This microwave oven is a no-brainer. Not only does it have a large digital display that's easy to read and use, but it also has a pre-programmed menu for optimum heating of foods like pizza, potatoes, veggies, and more. It has a power-saving mode, the ability to turn sound on and off, and a one touch popcorn mode, plus two defrost settings.
The Breville Quick Touch microwave stands out above the rest for its smart panel that cooks and reheats with accurate time precision to present meals that are perfectly warm (and never dried out). It has 10 power levels, a shortcuts panel on top of its intuitive auto menu from the LCD screen, and has a beautiful stainless-steel finish.
Affordable with an under-$60 price point, the AmazonBasics Microwave is a small, basic option with just one stand-out feature —it's Amazon Alexa-compatible! Just like how you can ask Alexa to turn on the lights or turn off the TV, you can ask Alexa to heat up some popcorn for movie night by pressing the Ask Alexa button and you're good to go. This does not come with an Echo Dot, but these bundles do.
With its stainless-steel exterior, this Panasonic microwave oven will be a beautiful addition to your countertop. Plus, it can take on defrosting ground meat, cooking a frozen pizza, or baking potatoes in almost no time at all.
This Cuisinart microwave won't hog too much space on your countertop and it defrosted beef evenly in our testing. Though it lacks sensors, it has eight preprogrammed, time-based settings for commonly nuked foods like veggies and popcorn.
How We Tested
We tested nine microwaves in our Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab, checking how well they melted cheese, "baked" potatoes, reheated and defrosted, popped popcorn, and cooked vegetables. We also looked at their ease of use — controls, opening the doors, view-ability inside, cooking alerts, and cleaning. For models with convection and/or grill capabilities, we tested their ability to roast chicken, bake cake, and broil steak, then noted surface temperatures.
