Conference turris::cooks

    
    	I have had a microwave for 5 years now and wouldnt part with
    it for anything.  I do not use mine for cooking any red meat, it
    does not have the browning ability and red meat gets rather tuff
    and chewy (kinda like taffy) or maybe I just dont know who to cook
    it right.  I use the bake, reheat, high, saute, and defrost the
    most.  I cook alot of hens, fish, turkey and chicken in mine and
    it saves alot of time and mess.  I lied, one red meat I bake is
    meatloaf, hamburger seems to be okay and a good sized meatloaf only
    takes about 20-30 minutes.  My mother has a rotissiere with hers
    and uses it alot, for what I dont know.  Make sure and get a good
    warrenty and has the functions you wish to use i.e., browning etc...
    
    	As far as brand names I don't even know off hand what mine is,
    but I didn't consider brand names when I bought mine, just mainly
    what I mentioned above.  I'm sure if you want a brand name you can
    probably spend more than $300.00 tho.
    
    	Good luck buying !

I have a Sears model that I puchased 4 years ago...I really love it and
it has caused no problems.

Features I miss:

If I bought another one would be a built-in turntable to rotate the food
for you while it is cooking.  Without that, I do have to stay on top
of the cooking processing, rotating the dish, etc.  I can get real
lazy sometimes!  I would also like the ability to "brown" things in
the microwave and I think I would look into purchasing one with
either a browning or convection feature.

Features I like:

I have the ability to select any percentage of power to use while
cooking...I can select 82% power if I want it.  The models that come
with the pre-set power selections at 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25%, etc.
don't give me the flexibility I want.  I also love the probe that
allows me to cook to a pre-set internal temperature of the food.
I really like the fact that the oven is large enough...I would never
have been happy with one of the smaller ones.

Features I have, but seldom use:

I am reluctant to leave food out of the fridge for any significant
period of time so I have never used the "start it later for me"
feature..besides, as I said, I have to manually rotate dishes to
get uniform cooking.

One point to remember:

Some things simply aren't as pretty or as tasty when cooked in the
microwave.  I use it alot, but I also use my conventional oven
alot, too.

        I would recommend a microwave oven with a turntable.  The turntable
    reduces, and sometimes eliminates the need to stop the oven and
    rotate the food.
    
        I think that the store where we bought our microwave oven is
    a national chain, but I'm not sure.  The store's name is Friedman's
    and they deal exclusively in microwave ovens and related items.
    Most stores even have microwave cooking classes which are free for
    people who purchase their ovens there.  Look for one in your area.

    I'd recommend a microwave with 'sensor cooking'.
    
    Ours has  this  and  it  allows  you  to  select  the type of food
    (categories are:   fresh  veg,  frozen  veg, sausages, fish, meat,
    reheat, ...  -  can't  remember  others) then tell it to go.  What
    the machine does is start  cooking,  sense  the amount of moisture
    coming off then calculate how much  longer  to  cook the food.  It
    works a treat (fish is great) and  90% of our microwave cooking is
    using this feature.
    
    Btw: I'll second the need for a turntable.
    
    
    Tony.

    Re -4....Ill second all of that...I bought a Panasonic about two
    years ago at Lechmere...think it was on sale for around $325 or
    so...that seosor cooking it just great...as someone else said,
    red meat cooks terrible..steaks that is...it does a good job on
    pork chops...I usually cook the chops in the micro then put some
    ah so sauce on them, pop them in the broiler for a short while
    and serve...the micro does an absolutely super job on veggies and
    mine has a "more/less" feature on the sensor so that you can cook
    anything a little more, or less than "don" criteria.
    
    Rick

    I'm in the process of buying a new microwave myself!!I have a .5
    cu.ft. model that works o.k.,but I want one with a turntable and
    one that cooks via moisture evaporation!!I thought Lechmere had
    the best price (Nashua...no tax!),but I just happened to be in Percy's
    over the weekend and thier price is better.
    Here's what I have so far....there are only two mfg'ers that have
    BOTH features   Panasonic and Sharp
    Panasonic's will cook from frozen...Sharp's won't!! 
                                         PERCY'S       LECHMERE
    
    Panasonic is  1.4 cu.ft.              $349.         $369.
    Sharp         1.5 cu.ft.              $339.         $369.
    These prices are as of 12/13/87 and Percy's does not have the Sharp
    in stock.Approx.1 week to 10 days to get.I just called Mass. buy
    to see if I can get a few bucks off at Percy's(to make up for taxes).
    Tony....

    I just got the Sharp with ESP. I really lucked out.  Lechmere had
    one on sale for $299 from $349, it was not in stock and was back
    ordered.  I  got a notice in the mail that that model was no longer
    available.  I was offered any other sharp with the same discount.
    I bought the next model up, with my daughters encouragement,and
    I am very pleased. It does everything except dishes :-). It has
    the turntable, sensor cooking, probe cooking, pre-programed cooking
    and defrosting, as well as power level selections.  I still haven't
    tried all the features, and there are a lot of things  that I don't
    plan to try.  I have a two oven range, so this made my kitchen a
    three oven haven. There have been times when all three have been
    in use at the same time.  I don't know how I ever managed in a one
    oven kitchen for 25 years. 

    Consumer Reports just did a review of the medium size microwaves.
    I ended up buying a 1.0 cubic foot model, but used a lot of their
    suggestions when buying it.  I think it is in the November issue.
    
    I got a Toshiba, and so far I'm happy with it.  I've only had it
    a month, though.  I've used the defrost feature a lot and used it
    a lot to reheat leftovers, etc.  I'm also using it to get my butter
    soft while baking my Christmas cookies.  I haven't really used it
    to cook meals yet.  I'm too busy using my conventional oven for
    the cookies!
    
    Judy   
    
    

	The first most important thing is that you get a microwave that's
	big enough for the stuff you will cook in it.  A permanent turn-
	table cuts out a lot of usable space...about 25% if you use a round
	dish...50% if you use square dishes.  I had the luxury of using
	ovens with and without before I bought mine, and decided that the
	turntable was not worth the loss in space.  Besides, you can buy a 
	removable turntable and use when you want (although I haven't in the
	last 8 years).  I should add, however, that I love to be in the 
	kitchen "puttering", so the lazy factor rarely comes into it, and 
	when it does, I find using a lower power setting does the trick.  
	Also, my Amana has a wave scattering device that goes a long way 
	to solving the turntable problem.  So measure your favorite glass 
	baking dish.

	Having variable power settings is a MUST.  The more variable, the 
	better.  Note that defrost is usually a 40-60% power setting, or so.
	Also, make sure that the oven a full 700 watts, since most recipes
	assume this, and will take longer in weaker ovens.

	Look at the interior for ease of cleaning.  My older machine does 
	not have a plastic lined cavity, and it's a bit of a pain to clean
	the nooks and cranny's.  Also, the outside...touch plates are easier
	to clean than knobs, and give better control.  Check the seal for 
	cleanability too.  This part HAS TO BE KEPT CLEAN for safety's sake. 

	Programmability is a nifty feature, but not a must.  I use a 2 step
	program for rice, and rarely use it other than that.  BEWARE!  Some
	ovens (like mine) advertise 3 steps, when in reality there are only
	2.  On mine, if you make step 1 defrost, you automatically get a 
	delay period before the cook step.

	The temperature probe is nice, but again, not necessary.  An instant
	reading food thermometer works as well, but it somewhat more time 
	consuming.  Make sure the probe will work in the temperature range
	you need (candy needs a much higher range than most other stuff).
	Also, some probes are settable in 10 degree increments, 1 degree
	increments are better.  Also, if you go for the probe, the maintain
	temperature feature is nice (oven will cycle on and off to keep the
	temperature relatively stable).

	Remember, microwaves do only one thing...BOIL...fats, water, or sugar.
	What makes a steak juicy is the fact that the outer part is seared to
	prevent the juices from leaking or boiling off.  Microwave ovens make
	poor steaks, but great beef jerky.  Beef roasts can come out good
	if you brown them first.  I do that in a pan.  Also, be aware as you
	make large lumps of meat in the microwave that the "cook until done"
	doesn't work.  Cook meat till it's 5-10 degrees less than you want.
	I.e. to get rare, cook it raw, to get medium cook it rare, etc.  The
	rest of the cooking will happen when you remove the meat and cover it.
	A lot more cooking happens this way after microwaving than after 
	regular cooking.

	Lastly, around April, Lechemere has a major microwave sale.  BIG 
	discounts.  If you can wait, use the time between now and then to 
	figure what you want.  

						     
							- JP

    
    I just purchased the Sharp model #9570 at Percys.....
    The price thru Mass. buy was $305.+tax=$320.25 total.
    Lechmere in Nashua had the same one on sale for $349.
    So I think I got a GOOD buy as this is the model with ESP
    for 10 food types and reheat with 3 level programming(whatever
    that is) it is 1.5 cu. ft. more than enough space to fit my needs.
    Tony...
    

    re -.10
    Pretty strong feelings against a microwave there Chef....and coming
    from a chef Im surprised....I mean, even Julia may not like or agree
    with everything but she doesnt put them down like you did....havent
    you ever cooked vegetables, or fish in one?  Ill admit it doesnt
    cook meat well....I almost never cook meat except when Im in a
    violent rush, Ive cooked pork chops, and also bulk sausage prior
    to
    making turkey or chicken stuffing....but as far as cooking other
    things, is an excellent supplement to the normal range of cooking
    apparatus.....and lets not even get into using it to defrost
    anything...is takes hours and compresses it into minutes...so while
    you may not particularly like them, others do.....and they have
    their place....so Ill place a call for anti-microwave haters to
    unite...:-)
    
    Rick

    
                      Comment on space loss with turntables.

    True, you do lose a little space when you have a turntable in your
    oven but one manufacturer has found a way around the problem.  I
    am not sure who is marketing it but someone has created a microwave
    oven that rotates the source and not the food.  You may now have
    all of the benefits of uniform  turntable cooking without 
    sacrificing cooking space.  Since the microwave source located
    in the top of the oven is continuously rotating, standing waves
    are eliminated.  Let me know if you know who makes this.
    
    
    <Q>
        

    This sounds like the Roto-wave feature of the Amana microwave oven.
    
    Dave

    Several microwave ovens claim to have some feature that distributes
    the microwaves more evenly, but you will still end up turning the
    food around partway through cooking it.  Mine has a turntable, but
    I seldom use it for preparing whole meals anyhow (usually use the
    wok!).

	Yes, it is Amana that throws the waves thru a fan blade to
	cut down on the need for scattering.  But it doesn't eliminate
	the hot spots entirely.  And, neither did the turntable in the 
	Sharp I used to use (usually turned them into hot circles).  By
	the way, if you want to see your hot spots, try baking a cake.
	The first time I tried it, I had an anxiety attack watching the
	the bulges and holes...but it evened out in the end.

						     
							- JP

    This is a combination microwave/oven/toaster.  I found the microwave
    to be a very low wattage, maybe 400 (most microwaves are 500-800).
    Thus it takes longer to defrost, warm up, and cook microwave frozen
    meals.  However, if you are like me and a little weary of microwaves,
    it works just fine.  Service Merchandise for $200.

    Are microwaves classified by physical size or wattage?  I have a
    hand-me-down microwave that is big enough, but doesn't seem powerful
    enough.  I'm not sure of the wattage.  (I didn't get any paperwork with
    the oven.  I assume it's printed on the back of the oven, but  I'd have
    to take the microwave cart apart to see the back.)

	As far as power is concerned, it's the wattage that makes them cook 
	faster.  Many times (but not all) the wattage will be  listed
        inside the door frame. Did you check there?

	Laura

    No, I haven't.  Thanks for the hint.
    
    So, can anyone give the range of wattages?

    Most home Microwaves are 1000 watts or just below, 750 w. Some
    commercial units I have seen are 1500w but I am sure you could get them
    higher. When I was at Raytheon, we had a 4000w fire control radar that
    could make toast in about 5 seconds.
    

Alot of the smaller home microwaves are only 600 Watts.  My samsung was a 600
watt, I'm much happier with my 900 W Sharp w/turntable.

Laura

    
    	I'd bet that if it was a smaller and older model that it would
    	probably be 600W. It might even be as low as 550W, or if you lucked
    	out, be as high as 700W. Those would be my guesses...

    	-Erik