Mid-sized microwave reviews

Most microwaves performed quite well overall, so look closely at the results table to find the model that best matches your cooking habits.

# Discontinued model. Availability and prices checked in September 2010.

Profiles - what to buy

# Panasonic Inverter NN-ST657W

Price $239
Claimed volume 32L

Good points

• Best overall performer.
• Excellent cooking performance score.
• Excellent results for broccoli, defrosting mince and chicken, and reheating a meal.
• Good for ease of use.
• Equal best for ease of cleaning.

Bad points

• Difficult to see the food through the door during use.

Samsung MW103H

Price $179
Claimed volume 28L

Good points

• Excellent cooking performance score.
• Excellent results for cooking broccoli, rice, defrosting mince and reheating quiche.
• Good for ease of use.
• Has very good through the door visibility when in use.
• Cheapest model tested.
• Has audible prompts that can be turned on or off.

Bad points

• The cavity has many small holes that can accumulate dirt, making cleaning difficult.

LG MS3448GRK

Price $249
Claimed volume 34L

Good points

• Very good cooking performance score.
• Excellent results for cooking broccoli, defrosting chicken and reheating a meal.
• Good for ease of use.
• The digital display gives step-by-step word prompts.
• Has a sensor cook and reheat function that works well.
• Has the largest turntable diameter and a round internal cavity which maximises the useable space.
• Comes with a handy plastic plate and bowl-shaped cover.

Bad points

• The cavity has many small holes that can accumulate dirt, making cleaning difficult.
• Has no multistage programming option.

Profiles - the rest

All have a child lock, auto defrost, and none have a keep warm function, nor can their light globes be changed by the user.

SHARP Carousel R330JS

Price: $230
Claimed volume: ‘mid-sized’

Good Points

• Very good cooking score.
• Excellent results for broccoli and defrosting mince.
• Good for ease of use, with well grouped controls and a clear digital display.

Bad Points

• Only scored 65% for reheating a meal.
• Many small holes on the inside of the microwave that can accumulate dirt.

# PANASONIC Genius NN-ST667W

Price: $299
Claimed volume: 32L

Good Points

• Good cooking score – and better still when using manual mode for reheating a meal.
• Excellent results for broccoli, defrosting mince and chicken, and reheating a meal.
• Has a sensor cook and reheat function.

Bad Points

• Expensive.
• Just OK for visibility through door during use.
• Only scored 63% for ease of use.
• Poor result for reheating a non-strirrable food on sensor mode, but improved to 71% when re-tested using manual mode.

# SHARP Carousel R350LW

Price: $241
Claimed volume: ‘mid-sized’

Good Points

• Good cooking score – and better still when using manual mode for cooking rice.
• Excellent result for cooking broccoli.
• Highest ease of use score.
• Has intuitive controls and labelling.
• Large digital display with step-by-step word prompts.
• Has a sensor cook and reheat function.
• Good through the door visibility.

Bad Points

• Low score for cooking rice on sensor mode, but improved to 80% when re-tested using manual mode.
• Many small holes on the inside of the microwave that can accumulate dirt.

SANYO Family Size Microwave EMS8597W

Price: $229
Claimed volume: 34L

Good Points

• Good cooking score.
• Excellent result for cooking broccoli.
• Good result for ease of use.
• Has intuitive controls and labelling, with good contrast.
• Equal best cleaning score.

Bad Points

• Only OK result for visibility through door during operation.
• Only scored 60% for defrosting chicken and 65% for reheating a typical meal.
• Digital display words are a little small.

SAMSUNG Sensor Smart ME6124ST

Price: $299
Claimed volume: 34L

Good Points

• Very good cooking score.
• Excellent results for cooking broccoli (on the sensor program) and rice.
• Sound function whereby indicator sounds can be turned on or off.
• Has a sensor cook/reheat function.

Bad Points

• Expensive.
• Only scored 65% for reheating a meal.
• Poor result for ease of use.
• Has very small labelling.
• Has many small holes on the inside of the microwave that can accumulate dirt.
• Stainless steel panel on the front of the microwave may require extra attention when cleaning.
• Very poor visibility through door during operation.

# WHIRLPOOL X2-30ES/S

Price: $259
Claimed volume: ns

Good Points

• Good cooking score.
• Excellent result for defrosting mince.

Bad Points

• Only scored 49% for reheating a non-stirrable food.
• Only OK result for visibility through door during operation.
• Has the smallest turntable area.
• Expensive for a smaller model.

SANYO EMS6786V

Price: $199
Claimed volume: 28L

Good Points

• Good cooking score.
• Excellent result for broccoli and defrosting mince.

Bad Points

• Lowest overall performer – just OK overall result.
• Poor result for reheating a non-stirrable food.
• Only scored 50% for ease of use.
• Poor visibility through door during operation.
• Most of the controls are behind the door so programs and times must be set with the door open.
• Has many small holes on the inside of the microwave that can accumulate dirt.
• Stainless steel panel on the front of the microwave may require extra attention when cleaning. .

# Discontined model. Availability and prices checked in September 2010.

Essential microwave features

• Controls Look for easy-to-use controls and good instructions on the display.
• Visibility A bright interior light and large, clear viewing window enable you to check your food as it’s cooking.
• Cleaning Look for holes and gaps inside the microwave that can trap food and grease.
• Size Make sure you can fit your microwave-safe cooking dishes – take those you’re likely to use to the shop with you. Also, you need about 10cm of space around the outside of the oven for ventilation, plus 20cm above it.

Features worth having

The results table lists which models have the following features.

• Automatic functions for defrosting, cooking and reheating are convenient. Automatic defrost usually asks you to enter the weight and type of food, and the oven calculates the time – all models in this test have this feature.
• Sensor cooking Look for a good selection of auto or sensor programs for foods that you often cook or reheat. One disadvantage of sensor cooking is that you can’t tell how long it will take, as no time is displayed until the last few minutes of the cooking time. Also, if the sensing process is interrupted by opening the door or stopping the microwave, an error code appears and you need to start the sensor process from the beginning – you can’t simply continue as this may cause food to be overcooked.
• Quick/boost start is a handy way of starting the oven, usually by pressing a single button. With most models, the cooking time increases in one- or half-minute steps if you press the button again. It’s particularly handy for reheating.
• Time-adjust during cooking allows you to increase or decrease the time programmed during cooking.
• Multistage programming Models with this feature can be programmed to perform a sequence of functions, such as defrost, cook then leave to stand. All except the LG have this function.
• A child safety lock allows you to push a sequence of buttons to deactivate the microwave. All models have this feature.
• Kitchen timer A stand-alone kitchen timer can be used to time other things, such as boiling an egg.

For people with a disability

• If you have hand weakness or dexterity problems, both Panasonics, both Sharps, and the Samsung MW103H are suitable as their door latches are large and easy to open with the palm of the hand.
• The latter three models and the LG are also suitable for someone with vision or cognitive impairment, as visibility through their doors during cooking is good and the digital displays are large and clear. Their control panels have good colour contrast, are grouped intuitively and are easy to understand. The Sharp Carousel R350LW and LG also have step-by-step word prompting instructions.