Picture this: You are in a holiday mood and decided to take an off from work and kitchen as well. You are just about to kick start your holiday with a cup of coffee and there the doorbell rings. It’s your spouse’s chacha or mama with his entire family all set to ruin your priceless holiday. Arghhh… Annoying isn’t? We have all had this facepalm moment wherein, we are left with no choice but to entertain the guest even on a holiday mood. And, as you welcome them with a ‘warm smile’ and start off with the usual friendly banter, your mind is already at work calculating the at least 1 hour of work that will go in preparing delicacies for the bunch of relatives. Now, you can cook a 1 hour snack in 30 minutes. Wondering how? Here is where a Microwave can emerge as your knight in shining armor. Don’t have one yet? Thinking of getting one or upgrading to another type? Before you go ahead here is a primer to types of microwaves, different features and some useful safety tips for a perfect user friendly experience.
Types of Microwave Ovens
| Here’s what to look for in a Microwave Oven depending upon your lifestyle and eating habits. |
- For a working couple managing work-life balance is essential which would mean planning what food to cook in advance. So if you are among the ones that prepare certain food beforehand to save on time during the rush-hour week ahead and would largely re-heat food for evenings – a SOLO microwave oven would be just appropriate for you. It is the most basic microwave model suitable for reheat and simple cooking.
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Whereas, if you’re a health conscious person and your diet largely comprises of grilled food items like; a grilled vegetable or meat then a GRILL microwave oven is a perfect choice for you. |
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But, If you love to prepare mouth-watering recipes, bake tasty pizzas, cakes or grill juicy chicken for everyone in your home, a CONVECTION microwave is ‘the one’ for you . It’s a combination of two technologies; regular microwave and convection oven and is best used for grilling and baking purpose. |
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Do you love to bake cookies, cupcakes for your kids? Or want to feast over hot roasted sweet potatoes or corn on a rainy day? An OTG’s (Oven Toaster Griller) is the best bet for you. Enjoy authentic baking or roasting various food items with an Oven Toaster Griller. |
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What features to look for in microwave ovens?
| While looking for a microwave to prepare easy and tasty food here are some important attributes you need to consider. |
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- You needn’t have to excuse yourself in the midst of an interesting conversation with your guest to save your delicious pulav or biryani from being charred. The Automatic Sensor k.a humidity sensor gauges, the humidity or steam in the oven and shuts down automatically once the food is cooked. That’s not all, the sensor also fixes the cooking time, thus stopping the food from overcooking.
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- Worried if you have thawed the chicken or paneer properly in the cold water for sufficient time period? Now you needn’t bother to check on it every now and then with the Auto Defrost feature. You can defrost all types of frozen food within few minutes by simply selecting the type of food and its weight, the microwave will then select the best setting to defrost it. Cool isn’t?
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- Is your guest a fan for mouth-watering steamed momos? Some microwaves come with the Steam Cooking To prepare steamed food items with this feature, you need to fill a small reservoir with water. As this water evaporates, the steam generated inside the microwave oven heats the food, while adding moisture to it. And, voila! Serve your guest the perfectly steamed food.
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- You end up being in the kitchen cooking chicken biryani, curry and other multiple cuisines for the guest which leave you with no time to interact with them. But not anymore, the multi-stage cooking feature enables you to cook food at different stages automatically without any monitoring. Now, you can be rest assured that your food would be cooked to perfection. So, just relax and enjoy good conversation with your guest without any worries.
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- Be the perfect master chef for your guest by serving them some delicious restaurant style Paneer Makhani and the piping hot, tempting Gajar ka halwa at the comfort of your home with the pre-set menu options that lets you cook Indian and International cuisines with just one touch.
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- Another important aspect to keep in mind is the kind of control type you would be comfortable using. Generally, microwaves come with two different kind of controls: mechanical or touch. The mechanical are good for rough use and easy to repair. In case of mechanical controls, look for the one with a dial as it can be operated precisely and smoothly to set the required setting or temperature. Though the feather touch control panels are equally easy to use, they must be handled with care.
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- Although the main purpose of the cavity is to provide a place to keep the food item inside the microwave oven. But, did you know the cavity of a microwave oven also prevents electricity consumption and the electromagnetic waves from leaking? To ensure there is no leakage it is vital to choose a sturdy cavity material. There are typically two types of microwave oven cavities: Stainless Steel Cavity and Ceramic Enamel Cavity. As steel is a good conductor of heat, the stainless steel cavity facilitates better heating process and protection against leakage of microwave waves. Whereas, a ceramic cavity has a non-sticky surface i.e. it’s easy to clean and maintain, but the heating process is comparatively longer than stainless steel cavity.
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- Most microwave ovens have a power output between 600 and 1,500 watts. If you have a large family and plan to cook larger quantities of food, opt for a microwave that comes with higher power that can go up to 1,650 watts. While if it’s just the two of you or a nuclear family then a mid-sized microwave ranging between 900 to 1,200 watts or a small oven with 600-800 watts is an ideal option.
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- While purchasing a microwave it is essential to know the ideal capacity of a microwave oven according to the usage and family size. So, if it’s just the two of you and you want to go in for a Solo microwave anything between 15-20 liters would be ideal or if you plan to purchase a grill or a convection oven the ideal capacity could range anywhere between 21- 30 liters.
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- If you have kids at your home, having a microwave with child safety lock feature is exactly what you need. It’s a simple electrical lock (such as a code) that prevents your child from accidentally operating the oven in your absences.
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- The market filled with an array of microwave cookware designed with different types of microwavable materials. Some of the popular materials available are stainless steel, clay and porcelain. Choosing the correct microwavable material cookware among all the options is equally important.
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- Many tend to overlook the use of microwave accessories for safety while using a microwave. It’s important to note that using improper accessories can do more harm than good to you. Therefore, its essential go in for a microwave glove to protect your hand every time you remove the hot microwave cookware from the oven. Protect your favorite pretty dress from gravy spills with aprons. You can mount the microwave onto the wall in case you do not have enough space on kitchen dashboard.
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Food types & Microwave Oven
If you are stumped with what kind of food you can cook with a microwave, here is a quick preview on kind of cuisines you can cook on different types of microwave ovens.
| Food to cook |
Solo |
Grill |
Convection |
OTG (Oven Toaster Griller) |
| Re-heat food |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Milk, Tea, Coffee |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Rice, Noodles, Pasta |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Pop-Corn |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Grill Paneer |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Kebabs |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Grilled Items |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Tandoori Chicken |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Brownies |
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Yes |
Yes |
| Cakes & Breads |
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Yes |
Yes |
| Pizza |
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Yes |
Yes |
Now, you needn’t wait for 30 minutes for the pizza to arrive when you can prepare and serve custom made pizza for your guest at the comfort of your home. Bake cookies, cakes and pamper the sweet tooth of your guest after a great meal.
Microwave usage and safety
| Cooking in the microwave can be fun if we adhere to some thumb rules for safety. Here are some basic dos and don’ts you need to keep in mind while operating a microwave. |
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- Do not put metal substances or metal utensils inside the microwave oven
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- Use only microwave-safe plastic utensils
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- Make sure glass utensils are microwave safe
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- Use microwave oven gloves to protect your hands while microwaving your food as the microwave oven will be very hot during the process.
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So the next time if your door bell rings on a holiday there would no more panic alarms ringing in your head computing the hours of labour in the kitchen, no awkward excuses to peep into the kitchen to monitor the food being cooked but just warm smile and joyful endless family conversations because, your knight in shining armour is just one touch away.
Enjoyed reading this article? Then do share. Also, please do share any comments or questions you would have.
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Auto-sensorBuying guideConvectionGrillmicrowavemicrowave ovenOTGQuick cookingTypes of Microwave
