Are microwave ovens a good idea?

[Oceangrey]

About to redo kitchen.

We have a decent Neff oven, a couple of years old. We also have a v v old microwave oven which doesn't work well as an oven, but is fine as a microwave. It's quite hard to clean.

Plan is to keep the oven but should we:

A) get a replacement microwave oven, which would look best, be a good large microwave and maybe we use it as an oven too when cooking a lot.

B) Replace it with just a built in microwave

A is more expensive and takes up a little more room, but probably worth it if microwave ovens are good now. I've only ever had this rubbish one.

I think you are referring to a microwave with an oven/grill option inside rather than JUST a microwave? We previously had a microwave grill type- but it was a PITA to clean if things splattered on the grill part, so we just used it as a microwave.

A regular microwave is much cheaper than ones with the grill. Do you already have the slot to put an integrated one in, or are you taking away cupboard space to do this? Any reason you couldn't have a microwave in a corner/on the counter top somewhere?

We recently renovated and had a very shallow depth to put a microwave into. We bought a bosch series 8. Its completely flat at the front, no knobs and easy to clean. I also looked into microwave drawers, which are common in the USA apparently. I couldn't only see 1 supplier that would be 'potentially' making them available in the UK the following year, so they might be available here now if you wanted something different.

A microwave oven is a microwave. Do you mean a combination?

Yes, and a combination microwave that also does convection and grilling. This will give you maximum function and flexibility.

Big enough to take af least your largest dinner plate. So you can use it fir meal reheating or to warm plates

Mines is built in at eye level (carefully measured so I can see the top on tip-toe)

It will not fit in an ordinary wall cabinet, I had to order extra-deep. They are listed as boiler cabinets

Or will fit in a tower unit, perhaps over a built-in oven.

The built-in ones are relatively expensive

I'm on my second, the first one lasted about 20 years.

I’d have a gap for one of these.

I’ve got the hide and slide Neff ovens in my kitchen but stuck with a freestanding Panasonic combination microwave because they’re so good. I usually get five years out of them.

I only use my built in ovens once a week, this does everything I need it to during the week, cooks on two levels and is really easy to clean because the element is hidden behind the top of the oven.

I have an older version of the one that RachelCarew mentioned above - for some reason, the door switch is dodgy now, and we have to push it shut hard (or the kids slam it) and the steam oven functionality was always a little dodgy odd and didn't always kick in, although great when it worked. It's not as good as an air fryer for 'normal' oven work though.

So I don't know if I recommend it or not - it's a good idea, and perhaps the later ones are better than the older ones. I do like that it's a non-turntable microwave.

I find the microwave useful for melting chocolate and butter together when making cakes but that is all I use it for now. I used to make jacket potatoes in there too, but don't do that any more.

I've never had a combination oven that actually worked. I just have an ordinary oven and a microwave oven for microwaving.

The thing I actually find useful is a rice cooker. We liked ours so much that we ended up buying two.

We had a Panasonic microwave that was also a convection oven. Finally conked out after about 8 years (door hinge broke and couldn’t replace it). We’re moving soon so haven’t bought a new one. It was quite a lot cheaper to use the convection than our full sized oven.

Sorry yes by microwave oven I meant microwave that also works as a combination oven, rather than just a microwave!

I would get a normal microwave because we steam all our veg in it. But I'd prioritise space for an air fryer.

It would be going in a tower situation above the normal oven, so no issue with depth.

I'm inclining towards just getting the built in microwave rather than the combination because it's cheaper and slightly smaller.

The oven is a Neff N50 series and the equivalent combination microwave which would match has ok but not amazing reviews and is a very expensive purchase.
The matching microwave is still expensive but about £300 cheaper.

We also have an instant pot (and a hob).

Instant pot is a decent rice cooker and a mediocre air fryer!

Surely it would save money to have a combination microwave. Turning the main oven on for a jacket potato , or small portions would be expensive. My combination microwave oven is the most used appliance.

I guess for one jacket potato or piece of salmon etc we would use the air fryer lid on the instant pot.
Family of 4 so usually we're doing larger quantities. But it sounds like your combination works well if you're actually using it?

I have never felt the need for an air fryer. I use the combination for most things. Jacket potato, 8-10 mins combi 200 and medium microwave. Kids do macaroni cheese, six mins combi medium, etc., etc..

Do you need a microwave at all? What do you use it for?

Yes, we use it all the time for reheating stuff, making porridge, heating up coffee when I forget I've made it....

C) keep the microwave you have for now and replace with a small cheap standalone if needed?