10 Best Microwave Ovens 2024 in the US

Surprisingly, the idea of using microwaves to cook food was discovered by accident. In the 1940s, Percy Spencer was working on radar and microwave equipment for Raytheon. After passing by a radar set in the laboratory, he discovered that a candy bar in his pocket had melted. He experimented with other foods, and noticed that they cooked as well. In 1945, he patented the idea for the microwave oven--but it was only 22 years later that it was made compact enough (and affordable enough) for the average household.

The great thing about microwave ovens are how they cut down the cooking time, or the time to defrost or reheat leftovers. Nowadays, microwave ovens are a favorite with people on-the-go, or people who just want to heat food up quickly and grab something to eat, who aren’t too concerned about the quality of food’s texture. But, with more culinary advances, even that’s changed. There are microwave ovens that can achieve results similar to conventional cooking methods--and in less time!

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a microwave oven. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of microwave oven,

• See useful tips about that particular type of microwave oven,

• Read reviews of different microwave ovens, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of a microwave oven, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Solo microwave oven: These only have the microwave feature, meaning that they are capable of simple cooking, defrosting, and reheating. That’s usually adequate for college students in a dormitory, or people in an office who just want to heat up food.

• Grill microwave oven: Besides the microwave function, this has heating coils that can grill foods. You can make grilled cheese, where the microwave melts the cheese, while the heating elements toast the bread.

• Convection microwave oven: A problem with a microwave oven is that it cooks by agitating the water molecules in food. Unfortunately, things that require frying, browning, or baking don’t usually cook well in a microwave oven. The foods won’t have the texture that you would expect from conventional cooking. That’s where convection microwaves come in. They are a combination of a convection oven with microwave, using both convection currents of hot air and microwaves to cook food. The interior of the food is cooked by microwaves, while the surface is browned due to the hot air that is circulated in the oven. This allows you to sear a steak, bake a pie, or make toast.

• Inverter Microwaves: Typical microwave ovens use a magnetron to create the microwave radiation. This has a disadvantage, that it runs at full power at all times. Even when you set your microwave to “defrost”, when it works at only 50% power, this is because it cycles on and off: half of the time on, half of the time off. The inverter microwave is an alternative to this, which can actually reduce the power by half when doing defrosting or reheating. It results in food that is cooked more evenly, not having the hot and cold spots which is typical from the run-of-the-mill microwave. It has advantages when cooking dishes that require slow cooking. It is recommended for steaming vegetables, melting butter or chocolate, or braising meat.

• Power of the microwave: The power of the microwave is measured in watts. You’ll see microwave ovens that use anywhere from 600 Watts up to 1200 Watts. More wattage will mean that the oven will achieve results more quickly.

• Large controls: One customer was pleased with the controls on the Sunbeam SGS90701W Microwave Oven. This is because the buttons are large and easy to use. This is good for the elderly or visually-impaired. Also, a digital clock will allow you to set the cooking time exactly.

• Cleaning a microwave: There is a surprisingly simple way to clean a microwave. After cleaning the inside with soap and water to remove any visible food residue, it’s recommended to squeeze a lemon into a small bowl of water, place the lemon in the water, and microwave the mixture for 30 seconds. It will distribute the citric acid in the lemon juice on the walls of the microwave, which acts as an effective cleaning agent. Alternatively, there are microwaves with a “steam clean” option. Others have a ceramic interior, which is easier to clean, because the residue doesn’t adhere to the ceramic.

• Placement: There are three major styles for situating a microwave: countertop, over the range, and built-in models. The most common are countertop models, which are placed on the kitchen counter or kitchen table. If you’re looking to conserve space, a built-in microwave is designed to fit in a kitchen cabinet or drawer. And another space-conserving idea is the over-the-range model, which fits over a gas stove.

• Size of the microwave: Westinghouse offers microwaves in a variety of sizes. They offer the following suggestions as to what size oven should you buy:

  • 0.7 cubic feet: This is good for a student in a small apartment, dormitory, or studio.

  • 0.9 Cubic feet: This is adequate for singles, couples with limited countertop space; good for small or medium size items.

  • 1.1 Cubic feet and larger: This can even fit larger items.

• Defrosting options: The Westinghouse WCM990W allows you to defrost food either by weight (“Defrost by Weight”) or by time (“Speed Defrost”). To defrost by weight, you type in the code for the food that you’re interested in defrosting (such as meat, chicken, fish, etc.), and then type in the item’s weight. When you hit “start”, it will heat the food, beeping in the middle to remind you to turn the food over. To use the “Speed Defrost” to defrost by time, you type in the number of minutes that you want to heat the food until it gets defrosted. It is recommended to allow 7-8 minutes of time to defrost per pound of food.

• Care when defrosting: One problem with defrosting in a microwave is that you might end up cooking the outside of the food, while the middle remains frozen. That’s where the “Defrost” setting comes in. When you hit the “defrost” button, the microwave runs at 30%-50% power, which ensures that the food is warmed without getting cooked. Try not to defrost a piece that weighs over 2 pounds, since it is more likely to be still frozen in some parts. Also, you should remove any plastic wrap or foam trays from the food, since these may melt as the food heats up. 

• Power levels: Microwave ovens will have preset heating levels. For example, the Westinghouse Countertop Microwave has six power levels: low, defrost, medium/low, medium, medium/high, and high. To just soften butter or chocolate, you can use the low setting. If you’re cooking a frozen TV dinner, you’ll want the high setting. Some will say explicitly what each setting does, by having a button for popcorn, potato, pizza, beverages, reheat, and frozen food.

Frigidaire, founded in 1918 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a manufacturer of appliances for the kitchen, laundry, and for air treatment. Their kitchen appliances include refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, microwaves, trash disposers, coffee makers, blenders, and much more. They make over-the-range, built-in, and countertop microwave ovens.

Sunbeam has been making household appliances since 1921. They make a variety of home and kitchen appliances, including heated bedding and pain relief products, mixers, irons, humidifiers, toasters and countertop ovens, and more.

Westinghouse was founded by George Westinghouse, Jr. in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company. The company was at the forefront of creating many of the electrical appliances upon which we rely today. Westinghouse manufactures home appliances for heating and water purification, as well as microwave ovens, fans, and more. They also offer power and lighting solutions.