Before air fryers were the must-have kitchen appliance, microwaves reigned supreme as the go-to space-saving, energy-reducing way to cook. While air fryers are the new kids on the block, more than 93 per cent of homes in the UK still have a microwave.
Anyone who has ever let their coffee go cold will know how useful the machines are. Plus, with everyone from chefs at Michelin-star restaurants to competitors on the BBC’s Great British Menu using microwaves, they appear to be having a resurgence.
If you’re in the market for a new model, the first thing to consider is what you’ll be using it for most. If that’s heating up leftovers or making the occasional jacket potato, you won’t need to spend a fortune. For more complicated culinary purposes, it’s worth thinking more carefully. Are you a multi-person household? How often do you heat more than one item, and just how much room do you have in your kitchen?
Should speed be an issue, choose a higher wattage, and if dinner is sometimes a last-minute affair, check the defrost settings. There are plenty of models with child locks, so, if little hands can reach your microwave, you’ll want to make sure they can’t do more than that.
Whether yours is due for an upgrade or you want one that does more than reheating, we’re here with the best microwaves to make your food ping.
Considering their versatility, we tested these appliances with different demographics in mind, from students to busy mums and dads. We microwaved ready meals and packets of popcorn, reheated leftover Sunday roasts, cooked a jacket potato and made a vanilla sponge cake. We followed the packet instructions on the ready meals and popcorn and the manufacturer’s instructions for the leftovers and cake.
