The best microwaves for every family size and budget
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Whether you’re reheating leftover foods or rustling up a quick meal, every home needs one the best microwaves. Nowadays, microwaves can do much more than just convenient foods. You can find models with handy features such as popcorn or pizza settings. While others feature built-in grills and convection functions, depending on what your needs are. More importantly, you’ll want a microwave which is easy to use and fuss-free to clean.
Alongside its features, you need to consider the overall size of the microwave, where you plan to install it, and the actual settings you will require. Bear in mind, every microwave will vary in performance, so you want to find a model which provides even cooking, and value for money.
To help you decide, we’ve selected some of the best microwaves to suit every kitchen, cooking need and budget right now.
The best microwaves
1. Toshiba EM131A5C
The Toshiba EM131A5C is usually the most affordable microwave that has a full stainless (or black stainless) front finish, rather than the typical glossy black plastic with partial stainless trim. This model also has a door handle, which is easier to open and to clean than the button-style release on most cheap microwaves. Best of all, you can mute the microwave—a rare feature that lets you stealthily reheat midnight snacks without waking up the rest of the house. Like most microwaves, the Toshiba also has a number of express-cooking options, and it heats food quickly and pretty evenly.
You could also consider the Toshiba ML2-EM25PAE. It has most of the same features as the EM131A5C, but it’s a bit smaller and doesn’t have a sensor for auto-heating modes.
But these Toshiba microwaves likely won’t work better or last any longer than other microwaves you’ll find for a similar price. There’s a ton of evidence that they’re essentially the same microwaves as most models sold by GE, Whirlpool, Sharp, Amazon, Magic Chef, Black+Decker—the list goes on.
2. Toshiba EM925A5A
Type: Countertop
Size: 19.2 x 15.9 x 11.5 inches
Turntable: 10.6 inches
Capacity: 0.9 cubic feet
Power: 900 W
Finishes: Stainless steel, Black stainless steel
Power Levels: 13
Features: Preprogrammed settings, Express keys, Control lock
App Control: No
There’s a sweet spot for most appliances where the price, performance and features are all in balance. For microwave ovens, you’ll find that’s the case in the inexpensive Toshiba EM925A5A, which heats evenly and quickly and offers preprogrammed settings including ones for popular items like popcorn, “baked” potatoes, and pizza.
You won’t find lots of fancy features here; there’s no voice control and no sensors to determine the setting and time precisely. But there are some nice touches for convenience, such as Express Cook: Press any of the buttons from 1 through 6, and then Start, and you get 1 to 6 minutes of microwaving. Toshiba even includes a mute button to eliminate beeping, so you can nuke a midnight snack without letting anyone know you’re breaking your diet.
3. Sharp SMC0912BS
Type: Countertop
Size: 19.1 x 11.5 x 16.1 inches
Turntable: 10.6 inches
Capacity: 0.9 cubic feet
Power: 900 W
Finish: Stainless steel
Power Levels: 11
Features: Preprogrammed settings, Auto defrost, Express keys, Control lock
App Control: No
The Sharp SMC0912BS is a great price for what it brings to the table. It has a sleek, upscale design with a large push button rather than a handle for opening the door.
Although it doesn’t have sensors for cooking or defrosting foods automatically, the Sharp is equipped with preset programs for pizza, beverages, reheats, and defrosting. Need a quick warm up for your cup of coffee? Put it inside the oven and hit the start button for a 30-second zap. Still not hot enough? Hit start again for an additional 30 seconds. And press any of the keys from 1 to 6 to get a corresponding 1 to 6 minutes of heating. What you don’t get at this low price is an interior light to show you when the cheese on your pizza is melted.
4. GE JES1072SHSS
Type: Countertop
Size: 17 x 10 x 13 inches
Turntable: 10.75 inches
Capacity: 0.7 cubic feet
Power: 700 W
Finishes: Stainless steel, Black, White
Power Levels: 10
Features: Preprogrammed settings, Express keys, Auto defrost, Control lock
App Control: No
The GE JES1072SHSS is a smart pick if you have limited countertop space. You get a good-looking design with a space-saving footprint, but a turntable that’ s just as large as in bigger models. However, it only has 700 watts of cooking power which means you may find cooking times on the long side. This GE is a great choice if you can’t live without a microwave for making a quick cup of tea or heating frozen dinners, but it’s probably not the best pick if you actually use your microwave to make dinner regularly.
In spite of its small size, this oven is stacked with lots of preprogrammed settings for things you’ll probably find yourself doing often, like popping corn, reheating, and defrosting. In addition, you get 6 quick start settings by pressing keys 1 to 6.
5. GE Profile JES2251SJ
Type: Countertop
Size: 14 x 24 x 19 inches
Turntable: 16 inches
Capacity: 2.2 cubic feet
Power: 1,200 W
Finish: Stainless steel
Power Levels: 10
Features: Sensors, Popcorn button, Add 1 minute, Auto Defrost, Keep warm setting, Delay start, Control lock
App Control: No
If you use microwave recipes for everything for things like poached salmon or tamale pie, you need a bigger model. The GE Profile JES2251SJ can hold a large baking dish for a ziti or enchilada casserole on its humongous 16-inch turntable. At the holidays, you’ll find its large size handy for zapping a platter of roasted vegetables or turkey slices to warm them up. According to reviewers, this oven heats evenly as well as quickly thanks to 1,200 watts of power.
The GE is equipped with a sensor that detects when foods are done. If you like your veggies a little crisper or more tender than the sensor “thinks” is done, you can use the more or less button. On this oven, there’s a unique warm setting for holding a dish at serving temperature while you’re waiting for everyone to come to the table.
As you would expect, this oven’s size and technology increase the price. At about $300, this microwave is more than double the cost of our smaller picks.