**Is this a standard microwave or combination microwave?**

The Goodmans CS23 microwave is a 'combination' microwave, hence the reason the cost is slightly more expensive than your usual standard microwave. I bought mine for £75 in the sale, but have seen them priced at £80+.

**What is the difference, and is it worth paying more for?**

For those not in the know, this is a microwave that does the job of your usual standard microwave, but also does the job of a double grill and conventional oven. It is therefore able to crisp and brown food. Is it worth paying out for? In my case yes, but if you are merely looking for something to literally just heat food up or defrost food, a standard microwave is more than adequate. I wanted to invest in a microwave that was able to do a little more because it offers more cooking options.

**Fab for families with teenagers**

With having 5 of us in the family, it's much more convenient for those moments when my teenagers are causing havoc with eating at different times! They are now both proud to be able to use the combi, and Jacket potatoes are a firm favourite. I have to admit, jackets done in this do cook throughout AND it crisps the outer skin. It gives out 800watts in power so cooks quickly and safely. Yes, you can part cook a jacket in your standard micro and pop it in the oven to crisp off, but for convenience sake and my teenagers wanting things to be 'simple', I find the combi micro far easier. Ultimately the decision to get a combi microwave could be decided by how many members are in your family and if it's a busy household that don't always get to eat together, I'd say it's worth considering. It provides you with less faffing around, it saves you a fair amount of time and there are alot more quick meal options open up to you with the combi. I'm also a fan of using the oven option for cooking joints of meat or chicken. It tastes beautifully moist when cooked this way!

**Design/Features/Programs **

Silver stainless steel, this modern and stylish combination microwave will sit well in many a different style kitchen. Mine fits comfortable on the kitchen worktop. The easy clean stainless steel surfaces mean that it is easy to maintain and keep clean.

There is a touch control panel which operates the power rating for the microwave through 4 different power levels (P100, P80, P50, P30). There is also a dark glass panel in the door. On opening the microwave, there is a 28cm diameter turntable. I am able to fit large dinner plates on it easily.

There is a light inside that lights up when the door opens and it stays on for the duration of cooking. The double grill feature makes sure food is cooked throughout.

On the left hand side of the control panel is a LED display at the top. Underneath this there are 10 buttons, labelled with different foods. The buttons are auto weight cooking pre-prepared programmes. Basically you just enter the weight, and the machine automatically decides the length of time to run the microwave or oven for to cook the meal. At the bottom of the panel is a manual dial so you can select the right weight for the automatic timer of the auto cook, to use the auto weight cooking functions. At the bottom of the panel is a rotary dial to use to easily select the correct weight for the automatic timer of the auto cook buttons to use the auto weight cooking functions.

A-1 Reheat
A-2 Potato
A-3 Vegetable
A-4 Pasta
A-5 Meat
A-6 Fish
A-7 Pizza
A-8 Bread
A-9 Chicken
A-10 Cake

The great thing is, the settings enable you to choose the perfect setting for what you want to cook.

The right hand side of the control panel is stainless steel, with 7 push buttons. The top 3 buttons are used for choosing which operation you would like, as in microwave, grill or oven. The other 4 buttons are use to select either Combination mode, Defrost, Stop or clear the clock setting. At the bottom is the start button which is also a 30 second boost button. The touch controls are easy to use but sometimes I get a little bit frustrated and confused with the sequence of the manual knob and turning it.

There is a child lock which is much needed in my house! There is also a time and a manufacturer's warranty for 1 year included.

The microwaves dimensions are Height 28cm, Depth 49cm and width 39cm.

**Negatives**

None really, other than all the buttons can be a bit off putting to start with. Another ' arghhhh' moment is that my oldest two are always faffing around with it! It's a good thing i suppose, but i'm the one left to clean it usually! Also, when i've popped something in to cook, i'm often 2 rooms away. With my old microwave, I used to hear it beeping with a reminder beep when food had finished. With this machine there is no reminding beep, only a single high pitched beep to say it has come to an end. I have once or twice forgotten about something and my daughter is forever forgetting she's put something in it, although thats more because she disappears upstairs asap!