[slightly OT] cheap microwaves - how come?

[dennis]

That depends on the food.. They are far better at cooking, fish, vegetables and xmas puds than a "real" oven.

Does it have a built in fridge to stop the stuff going off while it sits there? I always thought a combined fridge-microwave was a good idea.. maybe I should hack a £25 Tesco microwave and put a peltier cooler in it? I could put a B&O badge on it and make a fortune. ;-)

Nit picking that should be the faster it heats. The power level doesn't determine how fast it cooks for many foods. Just how fast it overcooks.

But it doesn't make any difference over switching it on and off unless you are cooking very small portions.

Cheap thing then. Mine has a fan oven that works just like a "real" one. I guess you get more if you spend £80 on a microwave.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

IMHO it's wrong to call them an oven because apart from heating stuff they more commonly do jobs you'd use the hob for. I cook most vegetables with mine - apart from root ones like potatoes. Although a baked potatoe can be speeded up by microwaving first before crisping the skin in a conventional oven. Some say they can tell the difference between vegetables steamed in a microwave and those steamed in a conventional way - I can't. What of course it doesn't do is 'boiled for a week' cabbage or sprouts so only really of use if you like them crunchy.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not on my Neff. It always rotates in the same direction unless you stop it mid stream to add something, etc. It will then run in the opposite direction.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In my case I paid a *lot* extra to get a built in type which matched the oven. They are in the same housing and if looks matter it was the only way.

[Frank Erskine]

If it changes direction the food will get cold again ;-)

[John]

That's the sort I would never buy. When it goes wrong in a few years, you're going to have problems replacing it. The microwave will be obsolete, the kitchen design will also be obsolete and the manufacturers won't be interested.

In answer to the OP, like many others have said, go for a basic unit that suits your needs. A higher power is useful. I don't find electronic timers help. A mechanical one is OK but can't take times less than about 30s. For these occasions, I just count the seconds. After all, cooking is not an exact science and you can always give the food a few more microwaves.

It might be worth looking at comercial units. They are built to last and are much higher power than the domestic ones.

FWIW, my 750W Phillips microwave has performed well since I bought it in 1987. It now needs a new light bulb. Not bad for 20 years use.

John

[fred]

In article , Ian writes

I hadn't realised any actually modulated the power, what's the make & model.

[Tony Bryer]

This I would disagree on. On my microwave heating a mug of milk to make drinking chocolate is 1:50, not 1:40 and not 2:00.

My first microwave lasted 15+ years. On the second, an enamel lined LG, I accidently left a bit of foil on something when it was almost new which arced and burnt off a little enamel under the turntable. Foolish I didn't touch it up and recently discovered it had rusted through, so to be on the cautious side I replaced with another £50 LG. Basically a nice unit, but still has the same software bug: open the door and occasionally the display reads garbage. And I missed the fact that in the interests of being shed shelf friend it has the useless auto cook stuff discussed previously and now omits the useful countdown timer.

[Owain]

My cooking isn't *that* bad.

Cheaper to buy a microwave than a neon lighting transformer?

Owain

[John Rumm]

[John Rumm]

SWMBO has refined this to 1:23 on ours since that a) Gets it the temperature she likes, and b) wait for it, returns the handle of the mug to the same position by the door!

[Huge]

A mate's microwave always stops the turntable so it's in the same position it was when you started it.

And ours always goes round the same way.

[Dorothy Bradbury]

The difference is... o Duty cycle -- how long they will last re failure risk & design life o Stainless interior -- for when you put eggs in & blow them up o Combination cooking -- grill, fan oven o Power -- however most are typically 800-950-1150W these days

Spending a lot does not mean it will last forever, just do not expect to get the life of a 1980s £290 microwave for £35 today. You may be lucky or you may find it fails in 2-3 years. There are often 2 warranties, one for microwave, one (longer) for magnetron.

For commercial usage spending more really does matter, because the Magnetron & PSU are upgraded to handle that duty cycle. Same reason top-end Miele washer last longer than bottom-end Hotpoint.

For consumer use, I suspect most would prefer a stainless interior. Then it comes down to how often you use it (3x a day or 2x a week).

[Andy Hall]

But how do you manage to cook those deep fried pizzas in a microwave?

[John Rumm]

Take out the deep fried Mars bar first?

[The Natural Philosopher]

And thats why some cost 250 quid, and the rest 25..

[Clive Mitchell]

In message , Owain writes

Completely different beasts. The neon transformer is designed to limit it's output current to about 30mA and the voltage will tend to match the load within reason. A microwave transformer will deliver as much current through a neon tube as it can and then either blow the primary fuse or burn out. Tube will be nice and bright though. Briefly.

[Clive Mitchell]

In message , The Natural Philosopher writes

Boo Hoo! My Ready Brek is going anticlockwise. I wish I'd spent the extra 200 quid for one that offered consistent porridge direction.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

My last Neff microwave is still going strong in a neighbour's kitchen. And it dates back to the early '90s.

However, if it did go wrong it can always be fixed like any electronics if the will is there.

[Lurch]

On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:00:00 +0000, John Rumm mused:

Can't say as I've noted the direction of travel on ours. Doubt I ever will tbh, not something I really need\want to know!