Countertop Microwave Ovens

A countertop microwave oven is a good choice if you want to hold expenses down as they are generally more affordable. They are easier to install and no electrician is needed. Just place it on the counter and plug it in. They do take up a bit of counter space so you need to be sure you'll have enough room remaining to work in your kitchen.

There are a couple of things to consider before selecting a countertop microwave:

Size

You need to know how much counterspace you have to give up in the first place. Then you'll know the outside dimensions that will be acceptable for you kitchen.

You also want to consider the internal capacity of the oven. If you will be wanting to put large trays or plates inside, the interior will need to be large enough to accommodate that. If you'll be cooking meals for an entire family, clearly a large capacity will be critical. A 1.2 cubic foot capacity is a good minimum size for a family.

Power

A more powerful oven will cook more quickly and save time. Of course, they will also increase power usage. For a typical family size microwave oven, 1,000 Watts or more is probably necessary. More compact, limited use microwaves may operate relatively well with 600-800 Watts.

Features

Which features are important to you will depend upon how much and what type of cooking you will do with your microwave oven.

- Even with limited use, having at least 5 or 6 power levels is generally desired. Being able to warm food slowly and defrost versus quick heating is something most people want to be able to do. More levels, means more flexibility and can assure food comes out with the right texture and temperature throughout.

- Automatic settings and short cut keys. Many modern countertop microwave ovens provide one touch buttons that set time and power levels for cooking and defrosting given foods. This reduces errors and saves time.

- Removable racks and carousels. If you will be wanting to cook or heat multiple items (smaller items) all at once, a removable rack can allow you to do this much more readily. A carousel that is large enough to accommodate your containers will allow food to rotate and keep heat evenly distrubuted. Recessed turntables can assure you have more usable space. Some even have trays that shift back and forth instead of turntables which can help assure larger containers can be accommodated more easily.

- Cooking sensors can allow the oven to monitor food and automatically adjust settings to assure food isn't over or under cooked. If you'll be cooking many meals, this may be an important convenience feature. If you use your microwave in a more limited fashion, this may not be useful.

- 1 mintue or 30 second key. These keys allow you to add a bit of time to the preset cook time while food is still cooking.

- There are a number of miscellaneous functions that various microwave ovens may offer. Certainly a kitchen timer is one of the more universally useful features. A warming or "keep warm" function can help keep food warm without overcooking it. Some of these countertop microwave ovens now have crisping and browning features for those who will do this type of cooking with it.