Many household appliances are available in different types, confusing homeowners or consumers. One is the front and top load washers, and another is the speed oven and microwave. Both options seemingly do the same thing, but one always offers more customizable features for personal needs and preferences. Looking to buy microwaves appliances online? You’ll likely face a choice between speed ovens and microwaves. So which is better?
This article goes over the important differences between a speed oven and a microwave, ensuring you know the best option for your needs.
Functionality
Microwaves
Microwaves heat and cook food using electromagnetic radiation in a small wavelength. The waves are produced by a cavity magnetron that rotates the food and creates friction.
Microwaves are suitable for foods with moderate to high moisture content.
Speed Ovens
Speed ovens offer different heating and cooking methods, depending on the user’s needs. Food is cooked by convection, microwave, halogen, or infrared heating.
As a new evolution in the market, speed ovens combine the properties of an oven and a convection microwave into one. This appliance can also combine microwave and convectional modes to make cooking faster and reduce cooking time.
Design
Microwaves are designed for portability and often come in small rectangular boxes that can fit on counters and surfaces. They have doors that open to the side. On the other hand, speed ovens have drop-down doors and are less compact than microwaves.
Speed ovens mostly require a built-in cabinet as opposed to microwaves that can be placed on the countertops.
Food Options
Microwaves
Microwaves are great for cooking, especially as minimal nutrients are lost during the heating and cooking. However, microwaves are limited in the food options they can process. They are great for reheating food and some form of baking.
Speed Ovens
Speed ovens offer a more diverse approach to cooking as they can combine different cooking methods for faster and more efficient outputs. This appliance can be used for baking, preheating, roasting, or cooking.
Cost
Microwaves can be expensive, depending on the make, model, and features. However, speed ovens are often more expensive than microwaves.
Despite being more expensive, consumers are likely to get value for their money by choosing speed ovens that offer more cooking modes for different cooking needs.
Cooking Time
Microwaves and speed ovens are similar in terms of their cooking times. Most often than not, the cooking time is pre-set by the user and based on the specific cooking or heating needs.
Added Features
Microwaves offer basic features that allow users to cook or heat different food items. However, speed ovens have additional features that make cooking different food options easier.
Speed ovens also come with several pre-programmed recipes that make it easier for users to cook different food easily without having to bother about programming or getting the cooking details right.
However, it is important to note that both the microwave and speed oven come with cooking timers and temperature settings that allow users to control the cooking time and temperature.
Energy Use Efficiency
The rising cost of power has increased the need for energy-efficient home appliances. The speed oven and microwave have been designed to conserve power as best as possible. Purchasing the latest versions of either appliance also increases energy use efficiency.
Despite both appliances being energy efficient, the speed oven has a higher energy rating in terms of power consumption. This is due to the variety of heating methods and the ability to combine different heating methods for effective cooking.
Also important to note is that most microwaves run at a speed of 120v while speed ovens are typically pegged at 240v.
Maintenance
Cleaning a microwave is often harder than it looks. The difficulty in cleaning microwaves often stems from the stainless steel material from which it is made. On the other hand, speed ovens are often made from non-stick materials – similar to non-stick pots.
Speed ovens are often easier to clean and maintain in the short and long run.
Bottom Element
Microwaves are designed to cook food using electromagnetic waves supplied from the sides or inside the top of the appliance. This means they don’t have any bottom heating element to cook food and make its underside crispy.
Speed ovens, on the other hand, have bottom heating elements, making cooking food like pizza, pies, and pastries easier.
The considerations above have carefully evaluated both kitchen appliances to help you select the best one based on your preferences, concerns, and needs.
