Capacity
The higher the capacity, the more food can be cooked at once. A microwave oven with a volume of up to 20 litres is suitable for heating one plate. In a model with a volume of more than 28 litres, you can already put a whole pan.
Power
The higher the power of the microwave, the faster the food is heated. The vast majority of models provide the ability to adjust it. It is believed that for comfortable cooking you need to purchase a model with a power of at least 900 watts. If you plan to use the microwave oven exclusively for heating food, you can get by with less powerful models.
Turntable
The presence in the design of the microwave of a turntable (glass disk), on which a dish is installed for heating or cooking. The rotation allows you to heat food evenly. At the same time, there are solutions without a turn table at all — a smooth flat bottom is easier to clean. In this case, no additional energy is spent on rotation, which favourably affects the noise level.
Turntable diameter
The larger the diameter of the table, the larger dishes can be used in the oven. This spec directly depends on the volume of the microwave oven.
Power levels
It is the number of fixed power levels provided in the design of the microwave. The more such levels, the wider the capabilities of the device because different tasks require different heating intensities.
Inner coating
— Enamel. The most inexpensive and common type of internal coating. The strength and reliability of enamel are generally sufficient for most cases. This material does not tolerate high temperatures, is relatively easily damaged and is prone to sticking small pieces of food and splashes, which makes cleaning difficult. As a result, the enamel is used mainly in inexpensive microwave ovens.
— Acrylic. Another fairly inexpensive material. It is not as widespread as enamel, but mainly because it appeared relatively recently. The main and only advantage of such a coating is its low cost. At the same time, it is not durable and does not tolerate strong heat, which is why it is used mainly in low-power models with a basic set of features.
- Stainless steel. In addition to its solid appearance, the steel coating has good strength and the ability to withstand high temperatures, and it is easy to clean. It is one of the best options if you plan to use the built-in grill extensively. In general, models with such a coating are noticeably more expensive than enamel ones, but this is due not so much to the coating as to more advanced features.
— Ceramics. Due to their hardness, ceramics resist scratches very well, and food particles practically do not stick to them. It makes these coatings very easy to clean. Their main disadvantage is fragility.
- Non-stick. This term may refer to various types of special coatings that prevent food from stick...ing. The best-known option is Teflon. This material has excellent non-stick properties. It is easy to clean but requires careful handling because it scratches easily. At the same time, it is believed that scratches lead to the release of harmful substances. Although, there is no unambiguous evidence for this. But with high heating, Teflon breaks down with the formation of harmful substances. However, in a microwave oven, such heating of the coating is almost impossible to achieve; and where there is such a possibility (for example, in models with a powerful grill), other heat-resistant non-stick materials are usually used.
