A day without cooking in an oven is unimaginable in today’s world. There are various types of ovens in India like microwave ovens, built-in ovens, and OTG ovens that have made our lives easy in this fast-pacing world. Solo, grill, and convection- the different types of microwave ovens also allow us to cook, reheat, grill, bake, or defrost as per our requirements. With so many brands coming up with different ovens, selecting the correct one for yourself is challenging.
We have checked varieties of user-friendly ovens to help you cook exactly all the recipes you love. After a hectic day at work, a microwave oven is needed to reheat the food and get a warm dinner. Know about the different kinds of microwave ovens available in the Indian market as per various uses and functions, and how you can be benefitted from them.
The 3 Types of Microwave Ovens Available in India
1. Solo Microwave Oven
A Solo microwave oven is an entry-level microwave that does not have advanced grilling or convection heating functions. This oven can only cook, reheat, and defrost food. The solo microwave oven generates microwaves by using the magnetron, which heats up and cooks food by exciting water molecules in the ingredients. Having a smaller capacity, solo microwave ovens are ideal for beginners, bachelors, and small Indian families.
Features of Solo Microwave Ovens
When to Choose a Solo Microwave Oven?
If you have recently started cooking and are only into making simple recipes, a solo microwave oven is a perfect fit for you. It will also help you defrost the frozen food for cooking, or reheat it for lunch or dinner.
A solo microwave oven will also make your cooking faster by defrosting the meat that you want to cook for your partner. A solo microwave is an excellent fit for working couples or bachelors as it will help you quickly cook your favorite homemade recipe. It will be your best friend when you return from work late at night and want to have a hot plate of your comfort food.
Our Recommendation for Solo Microwave Oven
The Bajaj 1701 MT 17L Solo Microwave Oven is the best solo microwave oven. It stands out as a solo microwave oven as it has auto-cook menus and nutri-pro features for healthy cooking.
Bajaj provides you with 5 different power levels, which allows you to cook as per your requirement and the cooking need. There is also a 30-minute cooking time alarm for safety and a timer clock.
- 17L Capacity: Suitable for bachelors or small families
- Solo: Can be used for reheating, defrosting and cooking, TIMER/CLOCK: Yes
- Warranty: 1 year on product, 1 year on magnetron
- Brand does not provide a starter kit with this product
- Control: Jog dials that are easy to use with a long life
2. Grill Microwave Oven
A grill microwave oven can do everything that a solo microwave oven can do, but in addition to all that, it can also grill meat, fish, and vegetables. There are several types of grilling technologies in microwave ovens, depending on the brand.
The PowerGrill technology uses direct heat to grill the food with a brown and crispy texture, but it takes time to cook. The combo grill feature (or combi) makes the process quicker by the combined working of both microwave and grill functions.
A grill microwave also makes cleaning a more straightforward process. However, you cannot bake inside it, for which a convection microwave oven is ideal.
Features of Grill Microwave Ovens
When to Choose a Grill Microwave Oven?
If you love your Indian foods, a little charred but juicy, a Grill microwave oven will be your best choice. It will help you make tandoors, kebabs, tikkas, and other mouthwatering recipes.
With a grill microwave comes a steel grill rack, which allows you to grill your meat and vegetables even better and retains all the juices, not making them dry and chewy. It will help you cook any other desi food with ease and help you reheat the leftovers the next day. Defrosting is another advantage of using a grill microwave oven.
So, if you are a cooking enthusiast and love all your Indian spices, a grill microwave oven will be your best choice.
Our Recommendation for Grill Microwave Oven
If you have made up your mind about buying a Grill microwave oven, then the Panasonic 20L Grill Microwave Oven will be your best choice. The capacity of 20 liters is good for a medium-sized family and can be your best friend when you host dinner parties.
The Panasonic 20L grill microwave oven is outstanding for its 38 autocook menus including Paneer Tikka, Chicken Tikka, BBQ Chicken, Tomato Soup, Steamed Rice, Peas Pulao, Pizza, Brownies, etc.
It also comes with a variety of pre-programmed temperature settings and preset cooking times, helping you to prepare every dish with ease. Panasonic provides 1 year of warranty and a user manual to help and guide you through it. It gives you one-touch access to auto-cooking, defrosting, and reheating food.
- 20L Capacity
- Control panel: Membrane
- 1000W Grill Power, 800W Microwave Power
- Warranty : 1 year comprehensive warranty on product
- Auto cook menu: 38, Indian menu: 26
3. Convection Microwave Oven
A convection microwave oven does not only reheat or cook food but also grills and bakes food. It has a fan and a heating element, which creates an airflow pattern inside the microwave oven that makes it ideal for grilling and baking. Thus, if you rely on your microwave to do more than defrosting, reheating, or cooking simple food, you should always go for the convection microwave oven.
Features of Convection Microwave Oven
When to Choose a Convection Microwave Oven?
If you have a passion for cooking and often host dinner parties or birthday parties at your place, then a convection microwave oven will be best suited for you. Your family will be more than delighted to try out all the new and delicious food that you will prepare for them with less effort than usual as this oven will make your life easier than before.
When you have to balance work and family simultaneously in India, you should go for a convection microwave oven. If you are a baking enthusiast, you can bake cakes and cookies easily and in no time, which could also be a great kickstart to your small business. It will also satisfy your desi food palate with tandoors, kebabs, and tikkas. You can say goodbye to monotony with the best convection microwave oven as you can prepare a variety of cuisines with its help.
Our Recommendation for Convection Microwave Oven
If you have decided a convection microwave oven is the one for you, LG 28L Charcoal Convection Microwave Oven can be your best choice. It is suitable for a family with 3-5 members with a capacity of 28 liters.
The convection microwave comes with a glass tray, rotating ring, one multi-cook tawa, 1 Rotisserie Handle, 1 shelf, 1 Milk pasteurization kit, a manual, and a recipe book for your convenience. There is also a child lock available, ensuring complete safety for homes with children.
- 28L Capacity: Suitable for large families
- Convection: Can be used for baking along with grilling, reheating, defrosting and cooking
- Warranty : 1 Year for Product and 4 Years on Magnetron
- Brand does not provides starter kit with this product.
- Control: Tactile buttons to set the temperature/timer that are simple to use with a long life
Compare: Solo Vs. Grill Vs. Convection Microwave Ovens
Alternative Ovens to Traditional Microwave Ovens
Here are the different types of ovens in India and alternatives to microwave ovens. Check the features, capacities, and prices to understand their suitability for your requirements.
Built-in oven
As the name implies, a built-in oven is a type of oven installed under the countertop or near the over-the-hood areas. It best suits modular kitchens for cooking, grilling, baking, and reheating.
It is more spacious with has a larger capacity (40-110 liters) than traditional microwave ovens. The price range of built-in ovens and microwave ovens can vary depending on the brand, starting from ₹30000 to ₹100000 in the Indian market.
Oven Toaster Griller (OTG)
An OTG oven is a smaller version of a built-in oven. You can bake, roast, grill, or reheat in an OTG. Most OTG ovens do not have an auto cook functionality, the heat distribution is less even, and it takes more time than a convection microwave oven to heat food.
You can use glass, metal, silicone, or ceramic utensils in an OTG. It is lightweight and easy to move around. The capacity of an OTG is up to 30 liters which is large enough for an entire family. The product price range starts at ₹4000, which is cheaper than a microwave oven.
Also Read: OTG Vs. Microwave Oven
Traditional Convection Oven
The traditional convection oven has a heating element and blower that circulates the hot air around every corner of the oven, reducing hot and cold spots and cooking more evenly. Convection ovens might have a third heating element called true convection that helps cook the food faster.
They are the best options for cooking multiple dishes at once without drying them out. You can also bake, roast, and preheat in these types of ovens.
Pizza Oven
A pizza oven looks very close to a built-in microwave oven. Many pizza ovens are available worldwide, but we get the gas-powered pizza oven in the Indian marketplace.
These ovens use LPG cooking gas cylinders and reach 500 degrees Celsius in 20 minutes, giving stone-baked pizza in the shortest time. The use of gas makes it easier to control the heat and more convenient as there is no smoke or ashes, making cleanup easy.
The cooking surface of a standard pizza oven is approximately 16×16 cm, and the dimension is about 60 x 60 x 30 cm (L x W x H), weighing around 25 Kg. The price of these ovens ranges from ₹10000 to ₹30000. Apart from pizza, you can also use these ovens for baking brownies, cakes, bread, etc.
Air Fryer
An air fryer is a trending kitchen appliance designed to fulfill the purpose of deep frying by using no or minimal amount of oil. A fan circulates hot air at high speed, which produces a crisp layer on the French fries, pakoda, fish finger, or any other Indian fried food recipe.
A digital air fryer can most healthily bake, roast, or fry food, and the food is cooked evenly and quickly. As most air fryer baskets and racks are dishwasher-safe, they are easily washable. The capacity of an air fryer usually ranges from 3 liters to 10 liters. Furthermore, the price of an air fryer varies from ₹3500 to ₹12000.
Also Read: Air Fryer Vs. Microwave Oven
Over-the-Range Microwave Ovens
These are special types of built-in microwave ovens installed above a range or the cooktop. But they have a much higher capacity than traditional microwave ovens.
Over-the-range microwave ovens function similarly to a large convection microwave ovens. Due to their compact design, they are perfectly suitable for modern-styled kitchens. The price of these ovens ranges from ₹15000 to ₹35000 in most Indian stores.
Comparison of Different Types of Ovens
| Type of Oven | Capacity | Best Uses | Family Size | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Microwave Oven | 17-22 Liters | Simple cooking, defrosting, reheating | 2-4 members | ₹4500 to ₹18000 |
| Grill Microwave Oven | 20-25 Liters | Grilling, defrosting, reheating, simple cooking | 2–4 members | ₹7000 to ₹10000 |
| Convection Microwave Oven | 19-35 Liters | Baking, grilling, defrosting, reheating, simple cooking | 2–6 members | ₹8000 to ₹22000 |
| Built-In Oven | 40-110 Liters | Baking, cooking, grilling, and reheating | 4+ members | ₹30000 to ₹100000 |
| Oven Toaster Griller (OTG) | 15-35 Liters | Baking, toasting, grilling | 2–6 members | ₹4000 to ₹15000 |
| Traditional Convection Oven | 25-50 Liters | Cooking, reheating | 4+ members | ₹15000 to ₹35000 |
| Pizza Oven | 4×20–16×10 sq. inches | Baking | 4+ members | ₹10000 to ₹30000 |
| Air Fryer | 3-10 Liters | Frying, baking, grilling | 2–6 members | ₹3500 to ₹12000 |
| Over-The-Range Microwave Oven | 30-80 Liters | Defrosting, reheating, cooking, grilling, baking and more | 4+ members | ₹15000 to ₹35000 |
From the above comparison of different types of ovens and specifically microwave ovens in India, you now have a clear idea about their differences and applicability. A microwave oven makes cooking easier with its versatile uses.
Ovens allow you to cook delicious food at home, which you could avail of only at restaurants. Be it cakes, pizzas, tandoors, or roasts, you can now easily make all your favorite food at home with these kitchen ovens.
Last update on 2024-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API