Advertisements

This counter top microwave is unusual, because it acts as a convection oven. It can perform the usual microwave functions, such as defrosting, reheating without cold spots and quickly preparing a cup of tea. The convection oven will brown chicken, grill meat and crisp pot pies. Meat is cooked in record time, and it's juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside. It can also reheat bread without making it rubbery. It's a novelty to find all these functions within one oven and it's the perfect combination appliance for people with limited kitchen space or limited time and patience for preparing food.

This is a good looking unit, matte silver on the outside with a stainless steel interior. The inside is only 0.9 cubic feet, with a carousel diameter of 12 3/4 inches, so it's not for cooking large items. There are 11 power levels and 35 cooking options. It reheats food without overheating it and turning it to mush.

Microwaves cut down on cooking time and are energy efficient, which makes them a good choice when trying to be responsible for the planet. However, at 900 watts, it's not as powerful as some other microwaves on the market.

There is a popcorn key, acknowledging that this is a major use of microwaves. However, it's essential to use the wire rack to center the bag of popcorn, or it will pop unevenly and burn on one side.

This is a deep unit that takes up a lot of counter space. A full three inches is required just for the cord. After use, the fan continues to operate to cool the appliance down. The unit cannot be installed over a range or other heat source. Reading the manual is a good idea. Even though most of the functions are fairly intuitive and overall the appliance is easy to use, it has so many capabilities that the owner will not be able to take advantage of them without understanding how it works. If the manual is lost, a new one can be downloaded from the Sharp site. A dozen accessories are also available to order there, such as an omelet pan, rice cooker and egg poacher.

The manufacturer's warranty lasts only 1 year with a 4 year warranty on the magnetron. It is advisable to buy an extended warranty as there have been reports of the appliance breaking as soon as the warranty is up.

With a retail price of $259.99, this is not the least expensive microwave on the market by any means, but with the wide range of capabilities, it delivers a lot of value for the money.