Our 25 year old microwave oven just died. I would appreciate
suggestions regarding brands or features to look for or avoid.

Cost is not a major factor.

I did like the turntable in the old one. It also had a temperature
probe, but we never used it. We mostly use it for heating up water,
soups, etc. -- not major cooking.

Thanks

--
Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
(11/09/04)

Top Spin wrote:
[snip]
> We mostly use it for heating up water,
> soups, etc. -- not major cooking.

When I shopped for a toaster oven recently I checked out the microwaves
as well. It seems to me that for your uses they have become such a
standardized commodity that price would drive your decision. I didn't
see any 'must have' features.

Except, our last one allowed you to turn off the end-of-cycle beeping,
which we did. Its replacement doesn't have that, and I wish it did.
But I wouldn't pay more money for it.

-aem

On 19 Feb 2005 11:44:39 -0800, "aem" > wrote:

>
>Top Spin wrote:
>[snip]
>> We mostly use it for heating up water,
>> soups, etc. -- not major cooking.
>
>When I shopped for a toaster oven recently I checked out the microwaves
>as well. It seems to me that for your uses they have become such a
>standardized commodity that price would drive your decision. I didn't
>see any 'must have' features.
>
>Except, our last one allowed you to turn off the end-of-cycle beeping,
>which we did. Its replacement doesn't have that, and I wish it did.
>But I wouldn't pay more money for it.

For under $100, you can get a nice Sharp turntable microwave; I've had
2 and been very happy with them (the first one I sold to a friend when
I moved, and it's still going strong).

(Top=A0Spin) tells and inquires....
>Our 25 year old microwave oven just
>died. I would appreciate suggestions
>regarding brands or features to look for
>or avoid. Cost is not a major factor.
>I did like the turntable in the old one. It
>also had a temperature probe, but we
>never used it. We mostly use it for
>heating up water, soups, etc. -- not
>major cooking.
You could be surprised by how much "major cooking" you may enjoy with
the microwave I have, the Sharp Carousel Convection. It's an excellent
turntable-microwave, but it's also a convection oven, having an all
metal interior and two different levels of racks. Because I live alone
and more often bake or roast in smaller amounts than family-size, I use
this far more than I do my stove's large oven, and because of the
convection baking/roasting, times are a bit reduced. Plus, because it's
all electric there is very little heat cast off while baking/roasting
and thereby into my too small kitchen.

Picky ~JA~

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 10:25:28 -0800, Top Spin
> wrote:

> Our 25 year old microwave oven just died. I would appreciate
> suggestions regarding brands or features to look for or avoid.
>
> Cost is not a major factor.
>
> I did like the turntable in the old one. It also had a temperature
> probe, but we never used it. We mostly use it for heating up water,
> soups, etc. -- not major cooking.
>

I have a Sharp Half Pint microwave and I love it. It has
the controls on top, so it doesn't take up a lot of counter
space. I have always thought controls on the side were a
complete waste of space! Unfortunately, I guess not too
many other people agreed with me because I can't find it on
their web site.

I like this design (especially if the controls were on top)
and would take a closer look at it if I found it in a store.
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Typ...56,184,00.html

If you want a built in... this looks very interesting!
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Mod...8,1489,00.html



sf

sf > wrote in
:

> I have a Sharp Half Pint microwave and I love it. It has
> the controls on top, so it doesn't take up a lot of counter
> space. I have always thought controls on the side were a
> complete waste of space! Unfortunately, I guess not too
> many other people agreed with me because I can't find it on
> their web site.
>
> I like this design (especially if the controls were on top)
> and would take a closer look at it if I found it in a store.
> http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Typ...56,184,00.html
>
> If you want a built in... this looks very interesting!
> http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Mod...8,1489,00.html
>
>
>
> sf
>
>

I got a panasonic full sized combo microwave and convection
jobbie..."Dimension 4 The Genius" ...don't need a toaster oven as the
microwave can handle most toaster oven jobs easier. In fact because when
I got a new stove (convection oven), the combo mirowave does it share of
the holiday cooking. Since my stove convection oven is smaller and only
can handle either a large turkey or a large ham without being full. Last
Xmas the combo-microwave did the wild rice casserole and the green bean
casserole while the stove oven did the 28 lb turkey.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl
Continuing to be Manitoban

"Hahabogus" > wrote in message
...
> sf > wrote in
> :
>
>> I have a Sharp Half Pint microwave and I love it. It has
>> the controls on top, so it doesn't take up a lot of counter
>> space. I have always thought controls on the side were a
>> complete waste of space! Unfortunately, I guess not too
>> many other people agreed with me because I can't find it on
>> their web site.
>>
>> I like this design (especially if the controls were on top)
>> and would take a closer look at it if I found it in a store.
>> http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Typ...56,184,00.html
>>
>> If you want a built in... this looks very interesting!
>> http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Mod...8,1489,00.html
>>
>>
>>
>> sf
>>
>>
>
> I got a panasonic full sized combo microwave and convection
> jobbie..."Dimension 4 The Genius" ...don't need a toaster oven as the
> microwave can handle most toaster oven jobs easier. In fact because when
> I got a new stove (convection oven), the combo mirowave does it share of
> the holiday cooking. Since my stove convection oven is smaller and only
> can handle either a large turkey or a large ham without being full. Last
> Xmas the combo-microwave did the wild rice casserole and the green bean
> casserole while the stove oven did the 28 lb turkey.

The "Dimension 4 The Genius" is excellent!!!

"Top Spin" > wrote in message
...
> Our 25 year old microwave oven just died. I would appreciate
> suggestions regarding brands or features to look for or avoid.
>
> Cost is not a major factor.
>
> I did like the turntable in the old one. It also had a temperature
> probe, but we never used it. We mostly use it for heating up water,
> soups, etc. -- not major cooking.

You are in for a surprise. For $80, you can get a ton of features and lots
of power. I bought a $79 model for our breakroom at work and it has far
more features that you could have bought for $400 about 15 y ears ago. As
for brands, most are made in the same few factories overseas. Pick one that
looks good and it will probably perform as well as any other on the market,
and far better than your old one.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

In article > ,
"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "Top Spin" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Our 25 year old microwave oven just died. I would appreciate
> > suggestions regarding brands or features to look for or avoid.
> >
> > Cost is not a major factor.
> >
> > I did like the turntable in the old one. It also had a temperature
> > probe, but we never used it. We mostly use it for heating up water,
> > soups, etc. -- not major cooking.
>
> You are in for a surprise. For $80, you can get a ton of features and lots
> of power. I bought a $79 model for our breakroom at work and it has far
> more features that you could have bought for $400 about 15 y ears ago. As
> for brands, most are made in the same few factories overseas. Pick one that
> looks good and it will probably perform as well as any other on the market,
> and far better than your old one.

I have an old nuker that needs replacement, but I'm confused by your
statement. In exactly which way (or ways) would a new microwave perform
"far better" than my old one? According to my measurements, my nearly 30
year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
the timer still works just fine; what else is there?

Isaac

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
> I have an old nuker that needs replacement, but I'm confused by your
> statement. In exactly which way (or ways) would a new microwave perform
> "far better" than my old one? According to my measurements, my nearly 30
> year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
> the timer still works just fine; what else is there?
>
> Isaac

Just how much power when new? Most were 500 or 750 watt compared to the
1200 or 1500 of today making them much faster.

Inverter technology can sense cooking and adjust the time accordingly.
Better defrost cycles by weight or by time. Newer models tend to have more
even heat (wave) distribution than the older models. New ones even do
popcorn better. Most have a button just for that as it is a very popular
thing.

Your 30 year old car will still get you to and from work every day, but the
newer ones do it in much more comfort.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
>
>>I have an old nuker that needs replacement, but I'm confused by your
>>statement. In exactly which way (or ways) would a new microwave perform
>>"far better" than my old one? According to my measurements, my nearly 30
>>year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
>>the timer still works just fine; what else is there?
>>
>>Isaac
>
>
> Just how much power when new? Most were 500 or 750 watt compared to the
> 1200 or 1500 of today making them much faster.


We just bought a new one and it is 1,300 watt/$80 as compared to the 700
watt/$600 unit it replaced


>
> Inverter technology can sense cooking and adjust the time accordingly.
> Better defrost cycles by weight or by time. Newer models tend to have more
> even heat (wave) distribution than the older models. New ones even do
> popcorn better. Most have a button just for that as it is a very popular
> thing.


It has an inverter power supply which does a much better job defrosting
(very uniform and no partially cooked spots) and has fewer hot spots
when cooking compared to a new "non-inverter" version.

>
> Your 30 year old car will still get you to and from work every day, but the
> newer ones do it in much more comfort.
>
>

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 08:17:56 -0500, George >
wrote:

>Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>> "Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
>>
>>>I have an old nuker that needs replacement, but I'm confused by your
>>>statement. In exactly which way (or ways) would a new microwave perform
>>>"far better" than my old one? According to my measurements, my nearly 30
>>>year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
>>>the timer still works just fine; what else is there?
>>>
>>>Isaac
>>
>>
>> Just how much power when new? Most were 500 or 750 watt compared to the
>> 1200 or 1500 of today making them much faster.
>
>
>We just bought a new one and it is 1,300 watt/$80 as compared to the 700
>watt/$600 unit it replaced


this is very interesting George...would you care to mention the name
of the manufacturer for us?

Regards,
Bill

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 05:32:09 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>
>"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
>> I have an old nuker that needs replacement, but I'm confused by your
>> statement. In exactly which way (or ways) would a new microwave perform
>> "far better" than my old one? According to my measurements, my nearly 30
>> year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
>> the timer still works just fine; what else is there?
>>
>> Isaac
>
>Just how much power when new? Most were 500 or 750 watt compared to the
>1200 or 1500 of today making them much faster.
>
>Inverter technology can sense cooking and adjust the time accordingly.
>Better defrost cycles by weight or by time. Newer models tend to have more
>even heat (wave) distribution than the older models. New ones even do
>popcorn better. Most have a button just for that as it is a very popular
>thing.

Well, we went out and bought a new Panasonic. It's one of those "The
Genius" models. Model number NN T994SF. Cost $180.

The first thing I did was make popcorn. I use loose corn (Orville
Redenbacher air pop corn) in one of those microwave popcorn gadgets. I
tried the popcorn button. The corn started popping a little sooner
than with the old oven, but not much. I think the old was was 1,000
watts (maybe 1200) and this one is 1250.

It ran about 2 minutes which was not nearly long enough. (I used to
set the old one for 3 minutes.) I immediately pushed the popcorn
button again and it finished popping. Took about 3 minutes overall.

When I took it out, one area was badly burned. It was so bad, that the
edge of the popper wall was scortched. This never happened on the old
one.

I'll do some more testing, but this one is not as good as the old one
for popcorn based on one test.

--
Hitachi HB-A101 bread machine, 1 pound
Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
(01/10/05)

Top Spin > wrote in
:

> On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 05:32:09 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
> wrote:
>
> >
> >"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
> >> I have an old nuker that needs replacement, but I'm confused by
> >> your statement. In exactly which way (or ways) would a new
> >> microwave perform "far better" than my old one? According to my
> >> measurements, my nearly 30 year old model still delivers just as
> >> much power as it did when new, and the timer still works just
> >> fine; what else is there?
> >>
> >> Isaac
> >
> >Just how much power when new? Most were 500 or 750 watt compared
> >to the 1200 or 1500 of today making them much faster.
> >
> >Inverter technology can sense cooking and adjust the time
> >accordingly. Better defrost cycles by weight or by time. Newer
> >models tend to have more even heat (wave) distribution than the
> >older models. New ones even do popcorn better. Most have a button
> >just for that as it is a very popular thing.
>
> Well, we went out and bought a new Panasonic. It's one of those "The
> Genius" models. Model number NN T994SF. Cost $180.
>
> The first thing I did was make popcorn. I use loose corn (Orville
> Redenbacher air pop corn) in one of those microwave popcorn gadgets.
> I tried the popcorn button. The corn started popping a little sooner
> than with the old oven, but not much. I think the old was was 1,000
> watts (maybe 1200) and this one is 1250.
>
> It ran about 2 minutes which was not nearly long enough. (I used to
> set the old one for 3 minutes.) I immediately pushed the popcorn
> button again and it finished popping. Took about 3 minutes overall.
>
> When I took it out, one area was badly burned. It was so bad, that
> the edge of the popper wall was scortched. This never happened on
> the old one.
>
> I'll do some more testing, but this one is not as good as the old
> one for popcorn based on one test.
>
> --
> Hitachi HB-A101 bread machine, 1 pound
> Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
> (01/10/05)
>

First off usually there is a large number of 'old maids' when nuking pop
corn.

Secondly, of course it burnt you ran it for almost a double cycle.

Read the manual...it should tell you what weight/amount of popcorn the
push button is set for and at what power setting the microwave is at
while popping corn.

You needed to get used to the old one, so I suppose you'll need to get
used to the new one.


--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl
Continuing to be Manitoban

"Top Spin" > wrote in message
> The first thing I did was make popcorn. I use loose corn (Orville
> Redenbacher air pop corn) in one of those microwave popcorn gadgets. I
> tried the popcorn button. The corn started popping a little sooner
> than with the old oven, but not much. I think the old was was 1,000
> watts (maybe 1200) and this one is 1250.

The popcorn button is designed to work with the pre-packaged stuff. I don'
tknow if your system has a correlation to it or not. IMO, you way is
better, but the masses buy the packages.

>
> I'll do some more testing, but this one is not as good as the old one
> for popcorn based on one test.

Is that the only thing you use the MW for? One test is not much for any
equipment or tool.

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 20:47:43 -0800, Isaac Wingfield
> wrote:

> According to my measurements, my nearly 30
> year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
> the timer still works just fine;

That's absolutely unbelievable.

> what else is there?

Fewer hot spots for starters.

sf

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 20:47:43 -0800, Isaac Wingfield
> > wrote:
>
> > According to my measurements, my nearly 30
> > year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
> > the timer still works just fine;
>
> That's absolutely unbelievable.

Which part do you find "unbelievable"?

The power? You can check the power for yourself, just by heating a batch
of water and seeing how much the temperature rises in a certain amount
of time. Google around; you can find the pertinent equations lots of
places. I checked mine within the past year, and found it still very
close to the nameplate rating.

The timer? If the oven runs for the number of minutes you set it to and
then stops, it's pretty certain that the timer is working just fine.

Magnetrons generally do not "wear out" in the sense of getting weaker
and weaker over time. Mostly, they work fine until they stop due to a
broken filament. But even so, it's usually not the maggie that goes bad
in a nuker -- it's either the interlock switches (very common IME), the
power supply or the timer.

Isaac

"Isaac Wingfield" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 20:47:43 -0800, Isaac Wingfield
>> > wrote:
>>
>> > According to my measurements, my nearly 30
>> > year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new,
>> > and
>> > the timer still works just fine;
>>
>> That's absolutely unbelievable.
>
> Which part do you find "unbelievable"?

Probably the fact it is still operating after 30 years. Few appliances last
that long.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 20:39:39 -0800, Isaac Wingfield
> wrote:

> Which part do you find "unbelievable"?

that the magnetron (I think that's what it's called) hasn't
gone south by this time.

sf

In article >,
says...
> In article > ,
> "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:
>
> > "Top Spin" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Our 25 year old microwave oven just died. I would appreciate
> > > suggestions regarding brands or features to look for or avoid.
> > >
> > > Cost is not a major factor.
> > >
> > > I did like the turntable in the old one. It also had a temperature
> > > probe, but we never used it. We mostly use it for heating up water,
> > > soups, etc. -- not major cooking.
> >
> > You are in for a surprise. For $80, you can get a ton of features and lots
> > of power. I bought a $79 model for our breakroom at work and it has far
> > more features that you could have bought for $400 about 15 y ears ago. As
> > for brands, most are made in the same few factories overseas. Pick one that
> > looks good and it will probably perform as well as any other on the market,
> > and far better than your old one.
>
> I have an old nuker that needs replacement, but I'm confused by your
> statement. In exactly which way (or ways) would a new microwave perform
> "far better" than my old one? According to my measurements, my nearly 30
> year old model still delivers just as much power as it did when new, and
> the timer still works just fine; what else is there?

The one thing I've noted about the cheaper microwave ovens is that the
electronics tend to go south in a very short period of time.

That being said, the primary differences are the timed modes, convection
availability, and power levels. For the longest time most microwave
ovens were 600W units. The new ones are 1200W. That's quite enough
power.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 11:48:37 -0500, Tony P.
> wrote:
>
> The one thing I've noted about the cheaper microwave ovens is that the
> electronics tend to go south in a very short period of time.
>
> That being said, the primary differences are the timed modes, convection
> availability, and power levels. For the longest time most microwave
> ovens were 600W units. The new ones are 1200W. That's quite enough
> power.
>
Heh, when I "modernized", I went in the other direction:
from expensive to cheap and 1200 watts to 600. They last
long enough and I don't want a 15/20 year old microwave.


sf

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 10:25:28 -0800, Top Spin >
wrote:

>Our 25 year old microwave oven just died. I would appreciate
>suggestions regarding brands or features to look for or avoid.
>
>Cost is not a major factor.
>
>I did like the turntable in the old one. It also had a temperature
>probe, but we never used it. We mostly use it for heating up water,
>soups, etc. -- not major cooking.
>
>Thanks
>
>--
>Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
>(11/09/04)

according to a major consumer products evaluating company in their
latest ratings of microwave ovens, the Sears Kenmore 6325(2) is the
maximum leader of all worldly microwave ovens...and the suggested
retail price is only $100. Double click on this link to Sears webpage
to check it out:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...top+Microwaves

Regards,
Bill

i have had the best luck with PANASONIC!

--
rosie





"Top Spin" > wrote in message
...
: Our 25 year old microwave oven just died. I would appreciate
: suggestions regarding brands or features to look for or avoid.
:
: Cost is not a major factor.
:
: I did like the turntable in the old one. It also had a temperature
: probe, but we never used it. We mostly use it for heating up
water,
: soups, etc. -- not major cooking.
:
: Thanks
:
: --
: Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
: (11/09/04)