What is a grill for a microwave oven, how to choose a model for the kitchen

Do you need a grill in the microwave?

Consumer opinions are divided:

1. No. Supporters of this opinion come from their own experience: having bought a microwave oven with a built-in grill, they do not use it at all, or, having tried cooking with it, they quickly abandoned this idea. One person gets used to roasting chickens and baking pies in the oven, while another simply did not like the result obtained in the microwave. Perhaps it was an unsuccessful attempt, but the desire was already gone. “No” is also said by people who believe that each device should have its own function, and who do not like the “all-in-one” principle.
2. Yes. This opinion is defended by the owners of microwave ovens, who actively use grill to prepare food with a crispy crust.

Should I buy a microwave oven with grill or not?

The decision is made based on the equipment available in the kitchen. If you already have an air fryer or oven, why duplicate the function? Why spend money, because versions with additional features are more expensive. When choosing an option, think about what the grill is for? Will you use it? Such a device consumes a lot of electricity; it is much more profitable to use an oven.

If you are just setting up a kitchen, then by choosing a multifunctional model, you can replace the tile and oven with a microwave oven. Assess your needs, kitchen equipment and make a decision.

How does baking happen?

This is a heat-resistant nickel-chromium alloy wire placed in a glass quartz tube. It is needed for frying food until crispy. You can cook any food with it - meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, pies. And most importantly, the process takes a minimum of time - baking fish, for example, will take 6-7 minutes, while cooking in the oven will take about half an hour.

Convection - what is it?

To make food cooked in a microwave oven tastier and more aromatic, uniform exposure to warm air is necessary. We need to ensure its movement. For this purpose, microwave ovens have convection. The air is forced to move by a small built-in fan located on the back wall of the device.

Types of grills

Many consumers do not know that there are several types that differ in design, functionality and operating principle. When choosing a microwave oven, it is useful to know what the options are.

Tenovy

This is the most popular option. The part is located at the top of the microwave. In many modifications, the heating elements are made movable. Plus - ease of care. The work surface is easy to clean.

Quartz

Its main advantage is economical energy consumption. The second advantage is that it does not take up camera space. Cooking takes longer than in the previous case, but the dishes come out more fried. The part is hidden, there is no need to wash it, but this does not harm the work: fat and food residues that fall on it are burned.

Ceramic

This is usually not the main, but an additional element of the microwave, the task of which is to speed up and improve the operation of the main heating elements. Food cooked on a ceramic element is especially tasty and juicy.

Quartz or heating element - which is better

The most popular are PETN and quartz options. The first one needs more resources. The heating element heats up to maximum in about three minutes. Operating temperature: 650°C. The heating element acts more harshly, it makes care more difficult.

The quartz element heats up in a minute, consumes little energy and spends it more efficiently, concentrating the radiation on the prepared product. Operating temperature: 800°C.

Minuses

Disadvantages of microwave ovens with baking function:

• More bulky than conventional microwave ovens.
• They require more electricity.

How does it work

The heating element must be turned on at maximum power. There are two options for how to cook food by adjusting the heating intensity:

• Use alternating switching on of the grill and magnetron. Duration of work - 50:50 or 30:70.
• Rearranging the grill for frying, it can be placed in the upper or lower position, the heat is either stronger or weaker.

Heating grill

The heating element grill is a metal spiral that heats up during operation of the device. A similar heater is found in electric ovens and mini-ovens. The more powerful it is, the more turns the spiral makes. The advantages of a heating element grill compared to a quartz grill are the price and the ability to unfold it to ensure uniform heating.

Disadvantages: it takes time to warm up, it “steals” several centimeters from the height of the chamber, and in models with a fixed grill it is difficult to wipe off fat from the upper plane of the inner chamber. Whatever grill the buyer chooses, it will in any case perform its function: fry and bake.

How to choose a microwave oven

There are dozens of brands on the market that lure customers with promises of trouble-free operation. How to choose the best option so as not to pay for features you don’t need? Here are some tips:

• Decide on a brand. Some people like Panasonic, others respect Samsung - everyone chooses the brand they trust.
• Set a maximum price level for yourself that you don’t want to go beyond.
• Decide if you need convection. This mode allows you to significantly expand the list of recipes that can be prepared in the microwave. Thanks to convection, food turns out no worse than in the oven. The downside is that the dimensions and price increase.

The best models

Samsung MC28H5013AK

Ideal value for money. The camera coating is bioceramics, so there are no problems with maintenance. You can make yoghurts and cheeses. Great design - a stylish black stove that will decorate any kitchen. Quartz type.

Specifications:

Midea AW925EHU

Advantage: self-cleaning. You can dry dried fruits. Silver color.

LG MH-6342BB

Advantages: uniform roasting, energy saving, large number of automatic programs - food is prepared without user intervention.

Additional advantages:

• Display showing settings.
• There is a backlight.
• Shutdown sound signal.
• Child lock.
• Antibacterial coating.
• Stylish and laconic design.

Disadvantages: you cannot store your recipes in memory, there is no automatic temperature support, there is no self-cleaning and convection.

Gorenje MO21MGB 470815

Additionally:

• There is a backlight and a sound signal.
• The chamber coating is stainless steel.

Volume and functions

Microwave ovens equipped with a baking function are much more functional than solo models. In addition to heating and defrosting, they can seriously prepare delicious dishes. To fry something large - a duck or a goose - you need appropriate capacity, which is why consumers choose options with medium capacity - 20-25 liters.

Being compact, these stoves have a spacious chamber and a large turntable on which you can place not only bowls and plates, but also more impressive utensils, such as a large frying pan. There are a sufficient number of models on the market with a similar volume, and in different price groups. Miniature and large models are presented more modestly.

Among the smallest versions are Whirlpool MAX 28 with a volume of 12 liters and Panasonic NN-GM230 with a volume of 16 liters. Large microwave ovens with a capacity of 27–30 liters are also very modestly represented on the market. For example, Hotpoint Ariston MP 676 has a volume of 40 liters and costs about 32,000 rubles. But, as reviews indicate, if consumers are interested in capacity, they are more likely to choose an oven.

What is a microgrill

Today an innovative device has appeared on sale - MICRO GRILL, which fits into the microwave chamber. Its cost is 2,000 rubles. Cooking is done using the energy generated by microwaves. If your microwave oven does not have a GRILL function, you can buy such a device; it is cheaper than buying a new oven. Advantages of the MICRO GRILL device:

• wireless;
• easy to clean;
• It takes up to 7 minutes to cook.

Microwaves with air fryer

An air grill is a device for preparing dishes that are usually prepared at picnics. Unlike microwave ovens, they are processed using a hot stream rather than microwaves. Today, the best manufacturers offer models with air fryers. Thus, the Korean brand Samsung has released a model range with the Heat Wave air fryer. Advantage: improved taste of dishes. Triple heating technology is used - energy is used simultaneously:

• grill;
• fan;
• heat reflector.

The air fryer ensures accelerated and uniform cooking of food due to the movement of heated air. An example of a model with a Heat Wave air fryer is MG23K3575AK (MW3500K). Capacity - 23 l. Cost - 11,000 rubles. Bioceramic coating. Automenu.

With two elements

Today, the “double version” is represented on the market by a dozen models. Brands such as Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, Hyundai, Toshiba have tried. The most budget option (RUB 3,500) is Samsung PG832RS. Judging by the modesty of the model range, versions with 2 grills were not very interesting to consumers. But the LG brand offered an option where one of the two devices rotates: the developers wanted to increase the uniformity of roasting. The cost of LG MR-6589DRL is 5,700 rubles.

When two heating elements are used simultaneously, the quartz element is usually placed on top and the heating element at the bottom. It is easier to direct the heat from a quartz element downward, but from the heating element the heat itself is directed upward, according to the laws of physics. This solution ensures frying of products on both sides at once. Due to the temperature difference, natural convection occurs in the chamber - heated air flows mix.

Microwave ovens: myths drowned in microwaves

Myth 1. Microwaves are harmful to health.

For many people, a microwave oven is associated with harmful radiation that destroys everything or almost everything in its path. At one time, advice was even voiced to leave the kitchen while the microwave oven was operating and not to let children near it. Many consumers still feel wary. But you can read how things really are in any manual for this household appliance.

Microwaves are a form of energy similar to the electromagnetic waves used in radio and television broadcasting and normal daylight. So these waves are always present in our homes.

Microwaves are waves with a frequency of 2450 MHz. They are generated by a magnetron (or an inverter in more advanced ovens). Microwave energy enters the chamber through holes in the walls of the oven. When energy penetrates into food, it is completely converted into heat.

As is known, in a microwave oven, heating occurs due to the action of microwaves on water molecules.

They are always present in products. Vibrations of molecules cause internal friction, the temperature rises, which leads to the evaporation of water, which also participates in the cooking process (therefore, by covering the dish being prepared with a lid, we reduce the time until it is ready).

It is clear that in this case there cannot be any “radiation” from ready-made products. As for wave losses during furnace operation, the manufacturers have provided for everything. The camera cannot transmit waves; the metal body shields them. The oven door, made with a glass window, also does not pose a danger, since the fine metal mesh does not allow waves to pass through.

There is only one way to “catch” microwaves - stick your head or hand into a working oven. But this is basically impossible, since all ovens have blocking devices, a protective system that reliably prevents work with the door open.

If the sealing surfaces between the door and oven are dirty, microwave leakage may occur. This is why it is so important to keep the oven clean, not to drop it, and to ensure that the door is in good working order.

Radio interference may be an indicator that the furnace seal is failing. They affect the operation of the radio and television (it should be noted that a ringing mobile phone also causes disruption to the operation of such devices). To begin with, you can try to move the stove and radio or television receiver farther away. But the most important thing is to make sure that the oven door is clean and closes tightly, otherwise you will have to show the oven to a specialist.

Taking care of your health has recently become fashionable, and microwave ovens fit very well into the concept of healthy and dietary nutrition.

Let's start with the fact that cooking in a microwave oven can be carried out with minimal consumption of oil and fat. Microwaves do not destroy vitamins, which is almost inevitable with conventional cooking and stewing methods. Special studies were even conducted on this matter, which showed that the preservation of vitamin C during microwave cooking occurs by 80-98%, and with conventional cooking - 40-60%.

Myth 2. A microwave is only needed for defrosting and reheating.

And that's a lot! When you come home hungry and tired and don’t have the strength to stand at the stove, the microwave will carefully defrost the food you stored in advance.

In modern microwave ovens, the defrost mode often operates automatically. All you have to do is take the food out of the refrigerator, put it on a plate and put it in the oven.

Next, set the name - chicken, meat, vegetables and indicate the weight. The optimal defrosting program will be selected automatically. All you need to do is turn the food over and drain the water in the middle of the time period so that defrosting occurs more evenly. Next, the microwave oven will also take over the cooking.

The “accelerated defrost” function is often included in the menu of ovens. It allows you to make an already short process even faster, while the oven will operate at maximum speed.

Inverter ovens have made this process as fast as possible. For example, Turbo Defrost defrosting in Panasonic ovens operates on the principle of “chaos theory”, microwave energy is distributed with the most optimal alternation of regularity and irregularity, all this leads to a reduction in defrosting time by half. But when it comes not so much to saving time as to quality (fish fillet, yeast dough), the “slow thawing” function, like Bosch models, is appropriate.

Warming up food, for all its prosaicness, has also acquired an arsenal of automatic and accelerated modes. You might think, why use automation in such a seemingly simple matter?

Any housewife knows that reheating is fraught with the risk of the dish drying out, burning around the edges, and the soup can run away or warm up only near the walls of the dish, while remaining cold in the center. Automatic modes take care of all the difficulties that may arise with products when reheating. This allows you to preserve the taste of the dish. Don't spoil it.

But the most important thing is that modern ovens allow you to cook a huge number of different dishes. Here it is quite appropriate to talk about the competition between microwaves and conventional electric stoves. A microwave oven makes it possible to cook porridge, stew meat, cook kebabs, bake cake layers, cook fish and chicken. The capabilities of ovens depend on the presence of additional modes: grill, convection, combined mode and the functions included in it. Although, using competent recipes, you can even learn to cook baked goods in the microwave mode alone.

Recently, Panasonic, Siemens and Bosch ovens have used a relatively new technology - an inverter. The magnetron of conventional furnaces operates at a certain power level in a pulsed mode, the power is not regulated, and the intensity is always maximum.

To work in a given mode, you have to select the optimal cooking time. But this can still lead to over-drying and drying out of food on the outside while the inside is uncooked. Inverter technology controls the oven's power output and the intensity of the microwave pulses can be adjusted. This allows you to cook in more natural conditions and, most importantly, preserve the taste of the food without drying it out.

So defrosting and reheating wisely is a delicate matter. And the main thing is that modern microwave ovens do an excellent job of this.

Myth 3. Food cooked in the microwave is not tasty.

We have already written that the technology of exposure to microwaves on products is associated with the presence of water molecules in them. Therefore, food prepared only with the help of microwave radiation tastes like boiled food. She, of course,

healthy, but most often you want the food to be lightly fried, golden brown, aromatic, with a crispy crust. For this purpose, manufacturers equip microwave ovens with grills.

A grill is a heating element similar to those used in electric ovens. But in combination with microwaves, a grill allows you to cook better. We get evenly cooked food using microwaves, browned and very appetizing using the grill. There are three types of grills.

A heating element grill is a spiral that is located inside the oven chamber. This grill can change its position depending on the placement and shape of the product. It can be lowered, tilted or raised. The mobility of a heating element grill provides an advantage for more flexible influence on food during cooking. For example, LG's Robo-Grill automatically approaches the food being cooked, while in Samsung models two grills can be set to the optimal position manually.

A heating element grill consumes a lot of electricity, but ovens with such a grill (in a simple version) are cheaper.

A quartz grill is a lamp hidden in the wall (ceiling) of the furnace and therefore does not take up space and is invisible. Food prepared with such a grill tastes closer to fried over an open fire.

Recently, another type of grill has begun to be used - infrared, the emitter is a halogen lamp. The infrared emitter is used as a lower grill (that is, installed at the bottom of the chamber under a rotating plate) in combination with an upper quartz one. The presence of two grills allows you to choose the food processing mode: frying only with the upper or lower grill, or both at the same time.

It should be noted that when using microwave radiation and grilling, the cooking time is significantly reduced, and the food turns out juicy, fried and aromatic.

Myth 4. Microwaves are needed only by bachelors

In many ways this is true. Most often, people who are not burdened with a family eat haphazardly (soups in bags, semi-finished products). A microwave can significantly diversify the table of such people.

For those who do not know how to cook at all, a microwave is simply a godsend, especially if it is equipped with automatic

cooking modes. Automation eliminates the need to understand culinary intricacies. You just need to select a dish from the oven menu and indicate its weight (by the way, many ovens are equipped with an automatic weight determination system).

The dish will be prepared according to the program stored in the oven’s memory; it will automatically add or reduce power and turn on the grill. There can be from 4-6 such programs in most ovens to 42, as in the new Siemens model, and even 92 in the DeLongi model. Recently, buyers of microwave ovens have been paying attention to the presence of automatic “Russian Chef” programs. These programs offer to cook familiar dishes: buckwheat porridge, chicken, meatballs, jam.

Automatic modes, of course, will be useful not only for bachelors, but also for mothers and teenage children with busy children to heat up dinner, as well as for any housewife for preparing delicious holiday and everyday dishes.

The ability to delay start allows you to use a timer to program the oven to turn on and prepare an early breakfast before your family gets up or dinner before you get home from work. The oven can take care of keeping already prepared food warm. For “advanced users,” the programming function will be useful, when modes are set by the user and saved in the oven’s memory. This way you can add your own signature recipes and interesting rare finds to the menu.

Using a microwave, you can master the complexities of baking. Ovens allow you to create a mode favorable for rising dough and baking it. Moreover, baking cake layers, Easter cakes, and buns in a microwave oven is even easier than in the oven; the dough rises higher and bakes more evenly. Of course, it should be noted here that baking requires a special approach, so it is better to choose ovens equipped with a convection mode.

The oven chamber will be preheated, the required (high or low) temperature will be maintained during baking, the fan will pump heated air, making the heating of the dough as uniform as possible and forming a crispy crust on its surface. The combination of microwave and convection mode will preserve the taste of the dish and cook it much faster. The convection mode generally allows for a more flexible approach to preparing food.

The sizes of microwave ovens also differ significantly. For a single person or a young couple, you can purchase a stove with a chamber volume of 18-20 liters. For a family of four, a 20-25 liter oven is suitable; ovens of about 30 liters are also available; they are designed for a large family and make it possible to cook large-sized dishes (celebratory pies, cakes).

This myth is supported by the ease of caring for stoves. Contamination most often occurs during grill operation: drops of oil and fat scatter along the walls of the chamber. Oven manufacturers have not ignored this point.

Most often, the chambers of microwave ovens are made of stainless steel or covered with heat-resistant paint, which is very easy to clean. Some ovens have an antibacterial coating, which prevents the development of fauna on the walls of the chamber.

Still interesting, for example, are the Candy models. They use an Easy to Clean Ceramic coating - that is, “easy-to-clean ceramics.” The ECC coating has an absolutely smooth surface, free of porous formations. ECC is a hundred times more difficult to scratch than stainless steel. Drops of oil and fat do not stick to it. You just need to wipe the chamber with a sponge, and your oven will be spotlessly clean.

Myth 5. The operation of the furnace is difficult to understand

Therefore, many consumers use the oven to a minimum. Although in this case it may not be so much a question of complexity as a reluctance to delve into it.

The operation of the furnace can be controlled using a mechanical, touch and push-button panel. The easiest way to use a mechanical one is to select the power and cooking time by turning the knobs.

The time is most often already indicated on the packaging of semi-finished products. In principle, there is nothing to understand, everything is simple and obvious. It’s another matter if you start cooking on a whim or from a cookbook. The time in this case is determined approximately. To do this, divide the cooking period under normal conditions by 4. During the process, you will have to look into the oven and check the correctness of your choice.

When working with ready-made recipes for microwave ovens, it can be difficult, since the recipes are given for a certain power, but the oven may work at a different power.

For example, if the book indicates the time for a power of 650 W, and the oven is 900 W, then you will have to create an equation with one unknown. We will have to multiply the time T1 from the book by the power M1 and divide by the power of our oven M2. We obtain the required time T2. Several similar experiments will teach you to easily determine the time by eye.

Some ovens provide the ability to automatically estimate and set the required cooking time, taking into account the type of product and its weight. Typically this occurs in ovens with touch controls. Here you can find the described automatic modes; we will enter only the type of products and their weight.

The button control is also very clear and simple; you just need to select the desired button.

Furnaces are often equipped with a display on which all manipulations are reflected and hints are given on which parameter should be set. So there is nothing complicated in controlling a microwave oven. You just have to get used to the peculiarities of its operation and try to master all the possibilities inherent in the oven.

In addition to direct control, ovens can help cook using sensors. For example, a weight sensor will determine the weight of the product, and the oven itself will select the required cooking time for the dish you specify.

The steam sensor is designed to determine and correct the cooking time. The user will only have to specify the type of products. The oven will determine the optimal time until cooked.

Myth 6. Microwave ovens consume a lot of energy

Microwave ovens are considered more economical than electric ovens. Electricity consumption is approximately two times less. Although when installing a microwave oven, you still need to take care

wiring The requirement for mandatory grounding of the device is most often, especially in old houses, simply impossible. Therefore, it is worth thinking about at least zeroing.

Attention: it makes no sense to take a wire that is too powerful for your stove and connect it to the old panel wiring, as this will lead to a fire.

In the production of microwave ovens, new technologies and materials are used, which have a good effect on energy savings, and the efficiency of energy use in microwave ovens is higher. There is no heat loss here; it is completely spent on heating the food.

In modern models, when microwave, grill, and convection work together, energy consumption increases, but cooking time is sharply reduced, which is again more economical.

The use of inverter technology in ovens makes it possible to save both cooking time (up to 10%) and electricity (up to 15%).

The furnace coating can also play an energy-saving role. For example, Samsung's bioceramic oven enamel saves energy and time by 9.5 and 11 percent, respectively, while retaining far more nutrients in food. Bioceramic enamel contains 30 percent more silicon and 250 percent more titanium than traditional enamel.

Myth 7. For the stove you need to buy a whole set of special expensive dishes

The most suitable utensils for the microwave are expensive plastic or heat-resistant glassware. But most often, you can use dishes already in the kitchen for cooking.

The exception is metal plates and mugs, as well as utensils with metal trim. As you know, metal does not transmit microwaves; it reflects them, and very effectively, with discharges and

electric arc. This is, of course, beautiful, but the oven can be ruined.

Regular glassware can also contain metals (crystal, for example), so the dishes will have to be tested. Let's place the object under study in the oven and place a glass of water next to it. Turn on the oven for one minute at maximum mode. If the water in the glass heats up, but the tested dishes remain cold, then the test was successful and the dishes are safe.

If the opposite happened, the water did not heat up, but the vessel became warm, it means that it absorbs microwaves and is not suitable for the oven.

Porcelain, glass, earthenware and ceramic tableware should be fine, but it would be a good idea to check them too. Plastic dishes made specifically for microwave ovens are produced by many companies, and it is quite possible to choose several forms for yourself at an affordable price.

Disposable packaging, in which semi-finished products are sold, logically turns into a cooking form and is most often suitable for ovens. But when heated slowly, the plastic can melt, so it should only be used for quickly heating food. Plastic bags cannot withstand high temperatures and melt. Paper and cardboard are only safe for quick cooking of low-fat foods.

For a modern housewife, a microwave oven is not only about speeding up the processing of food until it is ready. These are great opportunities to cook tasty, healthy, varied meals, with minimal effort to prepare food for cooking.

Wash, cut, marinate and place in a mold, the oven will do the rest itself. During her work, you can have time to set the table, call the household and serve the food, and, if necessary, right in the same container in which it was prepared.

Obviously, a microwave in the house is convenient, and most of the myths that we wrote about are the result of ignorance of the features of microwave ovens, which are easy to eliminate, just turn this page.

Little tricks:

Myths and facts about the microwave How to wash kitchen towels Ideas that will simplify your life Original post and comments on LiveInternet.ru

Tags: Which grill is better: quartz or heating element in the microwave

How to use a microwave - expert advice

The household appliances have been purchased, all that remains is to find a place for them and connect them to the power grid. Before you start using the microwave oven, you need to learn how to use it so that no problems arise. Don’t be lazy to read the instructions and remember a few useful rules:

• Use special dishes - for microwave ovens.
• Do not put in a large amount of food at one time.
• In modifications with this function, there is a special grill; this stand allows the product to bake evenly.
• To ensure that the dish is covered with an appetizing crispy crust, turn on the convection mode.
• Before cooking the food, the chamber must be well heated.

How to cook

To make your dishes truly delicious, you need to know how to use a microwave. How to cook correctly in a microwave oven:

• If you are making sandwiches, be sure to place paper napkins or foil underneath to prevent the bread from drying out or burning.
• When placing several pieces of dishes into the chamber at once, keep a distance of 3 cm between them.
• Cut vegetables finely into strips or cubes.
• Salt the meat at the end of the process.
• Need a crispy crust? Dry the meat with paper towels before placing it in the chamber.
• Pay attention to the cooking time.

What can you cook

Cooking in the microwave is a pleasure. You can go about your business, you don’t need to turn over or monitor the food - the food cooks itself. Place the food in a container, turn on the desired mode - and that’s it, after a while you get the finished dish. So, the chicken will be ready in about 20–30 minutes.

And what is better?

There is no definite answer to this question; it all depends on what result the consumer wants to get in the end. For example, both units can heat up a bowl of soup. But the microwave will do this in 1-2 minutes, and the convection oven will take 5-8 minutes, since in the first case the product will be heated directly, and in the second - the plate, the air inside the flask and the flask itself. And only when the air around warms up will the soup warm up from the hot air.

Do not forget that the glass gets very hot during operation, and the removable lid is quite heavy. A schoolchild heating food in such a unit can easily get burned or drop the lid.

If you compare an air fryer and a microwave oven with a grill of the same price category, it turns out that the power of the heating element of the air fryer is significantly higher, which means that it will bake much faster and better. Not to mention the fact that in microwave ovens you cannot cook on several levels at the same time - the internal chamber is usually small, and part of the space is hidden by the grill grate.

Manufacturers of air fryers never tire of reminding that their miracle device can sterilize jars. A regular bowl can easily accommodate half-liter and liter bottles, and if you put an expansion ring on the flask, then even three-liter bottles. But in the instructions for microwave ovens, a separate paragraph states a ban on heating empty containers; accordingly, there is no talk of any sterilization.

As for the quality of baked goods, it will certainly turn out better in an air fryer due to constant air circulation.

Of course, there are also microwave ovens with a convector, which can provide uniform heating, but their price is quite high. It is also convenient to dry berries, pieces of vegetables and mushrooms in an air fryer - you just need to arrange them on several levels and set the minimum temperature. Grilling in microwave ovens will fry them rather than dry them out.

Summing up, we can conclude that a microwave oven with a grill should be purchased by those people who will constantly heat something in it and only occasionally cook. The air fryer, on the contrary, is more suitable for lovers of baking and all kinds of preparations.

Many who choose a microwave oven for the first time are faced with the fact that it is easier and often cheaper to purchase a model equipped with a grill, since these models are the largest community in the family of microwave ovens.

Text: Olga KUZMINA.

We won’t stand for the price or...

A sufficient number of microwaves with grill are sold, and the price range is more than 30,000 rubles. There are many offers and at the most affordable price - for example, Rolsen (MG1770ME), Beko (MWC 2010 MX), Supra (MWS-4001), Mystery (MMW-2009G) can be bought for only 1800 rubles. The most expensive model is offered by the Barazza company - this is a 1MOA oven, which costs about 40,000 rubles.

Quartz? How much?

Quartz grill is a fairly common occurrence in microwave ovens, both among European brands (Brandt, Gorenje, Moulinex, Bosch, Electrolux) and among Asian ones (Panasonic, LG, Hyundai, Daewoo, Samsung, Sharp). There are more than a hundred options on sale.

Contrary to the stereotype, models with a quartz grill are not necessarily prohibitively expensive. Such microwave ovens can be bought for 2,000 – 2,500 rubles (for example, Wellton WMO-1700GW, Hyundai H-MW1121 Silver, Horizon 20MW800-1479BCB).

Average prices for ovens with a quartz grill are 3,000 – 5,000 rubles, which does not stand out from the overall picture for microwaves with grills in general. You will have to pay the most significant amount for the stove if you buy a Panasonic NN-GS597M - up to 12,000, the Miele M-8201-1 costs even more - 30,000 rubles.

Ceramic frying

Ceramic grills are used extremely rarely in microwaves, and you won’t see them separately, only in combination with other elements, for example, with a lower heating element grill and an upper quartz grill, as in the Samsung PG-838 R-SB. This element is a kind of marker of the complexity of the model; it is used in cases where it is necessary to significantly increase the impact on products and make the operation of the element more flexible.

Mechanics or electronics

Based on the control method, microwaves with grills are divided into mechanical and electronic. Mechanical control is carried out by two rotary controls, one of which turns on the operating mode (power level, grill or combi mode), and the other sets the cooking duration.

The regulator scales may have hints, for example, the second power level is suggested to be used for defrosting, the fourth for heating. The time scale can also be provided with hints.

Electronic control is much more complex and interesting, regardless of type: push-button (more precisely, pseudo-touch), combined with rotary controls, touch, it is often more visual and requires only touching one button to activate the desired mode.

A lot of “instant” settings are offered - for example, “quick start”, which turns on the oven at maximum power for 1 minute; information (sometimes symbolic) is reflected on the display.

But the most important thing is, of course, automation: a set of ready-made algorithms created for strictly defined processes. Automation is divided into programs by weight, which determine settings depending on the portion size, and by time, when the settings are adjusted to the available time interval.

User reviews

Hotpoint MWHA 2622 MB: Valentina R., Tolyatti

Pros: stylish design and the ability to mute the sound. Cons: price, watch is hard to see. Distinctive feature: no rotary table. This turns out to be very convenient - you can put glasses, bowls, and plates at the same time. You can bake a whole chicken, it's very roomy. It bakes perfectly, the meat turns out juicy, with a crispy crust. The technology is cumbersome, but I don’t see this as a disadvantage, but as a feature.

LG MB-4042G: Egor G., Arzamas

Reliable technology that I can no longer do without. I like the touch controls - these buttons don’t break, don’t get filled with grease, and don’t get dirty. I'm interested in quick heating and defrosting. I tried boiling potatoes, they came out fine. I didn’t cook soups or other dishes. Maintenance is simple: if you clean it on time, there are no problems. There is a dish plate which I purchased separately. I don't like the grill. Once I put in some chicken, and the result was burnt on top and raw on the bottom. This results in uneven temperature distribution! This is the only drawback of the model.

Which model to buy - with or without a grill - everyone will decide for themselves. For some, this function is necessary, others prefer to cook in the oven, and others are not at all interested in culinary delights.

The best microwaves with a quartz grill, according to customer and expert reviews

Household appliances are not included in the budget category. Its price is 15-47% higher than that of models with a similar set of options with a heating element. But this aspect does not stop buyers. It is quartz models that are the most purchased. We offer the TOP 5 best.

Hotpoint-Ariston MWHA 2622 MB - spacious, stylish design

A budget option for a microwave with an optimal set of options. There is a child lock, no turntable, no convection. Experts named the MWHA 2622 MB the best household appliance in its price category. Its advantages:

• power (oven/grill) - 800/1,000 W;
• rotary switches;
• camera lighting;
• option for combining modes;
• ergonomic design.

The internal volume of the chamber is 25 l. This characteristic is also considered an advantage of the electrical appliance.

Minuses:

• you cannot write down recipes;
• heats dishes (noted by 43% of users);
• bad display, hard to see.

The disadvantages include a small list of programs.

Dauken XO800 - inexpensive, functional

Dauken electrical appliances - stylish design combined with useful options. The black microwave oven with grill XO800 was no exception.

The model with an internal volume of 25 l operates in a wide power range (10 pcs.). Its chamber is covered with enamel. Experts liked the set of combined modes.

XO800 Pros:

• the display does not reflect;
• bakes as well as an oven;
• selection of recipes for cooking;
• convenient control panel;
• presence of legs.

Experts included the “child protection” option and microwave power of 900 W as advantages.

Flaws:

• short power cord;
• no program recording function;
• The defrost function does not work.

Customers did not like the fact that there is no option to maintain the temperature. Some noted the high price.

Hansa AMG20BFH - built-in, easy control

Most buyers note in their reviews the intuitive touch panel and digital display. The appliance door opens with a light press of a button.

Users also liked the inner surface of the camera - it is easy to clean, scratch-resistant, and does not accumulate odors.

Pros of the model:

• works silently;
• smooth adjustment, switching modes, programs;
• optimal set of functions;
• camera illumination.

Experts noted that with proper handling, the equipment will last over 7 years. The build quality is high.

Cons of the AMG20BFH:

• power 700 W;
• The “child lock” function does not work;
• no lower grill.

59% of customers in the reviews indicate that it is difficult to make a grill with a crust; convection is not provided.

LG MB-65R95DIS - stylish design, powerful

The device’s spacious chamber with a power of 1,000 W in combination with a stylish design is the characteristics of a microwave oven given by users.

It is lighter than competitive models, equipped with wide, stable legs and an enameled inner surface.

Users noted the non-irritating sound signal for errors and food readiness.

Advantages of MB-65R95DIS:

• cooks and heats evenly;
• does not heat dishes;
• one touch control;
• fingerprints and dirt are not visible on the surface;
• bakes and fries well.

According to experts, the model has one significant advantage - inverter control.

Flaws:

• the control panel is not friendly, it is difficult to switch modes without instructions;
• Turning on or switching buttons with wet fingers is problematic.

Buyers classified the electrical appliance as expensive, so they were dissatisfied with the lack of the ability to save recipes and programs.

MAUNFELD MBMO.25.8S - built-in with an optimal set of functions

The MAUNFELD brand offered a functional, roomy model with push-button controls familiar to users.

Panel with large buttons and captions. Convenient to press and select modes. The door opens easily and does not sag. The display is clear, the timer is 95 minutes.

Advantages of the electrical appliance:

• internal coating - stainless steel 0.9 mm;
• grill power - 1,000 W;
• the door opens during cooking;
• child lock;
• 10 operating modes;
• size given - 31.5 cm.

The microwave has a large door opening button. Users and experts considered this feature an advantage.

Minuses:

• microwave power 700 W;
• The sound signal does not turn off.

Buyers did not like the fact that at such a price of the device it does not have the function of recording programs.