Microwave with convenient controls?

November 4, 2024 7:35 AM

Our dear departed microwave had great controls, including a button that would immediately turn it on for 30 seconds. The new microwave we recently looked at had clunky controls.

For instance, I would really prefer not to have to press "Start" after pressing the so-called "fast 30" button. Ditto for setting the power level, I'd like to be able to enter that as a 1-9 rather than pressing the power button 9 times. Etc. Anyone have a microwave with controls they like?

posted by wnissen to Home & Garden (16 answers total)

My GE Profile unit has a 30 seconds button (which will cook 30 seconds with one touch or add 30 seconds to a cook time or timer). The lower numbered buttons will, with a single touch, cook for 1, 2, 3, 4 minutes. If you want to set a particular time, you can, and then after setting a time manually, you can set power level by pushing the level button and then a digit. The defrost is pretty functional, in a pleasingly brainless way. It has other functions like popcorn and a plate thing that I mostly ignore.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:44 AM on November 4

Our Magic Chef has controls the same as DirtyOldTown described. It's so easy to use! We had a Toshiba but it wasn't as simple despite being spiffier looking and having some adjustable magic of its cooking power.
posted by anadem at 7:49 AM on November 4

We have a Toshiba with the +30s instant start feature, and also buttons 1-6 can be told to just start cooking that number of minutes. Also, what really sold us on it, you can disable the beeps completely. Also IKEA sells a little countertop model that just has twisty dials for both power and time. If/when our Toshiba ever died I'd look hard at the TILLREDA before going upmarket.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:08 AM on November 4

I asked for microwave recommendations earlier this year, and am still very happy with the Breville BM0650 that was recommended and I subsequently bought.

My main requirement was silence (no beeps), but I love its large ergonomic buttons too. Most times the microwave gets used it's a single press of the large green button for a 30-second boost. (Pressing again adds another 30s.) It has a dial for setting time more accurately which is extremely quick to use.
posted by snarfois at 8:38 AM on November 4

Are you sure you have to hit start after the fast/add 30? With mine (a bog-standard Frigidaire) you push it and have to wait a couple seconds before it will start on its own. Same with the "quick minute" which lets you push buttons 1-4 and then wait and it will start that many minutes. My most common button sequence is 1, wait until it starts, then Add 30 to make 1:30.

The beeping though, my god the beeping. My kingdom to be able to turn it off (at least all the reminder beeps if you don't open the door soon enough after it finishes.)
posted by misskaz at 8:57 AM on November 4

NOT a Panasonic unit. On the wirecutters recommendation I got an 1200w inverter model and the controls are so stupid. It has everything you hate - two buttons for a quick zap, and not only does it ignore the keypad for changing the power level, it also ignores the dedicated 'up' and 'down' buttons. Guess what happens when you want to use any of its preset cooking options? Beep Beep Beep. There's 15 of them. 5 is a frozen entry, and 11 is oatmeal. Soup is way up there too - I just don't bother.

Sure, its defrost is great, the dedicated popcorn button is ace and the 'reheat' is pretty magic. But I'm certain that other units that do those, because the ancient unit this one replaced was better to actually use.
posted by zenon at 10:04 AM on November 4

Our rental has an LG which has reasonable controls, 1 button 30 seconds (and adds 30 seconds to the cook time every additional press.) No delay to start. The beeps can be turned off. Otherwise, it’s a microwave.
posted by Ookseer at 10:05 AM on November 4

Seconding the GE Profile microwave. Ours has been great and meets all your feature requirements.

Although Ookseer’s description of being able to turn off the beeps on an LG microwave is very appealing. I’ve got to see if that’s an option on our GE… it never even occurred to me that it might be possible.
posted by Kriesa at 11:16 AM on November 4

One new kink is the latest countertop microwaves (2024) have anti scald child interlocks which disable the "door open" button after a meal has been heated. You have to perform "two distinct actions" to get the door to open. Different manufacturers have implemented the interlock in different ways so you might want to check out microwaves in person (or read the owners manual for models you're considering) if this seems like the kind of thing that would bug you.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 11:20 AM on November 4

We have a Toshiba with the +30s instant start feature, and also buttons 1-6 can be told to just start cooking that number of minutes. Also, what really sold us on it, you can disable the beeps completely. Also IKEA sells a little countertop model that just has twisty dials for both power and time. If/when our Toshiba ever died I'd look hard at the TILLREDA before going upmarket.

I have this Toshiba (amzn link) and it has a one-touch 30 second button, etc. as seanmpuckett says. I like it a lot. This one in particular has a couple of extra nice things:

- The turntable rotates back to where it started from. (You can disable this, or ignore it.) So if you put something in with a handle, say, the handle will be where you put it when you open it. I heart that. This is definitely not something available across the range, though, so worth looking for if this sounds nice to you.
- I learned yesterday due to DST that setting the clock isn't all or nothing. Clock setting is very easy on this unit - hit Clock/Timer, type numbers, hit Clock/Timer again - but you don't have to type in the whole thing. It was at 11:45 and I just typed 10 and hit Clock again to save and it worked.

There are annoyances but IMHO minor ones. It doesn't do sensor cooking really, and if you actually use the cook-from-a-menu function, that's pretty janky. Annoyingly it does have a popcorn "button" but it's tucked away in there - I just learned that 1:30 was enough for normal Kirkland-brand microwave popcorn and went from there. It was also a bit larger than the Panasonic it replaced, which was annoying for my lack of counter space but I got over it. It will defrost by weight but it tends to end the cycle too soon - though, for me, this is better; I finish defrosting in the sink and then no weirdly cooked pieces/etc.

The turntable bit was the selling point for me - I read somewhere that Toshiba/Midea and Galanz are the only companies that actually make microwaves these days (unless they're really fancy) - so it was unsurprising to me that its performance was basically the same as the same wattage Panasonic Inverter that I had.
posted by mrg at 11:41 AM on November 4

Ours is a GE with all of those features and the ability to mute the beeps, which is life-changing. (Press the Sound button and mute is one of the options.) Only downside is that I sometimes forget and set the timer but then it doesn't beep....
posted by cider at 1:28 PM on November 4

one feature our old microwave had that i haven't noticed on any new ones is the timer display will show "End" when the cycle is done, so you know there's something in there you need to remove even if the lights are out. it resets when the door is opened.

brilliant UI feature.

the oven lasted 20+ years but was otherwise fairly annoying to use.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:27 PM on November 4

A couple years ago, I replaced our 30-year-old GE with another GE, #JNM7196DK6BB. On the keypad, it has "Express Cook" where you can push 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, and it will start a full-power cook for that many minutes. The +30 sec button will add 30 sec to an existing cook time, or will (with that single button press) start a 30-second full-power cook cycle. It's not an inverter model, so the magnetron cycles on and off, especially at different power ratings. The "reheat" function works really quite well, detecting steam release and then coming up with a remaining cook time. It has a timer function, useful for the usual kitchen tasks, and you can use the timer function while the microwave is cooking something.

My only real gripe is about that timer function. When the timer goes off, if I press the "Cancel" key, the display says "PRESS TIMER" like... ok I'm supposed to press the Timer key to turn off the timer. But, you recognized that I pressed cancel, you have a pretty good idea of what it is that I want, SO JUST DO THE THING. I got so snarky at this, my husband did that line from Airplane!, "No, the white phone." and... ugggh. But it's fine. It's fine.
posted by xedrik at 2:47 PM on November 4

Ours just has a knob. Only a knob. We turn it for as much time as we think we want and then it goes. Maybe twist it a little further! Or see something boiling and open the door and it just stops! I guess there's a ding when it's done.

No turntable, either. I think it's aimed at small businesses, like gas stations that let you hot up the frozen burrito you just bought. Easy to clean, easy to understand.
posted by clew at 6:21 PM on November 4

I just got a whirlpool, basic over the range model. 30 sec button that goes immediately, can be pressed multiple times. I hate the sound of its ding, but will get used to it. I have no need for extra settings or sensors.

I used to have one w/ 2 buttons - time and power - that was great, but they all have lots of buttons now.
posted by theora55 at 7:22 PM on November 4

On our inexpensive Samsung, at least two presses. Add 30 seconds, then run. The thing that annoys me is that the buttons are not illuminated, so I have turn on the room light, and that makes 4 acttions if you include turning the light off.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:24 AM on November 5