Page 1 of What to look for when buying a microwave??

Our 20 yr old microwave has died, So Iam in the maket for one of these.
I have NOT kept up with the technology in the last 20 yrs.
Please give me tips re what to look out for.
Thanx

Plenty of baragins to be had in asda or argos for microwaves, they are dead cheap now.

Go for a powerfull one 750w at least. don`t bother with fancy features like convector oven or grill, shoots the cost up for something you are un-likely to use.

One great feature we have on ours is the Jacket Spud button, automatically nukes your spuds to perfection :D

All the best

Ger.



Mmmmmm Donuts

A lot of modern microwaves, especially cheap ones, are very small. Make sure your dishes will fit. Took me ages to find one my huge pyrex dish would fit into.

very good point that...the one my Mum first got years ago was massive...the one she replaced it with must have been half the size, and she had the same problems with her dishes not fitting in it. I dont use mine that much but it is handy for the odd thing..the `one touch` buttons for jacket spuds and to re heat a meal are very handy. Id go for one with a digital display, a lot of the cheap ones have a dial for the timer thats very vague for times (Mums new one goes up in 5 minute intervals...kinda awkward to time something for 1 or 2 minutes without over cooking it)

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"If I had time....and a hammer, I`d track down every bootleg copy and smash it........"
- George Lucas

My DVD collection

One that matches the colour of your oven :p

I`d agree with Superted on the power thing....we`ve got an 800W microwave and it cooks everything fast and better than our old 650w one for some reason.....


However, I would have to say steer clear of "Jacket Potato" buttons (and any other "gimmick" buttons for that matter) - just go for a big, powerful bugger with as little in the way of extras as poss......brand really dooesn`t seem to make any difference other than looks for your dollar either.




Oh, and, Supterted? Try this:


Jacket Potato: Place in Microwave for between (depending on size) 7 and 10 minutes on full power (bear in mind that we have an 800W one!)

Then, simply remove from the micro, apply oil to the skin and the pop in the oven, at 200degrees, for about 35 minutes (again, this time will depend on the size of the `tato - but it`s a fairly good time for most) and then...........voila! Great, lovely, soft, fluffy white potato in the middle, with a gorgeous, crispy skin!! :D:D:D:D:D



The wife`s tips....and bugger me, it only works!!! :D




__B8__

Make sure it`s got a plug.

julianf

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Thanks Butterfield, I`ll give that a try. Somebody else said you should rub the skin with salt. Not to sure about that though.

Ours is also 800w, an LG that was on offer in Argos.

All the best

Ger.



Mmmmmm Donuts

Or do jacket spud for 20 minutes in microwave / oven combination mode - cooked to perfection (I use in butter and salt - the skin is then the best part).

I do use the combined microwave / convection oven function a lot, as well as using the microwave as may main oven. My actual oven gets very hot at child height, so I only use it when I need the larger space. In fact I very rarely use the microwave part alone - just for occasional defrosting / reheating.

I never use the other fancy functions, so agree that a high wattage, size and easy to set digital timer are the main features to check.