One of my MWOs has decided its turntable ist kaput. It still heats fine, but Wahine has requested I start looking for a replacement. I bought this unit years ago because it included broiling and convection modes, which we have since gained with the Breville ovens.
The parameters are:
SS finish
Around 12.75" tall (<15")
< 21wide (<23")
1100W minimum
Countertop (don’t need built-in or o/h)
Preferences for:
12" diameter capacity
Simplified control layout (don’t want specific dish settings)
Knobs/buttons over keypad
We have been enjoying this panosonic commercial microwave for several years. Only 1000w, but seems super powerful to us. DIAL!!. = total control. Easy clean. Meant for hot food counters at mini-marts/gas stations. → idiot proof. Would buy again in a heartbeat.
12” tall. 20” wide. Ss. Maybe 1000w however. 12” wide heating area. I was adamant during research that the control be just one dial, not ugly, SS, no carousel, no keypad, i.e. similar to what you are looking for.
i’ve had no issues with this little toshiba. best thing about it YOU CAN TURN OFF BEEPING SOUNDS. i really don’t like appliances that have mandatory alarms.
I don’t want to sidetrack this thread from a microwave recommendation into a “how to use a microwave” but I’ve always found the defrost settings on microwaves a rather blunt instrument.
A better approach is to set the microwave at 50% temp, heat for 1 minute, remove, let the food item rest for a minute, and repeat until the desired level of “defrost” has been reached.
Takes more “manual” labor, which is admittedly counterintuitive to using a microwave, but sometimes a human being is better than an AI.
My unit has two settings for defrost (meat, poultry, fish), and weight. I only use it for meat, and it does a very good job with individual burger portions, chili, pasta sauce, and soups/stocks.
YMMV, but this is one of my most frequent uses of it.
That’s basically what I’ve done. I don’t use the “weight defrost” or “time defrost” functions. But I do throttle back the power setting to 30% or even 10% Any resting happens in the MWO.
I’m not understanding what you mean by blunt. I would think the blunt-est instrument would be what I’d be required to do if I got one of the 1-speeds people have recommended so far.
We have this little one from Whirlpool. It’s very compact and light enough that it’s easy to move if we need more counter space. Only bummer is the limited height inside the unit. 6 inches tall is the most that would fit
@kaleokahu - did you get one, and are you happy with it? Our Panasonic has recently started taking quite a bit longer to heat, so is likely on its way out.
