11 Best Microwaves [Tested and Reviewed]

The Panasonic Microwave Oven NN-SN67HS has a stainless steel finish and stylish design, featuring blue LED lights in the display section for easy viewing. 

This model performed well in our liquid egg white test, being able to cook the eggs evenly with a single round of heating and showing no hot spots. When reheating side dishes, the differences in temperature in different parts of the sample dishes were minimal. Even frozen foods, which are difficult to heat evenly with most appliances, were heated to an even temperature with this model. Being able to heat frozen food without having to reheat it multiple times is a rare occurrence with microwaves. 

This model also passed our defrosting test with flying colors, achieving perfectly defrosted beef patties to their pre-frozen state. Since there is no partial burning or water discharge, foods warmed using this model’s defrosting feature can be cooked without delay. 

Its automatic warming mode that automatically adjusts the wattage and time after placing food inside and pressing a button, making it a user-friendly option. However, since there is no mute mode some noise disturbance can be expected.

Overall, with its consistent heating or defrosting capabilities and user-friendliness, this product is a top candidate if you are looking for a versatile solo microwave. 

The Cuisinart Stainless Steel Microwave Oven CMW-110 is equipped with a memory function that can save your favorite cooking options and comes with a dedicated recipe book, giving this particular model a few perks for being able to personalize its settings. 

It received high ratings for its mostly even heating ability. In the egg white test, it was able to cook the entire sample in one heating, and the center and corners were evenly warmed, which outperformed several of the other models we tested. It also performed well in heating frozen foods. There were no cold spots, and it heated everything evenly in one heat cycle. 

Our evaluation dropped slightly in the defrosting test.. Although it was able to defrost the entire patty, it was partially cooked.

The usability was also satisfactory, with the express buttons, making it convenient to start warming with just one touch. However, note that it does not have a ‘mute’ mode.

MCA’s Magic Chef Countertop Microwave Oven MC110MB is highly recommended for those who frequently use frozen foods. We found it uniformly warms up commercial frozen foods, allowing you to eat immediately after just one heating cycle.

The microwave ensures minimal uneven heating, with about 80% of egg whites solidifying effectively in our egg cooking test. Though the center was slightly harder to warm in our tests, the performance was notably superior compared to other products we tested, where less than 50% of solidification was typical.

It also successfully defrosted a frozen hamburger patty in one go. Note, however, that some moisture was released from the meat, and slight cooking was observed in parts of the patty.

Although it lacks a mute mode, its usability is enhanced by Express Buttons, which allow immediate start of heating at the selected time, and an automatic warming mode, making operation straightforward and user-friendly.

The Digital Microwave Oven EM720CB7 from Black + Decker is compact, with a size of 0.7 cu. ft., making it ideal for small kitchens and areas where counter space is limited. 

It’s also a user-friendly model, equipped with an automatic warming function, and it has 10 pre-programmed modes for certain foods like popcorn, potatoes, and pizza. However, it does not have a mute mode so the typical beep noises should be factored into this purchase. 

In tests for even heating, it failed to evenly harden the entire egg white in one heating, however, the area that was hard to heat in the center was small, so there was not much of a temperature difference. It achieved a high rating in tests for evenly heating frozen food. While there was one spot where the temperature was slightly lower than the rest, most of it was warm, and the difference was largely unnoticeable when eating. The model performed poorly in the defrosting test, with parts of the sample being burnt and other parts retaining excess water. To defrost it to the same state as before freezing, it's necessary to adjust the heating time. 

The Countertop Microwave FMO11AHTBKB by Farberware comes equipped with both a kitchen timer and a clock. With the option to add 30 seconds of extra heating time by simply pressing the start button, the usability of this microwave received high ratings. The express buttons, which start heating just by pressing the button with the corresponding number within a range of 1 to 6 minutes, were well-liked for their ease of use.

There were tendencies for slightly uneven heating, however, since over 80% of egg whites were solidified, there's little worry about feeling a significant temperature difference when warming food and eating it. The test for warming up frozen food yielded generally positive results. There were areas where the temperature was slightly low, but the range was so narrow that it didn't give an impression of being cold when eating.

The model did fall short in the test for defrosting frozen food, which left the patties partially charred. An adjustment of heating time is necessary to defrost thoroughly. 

In our tests, Farberware's countertop microwave FMO07ABTBKA proved to heat up frozen food with little unevenness. Although some areas only reached up to 113℉, the overall warming was nearly uniform, making the food ready to eat without the need for additional heating.

Additionally, it's very user-friendly with features like Express buttons, which start heating with a single press, and an automatic warming mode for further convenience.

However, its heating functionality is not without issues; only about half of the egg whites in our egg cooking test solidified after one round in the microwave. Depending on the food, effective cooking may be challenging.

When we tried to defrost a frozen hamburger patty, it also showed noticeable unevenness and moisture release and even started to cook. This might not make it the best choice for cooks who work with frozen ingredients and need to defrost them quickly.

Comfee's Countertop Microwave Oven EM720CPL-PMB is compact, with a capacity of 0.7 cu. ft. and has some advantages over other models with its built-in energy-saving eco mode which minimizes standby power consumption.

However, the test results for consistent heating were disappointing. The egg white test showed 70% of the sample still liquid after a single heat cycle. The model also doesn't seem to handle frozen foods well. In our heating test, the center of the frozen meal remained cold to the point of feeling chilly when touched, showing that additional heating would be required to get previously frozen food to a uniform temperature.

On the other hand, its defrosting performed quite well in comparison to other models. In our frozen patty test, the microwave was able to defrost the whole patty without partially cooking it, making it ideal for thawing items quickly for immediate cooking.

The usability of the product also rated highly with our testers. They reported that it can be operated smoothly, and features a ‘mute’ mode for convenient use at odd hours or to prevent disturbing others in a communal space.

Toshiba's Microwave Oven EM131A5C has many helpful features that allow for easy programming, including the ability to select output levels in 10 stages, up to 1100W. To extend the cooking time while heating, you can add 30 seconds by pressing the start button. With features like ‘express’ buttons that allow for one-touch warming without setting the wattage and time and a ‘mute’ mode for beep sounds, it received a high evaluation for its ease of use.

However, this model received low evaluations for both the lack of even warming, heating frozen foods, and defrosting. In the egg white warming test only on the right edge of the egg white solidified while the rest remained liquid, showing the large variance in temperature. In the frozen food test the center remained frozen, indicating the difficulty this model has in warming evenly with just one heat cycle.

This model fared better in the defrosting test, with the frozen patty thawed entirely. However, because the bottom surface was partially burned, it cannot be said to be in the same state before it was frozen. Some finesse may be required to defrost things to the desired temperature.

Toshiba's Small Countertop Microwave Oven ML2-EM09PA is more compact than the company's Microwave Oven EM131A5C. Equipped with an LED light inside, this model makes it easy to monitor your food while it's heating.

However, the heating and defrosting tests yielded subpar results. At the end of one heating cycle for the egg white test, only the edges of the dish were solidified, while the middle part remained liquid. The same was true for frozen food, with only the edges being warmed while the center remained frozen. For this model, additional time is essential to heat the food evenly. In the defrosting test, the thawed patty was partially burned, indicating that the heating time would need to be adjusted to thaw foods back to the same state as before freezing.

However, it rated highly in terms of usability. Its one-touch heating features reduce the number of steps to reach the desired operation. Moreover, it has a ‘mute mode’ so you won't have to worry about waking up family members or roommates with beeping noises in the middle of the night.

With a capacity of 0.9 cu. ft., the Kenmore Microwave KMCMB809BK09 is compact and equipped with a cooking complete reminder, so you can avoid unintentionally leaving food in the microwave after it's done warming.

However, we found that both warming and defrosting in this model may result in uneven heating. The egg whites remained mostly liquid after one round of heating, with only one corner of the eggs in the container partially solidifying. Despite the edges of frozen foods getting warm, the center tended to remain cold. Even patties remained frozen on the surface, needing additional heat before they could be used in cooking.

On the bright side, its usability is commendable. For times within one to six minutes, its preprogrammed ’express’ buttons started heating with just a click of the corresponding number, making it easy to operate quickly.

The Countertop Microwave Oven HB54SS100112161 by Hamilton Beach Brands is equipped with 10 power levels and six automatic cooking menus. Its relatively small size doesn't take up much space on a kitchen counter.

However, its warming and defrosting capabilities were found lacking in our testing. Only the corners of the container were heated when warming egg whites and frozen food, which showed significant unevenness. Without additional heating, the temperature difference might be bothersome enough to affect your eating experience. In the defrosting test, the surface of the patty remained cold and frozen.

Its usability was satisfactory in our testing, with the ’express’ buttons heating with one touch and an automatic warming mode making it easy to skip programming the microwave and having to set the wattage or the timer.