If you mainly need to reheat and defrost, choose a solo microwave. A model with a grill is useful for browning food from time to time. If you don’t have a conventional oven, look for a combination microwave with a fan oven function if you’d also like to cook some oven-style dishes. In every case, check that the appliance and its accessories will fit your available space and your dishes.
You mainly reheat portions, leftovers or ready meals, and want to defrost food without juggling different cooking modes. A solo microwave is well suited to these uses. UFC-Que Choisir distinguishes it from grill and combination models.
You mainly use your microwave for reheating, but would also like to brown the top of a gratin or pizza. A model with a grill does the job, but won’t necessarily have a fan oven function.
You want to prepare dishes that need more than reheating or browning. A combination microwave with a fan oven function can handle some oven-style cooking, provided its capacity and cooking modes suit what you plan to make.
Choose this: if reheating and defrosting make up most of your everyday use.
Limitation: it can’t brown food or cook using a fan oven function.
Choose this: if you’d also like to brown the top of dishes occasionally.
Limitation: a grill on its own is no substitute for a fan oven cooking function.
Choose this: if you want the appliance to handle some of the cooking you’d usually do in an oven.
Bear in mind: check the space it will take up and where you’ll store its accessories before choosing extra cooking modes.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Reheating and defrosting | Check the defrost settings, the external dimensions and whether there’s room for your plates. | If I mainly reheat portions and defrost food, I want functions suited to these everyday tasks. Around 42% of consumers would prioritise this. |
| Occasional browning | Check that it has a grill and find out which accessories are intended for use with this mode. | If I want to brown food occasionally, I’m looking for a grill without needing a fan oven function. This would be the main priority for around 25% of consumers. |
| Oven-style cooking | Look for a clearly listed fan oven or convection function, then check the dimensions and turntable against the dishes you use. | Without a conventional oven, I want to cook some dishes beyond reheating and browning. This would be the top priority for around 33% of consumers. |
A grill browns the surface of a dish. Its presence doesn’t mean the appliance can cook using the fan oven function you’d expect from a combination model.
If you want to cook oven-style dishes, check that convection or a fan oven function is explicitly listed among the model’s cooking modes.
Capacity alone won’t tell you whether the appliance will fit on your worktop or whether your dishes will fit inside it.
Measure the space, check the appliance’s external width, height and depth, then check the turntable diameter and installation instructions.
Anses says that heating food for too long or at too high a temperature can increase the transfer of substances from some packaging into food.
Follow the packaging instructions, especially for power and cooking time, and check that your containers and utensils are suitable for the mode you’re using.
The freestanding EMZ421MMK is worth considering if you’re looking for a microwave with a grill for reheating, defrosting and browning.
The freestanding MCP349WH combination microwave is worth looking at if you want to do some cooking without a conventional oven.
The MC32DG7646CKE1 combination microwave is worth considering if you’re interested in several cooking modes.
The NN-CT57RM combination microwave lets you compare microwave, grill and convection cooking in a freestanding appliance.
These models are suited to reheating and defrosting, with two grill options for occasional browning. If you’d also like to cook using a fan oven function, check that the model you’re considering has this feature.
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Worth considering for everyday reheating and defrosting. The model name indicates a power rating of 700 W and six pre-set menus. If space is limited, check the turntable diameter and the clearance needed for installation.
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The grill is useful if you want to brown food occasionally as well as reheat it. The model name indicates 700 W. If you also want to cook using a fan oven function, check separately whether this mode is available.
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This solo model is for anyone who prioritises reheating and quick defrosting over browning. Its name mentions a built-in display and a power rating of 1150 W, but doesn’t specify what this figure refers to. Check the manual for installation instructions.
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Worth comparing if you mainly need to reheat and defrost. The model name indicates 700 W. Check that its dimensions, turntable and required clearances suit your available space.
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The grill is useful for browning food as well as reheating it. The model name mentions 1000 W and a digital display. If you want to cook oven-style dishes, check separately whether it has a fan oven function.
No, not necessarily. For a furnished property that is the tenant’s main home, the decree of 31 July 2015 published on Légifrance lists an “oven or microwave oven” among the minimum required equipment. This provision alone doesn’t allow you to draw the same conclusion for a second home or holiday let.
Yes, if these are your main uses and you don’t need to brown food or cook using a fan oven function. Then compare the defrost settings, the appliance’s dimensions and the space available for your containers.
A grill on its own is mainly for browning the surface of food; it doesn’t replace a fan oven. If you plan to cook oven-style dishes, look for a combination microwave whose specifications clearly list a convection or fan oven function.
Use a container that’s suitable for the cooking mode you’ve chosen and follow the instructions on food packaging. Anses recommends following the stated power and cooking time, in particular: heating food for too long or at too high a temperature can increase the transfer of substances from some packaging into food.
Measure the available space and compare it with the appliance’s external dimensions, rather than relying on its capacity in litres alone. Also check that the turntable is large enough for your dishes and that you can allow the clearances specified in the model’s instructions.