Do Nothing, Let the Ovens Cook Food for You

Microwave ovens have been looked down upon by almost all home-kitchen chefs. We all have, at some point in time or other, operated an oven, majorly for reheating the leftovers, and sometimes for roasting papads, or warming chapatis, melting butter, baking cakes, and that’s about them. Times have changed, and ovens have replaced the use of electric/ gas cooktops in certain aspects of cooking.

There are so many things that one can do with her microwave oven. Speaking from personal experience, you can make some of the yummiest breakfast recipes - poached or scrambled eggs or French toast, some healthy snacks to munch on - crispy potato fries, roasted nuts and popcorns, as well as delicious main course dishes - rice, paneer curries, lasagnas, and Indian desserts in a microwave. If you already have a microwave oven at home, it is about time that you put it to work harder. If you are looking to buy one, here’s how to pick -

1.     Power-rating - One of the major reasons that families buy an oven is that they do cook faster. However, in order to cook food faster, it is recommended that you purchase a model that has a power rating of 1000 W or above. There are ovens with 700 W power-ratings, but they will be slower, and will not give consistent results.

2.     Size Matters - Don’t forego size over features. It is important to measure the available space on your kitchen countertop. Also, if you have a large family who you want to feed, then make sure the oven can accommodate large dishes and casseroles on its turntable. Some models also allow you to turn off the rotating tray, so the dish can stay stationary.

3.     Control Panel - Older models feature mechanical knobs for choosing the temperature and time settings. Newer versions come with advanced touch-panels. These electronic panels work on feather touch and are very comfortable to operate.

4.     Auto Menus - This is an extremely useful feature. Many microwave ovens come with built-in settings for cooking a set quantity of dishes. Let’s say you want to cook rice for dinner. All you have to do is pour the appropriate quantity of rice soaked in water in a microwave-safe container, and select the rice-cooking option. The timer and the temperature are set automatically, and are even adjusted after specified intervals, as per the requirement for the dish.

5.     Combo Modes - Some models are designed to operate only on solo mode, while some other models are designed to operate on combination modes. Analyse your needs. If you will only cook simple dishes, curries, and rice, you can buy a model that only has the micro mode. If you like to grill kebabs, bake cakes and breads, buy an oven that also features grill and convection modes, in addition to the micro mode.

6.     Child Lock - This is an essential feature if you have kids at home. Buy a model with a lock code, so you can restrict`your child from accessing it.

Buy Ovens Online

Browse through the available models of ovens by brands such as LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Whirlpool, Haier, and Kenstar to study their specs and features. You can even buy ovens online from any of the leading online shopping portals. Pay for your purchase online or offline, and get the product delivered to your doorstep.