Large Countertop Microwave Oven Recommendations for 4Q22


 
BFletcher

BFletcher

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Our 2012 microwave just now died. Have any of you folks recently researched and purchased one where you want to comment on your experience that might simplify my purchase decision? Thanks for your feedback!
 
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Avoid kitchenaid. No avail replacement parts. My control board quit. Luckily I found one used on flea bay.
 
I second the Panasonic happiness. I have one in our office that used to be in my home and it runs flawlessly and has excellent power and controls. I’d buy it again.
 
I bought a Magic Chef microwave from Home Depot last time and have been very happy with it, especially for the money. I think I paid about $70 for it. It turns out that almost all microwave ovens are made in two plants in China, so I didn't feel the need to buy an expensive one that had the same internals as a cheaper model.
 
No trouble with the push buttons on ours. Only thing that happened to our last Panasonic was I noticed a strange sound and when I looked inside while it was running there was strange arcing going on in the top of it and then an odd odor. I think the magnetron went out. But what I like about them is it's the only brand on the market that can actually vary the power output not simply cycle the magnetron on and off. Don't know how they do it but of all the ones I have tried they're the only type I trust to do the job at hand correctly. Plus the sensor cooking works well too. I.E. I use it to make potatoes a lot. I love baked taters but hate waiting for them. So I put my taters in there. Set it to taters. No need to guess their weight or tell it how many. Only it has potatoes in it. Whether it's one or 10 does not matter. Set it to potato and turn it on. Voila every one is done correctly. I then take the taters, toss them in a little S&P, and olive oil (sometimes a little rosemary or thyme as well) and they go into my hot grill for a few minutes and I have perfect nicely cooked insides, crispy skin. I would buy another Panasonic JUST for how well it does that one function LOL
 
Am I hearing right that even the newest models of other brands that use inverter tech do not deliver a constant stream of power but, rather, cycle on and off at lower power settings?

I'm struggling finding a Panasonic in my immediate area.
 
Yes, to my knowledge and my research Panasonic is the only company that actually varies power output. Mine is NN-SN671S I think they still sell this one at Costco This one https://www.costco.com/panasonic-1....-technology,-nn-sn755s.product.100531612.html being the closest to my model I could find. We tried a few other brands but I hated them and sold/gave them away and bought another Panasonic. Mine was made in 2013 so unsure if the exact model is around yet.
 
I've got a newer GE over the oven microwave. The sensor cooking is pretty amazing. It does a phenomenal job reheating things. I cooked some microwave popcorn and decided to just trust it. With most microwaves that's a recipe for disaster but it did a perfect job. Reheating pizza, it's almost as good as reheating in the oven. I'm not sure what it does differently.
 
This is why I hate shopping; I need to read, study, and agonize over decisions. If the wife were buying this she'd stop at Walmart after work and grab one from the shelf and be done with the process.

I ordered the GE JES2251SJ from Lowes that's in stock and I'll pick up later today but it isn't clear how the inverter cooking power works (even after calling GE). I can't get the Panasonic NN-SD975S until Friday but I did order it because they make it very clear that it provides constant heat at various power settings.
 
BFletcher said:
provides constant heat at various power settings.
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Precisely why I buy them. My dad has a fairly new (within 3 or 4 years) GE and I cannot stand the thing. It's not intuitive i.e. when I want to warm something for 30 seconds on the Panasonic. I push 3 0 then start. Try that on his GE? It starts running on it's own for 3 minutes. If you want 30 seconds you have to search the buttons for "Cook Time" push that, then push 3 0 then start. WTH?! Tried doing taters in his. Used the potato setting but, nooooooo I have to tell it how many and how much they weigh. So even after all that? It still totally ruined them.
 
I will have to look into this. Though many times in the master bath I don't bother with the fan for a shower since I am usually home alone so I just leave the door open. Since the house can usually use a little extra moisture anyway in the winter. In the summer I open the window and turn on the fan as well
 
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