Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. Microwaves are a fast and easy way to heat up food, but they can also be much more than best way to microwave pizza. The measurements of a microwave are normally linked to its capacity.
Solo microwaves are usually fuss-free, straightforward appliances, while combination microwaves come equipped with convection, grill or other functions to tackle a variety of cooking tasks. But not all combi microwaves are created equal: while the high-end ones have dozens of programmes, the cheaper ones come with only a handful. Some programmes we saw were gimmicky, while some focused on straightforward staples, such as cooking veg, potatoes or fish fillets, and others aimed to take the guesswork out of common tasks, such as softening butter or preparing popcorn. Power levels varied, with many more expensive microwaves having higher wattages.
But if you frequently cook supermarket-ready meals following suggested cooking times for standard 800W ovens, some of the default full power settings can prove too high. Yet, microwaves usually have different power levels, so you should be able to reduce the power on higher-power models to avoid having to calculate a new cooking time. Another consideration is whether to opt for a flatbed or turntable microwave. Having said that, most flatbeds come at mid-range or high-end prices, and the ones we tested were all combi microwaves. The best turntable combis come with an array of accessories and provide metal crisper plates that are still safe to use in combi mode. Usability was another factor we considered: some microwaves were intuitive, while others demanded constant reference to the manual.
Some microwaves feature touch-sensitive surfaces, while others rely on buttons and knobs. We tested the microwaves’ ability to defrost frozen bread, reheat cooked rice and cook raw jacket potatoes. Where available, we also looked at grills’ ability to toast, cooked potatoes in combi mode and tried out any special programmes or features following manufacturers’ recommendations. In this list, we’ve got microwaves for every budget and need. We test microwaves to see how good they are at their main job. For that, we start with tests designed for the microwave mode only.
We also cook a baked potato, using a microwave-only mode if that’s available, but we’ll use a combi mode, adding convection oven or grill, to see how this works. Where microwaves have a grill, we test them with bread and see how even the grilling is across as many slices as we can fit into a product. We’ll also test convection oven settings by heating a baking tray full of ceramic cooking beads, and then using a thermal camera to view how evenly the oven heats. If there are other key functions, such as air frying, steaming or crisping, we try these out following suggestions in the manual. The quality of the Sage Combi Wave 3 in 1 is obvious: the intuitive design has a premium feel, and the large LCD, clear buttons and shortcuts make it very easy to use. As a combination microwave, it also works as a convection oven and an air fryer, as well as boasting a grill function and a range of smart programmes and pre-sets.