Best convection microwave oven in India 2023

I had a hypothesis and you all confirmed it for me. We like the idea of baking often, but we rarely do so. Most Indian kitchens do not need a separate microwave oven, a separate OTG, and a separate air fryer. Overall it not only turns out to be more expensive, but also takes up valuable counter top space.

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POLL RESULTS ON USAGE TRENDS ON BAKING

Best convection microwave oven 2023

*With Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

*Without Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

A multi purpose appliance like a convection microwave oven will be the best for the majority of households. It can heat, defrost, bake, ‘air fry’, cook, and do many more functions for you. If you are a frequent baker or bake in large quantities - then I recommend you to go for a separate OTG - the video is linked in the description.

Now that you’ve decided a multipurpose convection microwave is the right appliance for you - let’s discuss the things to consider when buying one - before going into my recommendations for the best convection microwave oven.

First is the size of the convection microwave oven. Convection microwave ovens come in a max size of about 32-33L. In general - less than 25L is ideal for families of 1-3 people, 25-30L for 3-4 people, and above 30L for large families or if you cook in large quantities often. The most popular size for convection microwave ovens is 28L, and that and larger sizes is what I will focus on today. What do these sizes really mean - while it is the volume within the cavity - a good way to understand it is in a 28L convection microwave oven, the turntable is between 310 and 320mm - so a 12” pizza can be made easily. In a 32L convection microwave oven, the turntable is between 340-345mm - so a 13” pizza can be made easily.

Speaking about the cavity - most convection microwaves come with a stainless steel cavity these days. These are known to be more energy efficient and heat food faster BUT there have been some complaints about rusting after longer term use. They are also a bit more difficult to clean compared to the alternative - which is a ceramic cavity - which is easier to clean and corrosion resistant (which means no rusting). These days, only the samsung convection microwave ovens highlighted on the screen come with a ceramic cavity.

These days larger convection microwave ovens of size 32L and above are giving an oven like look and feel with the door hinging at the bottom rather than the side. LG Charcoal convection microwave has both a left hinge and a bottom hinge model while Samsung 32L and Godrej 33L are both bottom hinged.

Best convection microwave oven 2023

*With Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

*Without Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

All convection microwave ovens compared perform the basic functions of heating, cooking, baking, grilling and defrosting. Toasting is generally not great in a convection microwave oven. All of these have 100s of auto cook functions with different menus for different items. I believe this is one of the least used capability of a convection microwave oven and we should not give too much heed to the number of auto cook menus. In general - if you are using a recipe, the recipe will explicitly state how long to pre-heat and how long to cook for that particular recipe. Go by that instead of the auto-cook function.

The main differences in convection microwave ovens are a few key capabilities: The first is a rotisserie - The rotisserie works by slowly turning the food, which allows it to cook evenly on all sides - particularly useful for cooking meat evenly so that it retains its natural juices and flavor. It can also be used to cook vegetables, paneer, soya and other vegetarian dishes to get a crisp golden brown outer layer of the food. Amongst the convection microwave ovens compared, the LG Charcoal, Haier, Morphy Richards, IFB, Godrej convection microwave ovens have a rotisserie function with auto 360 degree rotation. Next is air frying. Different brands call it differently - low oil, slim fry, diet fry, healthy fry, amongst others. Except for the IFB model - all other convection microwave ovens compared have this as a setting. Like I’ve mentioned previously many times, air frying is essentially baking - which a convection microwave oven does very well anyway. Even if there is no explicit setting for air frying like the IFB model, just follow the time and temperature setting in the recipe - and you are good. Want to see this in action - see this video I’ve linked in the description where I make the same dishes in an air fryer and a convection microwave oven - so you can see the differences or similarities yourself. Next is the curd setting and fermentation to make things like dosa / idli batter - 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 convection microwave oven these days offer a child lock capability to prevent opening of the microwave when in operation. They also have a steam clean capability to clean the insides of the convection microwave oven. You can do steam clean without this setting too - just heat water with lemon in the microwave for about 3 min and wipe it down - it gives the same effect.

Best convection microwave oven 2023

*With Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

*Without Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

Power consumption varies based on the setting you are using - microwave for heating uses the maximum power of approximately 1400W and grilling / baking uses the least - at around 1000W. Some convection microwaves use upto 2000-2400W input power. Output power is consistent at 800-900W across different models. Higher the output wattage, a faster and more even cooking you will get. Except for Amazon Basics which has an output wattage of 800W, all others are at 900W.

From a pricing and warranty point of view - it varies from about 10-12K to almost 25K for the largest sizes. LG has a charcoal variant which is said to give better even heating, which is more expensive than the other models. Warranty is in general 1 year with only Morhpy Richards offering a 2 year warranty on the product. Many models offer additional warranty between 2 and 5 years on the magnetron - which is the component generating the microwaves. Samsung and Morphy Richards don’t give an additional warranty on the magnetron, but Samsung gives an additional 10 year warranty on the ceramic cavity.

Now we understand the things we have to consider while buying a convection microwave oven, let’s get into my recommendations for the best convection microwave ovens in India. I’ll give you two recommendations in the 28L category where you can make pizzas upto 12” diameter and 2 in the 32L category where you can make pizzas upto 13” diameter.

Best convection microwave oven 2023

*With Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

*Without Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

My product recommendations are consistent in the 28L and 32L categories.

If you are looking for a rotisserie, in the 28L, I recommend the LG charcoal convection microwave oven, as it is the only model in this size with a rotisserie and in the 32L, I recommend the LG convection microwave (without charcoal). Charcoal lightening heater is expected to maintain natural flavors, keeps the food crunchy outside and juicy inside - especially when used for barbeque. A nice to have in my opinion, not a must have. The 28L with charcoal is available at 18,000 and the 32L without charcoal is at a price of about 17L. LG gives a 1 year warranty on the product with 4 years extra warranty on the magnetron for their convection microwave ovens. The cavity is made of Stainless steel and it has all the capabilities including a 360° Motorized Rotisserie, fermentation, making curd, air fry, and steam cleaning. The max temperature in convection mode can go upto 230 ℃ based on various reviews.

If you don’t need a rotisserie, then I recommend the Samsung convection microwave ovens you see on the screen. These Samsung microwave ovens have a ceramic cavity and hence are available at a budget pricing of 12.5K for the 28L and 17K for the 32L. Samsung offers a 1 year on the product with 10 years on the ceramic cavity for their convection microwave ovens. Except for rotisserie, these Samsung convection microwave ovens have all the essential capabilities like Heating, Cooking, Defrosting, Baking, Grilling, Toasting, Low/No oil cooking , fermentation, making curd, and steam cleaning but does not have a rotisserie. The heating temperature in convection mode can vary from 40~200 ℃. The 32L Samsung convection oven has a bottom hinge door.

Best convection microwave oven 2023

*With Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L

*Without Rotisserie*

✅ 28L

✅ 32L