While 'bonus' features such as convection and browning can be handy, they typically add quite a bit to the price of a microwave oven and some purchasers find they don't use the extra features regularly enough to warrant owning them.
Digital or Numeric Keypad: Smaller, cheaper microwave models often have a manual, rotary dial, which can make cooking for an exact time very difficult. A similar feature is a 30-second or 1-minute button; push this and the microwave cooks on 'High' for the specified length of time. In most microwave models, this button can be depressed numerous times until the desired time is reached.
Shortcut keys: Shortcut keys, or keys pre-programmed for specific cooking tasks such as cooking popcorn or heating coffee, are a very useful feature on any microwave oven. However, compare prices for microwave models with and without these features, as the extra cost might not justify the saving of one or two seconds of your time.
Turntable shape: One feature to consider is whether you would like a round turntable or a square or rectangular tray in your microwave oven. Microwave models with circular turntables lose usable space inside the microwave. If you place something inside that overlaps the turntable, it will often bang against the corners and stop rotating. This can cause hot and cold spots in your food, as the food must move for uniform heating throughout. Square or rectangular trays move back and forth inside the microwave, utilising more of the interior space.
Removable racks: Most people end up taking these out of their microwave oven and never put them back. Even large microwave models may be unable to accommodate a coffee mug on either the top or bottom level when the rack is in place. If considering a model with a rack, measure the height of your most frequently used cups, mugs, and bowls and determine if the rack will be useful, or just get in the way.
Sensors: These small, microwave-safe probes measure the amount of steam coming from the cooking food to determine when it has been safely cooked. At that point, the sensor sends a signal to the microwave oven, which either notifies you with a beep or shuts off the cooking cycle. Especially for new users of a microwave or people moving to larger or smaller wattage microwave models, using the sensor can help prevent over or undercooking of food.
Some of the more expensive features include browning,
grilling and convection cooking options. Any one of these features can add over a £100 to the typical price of a microwave; two or three can be a substantial addition to the price of your oven. For people who plan to utilise a
microwave as their only oven, these may be well worth the price, but for occasional use. You are unlikely to find the money spent a worthwhile addition.