# convection microwaves????



## flee (Jul 14, 2005)

opinions. like most people i have always used a microwave for defrosting, reheating foods, and cooking hotdogs. i am trying to figure out if a should buy a convection microwave for our new house.

looking for opinions from other people on whether they have used there convection microwaves for actual cooking or not. Also brand recommandations

thanks in advance


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## cook-jetto (Sep 17, 2005)

I just wanna know one thing.

How often do u use the microwave at home??


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

I have a Sharp Convection Microwave which is about 2 years old. I love it. I mostly use the convection feature to roast chickens, turkey parts, chicken parts, etc. I can do a 4 pound chicken in 43 minutes or so. It's succulent and crispy. The metal tray catches the drips (you roast on a short rack), so you have drippings for sauce or gravy. Clean up is easy- I just use Windex wipes for appliances; the trays I wash in the kitchen sink. I bought an extra turntable tray so I can swap it out after roasting; that way I can put in the clean one tray and nuke some veggies for the same meal on the clean tray.

I use my microwave daily, mostly for the things it does best: boiling cups of water; melting chocolate; and cooking vegetables (they come out as if I'd steamed them). I don't use it to bake, and I don't use just microwaves with out convection to cook meats or poultry. I do use it to make fish sometimes. I have not tried convection/microwaving beef, pork or lamb.


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## marzoli (Nov 17, 2000)

I have a microwave-small, cheap, but workable for melting things and warming brown rice with butter-and a small, separate convection oven.
The small convection oven-really cheap, like $60-had no instructions for using it. I would like to be able to do something with chicken breasts and other meats, but I don't know how to do anything but bake quick breads without the convection function. The dial assumes toasting or baking, but no settings that make sense for convection except a "fan" setting.
How does one use a convection oven of the small variety (I assume the big ones have instructions!) to speed things up-how long? what might be good that way? anything?


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## chowderhead (Nov 21, 2004)

Just recently passed along an old GE microwave convection oven to a niece, albeit with a small tear in the corner of my eye. Had the thing for over 15 years. It was teh latest gadget when I bought it, evidenced by the then $600 price tag. It still worked perfectly! My new kitchen has a Jenn-air convection oven so I didn't need it.

We used it for many cookie recipes, it was great for that. Biscuits baked well this way too. 

But what it was really great for were all those leftovers that heated up lousy in a microwave, like:

Pizza
french fries
chunks of sweet and sour from the Chinese joint (tell them to leave the sauce on the side and then your take home leftovers aren't soggy with sauce)
and the bloomin onions or awsome blossoms you couldn't finish at the restaurant.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Marzoli, most of what I've read says to lower the heat by 25 degrees. Depending on the food, you may or may not need less time. Since what you have sounds like a countertop unit (a bit bigger than a toaster oven), you'll have to do some experimenting I'm afraid.


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## cinabun (Jan 9, 2002)

When we remodeled our kitchen, my first thought was for a double oven. It turned out that there wasn't a place for that, so I looked into the combinaton to install above my new gas range. It works very well and is not complicated to operate. I have had it two years now and use it for that extra casserole and cake while the other oven is engaged.
I think it is a great device!:roll:
Cinabun


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## marzoli (Nov 17, 2000)

Thanks, guys, for the comments. I guess my problem with the thing is that I had in mind being able to do something like a meatloaf and I'd like to get the thing cooked faster than the directions for a big oven to do the meatloaf. I assume I would turn the little oven on, set the temp reduced by 25 degrees, and turn on the fan? Any ideas about the difference in timing-I know I'll just have to watch and see when it's done, but anybody have any ideas how much convection shortens cooking time? Even in a midget oven?
It's a little oven, really a toaster oven, but with the convection aspect. 
My husband really likes meatloaf and I have a pan that would fit nicely in the little oven. If I could only cook meatloaf faster after work, I would be happy to have it all ready in the fridge to put in the oven. Just need to know for sure what to do AFTER I put it in the oven! :bounce: And when to start worrying about whether it's done or not!


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