With the Fast Combi function, you can combine cooking methods for quicker results, making meal preparation easier and more efficient. This means you can effortlessly prepare crispy fries, roast a succulent chicken, or quickly defrost food, all with one appliance. The powerful 1300W quartz grill provides the ability to achieve perfectly grilled dishes, enhancing your cooking repertoire. Its spacious 30-litre capacity can accommodate a 12” dinner plate, perfect for cooking family-sized portions.
Its 30L capacity allows you to cook larger meals or multiple dishes at once, making family cooking more efficient. Its Element IQ system employs smart algorithms to provide precise power distribution, ensuring perfectly cooked meals every time. The BLACK+DECKER Microwave Oven is a versatile 3-in-1 appliance that combines a 900W microwave, 1100W grill, and 2500W convection oven. The additional nine air fry auto menus enable you to enjoy healthier meals, as they require no added oil while still achieving that crispy texture. The Panasonic CF87 Oven features a spacious 31-litre capacity, making it ideal for cooking large family meals. The Samsung Convection Microwave offers innovative cooking solutions for your kitchen.
Functions that make cooking easier
Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers.
It effortlessly baked fluffy fairy cakes, grilled crispy-yet-juicy sausages, and produced a golden-topped mac and cheese. Note that you can’t change the temperature of these functions though – only the time – which limits its versatility when compared with an actual oven. It was fantastic at cooking ready meals from both chilled and frozen too. This reasonably priced design put in a stellar performance in our lab, scoring full marks when heating up soup and cooking jacket potatoes. Like the Sage above, this Salter is ideal if you want to join the air fryer train without sacrificing precious kitchen space. This combi microwave was the simplest to use of all the models we tested, with an easy-to-read manual and responsive buttons that make cooking effortless.
- Not all combination microwaves have the same features; some have a grill, some have convection cooking, and some have both.
- You can check cooking times, follow guides and recipes, and even add ingredients to your shopping list from your phone.
- It performed equally well as a standard combi microwave, scoring highly in our soup, jacket potato, ready meal and defrosting tests.
- We wished the air fryer tray was dishwasher-proof for a quicker clean-up, but otherwise, we can’t complain.
- Note that you can’t change the temperature of these functions though – only the time – which limits its versatility when compared with an actual oven.
- Some models can even steam food or air fry; the possibilities really are endless.
- Or, if you’re ready to shop, our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have tested 41 combination microwaves to find the best versatile cookers on the market.
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- We’ve highlighted the maximum wattage for each function below (or in some instances, the max temperature of the convection cooking function depending on manufacturer information).
- They also try out the defrost setting on minced meat and use the grill setting to cook toast, macaroni cheese and sausages.
- Detailed instruction manuals also cover how to cook everything from a jacket potato to sausages.
- While this Samsung model doesn’t have a convection oven (so skip if you want one for cakes and roasts), it does have a grill with one temperature setting that’s perfect for giving microwave meals a crispy finish.
If you’re replacing an existing microwave, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. It’s not the fanciest of combis, but it’s more affordable and compact than many on this list – ideal for smaller kitchens. Still, that’s not a dealbreaker and there was a lot to love about this machine, including its large viewing window, easy-to-clean interior, and delicious fairy cake-baking skills. Though not the sleekest or most powerful model on test, this means your electricity bill should be lower – we used just 11p of electricity for a jacket potato.
It’s an outstanding cooker though; our testers declared its roast chicken one of the best on test and awarded its mac and cheese and jacket potatoes a perfect score. justbit Its clear manual and intuitive interface also make preparing more than your traditional microwave meals easy – even a roast chicken. Proving a real all-rounder, our experts awarded this microwave full marks for its microwaved jacket potatoes and near perfect marks for its roasting, baking and grilling. Our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute eat well during this test, as they use each combination microwave to heat, grill, bake and roast. We’ve highlighted the maximum wattage for each function below (or in some instances, the max temperature of the convection cooking function depending on manufacturer information).
It’s a premium buy, but because of its many functions, it can be a tad confusing to use, so keep the manual close by at first. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Finally, our testers judge each microwave for its ease of use and design, considering its overall quality and accompanying instructions. Generally, they will use less electricity than traditional ovens because they heat a smaller space. Some models can even steam food or air fry; the possibilities really are endless. Head to our microwave buying guide for all you need to know about each.
Panasonic NN-CT56JBBPQ Slimline Combination Microwave Oven, Black
Detailed instruction manuals also cover how to cook everything from a jacket potato to sausages. If all this seems daunting, many come with a host of pre-programmed auto-cook options that do all the hard work for you. Toast lovers take note though, the grill element may not be as powerful as conventional grills, so it may be slower to brown your bread than an oven or a toaster. Essentially, it’s like having a small oven on your kitchen counter. Master every meal with smart cooking
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One appliance handles microwaving, grilling and baking, so you can cook more without clutter. The Russell Hobbs RHM3002 Microwave offers great versatility in your kitchen. Additionally, the stainless steel interior is not only durable but also easy to clean, ensuring a hassle-free cooking experience. With 900 watts of power, it efficiently handles cooking, reheating, and defrosting tasks. If you’re often in a rush, the auto defrost function makes thawing seafood, poultry, and meats quick and easy. The Daewoo Combination Microwave offers an impressive 25L capacity, making it perfect for families and larger gatherings.
Everyone loves an air fryer, so unsurprisingly, this multitasking appliance with air fryer functionality was a hit with our experts. It was efficient too; cooking our jacket potato used just 10p of electricity. And opting for a combination microwave over a traditional solo microwave can unlock even more culinary possibilities in your kitchen…
The 2400W grill offers 10 auto cooking programmes, enabling you to grill, roast, and bake with ease. The fan-assisted convection cooking feature mimics a conventional oven, allowing you to enjoy perfectly cooked meals. The Sage Combi Wave offers remarkable 3-in-1 versatility, serving as an air fryer, convection oven, and microwave. The TOSHIBA Combo Microwave Oven offers remarkable versatility with its five cooking functions, including microwave, air fry, broil, bake, and combi modes. Our experts have trialled hundreds of kitchen appliances, including the best solo microwaves and best air fryer microwaves, so we know exactly what makes a top buy. The speediest of chicken roasters, this combination microwave’s auto roast setting served up a bird in just 37 minutes.
Our testers were impressed with its tender, juicy roast chicken and found the grill and combination cooking modes effective. Combining all the best air fryer and microwave benefits, this smart machine from Sage, which is also a grill and convection oven, is another great multitasker. When testing the air fryer mode, they enjoyed a well-cooked, tender whole roast chicken and delicious sausages – add some fluffy mash and that’s dinner sorted in just ten minutes. For example, using the grill and microwave at the same time to cook your ready meal means it would emerge quickly cooked and with a mouth-wateringly crispy topping.
Thanks to their quick-heating powers, microwaves can be dinner-time miracle workers for many busy households. These figures show how much power you can use to cook, rather than directly reflecting how much electricity a microwave may use when cooking. Automatic cooking settings can be helpful too, but some models only have pre-set programmes for combination cooking. While we don’t have any on this list, it’s also worth noting that some combination microwaves are available as built-in models too.
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The grill gave our sausages a patchier finish than most, but given its extensive capabilities, this microwave is excellent value – especially for often pricey Panasonics. It also has a whopping 40 auto programmes, including ones for rice and fresh fish, alongside a nifty “keep warm” function. We programmed it to defrost a 1.5-kilogram chicken, and it calculated the right length of time, fully defrosting it within 24 minutes. Another impressive combination microwave from Panasonic, this one does everything the above model can, and it steams food too. It’s ideal if you tend to cook for only one or two people, as it saves you heating a large oven and performs just as well.