Yahoo LifestyleGo Ahead and Talk to Your Microwave — This New Model Will Respond.
- 1/11
Go Ahead and Talk to Your Microwave — This New Model Will Respond.
We updated this article in July 2022 to add more information about each featured product, based on testing done by the Good Housekeeping Institute 's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab. Our original top-rated picks remain the same, but we've added two new picks from Sharp and Samsung.
Microwaves provide fast results, are easy to use and offer lots of versatility. Whether you want speedy microwave meals and snacks, need a chocolate mug cake pronto or are learning how to make homemade soap, microwaves help get the job done quickly. "I typically just use the highest setting for the fastest results," says Kitchen Appliances Lab Director, Nicole Papantoniou. "But most microwaves let you adjust the power levels, which allows for more gentle heating. Lower wattages are great for melting butter or chocolate, especially when you do so in increments and stir in between."
The Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab has researched and evaluated hundreds of appliances that can cook and reheat food such as toaster ovens, air fryers and over-the-range microwaves. When we assessed countertop microwaves, we appreciated that they do not require any special installation, can be moved around easily and are generally affordable. Even if you have a small kitchen with limited counter space, there are plenty of great compact microwave options.
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Our top picks:
Our recommendations for the best countertop microwave ovens for 2022 reflect models we tested in the lab or tried out at home and options that caught our eye because of unique features and top reviews. We also offer expert advice on what to look for when shopping for a countertop microwave.
Hearst Owned - 2/11
1) Microwave Oven
Toshiba
amazon.com
$149.99
This Toshiba has the perfect combination of price, size and power. It has all the necessary features and more: presets for popcorn, pizza and veggies; a child safety lock; one-touch express buttons for one to six minutes and a plus-30-seconds button. You can also adjust the power level from one to ten to a maximum of 1,100 watts, the ideal power output for the widest range of uses. (The higher the wattage, the faster the cooking time.) The soften/melt preset for chocolate, butter and cheese runs on a lower power setting to prevent foods from burning or getting too hot. This model also includes a smart sensor feature, which takes the guesswork out of reheating food: It measures the humidity in the food and adjusts the time and power level automatically.
This pick offers a mute button (press and hold the 8 for five seconds) to turn off beeps and alerts when the cooking time ends. Some reviewers miss not having the beep that reminds you that food was left in the microwave, but the ability to cook a quieter late-night snack is a nice option. We love the handlebar design for opening the door — rather than a button you push — because it's more ergonomic. This model is available in stainless steel or black stainless steel finish.
• Dimensions: 20.5" x 17.1" x 12.8"
• Wattage: 1,100 watts
• Size: 1.2 cubic feetToshiba - 3/11
2) Digital Microwave Oven
Hamilton Beach
walmart.com
$64.00
This Hamilton Beach microwave may have a low price, but it delivers high performance. It has a power output of 1,000 watts, which is usually found in pricier models. It comes with all the critical features: a plus-30-seconds button; a child safety lock; six cooking presets for potato, popcorn, pizza, beverage (one push for every four ounces - so useful for reheating coffee!), frozen dinner and reheat; and one-touch express buttons for one to six minutes. We love the kitchen timer that can work simultaneously with the cook cycle. It can also be mounted onto the wall, although it doesn’t have a venting system like most over-the-range microwaves. Some reviewers have reported that it makes a loud whooshing noise, but it doesn’t affect how well food heats.
• Dimensions: 21.2" x 16.1" x 11.8"
• Wattage: 1,000 watts
• Size: 1.1 cubic feetHamilton Beach - 4/11
3) Microwave Oven
Panasonic
amazon.com
$279.95
Two factors make this Panasonic microwave fast: It has 1,250 watts of heating power — one of the highest wattages we tested — and a built-in inverter that helps heat food more quickly and evenly. Typically, microwaves mimic low heat by turning the power on and off repeatedly, which is slower and can result in uneven cooking. Inverters help deliver power continuously. In our tests, microwaves with inverters did a good job reheating food evenly and excelled at baking potatoes, but they couldn’t defrost ground beef as well as regular microwaves.
This pick has a smart sensor that detects the amount of steam released by the food and adjusts both power level and cooking time for the best outcome. It’s loaded with features like a "quick 30" button, more and less buttons that adjust cook times by 10-second increments, a quick-minute timer, a delay-start feature and a child safety lock. We love the keep warm feature that can be added at the beginning of the cook cycle and will run for up to 30 minutes after a cook cycle ends. The sensor cook button has an impressive 14 presets for everything from oatmeal to fish fillets, but hold onto your owner’s manual because those are a lot of codes to remember.
• Dimensions: 21.8" x 19.1" x 12"
• Wattage: 1,250 watts
• Size: 1.6 cubic feetPanasonic - 5/11
4) ToastWave
Galanz
amazon.com
$299.99
The Toastwave is not just a regular microwave; it's also a toaster oven, convection oven and air fryer — all in one sleek-looking machine. This four-in-one appliance can perform simple tasks, like toasting your morning bagel, as well as more complicated jobs, such as baking salmon in the convection oven or air frying chicken wings. And on top of all the extra features, this microwave still comes with traditional microwave functions like popcorn and a plus-30-seconds button.
Many cheaper microwaves pulse on and off, leading to uneven heating, but this pick is equipped with an inverter that creates continuous heat so your food is evenly heated throughout. It also has a sensor cooking feature to help ensure your food is not under- or overcooked. This model also comes with some unique accessories like an air fry kit (used to help turn the microwave into an air fryer), a silicone cooking mat to contain splatters and a nonstick turntable for when you are baking or roasting. The downside is you will have multiple accessories to clean and store.
• Dimensions: 21.3" x 22.3" x 12.6"
• Wattage: 1,000 watts
• Size: 1.2 cubic feetGalanz - 6/11
5) Digital Microwave Oven
Black + Decker
amazon.com
$114.99
If you have limited counter space, live in a dorm room or need a microwave primarily for reheating or cooking small amounts of food, this compact Black + Decker model is a great choice. The 10-inch turntable can fit up to a small dinner plate or low-profile mug, but nothing much bigger: We recommend that you measure your dinner plates or commonly microwaved tableware to make sure that they fit inside. As a reference point, the interior dimensions are about 12 inches x 13 inches x 8 inches.
It not only features presets for popcorn, potato, frozen vegetables and more, but it also allows you to program up to three functions you most use. There is also a child safety lock feature.
• Dimensions: 19.1" x 14.8" x 11.5"
• Wattage: 900 watts
• Size: 0.9 cubic feetBlack + Decker - 7/11
6) Smart Carousel Countertop Microwave Oven
Sharp
sharpusa.com
$199.99
With this pick, there's no need to walk over to the microwave to add an additional 30 seconds to the cook time or to touch the control panel when your hands are dirty: The Sharp Smart Carousel Countertop Microwave Oven responds to more than 70 Alexa voice commands. The oven is priced at $200, but you have to pair it with an Alexa-enabled device, like an Echo Dot, in order to use the voice-activated functions, so you'll need to factor that into the cost if you don’t already own an Alexa-enabled device.
If not all members of the household care to take advantage of voice commands, the microwave offers a large, traditional display screen with a sensor cook menu, auto-defrost buttons and a plus-30-seconds button. Our pros especially like the melt/soften button for gently heating ingredients like butter or chocolate chips. We also love that once the microwave is connected to WiFi, you never have to manually input the time after a power outage or a daylight-saving adjustment — it will automatically update to the correct time. While we have not tested this microwave model yet, Sharp microwaves have performed well in our previous tests.
• Dimensions: 21.3" x 12.4" x 16.1"
• Wattage: 1,000 watts
• Size: 1.4 cubic feetSharp - 8/11
7) Compact Wave Soft Close Microwave
Breville
amazon.com
$246.00
We love the thoughtful construction of Breville appliances — and this quiet and attractive microwave is no different. A mute button turns off all beeps, and the soft-close door claims to be 80 percent quieter than most microwaves on the market. According to the brand, even if someone is a little heavy-handed with the door, it will automatically catch and close quietly. The control panel is large, and the slightly raised buttons are easy to press. Instead of a numeric keypad, you get an ergonomic dial that feels like it clicks as it toggles through minutes and seconds quickly.
This pick features preprogrammed buttons for defrost, reheat, popcorn, beverage as well as a food menu that houses the presets for “baked” potatoes, reheating pizza and defrosting frozen vegetables. Take note: The food menu presets are coded, so it may require a few uses to remember which code goes with which function. Reviewers love that food heats consistently and evenly.
• Dimensions: 19.1" x 16.4" x 11.5"
• Wattage: 900 watts
• Size: 0.9 cubic feetBreville - 9/11
8) Full-Size Microwave Oven
Panasonic
amazon.com
$540.90
This Panasonic microwave has long been one of our favorites since we first tested it about a decade ago. With a roomy capacity of 1.6 cubic feet, this microwave boasts a smooth, easy-to-clean control panel and a large interior, making it a great model for families or anyone who wants to pop an entire casserole dish into the microwave. There are also 14 auto cook options to take the guesswork out of cooking common dishes like oatmeal, pasta and even pizza.
In our tests, it cooked food evenly without cold spots and delivered perfectly steamed broccoli using its smart sensors. These sensors can adjust the cook time after it measures the amount of steam released by the food. Like the other Panasonic on this list, this model also has an inverter that helps heat food more quickly and evenly. With turbo defrost, this model utilizes the inverter to thaw ingredients quickly and more evenly.
• Dimensions: 12" x 19.1" x 21.8"
• Wattage: 1,250 watts
• Size: 1.6 cubic feetPanasonic - 10/11
9) Smart Over-the-Range Microwave
Whirlpool
lowes.com
$599.00
You’ll never have to stand around waiting for your microwave to beep with this smart microwave. Using the Whirlpool app on your smartphone or tablet, you can start the microwave, monitor the cooking progress and even send multiple commands to the microwave at once — all over WiFi. While this feature may not come in handy for quickly reheating a cup of coffee, it’s useful when using the convection oven feature for meals that take longer to cook. If your hands are busy prepping other foods, the microwave can also be controlled through voice commands using Google Assistant or an Alexa-enabled device (which are not included).
This feature-rich microwave also has scan-to-cook technology, which allows you to scan the barcode of frozen items and have cooking instructions sent directly to the microwave. While most microwaves have popcorn presets, they often leave popcorn with either burned pieces or too many unpopped kernels, but this pick's AccuPop Cycle uses sound sensors to track the time between pops to help prevent the popcorn from burning. During testing, we loved how quiet this model was: Our testers didn't even realize it was on!
• Dimensions: 17.2" x 29.9" x 16"
• Wattage: 1,550 watts
• Size: 1.9 cubic feetWhirlpool - 11/11
10) Countertop Power Convection Microwave Oven
SAMSUNG
amazon.com
$355.10
Cooking up meals that you pulled from the depths of your freezer is easy with the help of the Samsung Countertop Power Convection Microwave Oven with Sensor. After defrosting frozen leftovers with the power defrost function, you can use features like power grill to toast, crisp and brown your microwave meal. We love that this functions not only as a microwave but also as a convection oven with a fan that helps distribute heat more evenly and quickly without drying out food.
This model features a ceramic enamel interior, which reduces interior scratching and allows for easier clean-up. Eco mode helps conserve energy without unplugging your microwave when not in use, and there's a child lock so that the oven can’t be accidentally turned by any little ones. While we haven’t had the chance to test this microwave yet, we have had great results from testing Samsung ranges with convection ovens.
• Dimensions: 20.5" x 19.9" x 12.1"
• Wattage: 1,000 watts
• Size: 1.1 cubic feetSamsung
