Need a new microwave.... convection or standard?

[thefed]

Our cheap-o Emerson lasted only 6 years, but at $50 I think it paid for itself.

I've been looking into the convection microwaves that supposedly roast, grill, bake, and nuke. I found a Sharp model with about 55/65 glowing reviews...people swearing they'd get rid of the regular oven if they could....


Anyone have a convection microwave? is the extra cost justified?

I make a lot of hot sandwiches and would rather toss it in the microwave than fire up the oven to toast it....among other things


any input?

 

[SarahW]

We installed a convection microwave a couple of years ago and after the initial "look what this thing does", I haven't convection cooked a single time. I guess it just depends on what you feel you will use it for. We are sort of the "heat up leftovers" microwave people, so I wish I had the additional $600 back.

 

[harley]

Same here, had a convection microwave for years and almost never used the convection aspect. However, in our new townhouse we only have a single oven, so the convection microwave came in handy for Thanksgiving dinner, heating the rolls and a few other things. It depends on your cooking habits. I think convection is best for baking, as opposed to roasting.

 

[honobob]

Convection rocks!!
I bought my first convection/microwave in the early nineties. It was on sale at Liberty House/Macy's for $300. Ran down to Sears and confirmed $600 price and ran back and bought it. A Sharp with the probe. Stick it in the turkey, press turkey, yum. Pork roast!!! Set it and forget it! Roast Chix, you bet. I've had friends ask me to bring it to their house for parties.

Costco had Magic Chef convection/micros for about $150 a couple of years ago and I bought three for my rentals. My tenants love them for roasting and baking. I'd definitely get one with the probe for home use.

The combination cooking of convection and microwave produces the best meat. Cooks great pizza too!

 

[W2R]

Our cheap-o Emerson lasted only 6 years, but at $50 I think it paid for itself.

I've been looking into the convection microwaves that supposedly roast, grill, bake, and nuke. I found a Sharp model with about 55/65 glowing reviews...people swearing they'd get rid of the regular oven if they could....

Anyone have a convection microwave? is the extra cost justified?

I make a lot of hot sandwiches and would rather toss it in the microwave than fire up the oven to toast it....among other things

any input?

I'd go for another $50 Emerson! I have one myself though maybe slightly cheaper on sale. I also have a $5 toaster.

I had a convection microwave many years ago and like others have posted, I never used the convection features except during the first two weeks that I had it.

 

[freebird5825]

I own a GE Profile model, circa 1999. It is installed directly above my range where the usual exhaust fan hood would normally be.
I just love it.
It is perfect for making 2 person, all in one pan type meals. I use the convention mode for all slow baking or broiling instead of firing up the big oven. A 13"x9" pan fits inside perfectly with a little room to spare.
I find I have to cover longer cooking or high profile items with aluminum foil so the top doesn't get overly browned. Browning is done for last 10 minutes by removing foil. I do not bake desserts or bread in it.
I use the microwave minimally and never to cook meals from scratch. Just the usual defrost and quick heatup of leftovers.
The built-in exhaust fan is adequate, i.e. works well but I would not give it an excellent. If you do a lot of oil frying or smoky grilling on your regular stove top burners underneath, it might not do the trick for you.
The small filter screens come out easily for dishwasher cleaning. Dual 40W light bulbs last a long time. Having 2 lights above my range top is wonderful so I can see what I'm doing.

 

[TromboneAl]

You'd be crazy to spend more than $10 on a microwave. This is an item which should only be bought at a garage or rummage sale.

We've had our GE since 1991, and it has two great features that you can no longer get.

1. Under the counter mount
2. Temperature probe. Easy to reheat beans or soup to 134 degrees.

 

[Purron]

We've had our GE since 1991

I've had my GE since about the same time! Still works great and I use it quite often. Guess they don't make 'em like they used to.

 

[Nords]

Our cheap-o Emerson lasted only 6 years, but at $50 I think it paid for itself.
I've been looking into the convection microwaves that supposedly roast, grill, bake, and nuke. I found a Sharp model with about 55/65 glowing reviews...people swearing they'd get rid of the regular oven if they could....
Anyone have a convection microwave? is the extra cost justified?
I make a lot of hot sandwiches and would rather toss it in the microwave than fire up the oven to toast it....among other things
any input?

You'd be crazy to spend more than $10 on a microwave. This is an item which should only be bought at a garage or rummage sale.

I agree with Al-- if you just want cheap cookware, then buy a garage-sale microwave and a toaster oven. Use one for agitating water molecules and the other for making things brown & crispy.

But if you want life-changing energy efficiency, then absolutely spend the money on a convection microwave. We've had our eye on the Sharps for a while, hoping for a good under-cabinet model. If you're a frequent user of an electric oven/range then the convection microwave should pay for itself within a decade.

Our crappy MagicChef (bought through Craigslist) has just about put our oven and our range out of business. It only heats up one-quarter the volume of an oven and it's able to circulate the air much more effectively. We cook chicken legs, chicken parmagiana, fish, steak, 10-pound turkeys, all sorts of pasta (in the "FastaPasta" cooker), and everything else that can be microwaved.

As soon as I bother to figure out how to cook ramen in the convection oven, I won't have any reason to boil water on the range. I've used the oven once in the past year to bake a cake and again in the year before that to cook a 22-pound turkey. And when "speed ovens" come down in price, our 20-year-old oven is history.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Wow GE must make good microwaves. I have one that was made in 1994. Still chugging along. Turntable too! fancy

 

[travelover]

You'd be crazy to spend more than $10 on a microwave. This is an item which should only be bought at a garage or rummage sale.

We've had our GE since 1991, and it has two great features that you can no longer get.

1. Under the counter mount
2. Temperature probe. Easy to reheat beans or soup to 134 degrees.

At the Habitat ReStore near me, they have good used microwaves by the truck load for $10 or so

 

[Nords]

Wow GE must make good microwaves. I have one that was made in 1994. Still chugging along. Turntable too! fancy

Our GE microwave was a wedding present in 1986 and it's still going strong, albeit with its second owner.