When our old microwave finally died after 12 years we looked for another one that would let us cook a whole chicken . I checked out our local electrical appliance type shops but couldn't see anything of a similar size to our old microwave.
Then I checked our Argos catalogue and found this one. It had everything I was looking for which essentially was the same functionality and size as our old one ,whilst it had the added benefit of being stainless steel inside and out for easy cleaning, longer good looks and no peeling paint. It also had a grilling facility and a convection oven setting which I was not really bothered about but hey they were extras.
Being a microwave oven it was bound to be heavy so I looked at Argos online
and found that I could order it for home delivery! For some undisclosed reason , buying it online and having it delivered was about £10 cheaper than buying it instore and collecting it ourselves.
I especially liked the look of this machine as it has a turntable and a 30 litre oven and can easily take a 2.6kg chicken in the purpose made microwave meat cooking container I already owned ,which is quite high domed .
Control panel............................................................................................ The controls on this microwave are extensive. There is a Timer button which you turn, a power setting button , 2 function buttons so that you can't choose convection oven or toaster oven by mistake. A stop or reset button. A program button which is also the on button and all of these can be used in various combinations.
The buttons are steel and are actual round buttons rather than a touch pad which our previous microwave had. The clock is LED and can be set to the current time but also acts as the count down clock and program indicator. There is no door release button at all.You just pull the door open by the handle which is also steel and the full height of the door. The buttons emit a peep as you set them so that you can tell that you have pressed hard enough and also as a warning if a child should turn them while you are not looking. When cooking has finished ,another beeper sounds for about 10 seconds to tell you it is finished and then at intervals of about 5 minutes incase you forget .You need to press the stop reset button or open the oven door to stop it ultimately.
Usability..................................................................................................... The 900w means I can cook a chicken in 25 minutes. A Christmas pud takes 4 minutes with 2 minutes standing time. We do use it mostly as a microwave but it is also quite useful as additional space if I am cooking biscuits and there isn't enough room in the ordinary oven. The heat settings for the convector oven are in centigrade and seem to be very close in temperature to the conventional fan oven we own.
Accessories.............................................................................................. A Glass turntable which must be used at all times. This covers a sort of small wheeled object which holds it above the Axle type rotating mechanism. A Circular black 3 legged baking tray with short legs for use with the convection oven and toaster oven settings. A Circular wire 3 legged chrome rack type shelf presumably for toasting,with longer legs than the baking tray. I use it as a cooling tray. These last 2 sit on the glass turntable and so rotate when cooking.
Pre-programmed settings..................................................................... There are 7 preprogrammed autocook settings which have proved useful for baked potatoes,heating drinks,making popcorn, reheating plated meals ,cooking pizza ,skewered meats and cakes. Also various combinations of buttons for power levels including defrosting.
Timer.......................................................................................................... There is a 95 minute timer for the microwave or grill facility and there are 11 power settings from 0% up to 100%. The clock starts timing from 1 second and upwards. The convection oven has a 9 and 1/2 hour timer. You can use a combination of microwave and grill or microwave and convection cooking .
shortcomings........................................................................................... It would be useful if it had a weight sensor but sadly it does not. It comes with a baking tray for use with the convection oven but you do have to remember to take it out when microwaving as it is metal. That might be a problem if you have chldren who use it unsupervised . We do find it difficult to remember all the button combinations and so keep the instructions by the oven.
Cleaning.................................................................................................... The glass turntable and baking tray are dishwashable. The oven is simple to clean with a wet cloth. The brushed steelsurface is easy to clean and wont discolour as a painted one would,or warp as plastic doors do eventually.
safety.......................................................................................................... There is a child proof lock which disables the control buttons but does not lock the door as you might think.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Wish I had read yore review before Christmas. My boyfriend and I bought my Mum and Dad a microwave oven for xmas and went to a different town to have a look at Curries. We doubled checked with the staff to make sure that is was a microwave and an oven as this is what my parents wanted. The staff ensured us that it was a microwave oven and we paid £120 and left... only to discover on xmas day that it wansnt a microwave oven and was of no use to my Mum and Dad. We were not impressed. Will be taking it back and then having a look in Argos. xxxx
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