Convection Microwave

[Shazzy]

Hi My 25yr+ microwave I think may finally be coming to its end - though I am yet to convince my husband!  I would love a second oven in my kitchen and thought that buying a convection microwave would be a much cheaper option that putting a second oven in   I am wondering if anyone out there has one, can comment on what they think of it and what type they have.  I was in a store yesterday and they were talking about the solardom. When I look this up it has some mixed reviews.  Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks

Sharyn

[dede]

Hi Sharyn, I got a sharp carousel microwave oven, it's a huge 42 litre one and I love it. I actually do most of my cooking in it because I didn't have a fan forced oven and i hated it. I was always complaining about it. I actually did a lot of research on them and the sharp carousel model had mostly great reviews. I brought mine second hand to for $275. I was considering a brand new one but we just didn't have the spare dollars as they are around $900 new ( the same size). I can cook 2 layers of things like pizza, biscuits and slices. I am really pleased with it and have had no problems at all.
I guess the decision is how much your willing to pay for one. I looked into the solar dome as well but I didn't like the reviews. And alot of the others certainly had mixed reviews as well.
If mine decided to die I would Definitly be buying a new sharp carousel convection microwave.

[andiesenji]

I posted in this topic   about the Sharp convection/microwave that I have had for quite a few years.
I have a brand new, in the box, backup because I feared they were going to discontinue it.

Mine has been a workhorse and  the capacity is larger than most microwaves.   You can easily see in the pictures I posted, how much it will hold.

It's getting a bit tired and does not always maintain the temp I set in the convection mode so I will soon swap it out, but I have certainly gotten my money's worth.

In my earlier post i said it was more than ten years old.  I found the original manual with the receipt stapled to the back and I purchased it in 1996 to replace a similar model (the very first combo unit Sharp made) that I had purchased in 1986.   
So, on May 8, this one will be 16 years old - I paid $678.99, so the pro-rated cost has been $42.43 per year.  Not bad!

[dede]

Even though I brought mine second hand I'm really hoping it last a few years for me. But I love it. And I have read from a few different people that there's has still been going strong for many many years.
My previous microwave (not convection) was also a sharp carousel and that's has been going almost 17 years, my sister has it now to replace her 3rd cheaper model microwave that has stopped working in about 6 years. Hope it lasts her a bit longer. But 17 years is a pretty good run I reckon.

[mcmich]

Dede and Andie. I am also considering buying a convection microwave.
Are they easy to use?

[dede]

Dede and Andie. I am also considering buying a convection microwave.
Are they easy to use?

Very easy to use mcmich, mine pretty much tells you what to do and when to do it. It has heaps of preprogrammed settings to make it even easier. I mainly use mine like you would and oven (press preheat button, choose the temp, press the convection button and set the time) it beeps and says add food once it's reached temp (much quicker than the oven at preheating) then once you have added your food it will start the timmer. And beep once it's finished and says enjoy your meal.
I really love it.

[meganjane]

Mine was a Sharp, too. I sold it to my sister when I remodeled the kitchen as it was just tooooo big. It's a brilliant microwave. She uses it every day and rarely uses her oven.

[mcmich]

Thanks girls, looks like that's what I will be purchasing next.
At that price, I will probably look on gumtree and ebay and try
to get a second hand one like dede purchased.

[dede]

I just missed out on one that was going really cheap but was still brand new and in its box when I was looking for one. But I'm really happy with this one. We just had jacked potatoes for dinner cooked in less than 5 minutes in the convection oven, they are great.
Good luck finding one.

[Kissmypixel]

I have a convection microwave oven as well. It is a whirlpool and has 4 functions, fan forced oven, grill, crisp and a microwave. It's brilliant although I must admit I mostly only use it as a microwave, which is silly as my oven is hopeless when trying to cook bread. I think I paid about $800 for it about 10 years ago. They aren't cheap but what good quality product is?

[dede]

You should try making your bread in the convection oven KMP as I had the same problem with my oven. The convection oven does an amazing job of bread. My microwave is really big and fits a normal size bread tin in and can turn without touching the sides.
I can fit 8 large cheese and bacon rolls perfectly on the round tray and they are cooked to perfection (nice and brown on the out side with a beautiful soft bread in the middle)

[andiesenji]

My Sharp will hold a 15 inch pizza pan easily.  Another helpful feature is the bottom tray/pan has a deep well so will catch spills, boilovers and contain them so cleaning is easier.

[dede]

My Sharp will hold a 15 inch pizza pan easily.  Another helpful feature is the bottom tray/pan has a deep well so will catch spills, boilovers and contain them so cleaning is easier.

Same here, so easy to clean and keep clean. Much easier than a normal oven.

[Shazzy]

Thanks so much for all the advice!  Now all I need to do is convince my husband.  The Sharp does sound the way to go and was really happy to hear that they do baking well. May have to take a wander over to the shop and have a good look. Thanks again for all the feedback - I really appreciate it.

[Kissmypixel]

Thanks Dede, I will try cooking bread in it. I always forget its a convection oven. Old age I guess 😢