Are convection microwave ovens worth it? Pros and cons

Are convection microwave ovens worth it? Trying to decide?

Trying to choose between a regular oven and microwave oven is always a tricky and difficult thing to do and gets overwhelming easily. That is why a convection microwave oven helps to combine the best of both worlds so that you don't have to worry about missing out on an essential feature you need.

Through this article, we'll answer as many of your questions as possible, including all the basics about what a convection microwave oven is, how it works, and the pros and cons of owning one compared to some other similar appliances on the market.

Convection microwave oven - what is it?

A convection microwave oven is the combination of a microwave and an oven together, an ideal hybrid appliance. It can heat food as a microwave does alongside having a heating coil and fan to be able to cook things in the style of an oven; it can even bake, brown, crisp and roast your food.

These ovens can even have metal in with certain settings, an essential tool for baking cookies or anything else of the sort; they're really flexible machines.

How do these convection microwave ovens work?

A convection microwave oven can cook your food in multiple ways at the same time; they can cook with microwaves like your traditional microwave will, and they can use convection cooking too simultaneously, which is why they're so powerful.

You can still use the convection microwave oven with one of the more traditional cooking methods like just microwaves, if that is what you want, but the versatility of both options is what is so useful.

Microwaves use a magnetron to create safe radiation that vibrates the water inside of your food so quickly that it produces heat through friction, but the downside to this is that it means that it has lots of problems; it can't be used to cook any food that has no water, and the microwaves react very poorly to metal and will spark and break. Even a forgotten fork can create some big problems in a traditional microwave because of the metal!

This is where a convection microwave oven comes in so useful; the convection setting acts like an oven and creates heat through a fan, cooking food more quickly than the microwave. This option is also good for those other traits you're looking for from oven-cooked food, like a brown, crispy outside coating! You can also use this option for baked foods, and you can put metal in it too.

A convection microwave oven is optimised however, when the microwave and convection options are used at the same time, to cook food really quickly whilst also getting those classic oven-cooked meals with a crispy exterior.

As convection microwaves are so modern, a lot of them come with some amazing programming and options so that you can just pick what you want to use and even set timers on the microwave to then automatically swap to the convection setting for when you've set it to!

The convection microwaves pros and cons

Whilst Convection microwaves sound like they are the perfect appliance, like everything else, they come with pros and cons that will suit some people and not others, so have a read through the following to evaluate if this is the best purchase for you.

Pros

Having the oven and microwave in the same place saves lots of space for other appliances so that they will just fit better in smaller kitchens, so ideal for smaller homes.

As most convection microwaves are so modern, they are usually very easy to use with some fantastic programming behind them that require nothing more than a couple of buttons to get going!

Convection microwaves also thrive on the ease of using them; everything is in the same place, it's quicker, and it's more simple.

Cons

Convection microwaves come in the same size as a traditional microwave, so they are pretty compact and not great if you were cooking for a whole host of people, for example, they will probably only fit a single dish in the same way you'd expect on a microwave.

There is a little bit of a learning curve to modern things like this, so you may need to have a little time to experiment with them to get to know what you're doing if it is your first convection microwave.

Are convection microwaves worth it?

The answer to this will always be complicated as it depends entirely on the person and what they're looking for.

If you have a smaller kitchen and are trying to utilise space in the best way, then a convection microwave is also for you. People that just like the simplicity of things like this are also going to benefit from a convection microwave. Convection microwaves are perfect for vacation cabins, motor homes, dorms and smaller flats; they'll expand your culinary options in a really compact way.

However, if you don't like moving away from the traditional or you don't like using some slightly more advanced technology, then the convection microwaves might not be for you, it could also be that you are providing for a larger family that requires multiple dishes to be done at the same time, so you don't have the proper space.

Convection microwaves are a fantastic kitchen appliance that is incredibly versatile and useful to people that don't have a lot of space to work with or even people that like the simplicity of everything in one place. They won't particular suit some larger families or people unsure about the technology, but definitely worth considering always!