Microwave Deals & Offers

Microwave: Kitchen Tool to Save Time

Microwaves have become an essential item for millions of people across the UK, allowing them to serve up healthy food quickly whenever they need it. However, although they can be found in almost every home, not everyone knows how to find the right microwave oven for their needs. This buyer’s guide should provide some useful pointers.

Microwave ovens have been available since the 1950s, when they were developed as a spin-off of wartime radar technology. They work by using electromagnetic radiation to heat up the moisture inside food, producing an even level of heat across the whole product (unlike conventional ovens, which tend to heat single surfaces).

In the 1960s and 1970s, microwaves caught the imagination of the public, who could heat up ready made dishes or cooking ingredients like butter far more quickly than ever before. This was particularly useful in homes where both parents worked, which was becoming more and more common. So the microwave became a familiar sight in British kitchens – and it still is.

7 Things to Know Before Buying a Microwave

1. The first key difference between different microwaves is their setting. You can choose between free-standing models that can be placed anywhere in the kitchen, or in-built models that form part of kitchen designs.

2. Simple microwaves are a stripped down variety which can heat and defrost food, steam vegetables or reheat leftovers. This sort of microwave is generally a supplement to a standalone oven and grill, but it’s also useful for locations like caravans, building sites and workplaces, where complex meals do not necessarily need to be prepared.

3. You can also purchase microwaves with a built-in grill, adding extra functionality. Normally, microwaves cannot brown or crisp foods in the way that grilling and frying can. But these microwaves integrate the magnetron, which produces microwaves with a heating element-based grill, allowing them to brown meats and fish, as well as cook toast. You might think about a grill and microwave if you have a smaller kitchen, and don’t have room for a conventional grill.

4. Combi microwaves have even more functionality. These models combine the grill and microwave settings with a convection oven – and are able to prepare almost any kind of meal. If you live in a compact flat or you need an all-in-one food preparation solution for holiday homes or caravans, this kind of deluxe microwave will do the trick. However, it’s of less use in homes with conventional ovens, and its more elaborate functions could go unused, so think about what you need from your microwave before making a purchase.

5. When you choose your microwave, it also makes sense to pay attention to wattage. This is a measure of how powerful the device is, generally ranging from 800 watts to 1100 watts. The more power you have, the faster cooking will be, but energy costs may be higher too, so it could be a balancing act.

6. Size is another crucial consideration. Compact microwaves (around 17-22 litres) are great for singles and students, or for workplaces. They are lightweight and efficient, as well as being slightly cheaper. However, if you have a family to cater for, a larger microwave will usually be preferable. Look for anything from 25 to 32 litres to have enough space to prepare family dinners with ease.

How Does a Microwave Oven Work?

Different Microwaves for Different Locations

For most people, a countertop microwave will be ideal. These models are designed to sit on kitchen work surfaces, and come with grips on their underside, which will keep them in place in locations where grease and fluids could be present. They are also generally cheaper than other options, and require only a simple power outlet to start cooking.

On the other hand, if you have a fitted kitchen with specially allocated units for different appliances, a built-in microwave could be the right way to go. These devices are adapted for common kitchen dimensions; designs from major manufacturers like LG or Panasonic are designed to fit in aesthetically with your cabinets, grill and oven units. Built-in varieties are usually right at the top of the price range, often due to the need to custom fit them. If you have a passion for kitchen design, they will be a must-have.

A more space efficient option could be an over-the-range microwave. As the name suggests, these models sit above your conventional oven, alongside the extractor unit and above the stove. They are a good way to reduce clutter, allowing you to keep all of your cooking utensils close to your devices, but having a microwave above the oven won’t suit everyone. For many people, it makes sense to have cabinets with pans or bowls above the oven – but it’s a matter of personal taste.

Finding a Cooking Solution to Meet Your Needs

Not all microwaves have the same features – and some offer a much more advanced way to prepare your food. For example, few basic microwaves are equipped with inverter technology, but this innovation can make it much easier to prepare food well with your microwave.

In most normal microwaves, the magnetron doesn’t actually produce a constant stream of microwaves. It turns off and on at regular intervals, depending on what setting the user has chosen. So at 50% power, there will be half as many cycles as full power. This fluctuating rhythm can mean that food isn’t always evenly cooked, and can make defrosting foods a hit-and-miss affair.

With inverter-equipped microwaves, an almost constant stream of microwaves is emitted. This means that food constantly receives a certain amount of heat over the cooking time, resulting in more even cooking. You use inverter microwaves to keep food piping hot in preparation for a meal, or to slowly prepare stove-top sauces like white sauce, which is a struggle in conventional microwaves. They can also be used to poach eggs and salmon, and even to make omelettes. So, they are probably a good option for serious chefs who like to prepare complex meals. If inverter ovens appeal to you, check out Panasonic, who manufacture most of the best models on the market.

Another option is convection microwaves. These use the physical process of convection to transport heat around the microwave chamber, just like in a normal oven. This can result in more even heating, which will be useful for anyone who intends to cook potatoes or meats in their microwave.

What Kind of Features Can Be Included With My Microwave?

Modern microwaves include a dizzying array of different features and settings, so check to see if your chosen model has everything you need.

• If you eat a lot of frozen foods, a microwave with automated defrost is a great idea. This feature will weigh your foods, and assess how long is required to thaw them safely, before normal cooking can begin. Some ovens will also include a feature called chaos defrost (not as dangerous as it sounds!) which defrosts food much faster.

• Safety can be a consideration when buying microwaves as well. Children can open up the door, sending hot foods falling out, or they could place items made from metal in the oven which can cause it to malfunction. Therefore, think about choosing a microwave with a child lock if babies and toddlers are in the house.

• Ergonomics are another thing to think about. Ovens with doors that open downwards (like conventional ovens) are a good idea for people who like to rest their dishes before moving them around the kitchen. They also allow you to inspect your food before deciding that it is cooked.

• Microwaves also need to be kept clean, although they need much less maintenance than conventional ovens. Choose a model with what is known as a pyrolytic, and it will effectively “self-clean”, making it very easy to maintain.

Choose a Microwave That You Can Control With Precision

The most important part of the oven is probably its control panel. This is where you will program it to carry out your culinary instructions, so choose one with clear buttons and easy to follow procedures. Sometimes, a mixture of dials and buttons works best. After all, a dial can be toggled very easily between settings, even as cooking is underway. Buttons work best for specifying times and heating settings before cooking.

Most ovens will also include preset programs for foods like jacket potatoes, or for processes like defrosting. If you want to be in total control, choose a microwave with plenty of settings, each of them tailored to a specific kind of food or way of cooking.

At the high-end of the technology and price spectrum, the most advanced modern microwaves can also automatically detect the moisture content of the food inside them, before coming up with a bespoke cooking program for each dish.

Not all of these features will be must-haves for ordinary microwave users, so choose a model that fits your basic requirements. If you are purchasing for everyday household use, a convection microwave with hundreds of preset routines is probably not needed. But if you are a gourmet chef who entertains regularly, it might come in handy.

Are There Any Dangers Associated With Microwaves?

Ever since they were introduced in the 1950s, consumers have worried about whether the electromagnetic waves used by microwaves could cause harm, but nobody has ever proved that there is a health risk. The waves involved are not radioactive, and act only by heating molecules inside the food. They cannot escape from the microwave chamber, and microwaves are not seen as a major fire risk.

However, the World Health Organisation has made several recommendations about how to use microwaves safely. The door should be regularly checked to see that it closes completely. Safety interlocks are fitted to all microwaves as well, to ensure that they do not produce microwaves if the door is open – and users should regularly check that this is functioning.

If microwaves are absorbed by the body, the health risks are minimal. In most cases, a slight warmth would be the only result, although sustained exposure to microwaves can result in more significant burns.

What About the Food – Is It Safe to Eat?

Regarding the food itself, customers do not need to worry about eating microwaves food. The only risks apply to the process of cooking, not consumption. However, all food should be evenly cooked and piping hot to prevent food poisoning, something that applies to all cooking techniques.

That’s why microwave food usually comes with a recommendation to allow it to sit for a few minutes. This time allows the heat generated to distribute evenly throughout the food – so follow cooking instructions as closely as possible.

Microwaved food contains the same level of nutrients as conventionally cooked food, so in general it is no more or less healthy than any other way to cook. All they do is generate heat, so they break down proteins and vitamins at similar rates to stoves or barbecues. In fact, in some cases microwaves can help to retain nutrients like Vitamin C. That’s because foods with high vitamin C content, such as spinach, tend to take less time to cook in a microwave.

What to Put in Your Microwave – and What to Avoid

Additionally, customers need to know which materials are appropriate for using in their microwave oven, and which are not. Plastics are often suitable, but you must be sure that they are microwave-ready as some forms can be set alight by microwave energy. Generally, disposable food containers from restaurants or foam cups will not be appropriate, but Tupperware is fine. Metals should also never be placed in a microwave, but glass and ceramics are absolutely OK.

In fact, it’s worth noting that handling microwaved foods is probably safer than with conventional ovens. That’s because when you cook with a microwave, only the food itself should be heated. The container will remain the same temperature, allowing you to handle it more safely when it comes to serving.

Will Cooking With a Microwave Save Me Money?

Some people say that microwave ovens are the most energy-efficient way to prepare food, but this is only a half-truth. On one hand, microwaves heat food in an extremely targeted, precise way. They focus their energy on the food itself, instead of heating the container. They also take much less time to cook most foods than normal ovens – and both factors add up to savings over the long term. In fact, the US government believes that microwaves are as much as 80% more efficient than ordinary ovens for many cooking processes.

However, while microwaves are better at heating food, they are not so efficient when it comes to fluids. Heating water on a stove with gas is more efficient than using electricity via your microwave, but people generally don’t purchase a microwave to make coffee and tea.

It’s important to note that not all microwave ovens are equal and those with higher wattage will cost much more to run over the long term. A 700-watt oven actually costs less than half as much to run as a top of the range 1500-watt model, which can add up to major savings over the machine’s lifetime, so it should be a consideration.

How to Purchase Your Next Microwave Oven

When buying a microwave oven, you will be faced with plenty of choice. Leading brands available from the merchants at HotUKDeals include Panasonic, LG, Sage, Russell Hobbs, Swan, Tesco, Breville, Samsung, De Longhi, Daewoo and Sharp – to name but a few.

Different brands have strengths in different areas. For example, Kenmore are known for manufacturing excellent over-the-range models, Hotpoint scores highly for built-in designs and Panasonic are specialists in countertop ovens (particularly if their inverter technology is included). So shop around and find the right model from the right brand, solving your individual kitchen design challenges.

The best place to buy microwave ovens is at the HotUKDeals microwave pages. There you will find a constantly updated stream of discounts from kitchen appliance merchants like Tesco, Amazon, Sainsburys, Asda, Lords, Wilkinsons and Currys. There will almost certainly be a deal in your area that ticks all of your particular boxes. Look out for bigger savings around Black Friday in November, when retailers strive to kick off their Christmas season, as well as the Boxing Day and the January Sales period.

Saving Big With HotUKDeals

Whenever you need to purchase a microwave, HotUKDeals features all of the best high street and online discounts, so keep an eye on our pages to secure the best deal possible.