Microwaves

[Sunisshining12]

Trying to plan my new kitchen. The design has: Oven > Microwave (with warming drawer below) > Oven

In a perfect row, matching lines/handles etc. Looks very nice.

But I’ve since discovered that the middle microwave is actually an ‘oven combination microwave’.

Now, I’m used to your typical turntable Morphy Richards £60 type. I use the microwave A LOT. I just press the start button & that’s it.

In the morning & evening for warming baby milk/kids cereal milk, my porridge, few ready meals in the week. Often reheat my dinner (by the time I’ve sorted kids, mine is cold). OH heats his up after work/shifts. I use it for soup. I even cook my veg in there (I know).

I’m time poor and not much of a cook (Clearly!). Would an oven microwave Combi still be okay? Or are they more for occasional use? Would appreciate your reviews. Tia

Yes! They are brilliant and warming drawer also.

Comby works alone as microwave. It can also be an oven. Or both but never used.

My combi microwave was the best appliance I ever had. It had to go when I got a new kitchen and I miss it!

Are they as easy & quick to use as a standard microwave? For example. I just needed to heat my cup of tea up (gross I know)... so mug in...press 30 seconds...ping done. Are these fancy oven combis as easy as that?

They look the part. But I’m struggling to find info on how practical they are compared to standard microwaves. I’m not interested in using it as an oven (as there will be 2 ovens)

I think they are easy once you get used to the settings.

But if you don’t cook much, do you need 3 ovens...?

@Ditheringdooley planning to cook more with the new kitchen & make more effort!

I’m still seeing it as 2 ovens & a microwave.

Can you just pop something in to heat up for a minute for example a cup of milk/dinner?

I could lose the second oven, but then technically I only have a microwave & an oven in my eyes 🙈

One of the best things I ever bought

My microwave is also a combi but knowing I'd only ever use it to microwave I've never even read the instructions. I just ignore the things on the right of the dial.

(Same with my multi function oven. It only gets used on fan or the pyrolytic clean function)

I had one of those, it is really easy to use and 95% of the time it was only used as a microwave. It made extremely good and very quick baked potatoes on the combi setting. Unfortunately I also managed to grill 2 microwave steam sterilisers when DS1 was a baby and I was v sleep deprived

Thanks for replies. Sorry to be really tedious, but if you want to heat up a jug of milk for example, can you just pop it in & press 1 min heat up? Or do you have to go through menus?

Yes you can

As @UntamedWisteria said, you can still do all the easy stuff. 30sec reheat, 2 min defrost etc. there are just additional features you can choose to ignore.

I didn't like my combo oven, we had it when our Aga developed a fault and were waiting to get it removed, if you use it as an oven the food is so close to the ceiling of the oven it spits and is a bugger to clean off, and if you try to use the microwave anything after using the oven aspect of it everything is blistering hot. We replaced it with a normal, easy to clean microwave when we got our new range.

I used mine when having my Stanley replaced, so no range to cook anything on. Great piece of kit - mostly used for heating tea, baked beans and cooking veg, so normal microwave usage. It acts as a grill and an oven, so I roasted chicken in there, cooked fish etc. My Mum uses hers all the time instead of her gas oven.

Mine has different shelves for the oven and the grill.

When I had my kitchen fitted, I hardly ever used the built in oven.

As a single person it was much easier and cheaper to use the combi microwave if I needed to put anything in an oven.

Mine is a Hotpoint combi. If you just push the play button it starts going at a 900w setting for 30 seconds, you can press the play button and each time it increases the time by 30 seconds.

Or you can press the on button and the wattage flashes, so starts at 650w, you press the up arrow which takes it to 750w I think 800w then 900, but there is also a down arrow that takes it as low as 160w. You press ok and then the time flashes and you increase the time up with the up arrow. So it is very simple, a few button presses.

I use mine to steam veg, warm plates, warm up a pain au chocolate or reheat left overs like pulled pork for a lunch time sandwich! The only time I have used it as an oven was when my oven died.

@glasshalfsomething that is music to my ears! Would you say it’s worth paying the extra if I’m only going to use it as a microwave?

It would look swanky & neat to have 3 in a row. Has anyone got a standard integrated microwave inbetween 2 ovens? Or does that look naff?

Thanks again!

@Devlocopop thanks for explaining - that’s exactly what a microwave is to me :)

I know I’d rarely use it as an oven. But sort of feels excessive to have 3 ovens?! But looks good & they’re always there for Christmas etc. Not sure what to do! I’ve got a corner larder & plenty of drawers in the island so not massively stuck for storage?