Today, a microwave oven has become an essential kitchen utensil. Ultimately, they save you time and leave food hot and delicious every time. Manufacturers have now provided these ovens with many more features than ever before. Many pre-programmed shortcut keys and other convenient features have appeared. Some may use the microwave only for heating and melting food. In that case, choose an oven that has only a few basic features.
Rated power is the main characteristic of a microwave oven. Generally known as magnetrons, they are the heart of any oven. A medium and large microwave oven typically ranges from 850 to 1650 watts. A compact oven ranges from 600 to 800 watts. When you opt for high power ratings, you can cook your food quickly by producing more heat. Most ovens now come with sensors to measure steam and thus determine whether or not the food is cooked. This is a useful feature as it prevents food from being overcooked or undercooked.
Earlier microwave ovens had only a few basic settings. But now they have come out with hotkeys, automatic settings for foods like oatmeal, pasta, pizza, etc. With this feature, you don’t need to worry about time and power settings needed to cook food. They automatically turn off once the food is cooked. All you need to do is press the corresponding button. They also help you reheat food and defrost it. The oven keypads can be used to set the cooking time and power levels needed to cook food.
Another important feature here is the 1 minute or 30 second key. This is nothing more than a preset key, which helps to extend the preset cooking time. The power level is constant and also allows you to adjust the settings above. If you need more time to cook the food, just press the button once. This significantly multiplies the cooking time. Typically, microwave ovens have a turntable to turn the food or a rectangular tray that slides from side to side. This allows food to get an even heat and therefore cook evenly.
Some models come with a removable track, so you can cook multiple foods at once. You can even remove these tracks if you need more space to place the food. Some of the overcooking microwave ovens slowly cook your food. But sometimes these models overcook the food on one side and the rest is left uncooked. Many features have arrived for those who opt for a second oven, such as convection cooking, grilling and browning food. However, they are not as useful as a normal oven.
