On the menu is tinned soup, chilled and frozen ready meals, jacket potatoes, a roast chicken and homemade fairy cakes. This means the microwave power level and convection or grill temperature are fixed, so you can’t tailor the settings to what you’re cooking. One way to increase your microwave’s cooking capacity is by looking for a model with stackable racks, as that will allow you to cook a couple of dishes at the same time. While solo microwaves are the more affordable choice, if you are after increased cooking capabilities, combination microwaves are undoubtedly a savvy investment. Additionally, the auto minute start function simplifies the cooking process, making it convenient for you to heat up meals quickly and efficiently.
Looking for a new microwave? We’ve got you covered. Check out our top tips to find the best microwave for you
FindThisBest (UK) aims to create a platform to help you make better shopping decisions with less time and energy. Mohammed has gathered enough experience from his time practicing as a professional architect and now has vast knowledge in home designs and aesthetics. Enjoy consistent outcomes and delightful flavours with this innovative kitchen companion. You’ll appreciate the 10 auto menu settings that simplify meal preparation, allowing you to select options like pasta or pizza with ease. Additionally, the Dough and Yoghurt Function provides the perfect environment for fermentation, allowing you to create fresh meals with ease.
How we test combination microwaves
- Though not the sleekest or most powerful model on test, this means your electricity bill should be lower – we used just 11p of electricity for a jacket potato.
- The TOSHIBA Combo Microwave Oven offers remarkable versatility with its five cooking functions, including microwave, air fry, broil, bake, and combi modes.
- But, if you’re feeding a crowd and need to run it for a longer period to cook everything, it may be better to revert to an oven that fits everything in at once.
- Its dual-level cooking allows you to prepare multiple dishes at once, saving you time and effort.
- It’s a premium buy, but because of its many functions, it can be a tad confusing to use, so keep the manual close by at first.
- The fan-assisted convection cooking feature mimics a conventional oven, allowing you to enjoy perfectly cooked meals.
While this Samsung model doesn’t have a convection oven (so skip if you want one for cakes and roasts), it does have a grill with one temperature setting that’s perfect for giving microwave meals a crispy finish. With a 26-litre capacity, it offers lots of flexibility; on test, our experts cooked a roast chicken in 41 minutes, and praised its ready meal and jacket potato prep skills too. Not all combination microwaves have the same features; some have a grill, some have convection cooking, and some have both. Using a combination of microwave and convection heating, these ovens can cook, bake, roast, and grill a wide variety of foods quickly and efficiently. The auto convection setting cooked a whole chicken well with lovely moist meat, and it grilled sausages beautifully.
Our testers were impressed with its tender, juicy roast chicken and found the grill and combination cooking modes effective. Combining all the best air fryer and microwave benefits, this smart machine from Sage, which is also a grill and convection oven, is another great multitasker. When testing the air fryer mode, they enjoyed a well-cooked, tender whole roast chicken and delicious sausages – add some fluffy mash and that’s dinner sorted in just ten minutes. For example, using the grill and microwave at the same time to cook your ready meal means it would emerge quickly cooked and with a mouth-wateringly crispy topping.
Best Convection Microwave Ovens of 2026
It effortlessly baked fluffy fairy cakes, grilled crispy-yet-juicy sausages, and produced a golden-topped mac and cheese. Note that you can’t change the temperature of these functions though – only the time – which limits its versatility when compared with an actual oven. It was fantastic at cooking ready meals from both chilled and frozen too. This reasonably priced design put in a stellar performance in our lab, scoring full marks justbit when heating up soup and cooking jacket potatoes. Like the Sage above, this Salter is ideal if you want to join the air fryer train without sacrificing precious kitchen space. This combi microwave was the simplest to use of all the models we tested, with an easy-to-read manual and responsive buttons that make cooking effortless.
Its 30L capacity allows you to cook larger meals or multiple dishes at once, making family cooking more efficient. Its Element IQ system employs smart algorithms to provide precise power distribution, ensuring perfectly cooked meals every time. The BLACK+DECKER Microwave Oven is a versatile 3-in-1 appliance that combines a 900W microwave, 1100W grill, and 2500W convection oven. The additional nine air fry auto menus enable you to enjoy healthier meals, as they require no added oil while still achieving that crispy texture. The Panasonic CF87 Oven features a spacious 31-litre capacity, making it ideal for cooking large family meals. The Samsung Convection Microwave offers innovative cooking solutions for your kitchen.
What can you cook in a combination microwave?
With its convection oven feature, you can enjoy versatile cooking and baking options, allowing you to prepare a variety of meals with ease. The Sharp R959SLMAA Microwave Oven offers a generous 40-litre capacity, perfect for cooking larger meals or multiple dishes at once. This allows you to cook a wide variety of meals quickly and efficiently, saving you time by integrating defrosting, grilling, and convection into one setting. Plus, the combi modes combine microwave, convection, and grill settings, ensuring your dishes are cooked quickly and evenly.
Functions that make cooking easier
Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers.
The 2400W grill offers 10 auto cooking programmes, enabling you to grill, roast, and bake with ease. The fan-assisted convection cooking feature mimics a conventional oven, allowing you to enjoy perfectly cooked meals. The Sage Combi Wave offers remarkable 3-in-1 versatility, serving as an air fryer, convection oven, and microwave. The TOSHIBA Combo Microwave Oven offers remarkable versatility with its five cooking functions, including microwave, air fry, broil, bake, and combi modes. Our experts have trialled hundreds of kitchen appliances, including the best solo microwaves and best air fryer microwaves, so we know exactly what makes a top buy. The speediest of chicken roasters, this combination microwave’s auto roast setting served up a bird in just 37 minutes.
You no longer need to worry about reheating meals, as the genius sensor automatically determines the optimal cooking time and power. Both performed excellently on test, but the former has a larger capacity and more presets while the latter costs half the price and comes with an air fryer function. On test, we enjoyed evenly cooked food, well-defrosted minced beef and crispy jacket potatoes with fluffy insides. This microwave offers convenience and flexibility with its cooking options. Its large 31-litre capacity means it competently doubles as an oven when needed, with ample room to roast a big chicken or bake a generously sized cake. This powerful combi does it all, including cooking up a Sunday roast thanks to its 29 auto-cook programmes that include roast lamb and beef.
- Samsung.com Services and marketing information, new product and service announcements as well as special offers, events and newsletters.
- The Daewoo Combination Microwave offers an impressive 25L capacity, making it perfect for families and larger gatherings.
- This reasonably priced design put in a stellar performance in our lab, scoring full marks when heating up soup and cooking jacket potatoes.
- Combining all the best air fryer and microwave benefits, this smart machine from Sage, which is also a grill and convection oven, is another great multitasker.
- Plus, the combi modes combine microwave, convection, and grill settings, ensuring your dishes are cooked quickly and evenly.
- This combi microwave was the simplest to use of all the models we tested, with an easy-to-read manual and responsive buttons that make cooking effortless.
With the Fast Combi function, you can combine cooking methods for quicker results, making meal preparation easier and more efficient. This means you can effortlessly prepare crispy fries, roast a succulent chicken, or quickly defrost food, all with one appliance. The powerful 1300W quartz grill provides the ability to achieve perfectly grilled dishes, enhancing your cooking repertoire. Its spacious 30-litre capacity can accommodate a 12” dinner plate, perfect for cooking family-sized portions.
Everyone loves an air fryer, so unsurprisingly, this multitasking appliance with air fryer functionality was a hit with our experts. It was efficient too; cooking our jacket potato used just 10p of electricity. And opting for a combination microwave over a traditional solo microwave can unlock even more culinary possibilities in your kitchen…
