A new Combi? Microwave

Mr_Singleton

Looking to buy a new microwave and wondered if a combi microwave i.e. with a grill, oven etc as well as microwave is a good idea or not?
Thanks

hubr

I found mine, a Sharp, very useful. You can do baked potatoes using 10% microwave plus conventional oven heating simultaneously.
Also, it's quite useful for cooking smaller amounts quickly, as there's less volume to heat up than a large oven. The grill is a bit feeble, OK for maybe grilled cheese toast etc but not enough to grill a steak too successfully. Even grilled bacon takes a fair while.
Overall, I'd say for a single person it's worth the investment, just for the added variety that's feasible. For a family, I'm not so sure.

A.Penny.Saved

They are very unhealthy. I had one until it broke down and when I started looking for a replacement and read about them I decided not to bother. They use frequencies, which are all too common these days, which are very damaging to health and the human body.

It said that the only thing that should be heated in a microwave is water, anything else causes breakdown products which can be damaging.

My old one was a sharp convection microwave.

I will only use more conventional cooking methods and pressure cooking whenever I can. I am awaiting delivery of a new pressure cooker next week.

BTW manufacturers attempted to suppress the research on microwaves for quite some years. Now everyone just assumes that they are safe because they are so commonplace.

tanith

I have one and in 8 yrs I've only used the oven/grill part once , it got very hot even the outside was hot so I've never bothered again.

jenniewb

I have a Whirlpool combi microwave.
http://ao.com/product/MAX38BL-Whirlpool-Microwave-Black-23430.aspx
or
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whirlpool-Max-Microwave-Crisp-Function/dp/B004445K4E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430527977&sr=8-2&keywords=microwave+whirlpool+max
It was far cheaper than it is now when I got it and is still going strong some 3 years later which is going some for me- I mainly use a microwave as I have no stove, oven or grill (no room, no money no need). I usually get through a microwave every 2 years and it's been like that for the past 15 years.
I used this microwave for a year before it broke on me and Amazon swapped it for a new one, they'd refunded me and I just bought the steam option (there are two types which look similar. The steam type is slightly cheaper and seems to be still going but using it, there is very little difference in it. The steam function is;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whirlpool-Max-Microwave-Steam-Function/dp/B004445K3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430527977&sr=8-1&keywords=microwave+whirlpool+max


The microwave I got I chose mainly because it looked easy to clean as the inside is rounded (no corners for things to get trapped in). It is smaller than the average microwave so uses slightly less power to heat things (not much per use but adds up over time if you use it several times a day as I do). The external surfaces are also flat, buttons are touch-sensitive not push-buttons, again easier to clean.


It also is very easy to work, very minimal instructions (it all fits onto a double side of A4 which also includes 2 fairly large pictures of the microwave which take up most of each page).


I can't say the grill function in any microwave is all that; I've used a grill in the past and the microwave grills are pretty dire in comparison, I've tried grill-microwaves from a range of brands (Panasonic, Sharp, LG, Supermarkets own brand...) I have yet to find one which actually makes things crispy rather than chewy. But they do blacken/char foods and add a cooked taste if that's what your looking for...


The microwave I have also steams well, it has an added air vent to let steam out and does a decent job of this, but it does need space to ventilate if you want to use this function. It has a special defrost function for different types of foods or different weights and you can heat things up via the wattage or temperature rather than all at the same power level.

Pun

A.Penny.Saved wrote: »

They are very unhealthy. I had one until it broke down and when I started looking for a replacement and read about them I decided not to bother. They use frequencies, which are all too common these days, which are very damaging to health and the human body.

Wouldn't worry too much - it's easy to be taken in by scaremongering. Quote from Cancer Research website: 'Any modern day microwave oven in good condition is perfectly safe as long as you follow the instructions for use. If you use a microwave oven in the correct way there is no known harmful effect on humans.' Link: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/cancer-questions/radiation-microwaves-and-cancer

LadyDee

I love my Panasonic Slimline - never used my ordinary oven. If this one ever breaks down I'll certainly buy another Panasonic - probably the same model but I'm tempted by the one with two shelves.

cajef

^
Another vote for Panasonic, plus it is worth paying for a combi just to have the convenience of the extra facilities which come in useful sometimes.

dlusman

hubr wrote: »

Overall, I'd say for a single person it's worth the investment, just for the added variety that's feasible. For a family, I'm not so sure.

I would tend to agree with that.
As as single person I use it when cooking small amounts , but for larger amounts ( when I am batch cooking and freezing the extra portions ) I will always use my full oven.

A.Penny.Saved

Pun wrote: »

Wouldn't worry too much - it's easy to be taken in by scaremongering. Quote from Cancer Research website: 'Any modern day microwave oven in good condition is perfectly safe as long as you follow the instructions for use. If you use a microwave oven in the correct way there is no known harmful effect on humans.' Link: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/cancer-questions/radiation-microwaves-and-cancer

It has nothing to do with scaremongering, you have to look far deeper than the trivial stories.

Leaking of microwave radiation is not what I was referring to so that link is irrelevant to my post.

Microwave radiation causes a very violent reaction in the items it heats. It's a very unnatural process and totally different to conventional methods of heating.

Still, I suppose wearing blinkers seems to suit some people.

cajef

A.Penny.Saved wrote: »

Still, I suppose wearing blinkers seems to suit some people.

And being paranoid seems to suit others.