If you, like me, believe more in multi purpose appliances than a single purpose appliance - a convection microwave oven is ideal for you. This provides the best of both worlds - a solo microwave and an OTG. (show the table). Yes, the baking may not be as good as an OTG - but for a hobby or occasional baker - this is a great option. If you bake very frequently - then I recommend you to go with a separate OTG which I will cover in a different video.
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This video only covers convection microwave ovens. If you have not yet decided which type of oven you need, check this video where I compare solo microwave, OTG and microwave+convection and I also provide details on what vessels can be used in each of these types.
I went over 18 different models of convection microwave ovens to identify the BEST for you, for your requirement. There are a few key parameters you have to check when deciding on a convection microwave oven:
What is the capacity to purchase? The sizing is slightly different from a solo microwave. In the case of convection, less than 25L is ideal for families of 1-3 people and over 25L is ideal for 3-6 people. You do get sizes of over 30L for larger families or specifically when you want to use when hosting - but in my opinion a 25-30L microwave is sufficient for nuclear family.
What is the wattage to go? In general - two wattages are mentioned by manufacturers. The input wattage - which could be 1200, 1500, 2000W and so on. And output wattage - which is generally 700, 800, 900W. You have to consider the output wattage. A higher output wattage, a faster and more even cooking. In general a 26+ L is 900W and below that is all 800W.
Next to consider is what is the cavity material? The inside part of the microwave is called the cavity. These days - except samsung everything else comes with a stainless steel cavity. Samsung comes with a ceramic cavity. Stainless steel cavity is expected to be more energy efficient but is more expensive than ceramic and more difficult to clean. Ceramic is easier to clean and is corrosion resistant (non rusting). I just want to highlight that with stainless steel - power consumption will be lower but there have been some concerns with some models about stainless steel cavity rusting. So you may want to consider that before purchase.
From a display point of view - all of them are digital.
Coming to the functions -
All convection microwave ovens perform some basic tasks of heating, cooking, baking, grilling and defrosting. While they may do some form of toasting, they don’t do a great job.
The main difference comes in a few key parameters -
Rotisserie - rotisserie is a turn grill which is ideal for grilling chicken, paneer etc on a skewer. None of the smaller sized ones have it, amongst the larger sized ones, only one model each of LG, Panasonic and IFB have it. So if that is a requirement, you will need to consider those.
Low oil or oil free or slim fry or air fry - based on whatever that particular model calls it, some models have this capability and some don’t. Like i’ve mentioned in another video - air frying is essentially baking. Yes you can make the same set of dishes in your convection microwave oven or an OTG as well - as long as you use the right recipe. So some models have this as a setting - as you can see listed on the screen.
Next important ones are curd setting and fermentation - again all convection microwave ovens can do this BUT the models listed here have a button or a setting to do that, so you don’t have to go looking for the right recipe.
All models have a child lock - so not necessarily a differentiator
Some models have a steam clean facility. Now again this is an out of the box setting - you can do a “steam clean” without the setting as well. Just heat water with lemon in the microwave for about 3 min and wipe it down - it gives the same effect.
There is also a concept of starter kit that they advertise - now this is just some extra vessels / equipment they give. I don’t consider this important as in general these are of inferior quality plastic - except for a few models that give ceramic / glass.
From a reviews point of view - as always I’ve shortlisted the best 18 and will provide you my recommendation of the best.
From a warranty point of view - almost all vendors except morphy richards give a warranty of 1 year. Morphy richards gives a warranty of 2 years. Many vendors like IFB, Samsung, LG also give a warranty on the magnetron and Samsung also gives a warranty on the cavity - which is good, as sometimes the cavity has issues of being exposed / cracked in case of ceramic or rusted in case of stainless steel.
Ok now that we have seen the comparison of all of these models - what are my recommendations?
In general - I would recommend a size between 26-30L for most people - which would be ideal for a nuclear family of 3-6 people. So in this size, I recommend:
Samsung 28L - this is the model I use as well. Great rating at about 11.5K pricepoint. It’s got a ceramic interior cavity with all the capabilities that a convection microwave needs to perform including slim fry. The only 2 things it’s missing is a Rotisserie / turn grill and an auto clean. The best part of this is that it has a 1 year warranty with a 5 year warranty on the magnetron and a 10 year warranty on the cavity. This is my second samsung convection microwave and the previous one lasted me over 10 years (I had to give it away as it had a roach infestation - which I have since then fixed with pest control)
LG Charcoal 28L - If you are keen on a fully loaded convection microwave with a rotisserie and ALL capabilities - then the LG Charcoal is ideal for you. This comes with a stainless steel interior and all the required capability of a convection microwave oven including rotisserie / turn grill, slim fry, auto clean and curd/fermentation. It comes with a 1 year warranty with a 4 year warranty on the magnetron. No warranty on the cavity.
For a larger size - 30L+ - I recommend:
LG - gives all the necessary capabilities required with a 4 additional year warranty on the magnetron. The only thing missing from this is the rotisserie.
For the small size less than 25L - in general I would recommend you to go with the 26-30L as the size and price difference is minimal but you get more capabilities in the larger size. But if you are particular of the smaller size, then I recommend:
I would recommend the IFB 23 L or LG 21L model - as it has a small edge over the others with slim fry, auto clean and they have some additional capabilities like auto clean, slim fry and additional warranty on magnetron.
Which one did you decide to buy? Drop me a comment. If you are looking for OTG or solo microwave, consider one of these videos.
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