With the ability to cook meals in minutes, microwave ovens are designed for today's modern lifestyles and ideal for those with busy lives who still want great food in a fraction of the time.

Use

There are three main types of microwave ovens:

1) A standard microwave oven, referred to as ‘solo’ - will allow you to cook by microwave only. It can be used to defrost, reheat and cook foods.

2) A standard microwave with grill - as well as all the features of a standard microwave oven, these models come with an internal grill. This can be used exclusively as a grill, or in conjunction with the microwave, allowing you to brown and crisp your food. In addition to their useful grill capability, these microwaves also feature useful functions such as Express Defrost and Auto Cook

3) Combination oven - by featuring a microwave, grill and convection (hot-air) oven, a combination oven offers the most flexibility, allowing you to use the functions independently or together. It combines the best of all worlds, offering fast economical cooking from one space saving appliance. The whole range of Combination ovens from Sharp offer the power and capacity needed for family cooking as well as different designs to suit your kitchen.

Cooking capacity

The size of the oven you require will relate to how many people you will be cooking for. A larger oven (oven 0.7cu.ft) could contain a Sunday roast or large stew. A family sized oven will have a larger turntable and more interior height enabling you to cook more than one dish at a time.

Power

Microwave power output is measured in Watts and standardised by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Wattage ranges from 600-1100. Buy the most powerful model within your budget, as the higher the wattage, the quicker the food will cook.