Best Microwave Oven to Buy in 2023 | Convection and Solo

A microwave oven is one of the most essential kitchen appliance which does a whole range of tasks for your money. Since its invention in the mid-1940s, a lot of innovation has been made to the original design. A best microwave oven can do multiple tasks – to reheat and cook food, sterilize kitchen items, make citrus fruits juicier, heating beauty products, roasting garlic and a lot more.

With such latest innovations and features, it can surely challenging to pick the top microwave for your needs. We’ve come with a buying guide and a list of the top microwave ovens that are readily available in the Indian market today. So check this post to get more information to assist you in your next online shopping spree.

List of Best Convection Microwave Ovens in India

List of Best Solo Microwave Ovens

* Warranty – warranty period in years for both Product and Magnetron

Detailed Review of Best Convection Microwave Ovens in India

Convection microwave ovens not only provide the features of a normal microwave like reheating, defrosting and cooking but also come with the additional features such as:

• Baking
• Grilling
• Roasting
• Frying

1. LG 28L Convction Microwave Oven

LG is South Korean multinational with consumers across the world. Because of their quality and performance, it has been one of the common solution for many house appliances. Among their product range, MC2846BG model convection microwave oven is a popular choice. It comes with 28 liters of capacity which is suitable for medium to large families.

Products Included inside the Package:

• Instruction manual
• Starter kit
• Cookbook
• Rotary ring
• Glass tray and tawa
• Recipe manual

With an affordable price range, large capacity, and amazing features like auto-cook menu, child lock, touch key pad, and several others, this product is obviously a better choice. As it has 28 liters of capacity, it is sufficient for medium to large families. And it has 175 Indian cook menu which makes it suitable for Indian cooking. If you have been using products from LG, then you can surely relate to their service and quality. 

2. IFB 20SC2 20-Litre Convection Microwave Oven

IFB has been a common name in the household appliance world and this convection microwave oven-20SC2 is perfect to hone your culinary skills. It has a total capacity of 20 litres and offers multi-stage cooking to ease out your grilling and baking efforts. The reason we have placed this at the top is the fact that along with easy multi-stage cooking, it comes with 24 auto cook menus for easy everyday use and also has 3 different cooking styles stored in memory.

Products Included inside the package:

• Daffodil
• Measuring Tub
• 2 Idli Stands
• Roti Crisper
• Ladle and
• 1500ml bowl

All in all, this IFB microwave is a little gem of a product that provides useful features coupled with good performance and most importantly bundled inside a small form factor. It is ideal for a small family or for bachelors who want to fasten the cooking time in their hectic life. With 3 unique memory-stored cooking styles, auto reheating, other convection features, stellar brand support, and warranty; it rightfully takes our 1^st spot. 

3. Samsung 28-Litre Convection Microwave Oven

The Samsung CE1041DSB2/TL is a complete convection microwave system which comes with a capacity of a whopping 28 liters. Though in terms of capacity and power, it is much superior to our list topper IFB, the latter takes the crown in terms of easy convection options, lower price and most importantly due to the presence of a starter kit. Yes, a starter kit helps you to get started with your appliance. IFB provides it with the package and Samsung doesn’t. Nevertheless, this Samsung microwave oven is powerful and packed with features that can reduce cooking time significantly. 

Products Included inside the package:

• Wire rack
• Crusty plate and
• Quick guide label

This Samsung microwave oven is a powerful appliance which can easily serve a large family. With superb capacity, useful features like tandoor, fermentation tech, and brand value of Samsung, this one is worthy of the second spot on the list. If you are in the lookout for a good capacity microwave oven that can give you convection options and other useful features, this is the one you should go.

4. Amazon Basics 23L Convection Microwave

Since past few years, Amazon has ventured into providing some home appliances and electronics. Among their product range, 23 L convection microwave Microwave oven is specially designed to make daily cooking much easier and convenient. This model is packed with several auto-cook menus that let you cook cakes, curries, tandoori treats, usual food like rice, dal, vegetables and maggi. It a complete package of heating, grilling, baking and cooking.

Products Included Inside the Package

• Instruction manual
• Wire rack
• Crusty plate
• Cook guide

Though Amazon Basics is relatively new to the market than major brands like LG, Samsung, they are still worthy to trust. This microwave oven has all the features that let you cook or bake or grill conveniently. The instruction or user manual provided with the product will let you understand the working pretty easily. 

5. Godrej Convection Microwave Oven

Since 1958, Godrej has been providing high quality home appliances across India. Their varied product range has been well-known for their quality and performance. Their GMX 519 CP1 microwave oven has 19 liters capacity and is capable of reheating, defrosting, cooking and grilling as well. It has tactile buttons which will let you select the auto cook menu options or timer. It comes with 125 insta-cook menu option. Its unique multi-distribution technology help you cook food faster as it distributes the heat evenly. 

Products Included in this Package:

• User manual
• Crusty plate
• Grill rack
• Starter kit
• Steam clean bowl
• Tarla dalal book
• Vertical Rotesserie

Because of their quality and performance, Godrej has been a trustworthy brand for many consumers across India. If you are small to medium sized family, then this model is right choice for you. It is capable of baking, grilling, cooking, reheating and many other things. This will make cooking much easier for you.

Detailed Review of Best Solo Microwave Ovens in India

Solo microwaves are the simple, less priced and lack any advanced features like grilling, roasting, and fryingas compared to convection micro ovens. Solo microwave ovens can be used for:

• Reheat
• Defrost
• Cook

6. Bajaj 17-Litre Solo Microwave Oven

The Bajaj 1001 MT is a proper solo microwave oven that can easily defrost, reheat and cook food without much hassle. This stainless steel cavity unit is completely mechanical and thus you can expect it to be quite hardy and less prone to accidental damage. It has a capacity of 17 liters and can be ideal for small families or bachelors. 

If you are need of a simple microwave oven to reheat your food, or simply defrost and cook, this one is a good bet. Don’t expect it to perform like a convection system as it doesn’t even have that option. This is a really good oven for those who are in a tight budget and can make use of the simple heating and cooking options of a solo microwave. Overall, with Bajaj’s service and product quality, you can never go wrong with this 

7. BPL 20-Lire Solo Microwave Oven

Just like the convection model, this solo microwave oven from BPL is built well and performs its job seamlessly. This is a 20-liter capacity appliance with all mechanical control and promises to provide hassle-free operation. 

Overall, the BPL BPLMW20S1G solo micro oven is good for a small family as the capacity is 20 liters. Big rice pots can be an issue if you want to place it inside the cavity as the overall dimensions are not big. Nevertheless, the full mechanical operation, quick defrost option and solid build quality makes it worthy for this list 

8. IFB 17-Liter Solo Microwave Oven

The IFB17PM MEC 1 is the solo oven counterpart of the famous and our chosen IFB convection models. This solo microwave is only 17 liters in capacity but it compensates it by providing 3 auto cooking menus as an option. 

Being our best pick in the convection side of things, IFB micro ovens are a great buy in all respect. This IFB solo micro oven is a potent contender. It is a bit low on capacity and can only be suitable for 2-3 member families. But if you can ignore that it provides durability with its jog dials, exclusive defrosting option and desirable auto cook menus can easily provide you with a hassle-free experience.

9. Samsung 23L Solo Microwave Oven

Samsung is a well-known brand from and common name in Indian household. If you want a simple oven without any advanced features, then Solo Microwave Oven MS23K351AK is the right choice. As it has 23 liters capacity, it is suitable for families with 3 to 4 members. 

This solo microwave oven from Samsung is perfect choice for bachelors or small families. It is one of the affordable microwave ovens in the Indian market. As it has ceramic enamel cavity, the interiors of this oven are easy to clean. Though it doesn’t have any other advanced features, but its performance is nothing less.

Buyer’s Guide – How to Choose a Best Microwave Oven?

Finding the right microwave oven should depend on your cooking style, kitchen space and preference. You can check out the following buying tips to help you decide which will be your suitable pick.

1. What style of microwave you like?

As technology advances, so did the microwave ovens. As of today, there are different style options to choose from to suit your demands and your current kitchen environment. It’s just a matter of opting for a proper one.

a) Standard countertop microwaves

These are classic type and easily affordable. These conventional countertop microwave is also the most common that we see in every kitchen. Generally, they are categorized by sizes in terms of cubic feet: small, medium, and large. 

As the size increases so does the power wattage to compensate for the amount of space inside the oven’s cavity.

b) Over-the-range microwaves

Another popular choice of microwave is the above-range style. This combines the functionality of both a microwave and range hood. While having the same functionalities of a standard microwave, it also doubles as ventilation where the air is re-circulated within the kitchen or an exhaust fan for air to be discharged outside while cooking over the stovetop.

Drawbacks:

• The built-in exhaust fan doesn’t vent as good as a range hood. 
• Shorter people will need a chair or stool to use it.

c) Combination ovens: Convection and Microwave

The best combination microwaves can grill and bake as well as a conventional oven, while also heating and defrosting frozen food – and much more quickly, too. As the product title denotes, the idea is to combine microwave energy, a grill and convection heating (circulating hot air) function so it can heat, roast, crisp and brown the same way as a conventional oven. 

d) Microwave drawer ovens

These microwaves are relatively new in the market. Some consumers favor its space-saving property while still offering all the same capabilities of a standard microwave. But aside from gaining space and de-cluttering the kitchen, you also have the option of installing it flush with your cabinets. 

The main idea was to put down or lift up the food when cooking to avoid potentially spilling food or liquid. A microwave drawer is easily accessible to everyone, as opposed to the common hinged-door microwave designed for right-handed cooks.

2. What size and power you need?

A microwave’s size and rated power go hand in hand when choosing the right model — sizes are quantified in cubic feet and the power in wattage. 

The cubic feet information could be derived by multiplying the length, width and height of the oven’s chamber. The bigger the size means there’s more food to be cooked at a time. In more instances, as the size increases the rated power goes up too.

a) Small microwaves:

Small or compact microwaves have a capacity of less than 1 cubic foot and could yield up to 700 watts of power. These have slower cooking time and doesn’t cook food evenly due to its lower power rating. It is often used for reheating or cooking instant meals on offices, dorm rooms or apartments.

b) Medium microwaves:

A medium-sized microwave holds up to 2 cubic feet and could deliver up to 1000 watts of power. The best choice for a small household since it could hold small cookware and have a slightly larger turntable for a dinner plate to fit in.

c) Full-sized microwaves:

Full-sized microwaves have more than 2 cubic feet and could produce power wattage up to 1,600. You can cook an entire family meal and accommodate huge loads of food to be cooked at the same time.

Microwaves size and capacity map

3. What additional features you need?

Different brands offer various functions on their microwaves. Below are some of the latest innovations that can be considered:

• Auto Cook – The auto cook feature is a preset program that allows the user to cook a variety of dishes easily. All you need to do is select the type of dish along with the quantity and the oven will automatically adjust the power and cooking time.
• Auto Defrost – Almost all microwave ovens can defrost frozen foods, but some models come with an auto-defrost feature that allows the user to select the type and weight of the food which you want to defrost so you can defrost all types of food.
• Pre-heat – Food items like cakes, pastries take a lot of time to prepare and also consume more power. The best alternative is to pre-heat the oven by fixing to a standard temperature up to 200˚C. And it should be done before you bake the natural ingredients.
• Rotisserie – People who eat non-vegetarian food items love this rotisserie feature as it helps to roast the chicken, meat by supplying even heat. It’s actually a grill where you can stick paneer and vegetables too.
• Timer – These days every electronic home and kitchen appliances contain this timer feature. Because, you can simply set the timings to heat, grill, and defrost without worrying. During this time, you can do other domestic activities like cleaning the house, washing clothes, etc. Once the heating process is completed, it will switch off automatically as per the pre-set time.
• Child safety lock – Keep your children away from the microwave ovens as they may experience burns. But it is not possible all the time to safeguard when you are busy with the household chores. So, having a child safety lock option will protect them from unnecessary accidents by not allowing them to open or change the cooking setting.
• Control Panel – Some of the microwave ovens have single touch control while some others have mechanical buttons for operation. These controls help you adjust the temperature, set the time and select any pre-set programs.
• Removable Racks – Some brands provide removable racks which help to cook two dishes simultaneously.
• Keep Warm – This feature helps to maintain a low temperature for a longer period of time or until you serve it. It is helpful for bread and the main course.
• Sensor Functions – This feature enables the microwave to analyze the time required for cooking and adjusts accordingly.

What is a Microwave Oven and How it Works?

A microwave oven has radically changed the way humans cook. Unlike ordinary ovens, it uses unique electromagnetic radiation to heat food items from the inside. Unlike traditional ovens, the microwave does not heat food from the outside but heats it from the inside. That helps you prepare food quickly and efficiently.

Because of many features and innovations, microwave oven can be used for making different recipes, reheating cooked food, baking, melting frozen food, heating water and more.

When was microwave oven invented?

Microwave Oven is an accidental discovery by Dr Percy LeBaron Spencer, self-taught electronics engineer working at Raytheon Corporation. In 1946, while working on a magnetron vacuum tube for advanced radar technology, he noticed that his candy bar had melted in his pocket. He realized that this was due to microwave radiation emitted from vacuum tubes.

• In 1947 Raytheon manufactured the first microwave oven.
• Since 1975, the microwave has begun to gain popularity in the US and Europe.
• Much later, in the 90s, microwaves became popular in India.

How does a microwave function?

The method of generating heat is different in microwave ovens as compared to conventional styles.

1. A microwave oven transmits electromagnetic waves at a frequency of 2.24 GHz and a wavelength of 12.2 cm through the food.
2. As these waves pass through the food, the water molecules in the food begin to vibrate.
3. That results in friction with other water molecules and causes the food to become hot from the inside.

That is how a microwave oven cooks food.

Components of microwave ovens

Below are some of the most common parts of microwave ovens. Apart from these, many modern microwave ovens contain keypads, digital clocks, rotating turntable plates and multiple sensors of various types.

• Fuse: The fuse is connected to the power cord. Its function is to shut off the microwave by disconnecting the power in case of short circuit or overheating.
• High-voltage transformer: Its function is to deliver the required amount of electricity to the magnetron. The transformer and magnetron combine to control the microwave radiation levels that are needed for cooking food.
• Waveguide device: The microwave radiation generated by the magnetron is then transmitted through a waveguide device that is located above the oven’s cavity, where the food is kept. As the microwave circulates, the food becomes hot.
• Inside wall: The walls inside the oven cavity are made of metal to reflect microwave radiation toward the food.
• Safety switch: It is a common feature in all modern microwave ovens. Its function is that if the microwave door is open, it closes the entire operation.
• Timer: It is another common feature of modern microwave ovens. It automatically turns off the microwave after the specified time.

Check this video to visualize above components and functioning of microwave ovens.

Microwave Oven Hazards Safety and Precautions

Top quality microwaves are the best for cooking different meals and come with safety features. However, they can be very dangerous. This means that you need to take some precautions to avoid accidental burns. Some of these precautions summarized below:

1. Follow instructions: Only use the procedures recommended by the manufacturer when using the oven. It is dangerous to experiment various things that are you are not sure about. You should ensure that you have read and understood how each part of the machine works. Also go through the safety precautions provided by the manufacturer before you attempt to do anything.
2. Door must close: Never use an oven if the door doesn’t close tightly or if it is warped or bent. The heat that seeps through the gaps may cause an explosion.
3. Avoid metals: You need to be very careful on the types of materials you put inside the microwave. For example, metallic containers are very dangerous because they cause sparks. Therefore, you should only use glass or ceramic materials. Some plastics may also be suitable but you need to check the type of materials recommended in the user manual that comes with the unit.
4. Don’t mix different food: Don’t cook different foods at the same time- This may seem obvious but some people make a mistake of putting different types of foods in the microwave as a way of saving time and power. This is not recommended because the foods have different requirements which means some will cook faster than others. To get the best foods, you should cook each type separately using the recommended settings.
5. Don’t stand directly against the oven: This is another dangerous mistake people tend to make because it exposes you to potential burns. Always make sure that you are at a safe distance when using the unit.
6. Avoid heating water for a long time or beyond the boiling point. You should set it the oven for a maximum of 30 seconds if you want to warm the water. Superheated liquids may erupt and move out of the cup even when there is a slight movement or disturbance for example when you are adding a spoonful of coffee.
7. Stir the food occasionally: Even if microwave use a turntable that rotates to ensure that the food is subjects to equal amount of heat, it is good to stir it after sometime. This is because some parts may not be heated properly.

Check FDA tips for more such measure: safety tips

Common Questions about Microwave Ovens

Over to You

Microwave ovens are fast, convenient, and a snap to clean up. This is their appeal over conventional ovens. Microwaves differ from conventional ovens by using electrical and magnetic waves to defrost, cook, and reheat some of our favorite foods.

In our research we find IFB Microwave Oven as one of the best and Samsung Microwave as most feature rich appliance to buy in India. However, do consider our buying guide to decide which is your best microwave oven based on needs and features!