Combination Microwave oven - Questions

khampson

Hi I need a new microwave oven and im thinking about paying the extra to go for a combination microwave but I have a couple of questions, firstly are they any good? How well do they work as a standalone grill and how well do they work as a standalone oven? Can you use metal in them using grill and oven facility in them.

Thank you

Icey77

I have one and use it every day to cook my daughters dinner, rather than use the main oven which takes ages in comparison to heat up!

I've not used the grill function, only the convection oven and microwave functions and wouldn't be without it.

Yes, when using the convection oven function you can use metal oven dishes etc. I also switch between oven and microwave very easily say to cook her chicken burgers then to microwave the her peas if I haven't done them on the hob with other veg

room512

We have one (the same model as my brother, FIL, MIL and mum!) and used to use it all the time as a convection oven and grill. Don't use it as much now as we have a good oven. It was great for cooking just doesn't fit as much in as a conventional oven. You just need to remember when using it as an oven or grill to put the metal plate on the turntable or the glass turntable cracks.

SailorSam

Thanks 512, i've had my combi a couple of years but used the oven part for the first time only this weekend, i had to put things in twice 'cos i was thinking when i first tried that the microwave part takes less time so this will as well, but it doesn't work like that does it. Thanks for the tip about the glass turntable, i never removed it, guess i was lucky it never cracked.

khampson

Thanks for your help here, so if I use one as a oven it takes longer to cook than a normal oven would, what would be the best way to cook oven chips in a microwave? Standalone oven or combi mode, getting a little confused here, I thought the combi ment I could cook using grill, oven or microwave and not a combination of all 2 or 3.

Thanks

SailorSam

No i don't think it''s that it takes longer than a conventioal oven, but it does take longer than the microwave. I think the idea behind it is it's more ecomomical 'cos you're heating a smaller ppace.
I think you can use just grill; just oven, or both at the same time. But microwave is only on it's own.

room512

If you use it as an oven it takes exactly the same time as a larger oven would take (just uses less electricity as it's heating a smaller space). For example if I was cooking oven chips and on the back of the packet it said 220 for 25mins then I would type in the temperature and 25 mins and put them in and cook. I never bothered preheating the oven and everything took as long as the back of the packet or recipe said, sometimes 5 mins less.
The combi does mean that you can use it as a grill, oven or microwave but you can also select other options. For example, you can cook jacket potatoes where you type in the weight of the potato and then it microwaves for part of the time and then finishes off with convection heat so that the skin crisps up but it's a lot faster than just putting them in a normal oven. A 250g potato takes about 12 mins. Or you can choose to cook something using the convection heat and then for the last 10 mins brown it under the grill.

LameWolf

Mine's a P@nasonic, and doesn't have a turntable at all. There's a glass dish which goes in the bottom of the oven when microwaving (to catch any spills); I remove this and use the metal tray in the bottom and wire rack when using it as a convection oven.

I find that using the convection oven function, it gets up to temperature quickly, (less than 5 minutes, compared with the 20 minutes plus that the big oven takes), cooks the food in the same time as the big oven, but I don't need to use quite such a high temperature.

For instance, in the big, built-in oven, veggie toad-in-the-hole takes 45 mins at 230 C, and banana cake takes 1 hour at 180 C. Using the convection function on the P@nny, veggie toad-in-the-hole takes 45 mins at 220 C and the banana cake takes 1 hour at 170 C.

I've only used the grill function a couple of times, for cheese on toast, and it was no different from the grill on the big oven.

I gather it's supposed to be possible to use the convection and microwave functions together - there's a special gadget that came with it to enable the use of metal without causing arcing - but I haven't experimented with that as yet, so can't say how effective this is.

HTH:o

khampson

Oh I see, I am starting to understand it now, having owned a standard microwave for 25 years. To use the grill option do you use them with the door open? Sorry if I'm sounding a little dim but this new technology has me lost. Are all microwaves makes roughly the same or do any particular company excel in making these. Got a budget of around £120 but if I can pick up a bargain I'm in.

Thank you for all the help you have given me.

ariba10

If you buy a good Combi such as a Panasonic you will get a very comprehensive instruction book with it.

Ours is worth it's cost if only for the perfect Jacket Potatoes in 15/20 Mins.

SailorSam

This is the one i've got it's got good reviews but Argos have others around the same price (£75)

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4007951.htm