Whether heating leftovers, defrosting dinner, or popping popcorn, the trusty microwave is a quick and convenient choice. If you're looking for the best microwave, you might want a model that heats evenly so you can avoid hot and cold spots in your food. However, after months of investigation, we've found that microwaves, from the cheapest budget model to a commercial model retailing over $1,000, don't significantly differ in how evenly they heat food.
It turns out that microwaves, in general, are just okay at evenly heating food. The evenness of heating depends on the placement of your food in the microwave and its thickness. What you're heating also matters: food with a higher water content heats differently than drier food. If you heat the same food in the same container in different microwaves, the results are indistinguishable from each other when you actually taste the food. You can read all about our journey into the heart of microwaves.
We also wanted to investigate inverters, the latest in microwave technology that allows a microwave to maintain a constant power output at any power level. The result? They really didn't change how your food gets warmed up. You can also read about everything we tried and our conclusions.
So, your next new microwave won't blow you away with its superior performance. The good news is that you can get pretty much any microwave you like. Once you know what kind of microwave you like (classic countertop or over the range) and what size you need, you can consider its power output (some microwaves are faster) and features. Features like multiple different power levels, a kitchen timer function, and popcorn, reheat, and defrost modes are standard for most microwaves. Some microwaves have a mute function for stealthy microwave use and have a built-in steam sensor for more automatic cooking.
Below, we recommend models that offer good value, organized by size and feature for your convenience. Your best microwave might be the one you find on sale! Check out our list of the best over-the-range microwaves if that's what you want. If you're looking for something that can make crispy foods like French fries and chicken wings, take a look at our recommendations for the best air fryer or the best small air fryer.
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Best Value Countertop Microwave
Power9.4The Toshiba EM131A5C-BS is the best microwave we've tested if you're looking for great value. This medium-sized 1100-watt microwave can heat food faster than some models with similar price and power. Like pretty much every microwave, it has quick-start programs, a defrost mode, and a few presets for specific foods, including 'Popcorn.' It also has a steam sensor, which allows the microwave to detect steam and automatically adjust the cooking time for some programs. It's easy to see inside the cooking chamber when the door is closed. You can also mute the controls, all for a budget-friendly price.
Then again, if you want a microwave with a button instead of a handle for opening the door or find that design easier to wipe clean, the Panasonic NN-SN67HS is a good option with similar features. However, it's slightly more expensive.
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Best Value Small Countertop Microwave
Power6.3The GE JES1072SHSS offers good value if you want a microwave that won't use up much counter space. The smallest microwaves we've tested are generally less powerful than bigger ones, and this 700-watt microwave is no exception. While it heats food slower than most, its very compact design will fit into crowded kitchens, RVs, and dorm rooms. Its cooking chamber is a good size for reheating a cup of coffee or zapping a bowl of ramen or mac and cheese. It has no steam sensor, but you can mute the controls. Just know that this model has been discontinued and may be difficult to find; while we haven't tested it, GE has a new model, the GCST07N1WBB. They share identical specifications, features, and dimensions, except for the new model's slightly lower weight.
There are also a few other options. If you want a faster small microwave, the Insignia NS-MW09SS8 is a good choice. It's not quite as tiny as the GE but has much more power. Then again, for a very fast and more compact microwave, the LG LMC0975ST is a small 1000-watt microwave that heats food just as fast as any microwave we've tested. It has a sleeker look than most microwaves, since the door hides most of its controls. However, you're paying a premium for inverter technology that won't improve performance for the vast majority of uses, so unless you like the look or want the very fastest microwave, it's probably not worth the extra money.
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Best Value Over-The-Range Microwave
Power8.8If you're looking for the best microwave oven to install above your stove, the GE JVM6175SKSS offers good value. This microwave is among the cheapest over-the-range models we've tested, comes in many different colors to match your kitchen, and heats food as fast as any higher-end model. It has a steam sensor that works with programs like 'Popcorn' and 'Beverage' and detects when your food is hot, so you don't have to manually enter a cook time. Like basically all over-the-range microwaves, it has a fan and light for the cooktop below. The fan has four speed settings and an indicator to remind you when to replace the grease filter. You can also mute the microwave's controls.
Naturally, you can pay more for a microwave and get more extra features. The Whirlpool WMH32519HZ has a cooking rack that you can use for two-level cooking or with its 'Steam' and 'Simmer' modes, which ask you to place a bowl of water under the rack and your food on top. The LG MVEM1825F has a companion app that you can use to send cooking information to the microwave, adjust the fan and light, or mute the controls.
Notable Mentions
- Toshiba ML-EC42P(SS):
The Toshiba ML-EC42P(SS) is a combo air fryer, oven, and microwave that can heat and crisp food. It has features similar to those of the more budget-friendly Toshiba EM131A5C-BS, including a steam sensor for more automatic cooking. However, we haven't tested how it performs as an air fryer or oven.
See our review - Breville the Smooth Wave:
The Breville the Smooth Wave is a high-end microwave with a bigger LED screen than most microwaves and uses dials instead of buttons for its controls. Its 'Soft-Close' door closes noticeably quietly. However, it's not as fast as the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS, which is much cheaper and has many similar features like mute and sensor cooking.
See our review
Recent Updates
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We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock, but there hasn't been a change to our recommendations.
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We've made small edits for clarity throughout and verified that our recommendations are available.
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We've made small updates to the text for clarity, but our recommendations haven't changed.
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We've checked the text for accuracy and verified that the products are available.
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We've made minor updates to the text for clarity and checked that the products are in stock, but our recommendations have remained unchanged.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above represent the best microwave ovens for most people, based on value. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all microwave reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no microwave is perfect, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you look for them.
Recommended Articles
Comments
Best Microwaves: Main Discussion
What do you think of our picks? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying recommendation from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.
Update: We’ve made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock, but there hasn’t been a change to our recommendations.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know
- 32120
I’ve noticed this microwave too, the Toshiba ML2-EM12EA-BS, which seems like a nice microwave but Toshiba doesn’t have any information on their website about it. Is it a microwave built just for Amazon? Is it a modern (2022) take on the EM131A5C (2017)? I like the design approach a bit better than the EM131A5C. I wonder how it would review. https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-ML2-EM12EA-BS-Microwave-Position-Memory/dp/B08G4H2Z9G
Hi jdavidnet!
If you look at how we ended up scoring the microwave reviews, you’ll notice that it all comes down to “Power”. This is because all microwaves give essentially equivalent results in terms of uniformity and the performance of delicate tasks (like melting and defrosting) as a result of the underlying physics involved with heating via microwave energy.
I would guess that you’d be very happy with the Toshiba ML2-EM12EA-BS. It has more than sufficient microwave output power (1100 W), has a good sized turntable, and a straightforward UI. I also love that you can turn off the button beeps, and display if you’d like.
My honest opinion after spending months engineering the microwave tests is that you should buy a microwave based on:
- the size that fits in your kitchen
- microwave output power (at least 1000 W)
- the design that catches your eye / matches your other appliances
- any specific quirks regarding UI (i.e., do you want a knob instead of buttons)
Any model you pick will produce the same results - REALLY! So feel free to pick your next microwave based on the above ;)
Please let me know which model you and your wife end up choosing, and if you like it!!
-Mike
- 21010
My wife and I were wondering what a “Flatbed Microwave” is a good choice.
A flatbed model is a great choice! They are rare in North America, but if you can find one they are much easier to clean than models with turntables. The one flatbed unit we tested is a commercial model - the Panasonic NE-12523 - and it produced food that was just as evenly heated as any of the turntable models. This is because flatbed microwaves move the standing wave relative to the food (which is equivalent to the turntables moving the food relative to the standing wave).
-Mike
- 32120
Our Microwave Oven Button broke, so we are shopping for a new microwave. The since RTINGS.com has done on the new features has been amazing and is the best in the market so far as I can see. I’m glad you are getting into the market and doing great reviews. It would be nice if the microwave table had a liner type. I’ve noticed some warnings on some microwaves shipping to California that have warning labels on the materials they have used. We currently have a stainless steel-lined microwave, and I’m leaning toward getting another SS-lined microwave, but the table doesn’t support that filtering. I’d love it if you could get more Microwaves on the list. It seems like there are several Panasonic models not yet in this list. I have also noticed that there is a potato setting on a lot of microwaves. On Reddit, I’ve seen some people comment that their microwave cooks a “Perfect Baked Potato,” it would be interesting to know which microwaves can microwave cook the potato and convection oven or grill/broil finish a potato for a crispy skin. Doing this for other meats would be amazing, too. While the uniformity test on ground beef was interesting, it would have been more interesting if it had been done on frozen Salmon. We are trying to eat more fish, and we’d love to develop healthy meals involving fish quickly from the freezer. It’s not clear from the reviews how successful the sensor is on most of these microwaves. It’s not clear if any of the microwaves listen for popcorn pops; the article hinted that most just use a timer. The articles seem to indicate the that ‘holes’ in the microwave might affect performance more than any of the electronics. Also, I’ve seen that some microwaves might use a convection fan while working; which ones do this? Thank you, and keep up the good work, but I’ll likely order a microwave tonight based on my limited information.
Hi jdavidnet,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. And I’m very happy to read that you’re finding our reviews helpful.
Really interesting point about the cooking chamber wall material! In all of our discussions over the design of the tests, this didn’t come up once! I will definitely add this to the test bench update suggestion list. In the meantime, I can offer you a workaround wherein you include the photo from the “Cooking Chamber” box in the table tool; this will at least let you see side-by-side which models have a stainless-steel liner.
I’ve also noted your suggestion about the “potato button”. We’ve heard from many users that they are interested in knowing the efficacy of those sensor presets. This is a test that I would like to tackle in the future!
I would be very surprised to find out that one microwave is meaningfully better at defrosting fish than another based on all the work we did with meat defrosting. Both tasks are rather delicate and we got essentially the same results from all the models we tested. That is, you will need to put in a little effort to get good results every time (you’ll need to flip the fish partway through the microwave’s cycle, and let the final defrosting happen on the counter to avoid any cooking at the edges).
Very very few microwaves make use of a sensor when popping popcorn - even those models which have a humidity sensor rarely make use of it when popping popcorn. In fact, the popcorn button on the Sharp SMC1162HS - which has Orville Redenbacher branding - is simply a timer. I The only models we tested which use a sensor when making popcorn are all over-the-range models: LG MVEM1825F, GE JVM6175SKSS, and the LG MVEL2033F.
None of the models we tested use a convection fan (in the classic sense) while microwaving. Rather a fan is used vent the cooking chamber, remove excess humidity from the door window, and cool the electronics. The only model we have which uses a convection fan is the Toshiba ML-EC42P(SS) (a microwave, air-fryer, convection oven combo), and this fan runs only when using the “Combi” mode.
-Mike