Microwaves can do so much more than warm up your coffee, defrost chicken or melt some cheese on chips. Today’s models can air fry, talk to Alexa (yes, that Alexa) and more while looking great doing it. Read on, whether you want to upgrade or just need a replacement ASAP.
Microwaves no longer have to be clunky black boxes. These days they come in colors like fire-engine red and baby blue with decidedly cool design aesthetics. And still have all the necessary cooking functions, shortcut buttons and power levels. A compact pick works great for a small space such as studio apartment, dorm room or office.
Smart Features
Smart ovens may be “microwaves” at heart but are packed with advanced technology. Amazon’s, for example, is a microwave, convection oven, food warmer and air fryer plus has voice control through Echo devices. (“Alexa, cook for one more minute.”) Other “smart” features include a temperature probe to know when food is cooked to your liking and, our favorite: A “scan-to-cook” option. Just scan a packaged food and the microwave will cook it according to product instructions.
Some models now include inverter technology—in which the power supply comes from an “inverter” rather than a traditional magnetic coil or a transformer. This speeds up cooking time and uses less energy. Look for models with a “warmer” feature—if your food is done before you’re ready to serve it up, it’ll keep things warm.
