Although there is a microwave oven in every household, they range from those with a single function to those with oven functions, etc., and prices range from about 10,000 yen to over 100,000 yen. In order to buy the right product for your home, please do your research thoroughly!
- capacity
- Oven
- Wattage
- Warming Method
- How to open and close the door
- 50 / 60 Hz compatible (Hertz-free)
- auto menu
- Product Comparison Chart
- A must-have! Cleaning products specially designed for microwave ovens
capacity
Generally, if you live alone, a small microwave oven of about 17L that can be placed on top of a small refrigerator is recommended; if you live with several people, a larger microwave oven of 22L or more is recommended so that you can heat large dishes. However, in our family of four, we use a 17L microwave oven and have not found it inconvenient at all, so it ultimately depends on the household. In any case, it is the second largest kitchen appliance after the refrigerator, so decide where you want to place it before buying it.
The photo is our house. It looks like there is a gap, but there is not that much room even with 17L, because you need to leave a gap of about 10 cm front to back and left to right. (Microwave oven on the left, toaster oven on the right)
Oven
To begin with, an oven range is an unavoidable choice when kitchen space is limited, and if sufficient space is available, it is cheaper to buy a single-function microwave oven and a toaster oven separately. Also, if the microwave oven itself becomes too hot due to the use of an oven, etc., an error may occur and the microwave oven cannot be used until it cools down.
The differences can be summarized as follows Oven ovens are not only more expensive, but their bodies get hotter, so they must be placed in a larger space than when placing a single-function microwave oven to allow for heat exhaust, or they can malfunction and cause a fire.
| type | Single Function Microwave Oven |
combination microwave and electric oven-safe |
toaster oven |
|---|---|---|---|
| oven cooking (Heater) |
× | ○ | ○ |
| microwave cooking | ○ | ○ | × |
Wattage
All manufacturers now offer this function as a standard feature, but in addition to 200 to 300 W for defrosting frozen foods and approximately 500 W for normal warming, it is convenient to have a 600 to 1,000 W version for shortening the time required for warming.
Warming Method
There are two types: the turntable type, in which a plate is placed on a round stand and heated while rotating, and the flat table type, in which the plate is placed directly on the stand and heated. The turntable type reduces uneven heating by rotating the food, while the flat table type reduces uneven heating by rotating the antenna.
Flat-table models are more convenient because the plates do not get stuck in the middle of the rotation and are easier to clean, but they are also more expensive.
How to open and close the door
There are two types: one that opens horizontally and one that opens vertically. The vertical-opening type saves space on the left and right sides, but is more difficult to remove when placed in a high location.
50 / 60 Hz compatible (Hertz-free)
In Japan, only 60 Hz appliances can be used in western Japan and 50 Hz appliances in eastern Japan. Many modern microwave ovens are hertz-free, meaning that they can be used in either direction, but some single-function microwave ovens are only compatible with 50Hz or 60Hz. However, as you can see from the comparison chart we will post later in this report, there does not seem to be a significant price difference between Hertz-free and non-Hertz-free products, so we recommend the Hertz-free product.
auto menu
Some of them automatically adjust the wattage and time according to the item to be heated. However, there are some that do not work well, such as those that heat up too much, so it is best to use different types depending on the item to be heated.
Product Comparison Chart
Based on the above, our blog would like to compare microwave ovens with three adjustable, hertz-free, single-function microwaves of approximately 200, 500, and 600 W in the following three total patterns!
17L, Turntable
You can scroll to the right.
| Manufacturer | Iris Oyama | Yamazen |
|---|---|---|
| model number | IMB-T178-W | YRM-HF171 |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 44 × 32.5 × 25.5cm | 44 × 32.5 × 25.5cm |
| output | 50Hz（500 / 200W）、 60Hz（650 / 500 / 200W) |
50Hz（500 / 200W）、 60Hz（650 / 500 / 200W) |
| How to open the door | turning sideways | turning sideways |
| Hz-free | ○ | ○ |
| auto menu | ○ | ○ |
| Price※ | 8,503 yen | 8,980 yen |
*prices on Amazon as of September 10, 2024.
As shown in the table, only two companies, Iris Oyama and Yamazen, released products that fit the bill. We recommend Iris Oyama's IMB-T178-W with equivalent functions, which is cheaper than Yamazen's.
17L, Flat table
| Manufacturer | Toshiba |
|---|---|
| model number | ER-WS17 |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 45.8 × 35.4 × 28.1cm |
| output | 900 / 600 / 500 / 200W |
| How to open the door | vertical |
| Hz-free | ○ |
| auto menu | |
| Price* | 21,200 yen |
*prices on Amazon as of September 10, 2024.
The only one that fit the criteria was currently available, Toshiba's ER-WS17. (I removed the Sharp because it only had an automatic menu.) The Toshiba ER-WS17 is very easy to operate, as all you have to do is press one of the four wattage buttons, then press the 1-minute and 10-second buttons the required number of times each, and finally press start.
Other manufacturers had only two buttons for wattage, high and low, and some products required more than two button presses, depending on the desired wattage.
22 ~ 23L, flat table
| Manufacturer | Iris Oyama | Yamazen | Panasonic | Hitachi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| model number | IMB-F2202-W | YRV-F230 | NE-FL1A | HMR-MF22A |
| capacity | 22L | 23L | 22L | 22L |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 49.5 × 36.5 × 30.2cm | 49.6 × 36.6 × 30.3cm | 48.8 × 38 × 29.8cm | 49.5 × 36.3 × 30.3cm |
| output | 900 / 600 / 500 / 200W | 50Hz（500 / 200W / defrosting / half defrosting）、 60Hz（650W / 500W / 200W / defrosting / half defrosting） |
600 / 500 / 150W | High Power / 500 / 200/ 100W |
| How to open the door | turning sideways | turning sideways | turning sideways | turning sideways |
| Hz-free | ○ | ○ | ○ | 〇 |
| auto menu | ○ | ○ | ○ | × |
| Price※ | 14,800 yen | 16,456 yen | 15,318 yen | 15,400 yen |
*Prices on Amazon as of September 10, 2024.
We recommend the IMB-F2202-W from Iris Oyama because it can produce a high output of 900W and we believe that only 200W is needed for defrosting.
A must-have! Cleaning products specially designed for microwave ovens
Sometimes something spills or heated food explodes, and the inside of the microwave oven becomes dirty. Even in such cases, there are cleaning products that can be heated in a microwave oven and wiped to remove stains, making them convenient to have on hand in case of emergencies.
Amazon | Cleaning sheets for microwave oven 3 bags
I hope the above is helpful. Please also see here!
