Anyone who has used a microwave understands how useful and effective they are in so many areas. They help save you time, and they save you energy as well. But those same people will likewise know that they have a distinct disadvantage, in that they cannot brown, sear and seal foods.

With a combination oven, you have the capability to take advantage of the speed and you get from microwave, together with the radiant heat that will generate the brown and crispy outside to your food.

The Sharp R959SLMA is well worth considering if you are looking for one of these ovens. A recent entrant into the market, it has proved very popular – one look at the feedback scores on Amazon will quickly confirm.

A good combination oven gives you the choice of controlling the several elements – microwave, convection oven and grill – for yourself, or (and here’s where they really seem to score) making use of the multitude of built-in programs, to do all that calculation for you. All you have to do is decide on the program, key in the quantities or weight, and press the start button.

These machines are so versatile that you can typically cook a complete meal – meat, potatoes and vegetables for instance in a fraction of the time that a standard oven would take, by using the combination of cooking techniques.

Of course, you always have the option to use a single function if you like – microwave, grill or convection oven. So what would you expect to find in the way of functions and programs in a quality combination oven?

  • Defrost. You should have the choice of using both a programmed and manual defrost cycle.
  • Microwave. Operation is usually just as with any microwave – key in the power level and time. Normal microwave power should be available.
  • Grill. The grill normally has just one setting, but there are various heights of rack that you can use. There is normally a timer though.
  • Conventional Oven. Simple operation as you would expect – set the temperature and cooking time.
  • Dual Cooking. This is where the versatility appears – you set the oven temperature, micro power and cooking time, and the combination of heat and microwave gives you food that is cooked through, but at the same time browned on the outside.
  • Automatic Cooking. Here you can use the calculating power of the machine – you just enter the type of dish you are cooking, for instance cakes, prepared meals, roast meats and so on. Just select the type and weight of the food and press the start button. It’s a function that the Sharp combination oven has of course.

So it’s plain that any decent oven comes with a wealth of functions, so there’s quite a bit to get your head around.

Since these are such versatile machines, it’s almost certainly going to take a bit of time to fully grasp all the features and to make the most of what it can do. But the control panels are generally good, and in combination with a bit of time put in studying the manual, you should be OK.

So these appliances will save you time and energy as well. They will sometimes replace your main oven completely and look set to increase in popularity.

The Sharp R959SLMA is reviewed in some detail at Tern Kitchen Reviews – it may be worth going over for a look.

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