Time probably presents one of the biggest obstacles to cooking a healthy family dinner that people really want to eat. Of course, you can always pop something in the microwave, but overliance on convenience foods and frozen dinners can get old quickly. And the range of tasty nutritious options are limited.
A convection microwave oven can help address those challenges. When you have limited time to cook dinner and get it on the table, a convection microwave saves a substantial amount of time over your regular oven or broiler. And it provides you a wider range of options for tasty meals than a simple microwave.
Check out these 7 top affordable options that could be just right for your family.
7 Best Microwave Convection Ovens
1. Panasonic NN-CD87KS
- The Ultimate All-In-One Multi Oven: It’s a countertop microwave, broiler, airfryer, and convection oven all in one! Use each function alone or combined for delicious meals every time
This fantastic unit goes beyond combining microwave and convection features. It’s a multipurpose unit that includes, in addition to microwave and convection baking, a broil function and an airfry function. Plus, this model has the additional benefit of allowing you to combine different modes. These additional combo modes will help you create fast, healthy and tasty meals that your entire family will enjoy.
Convection Bake function ranges from 215° to 425°F.
The Broil function uses dual infrared technology and an included broiling rack to achieve a true crispiness that the typical microwave does not.
The Air Fryer function does not require preheating. Quickly circulates hot air around food producing crispy, brown results. Be sure to check out our 2021 review for this Panasonic convection microwave.
KEY/DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- 1 touch sensor reheat — A quick way to heat up your leftovers for a hot meal. You literally put your dish in the oven, hit the button and let the machine figure everything else out. It uses steam from the warming food to adjust the required heating time. This generally results in even heating without hot or cold spots. But, you also have the option to plus or minus the cooking time to adjust for personal preference.
- Family friendly child lock
- Silent mode that mutes beeping
- Auto Steam Clean — Helps you quickly get rid of those inevitable microwave spatters.
- Includes Turbo Defrost and Keep Warm features
- 20 cooking presets
- Panasonic took top marks for owner satisfaction in Consumer Reports annual survey of people who had purchased countertop microwave ovens in past 10 years.
PROS/CONS
This unit offers multiple ways to speed up meal preparation. If you like to premake a lot of freezer meals, the microwave + convection combo function works more quickly than either feature alone and provides more consistent heating.
Plus, families that like to take advantage of meal prep and leftovers will love the 1-touch sensor reheat function.
Interior large enough to accommodate a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and still allow the turntable to operate. Can easily fit and cook a whole chicken!
All that said, if you are alreadly a dedicated air fryer aficionado, the air fry function on this unit isn’t going to fully replace your favorite fryer. But, if you are new to air fryer and have been reluctant to give up counterspace to try one, then this could be perfect for you!
Note that the cooling fan will continue to run for a few minutes even after all cooking has completed. Some folks might find that annoying.
The air fryer basket is very large and holds a lot, but it is not the easiest to clean. But your chicken wings or fries will come out evenly crispy and golden.
To really make best use of all of the advanced features, you should definitely read the user manual.
The manual basically walks you through all the various cooking modes, and which of those accessories can be used in the oven for that cooking mode. The glass turntable is kept in for all cooking modes. Accessories Included with oven — Air Fryer basket, wire rack and enamel tray
2. Toshiba EC042A5C-BS
Functional oven that provides good introduction to convection microwave cooking at a value budget-conscious pricing. Features include auto-defrost and express cook speed settings. Multiple auto bake and auto roast menus. Each Auto Roast setting has weight adjustments. One touch popcorn button and a warm hold function.
This Toshiba 1. 5 cu. Ft. 1000 watts microwave oven has black stainless finish that blends with a wide range of kitchen styles.
KEY/DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- Convection baking heats up to 425 degrees.
- Excellent auto defrost feature that works better than what you often find at this price point.
- Quiet operation.
- Sensor cooking and reheating functions
- Multipe Auto menus for roasting, baking, defrosting. (entry of weight adjustments)
- Convenient one touch operation — start microwave for 1 to 6 minutes at 100% power by touching the corresponding number on the keypad. Pressing Start button adds additional time in 30 second increments.
- Program 3 of your own favorite time and power combinations.
PROS/CONS
While you can technically insert a 9 x 13 inch pan, the interior is not wide enough to allow the turntable to operate. So must use smaller pans to employ baking functions. Also, this unit does require meaningful preheating.
3. GE Profile PEB9159SJSS
- Your purchase includes One GE Profile 22-Inch Countertop Convection/Microwave Oven. Trim kit is not included
This large 1000 Watts unit gets the job done with style. This convection microwave has sensor cooking controls that automatically adjust cooking time and power and a warming function that helps keep cooked foods warm without drying out or losing crispness.
KEY/DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- Convection rack – achieve golden-brown results with a specially designed rack that allows air to circulate around foods for even heat distribution during convection cooking
- Recessed turntable – maximizes oven space and flush design easily accommodates multiple dishes
- Beverage button
- One touch button to add extra 30 seconds
PROS/CONS
- The push button to operate the door leaves much to be desired. Can be temperamental and sticky.
- The touchpad doesn’t have backlighting and can be hard to read.
- Great for smaller baked items like single layer cakes and small casseroles.
- Optional trim kit available for purchase which allows you to create a “built in” look.
- Attractive, contemporary styling
4 . GALANZ 3-in-1 GSWWA12S1SA10
- Ultimate Cooking Versatility: Galanz 1.6 Cu. Ft, 1000W Speedwave Has 3 Appliance In One Multifunctional Appliance, Microwave Oven, Convection Oven, Air Fryer And Also Has Combi-Speed Cooking For Faster Results And Ultimate Cooking Versatility. Cook More Of Your Favorite Meals
Galanz is not quite the household name as some of the other brands on our list, but its microwaves are quite popular. This large 1000 watt model comes in two different sizes — 1.2 cubic feet and 1.6 cubic feet.
Although not particularly stylish, this model offers some of the excellent features of higher priced models at value pricing. Microwave has both an inverter and sensor to promote faster and even cooking when reheating and defrosting.
KEY/DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- TotalFry 360 degree technology – Air fry function that provides healthy crunch. Comes with easy-clean air fry kit provides more frying surface area with better air circulation
- Allows combination microwave and convection cooking that creates faster cooking than either mode alone
- Sensor cooking — built-in humidity sensor that stops reheating automatically when food is hot and ready to eat
- Turntable on/off option
- Included accessories: removable glass turntable, baking and roasting pan, plastic roller ring, plastic shaft, air fry kit
PROS/CONS
- Stainless steel interior allows for easy cleaning
- Air fyer function requires longer cooking time than a stand alone unit
- Large interior accommodates wide range of family size cookware
- Can cook using preprogrammed pre-sets or set time and temperature manually
- Reminder beep after items finished cooking
- Control buttons not lighted and can be difficult to see
- Interior not lighted so you can’t observe food as it is cooking
- Unit is very large and deep; confirm measurements before buying
5. Cuisinart CMW-200
- Unit Dimensions: 21.20" L x 19.00" W x 12.20" H | MC Weight: 41.30lb
This 1.2 cubic foot 1000 watt convection microwave includes a grill feature. Stylish design in brushed stainless steel. It offers single and combination setting for wide variety of cooking options. It has a multi-stage cooking feature that seamlessly shifts from one function to another to create the results you want.
KEY/DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- Wire rack for bi-level cooking
- Reversible grill rack
- Convenient defrost functions to defrost food by weight or time
- Convection bake or roast with and without microwave function
PROS/CONS
- Sleek styling
- Easy to clean
- Mediocre grilling function that takes more time than regular toaster oven
- Requires use of turntable so interior size requires limits size of cookware (no 9 x 13)
- Generates significant external heat so be mindful of cabinet placement
- Door button not well made
- Must set microwave time in predetermined increments
6. Breville – Combi Wave 3 in 1
- VERSATILITY OF 3 IN 1 APPLIANCE The Combi Wave 3 in 1, combines an Air Fryer, Convection Oven and Microwave in one appliance to create delicious healthier meals for every cooking occasions. Create crunchy, crispy golden French fries with the Air Fry function; enjoy family favorites such as roast chicken or gooey chocolate brownies with the Convection Oven function; or defrost delicious soup and reheat your lasagna with the Inverter Microwave function.
This versatile 3-in-1 appliance combines a microwave, convection oven and air fyer. Includes Brevilles trademark “Element iQ system” to modulate power for ideal cooking environment.
Six function buttons include Microwave, Air Fry, Oven, From Frozen, Fast Combi and Food Menu.
Breville (along with Panasonic) took top marks for owner satisfaction in Consumer Reports annual survey of people who had purchased countertop microwave ovens in past 10 years. Popular unit that frequently goes out of stock.
KEY/DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- Fast Combi function — uses the convection oven, microwave and grill to cook food faster than a regular oven. Requires use of the included crisper pan to ensure desired browning.
- From Frozen function — uses the convection oven, grill and microwave at different cooking stages to achieve perfectly cooked results from frozen
- Family friendly safety lock
- Quiet operation
- Door closes softly and quietly with light push
- 19 built-in smart presets including Smart Cook, Smart Reheat and Smart Defrost
- Turntable off option
PROS/CONS
- air fryer function is not as powerful as a stand alone air fryer.
- grill feature isn’t as powerful as a regular oven broiler, but it does help with browning.
- At 1.1 cubic feet, has slightly smaller interior than most of ovens on our list
7. Amazon Smart Oven (4-in-1 microwave)
This 4-in-1 oven includes microwave, convection, air fryer and warming functions. It is designed to use with an Alexa smart device which allows you to control operations using your voice. Small footprint microwave has 1000 watts. Convection baking up to 425 degrees.
KEY/DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- More than 30 built-in presents
- Voice control with Alexa using an Echo compatible device (e.g., Echo Dot or Echo Show)
- Alexa makes verbal announcement of key events
- Temperature probe
- Scan-to-cook feature allows you to scan select packaged foods with the Alexa app and the oven will cook automatically
PROS/CONS
- Air fry feature requires significantly more cooking time than standalone air fryers.
- No air fry basket
- Substantial learning curve if unfamiliar with Alexa
- Will have problems with voice control if you have unreliable wifi.
Best Microwave Convection Ovens: What To Look For
Size
For oven large enough for family cooking look for at least 0.8 cubic feet of usable capacity (which is often less than overall capacity advertised by manufacturer) and at least 900 watts.
Special Cooking Sensors
Sensor cooking allows for easy cooking and reheating. Rather than guestimating, sensors measure the steam food emits and turns off the microwave when cooking is complete.
Turntables
A microwave turntable rotates food to allow for uniform heating. For convection cooking, consider whether the unit requires usage of the turntable, or if you have the option to turn it off. Depending on the size of your cookware, you may not have sufficient room for your desired dishes to rotate.
Quick Keys
A one-toucn button that allows you to add small increments of time to extend cooking time. Usually 30 seconds.
Racks
These racks let you speed things up, cooking multiple dishes simultaneously. They may also be used to improve convection cooking by allowing heat beneath the cooking dish. But you may have trouble fitting even a coffee mug in some models unless you remove the rack, so check when shopping.
Shortcut Keys
Remove the guesswork from knowing how to cook popular dishes such as popcorn, potatoes, melting butter or chocolate, and more.
Child Lock
A security lock-out function to prevent unauthorized or unsupervised usage.
Sound Levels
Some ovens are quieter than others. Some may have doors that open silently. And some may have features that allow you to silence of dampening beeping noises.
Best Microwave Convection Ovens: Closing Thoughts
You should consider buying a new convection microwave oven if you would like the option to cook meals more quickly and thoroughly while still having the ability to brown, bake and roast. A convection microwave will also save time and energy over having to preheat a full-size oven. And, you can free up much needed counter space by replacing several appliances with a multipurpose oven.
We highly recommend the Panasonic NN-CD87KS because of its superior performance in its multipurpose functions and its family friendly features. If you want to start with a value-priced model then choose either the Toshiba or the Galanz.
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