Microwave Oven Reviews. Contemporary reviews of microwaves. Reviews concerning Panasonic microwaves, general microwave use and general microwave purchasing.

Microwaves are great! By Sandra-M | 25.07.01

I wouldn't be without my microwave?and I thought I'd put a list together of what you can do with it...

(Note timings are for a category b (800w) oven. A category d (650 w) will take longer. Make sure that any dishes or cups you use are microwave proof before using.

1. Make porridge without all the mess - you need a high-sided dish - I use a glass Pyrex dish so I can see what's going on! For two: measure out 60g (1 cup) porridge oats. Put in a bowl with 400 ml (2 1/4 cups) milk and a pinch of salt (if you like). Cook on high for four to six minutes (depending on your heating category). Leave to stand for two minutes before serving.

2. Make scrambled eggs. Advantages: no saucepan to scrub and they won't burn! For two people: beat together two eggs, salt and pepper and two tablespoons milk. Put in the microwave on high for two minutes. Again a glass Pyrex type dish is best. Take out and whisk. Return to the microwave for a further minute on high, take out and mix (by now it should be almost firm). Return for a final minute. Should be done now. (These timings are for a 800w category d oven, others may take longer).

3. Frozen peas - just put in a dish add some water, salt, and cover. (I use a slotted plastic cover for microwaves). Cook on high for three minutes.

4. Baked beans/peas - put in a dish and cook on high for two minutes.

5. Warm plates - put on high for three minutes. Mine seem to stay warm for at least 20 minutes.

6. Reheat drinks - ever made a cup of tea and forgotten about it. If it is quite cool, put back in for 20 seconds on high. Caution: make sure your cup is microwave proof and stir it when it comes out before drinking.

7. Pre-cook roast potatoes. Put them all in a microwavable bowl with some water to just about cover them and salt and cook on high for eight minutes. Drain and put in the oven. This has the same result as par-boiling on the stove but is quicker.

8. Jacket potatoes: an average potato will take up to eight or nine minutes on high. I wash and prick mine all over with a fork, run in some olive oil and put in a dish. Just test with a knife to see if it's done all the way through.

9. Broccoli: cut broccoli into florets and put into a dish with a small amount of water, add salt. Cook uncovered for five minutes. I find the broccoli is perfectly cooked and retains a bright green colour so I prefer cooking it this way to on the hob. Hope this is useful.

General by David J. Rogers | 30.03.02

Our Toshiba er-672et delta wave 650w microwave was one of the very first turntable models available back in 1981. It was top of the range, big, heavy and very expensive, running at around £300 then. Of course, the years have seen advances in technology such that you can buy similar microwaves for around £99 now. However, are they as good as the first ones? I know they are not as roomy.

I bought this microwave from curry's high street store in Haverhill, Essex, in December 1981, a year easy to remember because of the reason I decided to buy it. It was the year my first child was born. My son was born on 11th October and everything was new to us, we had been going through all manner of tests because we seemed unable to produce any baby and so he was special to us, but not so special when it came to those dreaded night feeds! Oh boy I was not ready for the noise every few hours, or the loss of freedom that comes with being a parent/. Both my wife and I worked in the restaurant/hotel/pub trade and we both enjoyed the nightlife that went with that, both on and off duty. We would be out for around 18hrs a day, every day and this sudden change were going to take some getting used to. It was the night feeds that were hardest though, despite being breast fed he also needed extra milk from a bottle, he has always been a very hungry guy and still is to this day, yet never gains any weight, don't you just hate these guys?

So, back to the microwave. After yet another night with little sleep I sat in my office, falling asleep as I tried to balance the stock levels, when I decided that I would go shopping and look for something, anything, that would assist us with these night feeds. There had to be a way to have everything ready and just warm it up. We had already tried the normal bottle warmers but these were too slow for the lad. His noise lasted far too long while we waited for the milk to warm and so i took a look in curry's, why there I will never know but it is surprising what desperation, added to sleep deprivation can lead you to. As if by fate I started to speak to the sales guy who had also just had a new baby, its true I promise you, mind you I should have been able to spot the signs, half closed eyes, huge sacks under them and a temper fit to kill. His opening comments were, as you would expect, little more than mumbles. He was your average sales guy, "can I help ya" and "is there anything you are looking for in particular" all said with no enthusiasm at all but, as soon as I explained my quest, he suddenly became interested, awake and almost excited, note I said almost? This was my introduction to the "30 second ding for feed/peace machine"

"Here is your answer sir" he shouted, pointing at the range of microwaves on the shelf. "These are expensive but what price a nights sleep eh?" I explained I did not need any sales pitch, no pre written speech as to the virtues of the equipment or the warranty that would mean peace of mind. All I wanted was something that would allow me to warm up a bottle of baby milk as quickly as possible at the touch of a button. I have to admit my desperation didn't even allow me to consider the cost. All this money just for a nights sleep? but right there, and right then it just didn't matter, I was sure my sweet wife would be pleased and that she would find all the other uses for it, in time.

I agreed I wanted it, I wanted it then and I was going to pay cash, I would not wait for the next delivery I wanted it put in the boot of my car there and then. I was so excited I decided I could leave the paperwork for another day and closed up and rushed home, my excitement was such I felt drunk. On arriving home, I got a great deal of looks, questions and, well when I said how much it cost I have to admit I did fib? My wife is sweet but she had not long had a baby, was also very tired and I was certain I could not trust her actions if I said £300. I explained all we had to do was make up as many bottles as we needed before we went to bed. Line them up next to this huge microwave, huge by today's standards anyway, and, at the right time, pop one in, set for 30 seconds and wait for the ding? that was it. I did have to convince her that this £300 piece of electronics could do much, much more besides, she seemed okay. The fact it worked and the bottle was just right after 30 seconds soon had her forgetting the cost. Safety note...Please shake well before you offer it to the baby, microwaves have a habit of heating from the inside out. For the first year that was all it got used for, apart from an odd re-heat if, I arrived home late and wanted to heat up my dinner. The one downside was when the breast-feeding stopped; I no longer had any reason to shove her out of bed because I could not take a turn to breast-feed!

Now, some 21 years on, and another two kids this same machine works as well as it did the day I bought it. It is used for all manner of cooking, each day, and it has never, yet anyway, broken down or cost us money for repairs. I have had the seal checked, as recommended, for leaks and there are none. The light works, the table turns and the cooking is fast. I guess it would be about the size of the industrial microwaves today. How many electrical items can we buy now that will still work, as good as the day we bought them, in 21 years time? How much value for money has this proven to be. Was it expensive or just new technology? I can say, without fear, that this electrical item has lasted the test of time and has not given me any trouble. It is such a great item I now actively seek out the name Toshiba whenever looking for new electrical items. It is a name I trust.

Indeed, it has proven such a reliable buy I would be willing to recommend this manufacturer to anyone, something I would seldom do. This same firm makes many of our household items, and all are giving us great service. I guess it is like so much else, if you want to be the first to own some new technology you have to be willing to pay the price.

The overall size of this microwave is: Height 36cm (14.5 inches) approx. Width 55cm (21.75 inches) approx. Depth 36cm (14.5 inches) approx.

Inside you have a spacey: Height 26cm (10.25 inches) approx. Width 33.5cm (13.25 inches) approx. Depth 33cm (13 inches) approx.

It weighs in at an incredible 27kg. It also has a 'super stirrer fan' concealed in the oven. This "ensures the even distribution of microwaves" and is covered by a plastic cover to protect it from food splashes.

The setting dials are manual, there are two, The first is to set the heat, it goes from one to nine and has a printed guide as to what temperature is needed for what kind of food. The second dial is for the amount of time, this goes from 0 - 60 minutes, again with a printed guide.

The outsides is black and gold in colour, with a tinted, see through, glass door and has a hidden internal light, the revolving plate is as large as the inside space.

It is, as I said at the start, a 650-watt model but heats and cooks very well and at speed too. To warm a mug of tea takes about 12 seconds as you can see my skills at using it have changed very little over the years, thank goodness my wife's have.

I am sure there are many older electronic appliances around but how many are as good as the day you bought them and still used several times a day, every day? I recommend anyone to look out for this make of equipment when buying anything electrical and wish you as many happy, trouble free years, use as we have had. I have to admit I have no idea of how easy it is to get spares, mainly because I have never needed any. I do know that there are many domestic appliance repair companies that offer cover for this manufacturer so it should not prove a problem if needed.

Panasonic microwave review By vinodgm | 08.07.01

The Panasonic microwave, model number nnt559w is a very simple and inexpensive microwave oven.

We bought ours early this year for £150.00 but a couple of weeks ago I noticed that they are now going for £139.00.

We previously had a Sanyo model, which we used for about five years. I probably would have gone for another Sanyo model but on recommendation of a friend, we went for the Panasonic instead.

This model features a 34cm turntable that defrosts or cooks the food very evenly and does not leave any cold or under cooked patches.

It also has a push button type door that springs open once you push the button.

The inner lining is made of an antibacterial material thus greatly enhancing hygiene. It also makes it very easy to clean after use. Even if you decide to clean it the next day, it's still very easy.

It also has something called a 'chaos defrost' which is very rapid defrosting at extremely high temperatures. It was made known to us, at the time we purchased it, that this will reduce defrosting time by 20% over other microwave ovens.

It uses 900 watts of continuous power, which unfortunately is the downside of this model, because other more powerful microwaves use 800 watts. This might slightly affect your electricity bill if you use it very frequently.

This model also features auto guide and auto weight programs. I have not yet used these features yet but they are explained in detailed in the user manual.

Overall, we are very satisfied with this microwave and it has everything we expect. It is also a great bargain at the price and the brand is very well known.

General Review By DaisyDuck | 19.09.01

I have owned and used a microwave oven for some years now, and I often get asked whether i actually use it and would I miss it if wasn't there?

The answer to both these questions is yes. I use it every day and I have grown to rely on a microwave enough to replace it a couple of times when old or broken.

My current microwave is a Delonghi dlt2, which I have owned for about two years. It's a basic machine 900 watts power, five power levels, turntable and auto-cook buttons for popcorn, pizza, potato, drink and reheat. So what do I cook in the microwave. Foods that cook really well are fish, vegetables, poultry, soups, sauces and sponge puddings. Fish is particularly good as it says moist and you do not get a fishy smell throughout the house. Anything that you would normally boil or steam works well. Pastry and other food that requires browning and crisping is not as successful unless you have a combination microwave, which I haven't.

The kids love chocolate sponge pudding and custard, but I don't have the time to steam a pudding for an hour, so being able to make the pudding and custard from scratch using the microwave in about 15 minutes is a real help.

Defrosting: some microwave owners use their machines for this alone. I have found the machine useful for this in two ways. If I have to defrost something quickly (kitchen emergency time) I use the defrost function in the traditional way. If on the other hand I remember to take the food out to defrost, I still put it in the microwave but do not turn it on. The reason for this is that I have two cats that can open every other door in the kitchen, so it is an excellent "safe" to stop them devouring a defrosting chicken or pork chop.

Re-heating: if my husband's train is delayed or the children go to their various clubs, it's great for warming through a plate of food. Also excellent for heating baked beans and tinned soups, as you don't end up with a sticky saucepan.

Milk: I also use it every morning to make my son a cup of hot chocolate (got this habit on a trip to France), milk heated in the mug and no pan to wash. Also great for heating milk for porridge, custard and other sweet sauces.

Jam making: you can make small quantities of jam, the colour stays a brighter and again the washing up is much simpler.

Time saving: If you pre- cook potatoes for about five minutes before roasting you can save half an hour on the roasting time.

Averting disasters: now and again I have taken a chicken or joint of meat out of the oven and it is not cooked through properly, everything else is ready and the gannets are waiting in the dining room. Simple solution, slice it up, cover with gravy and whack it in the microwave for a few minutes to cook through thoroughly.

Special cooking dishes: I find that most ceramics, glass and some plastic dishes are fine. However, I have bought one or two special microwave dishes, as they do seem to give a better result and do not get as hot as Pyrex bowls can.

Safety: I would not recommend heating babies' milk bottles as you can get hot spots and you don't want to scald you child. I have used it to warm babies meals, but stir them thoroughly and test before feeding. Leave a cup of water in the microwave, so that if it is switched on accidentally your machine will not be damaged. Buy a monitor, and test for power leakage around the door from time to time, mine cost about £10.

I also have a perfectly good gas oven and hob which I use everyday, but the microwave still has its benefits. I rarely buy ready meals, but if I did it would be even more useful.