A couple months ago, I found myself spending hours exploring the best countertop microwaves. Here’s the long story short: it was the night before a big family gathering and I was nuking a bowl of soup to fuel me while I finished cleaning. I had a built-in model, you know, the “over-the-stove” type that is completely mounted in place. Well, about 10 seconds in, I heard ZAP, POP, FIZZ. Then the unit died.
The problem: I don’t know how to remove it. I rent my home and really don’t feel like paying to replace something that is ancient and not even mine in the first place. So now we use that as storage. I researched the best countertop microwaves within my budget. While I do miss having the extra counter space, I feel more comfortable with the countertop version because if it pops and fizzes, I can throw it out the door! Kidding. Kind of. If it’s smoking, it’s definitely going out the door fast! Check out a few of the best countertop microwaves to help you in your search!
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The Best Countertop Microwaves
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Cuisinart 1.0-Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Microwave Oven– With 25 pre-programmed settings and nonporous stainless steel, the Cuisinart 1.0-Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Microwave Oven makes the ideal cooking environment. This microwave is designed not to absorb food particles, moisture or odors. The Cuisinart is 1,000 watts so you can do it all from heating up leftovers to cooking a meal of fish and potatoes.
Sharp 1.1-Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Countertop Microwave– The Sharp 1.0-Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Countertop Microwave has 11 power levels, auto defrost and one-touch controls. This Sharp microwave features a child safety lock so kids stay safe. The carousel turntable allows for even cooking and reheating of foods.
Danby 1.1-Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Countertop Microwave– The Danby 1.1-Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Countertop Microwave features 1,000 watts, 10 different power levels and six different one-touch options for common foods such as pizza, frozen dinners and popcorn. The microwave also features specialty options such as defrost-by-weight, cook-by-weight and speed-defrost. Other cool options with this microwave include high quality electronic controls and LED clock unit and timer.
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Oster 1.4-Cubice Foot Stainless Steel Digital Microwave Oven– This Oster 1.4-Cubic Foot Stainless Steel Digital Microwave Oven features 1,200 watts of power for all your cooking and reheating needs. It has a child lock on it that is programmable as well as 10 different power levels. At its 1.4-cubic foot size, it is ideal for any microwave dish. The Oster has an LED display, digital clock and six options for one-touch cooking.
Kenmore Stainless Steel 1.2-Cubic Foot Countertop Microwave– The Kenmore Stainless Steel 1.2-Cubic Foot Countertop Microwave has 1,100 watts of power with six one-touch settings on an electronic touchpad. This Kenmore model allows you to use various cooking stages as well as cooking times at once so that when one stage is done, the other automatically starts. The inside of this microwave features an EZ Clean finish, which makes cleaning spills and splatters a breeze.
Any of these best countertop microwaves will get the job done, so deciding which one to get comes down to your budget and personal preference. Obviously, some have a few extra frills, so take those into consideration when deciding. If you’re on a tight budget, though, the Danby is the cheapest option at this time (who knows what Black Friday will bring, though). Sure, it doesn’t clean itself like the Kenmore, but it does have many of the cooking bells and whistles. Really, what more do you need in a microwave?
I need a new microwave. I saw one that talked whole browsing through some, and that made me laugh.
We have the Oster, and it works great. We also had a built in and got rid of it.
Great recommendations. Ill keep them in mind for when I eventually will need to replace mine.
Microwaves are such a convenience to have. I love the Oster microwave it looks so easy to use.
I am in the market soon for a new microwave so this was great information. Thanks!
These sound great. Ours is attached to our stove, so it saves counter space.
Such a great info about microwave. I need a new microwave because we always used it our old microwave was didn’t function.
we need a new microwave. We bought one during Black Friday but didn’t fit in
I have a over the stove microwave and love it. It fees up so much space
We have a countertop one, but my dream is to have one that is built in to the cabinetry!
My microwave is too small. I’m looking for a new one. This will help me make my decision.
Interesting to learn about all these microwaves, I never knew there was a difference