Hello OzBargain family.
Which one and why?
I have a 17 year old Panasonic with turntable that is about to give up the ghost.
Unsure of which to choose as a replacement?
Microwave Oven - flat or turntable?
Islund on 21/05/2017 - 08:43
Last edited 21/05/2017 - 09:27 by 1 other user
Last edited 21/05/2017 - 09:27 by 1 other user
Comments
It's healthier? Anyway OP, get yourself a combo oven. They are amazing, you can grill, roast, bake or microwave, or combine them.
Now if I could cook
My sympathies, hope you find something suitable. Ours is of similar age and was out of action for a week to replace the lamp and we were using a two year old Panasonic. In our opinion it didn't cook as well but mostly we couldn't get used to the cooling down cycle making us think it was still cooking. Opted to go back the old one.
I find the older turntable design is more even on heating despite the multipath claim of the flat floor designs.
If going for a microwave only - I suggest that the the turntable design will work better. Flat bed theoretically can hold more but at expense of uneven heating which can be horrible.
If multifunction, eg with oven or steamer, then the microwave function is less 'critical' and flat bed might be better.
Be mindful that multifunction microwave ovens often have much lower microwave output power.Also remember that multifunction microwave ovens need a lot more ventilation space around them.
Overall for price/performance ratio a regular microwave is great and these days almost a disposable item.
I would go for the combo oven, it means you can cook/reheat pizzas, pastries, etc without having to use the big oven. I read that the turntable ones do heat more evenly - that is what we currently have. If you are in Melbourne, and can with with a "second" with 12 months warranty the microwaves from the Breville outlet store in Fitzroy are quite cheap. (They have 12 months repair warranty on them).
Think there is one in Sydney too
The reviews for many of the flat microwaves on even cooking have not been good so would go for turntable. Most new Panasonic microwaves have a cooling cycle after almost every reheating and is something to get used to or open the door after the reheating is done and shut the door when the clock is displayed again.
Thanks for the heads up about the cooling cycle
This is where 'commercial' or 'professional' features creep into consumer products. It doesn't mean they are better, just function differently.
In a flat oven when you are finished cooking whatever you put in there hasn't moved, making it easy & fast to take it back out. With a turntable the handle has probably vanished around the back or something, very annoying when you are trying to shift stuff fast. Some turntables return to their starting spot, but even then you don't want to stand there wait for it.
If this is for home - turntable. Cafe - flat.
As @superb mentions flat oven have a cooling feature, again this is a 'commercial' feature. They run the fan for a minute or so after you open the door not just for cooling but also to vent fumes. Irritating at home.
Do yourself a favour and stop zapping your food altogether :)