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Sainsbury's Stainless Steel Microwave
by Biskey
Some microwaves look like safes, don't they? Safes with windows. And although they might be easier to break into to deposit the food, you still have to crack the combination of control settings before you can make off with your hot "loot".
In time we get used to our machines and find we can carry out the simpler ... operations quite quickly, but anything more complex and we're having to search for the manual again. Perhaps more annoying is the time spent explaining and demonstrating to visitors how to obtain warm milk for their Weetabix in the morning. Invariably, the question "Did you manage to get any breakfast?" is met with, "Oh, I just had a piece of toast in the end."
I have to admit that even Sainsbury's stainless steel digital microwave oven needs to be studied a little at first. However, once you get the hang of it initially, everything else is much more straightforward and the functionality is actually quite impressive.
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The Look and Feel
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The first thing I liked about this microwave over my old one was that it had a handle, rather than a button release mechanism, which doesn't always respond first time, either opening or closing. You know where you are with a handle.
The shiny stainless steel looks both attractive and sturdy, inspiring confidence from the outset. The control panel is clearly laid out.
The dimensions are 29 cm x 46 cm x 33.5 cm
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The Features
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- It boasts 800w of power (energy rating E) - and really does seem to deliver that with thorough cooking in the time expected.
- The 20 litre capacity - will take, let's say, a large plate or good sized casserole dish and lid. The turntable size is 24.5 cm diameter.
- The Quick Start button - means that warming the milk for the Weetabix really shouldn't be so difficult for your guests. Pop the stuff in and press the Quick Start Button once for one minute's cooking on full power. Press twice for two minutes etcetera.
- Five power levels - which are easily enough
- Clearly audible bleeps on start-up and on finishing - The start up bleep is reassuring, while the five bleeps at the end should penetrate the consciousness of any of us who have pottered off to do something completely different.
- De-frost by time or by weight - There are separate buttons for each of these functions and then the multi-purpose function knob can be turned to set the precise time or weight
- Auto menu for seven food types plus auto reheat - With this, you just have to tell the microwave how much of the stuff you are putting in either by weight or by volume and it will work out for itself how much time it should give it.
- Varying increments on time setting - mean that you have fine control at lower time levels i.e. second by second up to one minute, but then bigger increments as the cooking time gets longer, meaning that you don't have to spend an age setting the timer
- Multistage programming - means that you can set the oven to perform up to three consecutive functions. So, for instance, you could set the oven to defrost by weight, then cook on full power for twenty minutes and then cook on medium power for half an hour. Good, eh?
- Delayed start - this might be my favourite part. You can programme the oven to start up to twenty-four hours afterwards. This of course means that you can set it, go out, then come back and find a meal ready for you. That's what I call helpful.
- Keypad lock - this is simply activated and deactivated by pressing the cancel/stop button for three seconds. It's easy to do and means that the oven cannot be switched on accidentally while cleaning or by children.
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Care
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The outside and inside can be wiped over with a damp cloth and should be - regularly - especially the seals to avoid the build up of food debris which could affect the efficiency of the seals and of the oven in general.
The glass turntable and ring can be washed up with detergent, but are not suitable for the dishwasher.
There are other standard safety issues with using a microwave and you should read the manual carefully before use. Although we all think we know how to use these things by now, it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves of what you can and cannot do.
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Cost
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Currently £79.99 They did have them on half price recently, so might be worth looking out to see if they do that again, if you're not desperate to buy immediately. Otherwise, I'd say this was good value anyway.
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Recommended?
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Definitely.
Read the complete review |
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Adsa Smart Price Manual Microwave
by thehonesttruth
I'm currently upgrading all my white kitchen appliances to stainless steel and chrome effect ones, purely for aesthetic reasons. One of the appliances to which I must wave a regretful goodbye is my Asda Smartprice Manual Microwave, which retails at 31.99, but which I got for free around six years ago when a friends relative passed away, ... and they let me have this for helping with the house clearance.
It's a basic microwave, with just two manual dials on the front - the one on the bottom for setting the time from 0-30 mins, and the one on top for adjusting the heat settings, from low to high, including a defrost setting. It's very easy and simple to use, and very self explanatory, with the dials being easy to turn. Below the dials is a push in botton that sits flush with the front of the microwave, and presses in to release the door catch.
The door itself has a large window that had that textured brownish coating on the inside, then a black frame within the white door. Although the window is not entirely see through, you can keep a watchful eye on your food to make sure it's not boiling over here. Inside the microwave is a turntable with a removable glass plate. Both the plate, and the plastic wheeled turntable can be removed for easy washing, and can both be submerged in water and soaked, though of course they should both be thoroughly dried before putting back in.
The dimesions of the microwave are 33.7 X 45.2 X 26.2cm. It's not particularly huge, but it's fine for your standard dinner plate. I do find though that if, for example I were to microwave a kebab on it's paper, the paper would be too big for the turntable to turn. The turntable can be stopped very easily if something is sticking over the edge of the plate, and occasionally I find that the glass plate slips off a little and stops turning. I'd like it to click into place more securely, but the gaps for the 'feet' of the glass plate are quite large.
At 700 watts, it's not the most powerful microwave, but it does the job well. I did initially find it an inconvenience that it didn't have a category mark on the appliance anywhere, but a little google-fu when I first got it revealed that it was a category D microwave, which is about mid range performance wise. This microwave is fairly quiet in operation - you can hear it in the same room, but not in other rooms of the house. It makes a nice loud ding once cooking is complete.
I've always found it cooks food very evenly - the only times I have had any issues have been my own fault (not changing it back to high power from defrost) and it's been very reliable. I don't eat an awful lot of ready meals, but I do reheat home cooked food often, as well as using this instead of a pan for scrambled eggs, heating soups and beans etc. It's easy to clean - a quick wipe round after each use does the trick, and it can be made really fresh and clean by microwaving half a lemon for 30 seconds and then wiping.
It does have a couple of downsides - it is quite lightweight, so when I open the door it does move across the worksurface. It's very unlikely to go falling off unless I open it in a rage, but I would have preferred non slip feet. It also does look very cheap and old fashioned, which is the reason I have replaced it now that I'm in the financial position to do so. Not to worry though - this has been gifted to a student friend for his digs, and is still being used on a daily basis.
A reliable bit of kit that won't break the bank, but won't win any beauty competitions either. Available from asda.com, and in some stores. 4 stars
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Argos Value Range White Manual Microwave
by thriftygiftyisme
=Argos Value Range White Manual Microwave=
Honesty I don't have shares in Argos, or work there I just happen to find there products good value. Although at times I do think the house looks like an Argos showroom
=Microwave=
The glass plate got broke in our last microwave and the digital display was ... playing up, so in reality it was time for a new microwave, so it was Argos to the rescue and get a basic one to tide us over.
=Instructions=
There are full instructions with the microwave.
=To set up=
This may sound daft but it was so nice to just plug in and go, then pop in the glass plate inside the microwave, making sure that it is in-line properly.
=Two Dials=
There are two dials on the microwave, these are on the right hand side of the microwave.
=Wattage=
The first button is the wattage, there are five options, which start at defrost and go up to 700W.
=Timer=
The lower dial is for the timing this is just a turn around, and goes up to 30 minutes these are marked at intervals on the dial.
=The Movements=
The dials turn around smoothly, you get a ping from the timer when the item has gone down to zero.
=To Open=
There is a large clear button, which you press and this opens the door, it is easy to open.
=Spinning Dish=
This can be taken out easily and put in the sink to be washed with soapy water if it needs a clean.
=Dimensions=
The height is 26cm, the width 44cm and the diameter is 34cm. The weight i 9.4kg. The capacity is a 17 litres.
=Would I recommend=
I would recommend this is a starter microwave, from memory I paid around £30 for it, so it does the trick, we have had no problems with it.
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