The Combination Microwave Cook: Recipes for Combination Microwaves and Microwaves with Built-in Grills (Right way)

Product Information

These combine normal microwave cooking with a grilling element. They can perform all the tasks you'd expect from a standard model, such as defrosting ready meals and reheating leftovers. The grill function can also brown food. In a combination microwave, the conventional microwave part is usually on the bottom, and there is a microwave/grill above it. You will use the bottom microwave to warm up leftovers or heat up water for tea, coffee, etc. Popcorn can be cooked in a combination microwave oven, but make sure to use a microwave popcorn bag. At just 42cm wide and 15.7kg in weight, I found it easy to lift the Bosch out of the box and onto the worktop. At 20 litres, it’s one of the smaller microwaves I’ve tested, but the interior is deep and provides ample room for your regular ready meal, coffee cup or standard microwavable dish. There are no convection oven settings here to confuse you either, which makes for a refreshing change to some of the more complex multi-tasking designs I’ve tried. As well as the standard microwave settings, this microwave does have a handy grill feature, however. It’s hard not to be impressed by the Sage the Combi Wave 3 in 1, a good-looking microwave in brushed stainless steel with a whole lot of useful cooking features. Although its premium features are reflected in its price tag, it does come with a two year warranty.

These models are proven to be energy efficient and come from brands that stay fault-free for longer, so shouldn't need replacing very often.What features will you use? Combi microwaves tend to come with a range of auto-cook settings, including multi-stage cooking – so you can defrost, microwave and then grill a lasagne for example. Some even come with settings for making yoghurt, air frying or steam cooking. But it's not worth paying for fancy features unless you're actually going to use them. Consider our list of the best features below before you buy. Clear labelling Controls should be clearly labelled with a large font size. Digital displays should be brightly lit and easy to read. If you're visually impaired, consider one that beeps when you make a selection. One word of warning, however, is to never run a microwave without food or drink inside it. “It should never be run empty, it needs to have moisture in there,” says Cobb. This is most commonly done when warming plates, but it can ruin the microwave. If you want to warm plates, put a cup of water on top of them. What’s the lifespan of a microwave? Countertop combination microwaves are freestanding appliances, designed to be situated on a kitchen work surface. They can be moved around as required. Toast lovers, take note though, the grill element may not be as powerful as conventional grills meaning it may be slower to brown your bread than an oven or a toaster.

I chose the A2 setting for a baked potato, which then offered up 3 settings depending on the weight. Are you still following? I then chose number 1, which suggested six minutes for a 230g potato, which seemed to cook it nicely. What I found slightly annoying, however, is that once the programme has started there’s no way to use the dial to adjust the time without stopping the cooking cycle. You don’t see many microwaves with the hinges at the bottom and a handlebar at the top. You don’t see many with runners inside for sliding grill trays in and out. Both are usually seen on traditional gas or electric ovens.That’s your clue that Panasonic’s catchily-named NN-DS95NBBPQ is designed to do things the average microwave can’t. The Samsung has ‘Smart Moisture Sensors’ that measure the humidity levels inside and prevent food from being under- or over-cooked, which I think is a reassuring feature. There’s also a healthy cooking mode that works well for brown rice, green beans or fish and poultry. I tried this with a couple of salmon fillets and although after 12 minutes the texture of the salmon was a little tougher than I would have liked, it was evenly cooked through and tasted good.Arguably more important than external size is internal capacity – we've found microwaves of the same size can vary massively in terms of usable space. There’s also some scaremongering that it’ll spoil the nutrients in food (or that the food will become radioactive). This is unfounded, Cobb informs me. “All it’s doing is agitating the molecules in food or drink. It doesn’t damage them any more than it would if you boiled on the stove. If you boil something to death they break down, and that’s the same in a microwave.” Obviously, ensure any food is thoroughly cooked. In the main, microwaves are used for heating ready meals, leftovers, and drinks. Many now have pre-programme functions, so, for example, if cooking a pizza or baked potato, you just press the button and it knows what to do. While we don’t have any on this list, it’s also worth noting that some combis are available as built-in models too. Settings