allow you to automatically set time intervals and temperatures for different stages of cooking.
It is good to have auto-cook menu keys such as to make popcorn or instant noodles, etc. with preset temperatures and cooking time. These shortcut keys are quick and handy to use, perfect for people who have no time or don’t like to configure the settings every single time. Just press a single key and you’re good to go.
Some ovens require you to simply input the type and weight of the dish and it will automatically set the cooking time and power required.
Auto Defrost is again a highly convenient shortcut key to have in ovens, especially for those who prefer ready-to-eat foods frequently. You simply need to enter the item’s weight and the oven will automatically configure the time and temperature needed to defrost it.
The timer function allows you to schedule time for the cooking cycle after which the microwave will automatically turn OFF.
The ceramic Interior of the microwave is much better than the stainless steel or epoxy ones. That is because the ceramic interior is easy to clean, does not lose its colour, and is fairly scratch-resistant.
The ‘Deodorisation’ mode acts like an exhaust that pushes out inside air to eliminate bad odours to allow for fresh food taste.
Microwave Buying Guide: Frequently Asked Questions
When buying a microwave oven, it is important to look for key factors such as type of the oven, power rating, control functions provided, capacity and size of the appliance, and manufacturer’s warranty.
Below given are the Top 8 Best Brands for Microwave ovens in India:
- LG
- Philips
- Samsung
- Panasonic
- IFB
- Godrej
- Bajaj
- Whirlpool
A microwave oven should be at least 700W or above for optimal heating and cooking time. Ovens with less than 700W of power may not be efficient enough to cook food evenly. In short, the higher the power rating, the faster the heating and cooking time of the oven.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of our detailed Microwave Oven buying guide. Apart from all the factors mentioned above, one must also consider the manufacturer’s warranty, brand reliability, and after-sales service provided when buying a microwave oven. This will allow for hassle-free use of the appliance.
