When things have to be quick again, it's time for the microwave. It is a real jack of all trades when it comes to bringing food or drinks up to operating temperature. In the product test, however, the grades only range from "good" to "sufficient".
The microwave uses water molecules to heat food directly and was originally developed for classic reheating to be more efficient. But the small boxes can compete with large kitchen appliances in some disciplines. It doesn't matter whether it's a hot cup of cocoa on the side, a warmed-up lunch or a quick mug cake.
Stiftung Warentest tested 17 microwaves. 11 solo and 6 grills were examined, at prices between 50 and 225 euros. There are various models with turntables or ceramic bases, with and without displays, as well as devices with inverters and those with conventional magnetrons.
The microwave with grill should also bake, grill and au gratin. But which device is the best for pizza fans? Two microwaves have a special feature on board that should make the Italian classic a success. One makes pizza crispy and grilled chicken juicy brown. There is also a good model for potato gratin. In addition, all test candidates had to show what they are capable of when heating liquids and how well they can be used to make mug cakes.
The microwaves in the test bring 700 to 1000 watts of power. The results show that high performance does not necessarily mean better performance. And overall, microwaves with a grill function perform slightly worse than solo devices, even in the standard microwave functions. The "Caso Design MG 25 Ecostyle Ceramic" (around 154 euros) is the test loser with a grade of 4.4. According to the product test, this could also be due to the lack of a turntable, because most of the devices tested have one - but not the most expensive device in the study, the "Bauknecht MW 427 SL" /225 euros). She only gets a "satisfactory" (3.4). Because with her, the heat also radiates unevenly from above. The only "good" microwave with grill was the "LG MH6565CPS" for around 219 euros.
Three pure microwaves are ahead in the test - the "Bosch FFL023MW0" (149 euros), the "Neff FLAWG20S25" (152 euros and the "Siemens FF023LMW05" for 153 euros. All devices received an overall rating of 2.3. And who can do without the display chooses the good and inexpensive "Silvercrest SMW 700 D3" from Lidl for only 50 euros (2.5).
