They’re perfect for time-poor cooks, but which deserves your counter space? From combi models to smart designs, here’s what our expert recommends
The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
If you’re at a restaurant and hear a ping a couple of minutes before your meal arrives at your table, it’s unlikely to be a good sign. But microwave ovens are a brilliant tool in the home kitchen. They’re fearsomely fast at heating up – or even cooking – food when you’re time-poor and lacking the energy to make something wholesome after a hard day at work. And in hot weather, cooking by microwave isn’t just quick: it also won’t warm your home.
The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
Microwaves work best for heating food with a high water content (they make the water molecules in food vibrate to create heat). However, before testing, I asked around to find out what people use theirs for most, with a view to using this information to shape my tests. I learned a few things – like lots of people eat mug cakes. Who knew? And that wheat bags are a popular alternative to hot-water bottles. But the majority of folk use their microwave for reheating cold cuppas, defrosting frozen batch-cooked meals, warming food, popping microwave popcorn – and, of course, cooking jacket potatoes more quickly. I used these insights to shape my testing.
Ease of use is important, too. Most of us only ever use a few buttons on repeat, often having to reach for the instructions if we want to use some of the smarter functionality these appliances now come with – some can even air-fry.
Microwaving can be healthy and fast, and it uses less energy than an oven. So, if you want to discover the best microwaves for your needs, read on.
Best microwave overallPanasonic NN-CD88 4-in-1 combi with air fry
Best budget microwaveSalter DuoWave 2-in-1
Best microwave for controlsLG MH6565CPS NeoChef
I’m an award-winning consumer technology journalist who’s been reviewing gadgets for almost 30 years. I live in a terrace house with my children and several pets, meaning there were plenty of mouths for the extra food I was making while testing these microwaves. The humans got a lot of jacket potatoes and beans; the animals helped with the rest … which is how I discovered that hens love poppadoms!
I selected 10 microwave ovens from leading brands at various price points. The models differed in capacity and features but were similar in other ways. They all had a dial and buttons for control on a panel on the right-hand side. They all opened to the left, other than the Samsung Combi microwave, where the door opens downwards. And they all had a one-metre power cable at the rear that came from the top right (looking front on).
I used each model to prepare the same set of foods. I made microwave popcorn, cooked jacket potatoes (200 to 250g each), and heated up 150g of baked beans.
Next, I used each microwave to heat 250ml of chilled (starting at 9C) tap water for two minutes, using a digital thermometer to check its temperature after heating. I also used the defrost settings on a 500g block of ice in each microwave for 10 minutes, weighing how much ice was left. Finally, I cooked poppadoms to evaluate a microwave oven’s ability to cook evenly, and frozen oven chips in those models that come with an air-frying feature.
None of the food I made went to waste, with the chickens happily eating any leftover popcorn and – surprisingly – the poppadoms, and the dog eating everything else.