Best Speed Cooking Microwave

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The best speed cooking microwave cooks all types of foods quickly and evenly. Choosing the wrong one could result in lots of frustration. Our evaluation of speed oven’s pros and cons looked into size, childproofing, number of preset options, and watts. We also explored auxiliary features such as removable turntables and steam cleaning.

After more than 16 hours of research and testing, our top pick goes to the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Speed Cooking Microwave with Smart Sensor. It has ten express cooking options to cook all types of foods, an impressive 1100 watts of power, and spacious 1.2 cubic feet of space. Keep reading to learn more about the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Speed Cooking Microwave with Smart Sensor and five others that made the cut.

Top 6 Best Speed Cooking Microwaves

 #1  Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Speed Cooking Microwave with Smart Sensor – Top Pick

WHY WE LIKE IT: This speed cooking microwave runs on 1100 watts and ten express cooking options. It is an excellent choice if you regularly heat all types of foods, including popcorn, baked ravioli, and potatoes.

This mid-size speed cooking microwave has 1.2 cubic feet of space, good enough for two medium-sized cereal bowls or a 12-inch dinner plate. Thanks to this microwave’s smart sensor, it can detect what type of food is sitting there and adjust temperature controls accordingly.

Related: Take a quick look at the best stainless steel microwave.

We love the fact it comes with pre-programmed settings for a quick one-touch operation. There is also a mute function, where a long press of the ‘8’ button for 3-5 seconds will silence the buzzer. It is an excellent perk for a midnight kitchen run when you want to stealthily eat without waking anyone up. The best countertop microwave doesn’t generally do that.

 #2  Panasonic NN-SN686S Speed Cooking Microwave – Honorable Mention

WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1200-watt microwave oven comes in a compact design and has a Turbo Defrost function. It is great for people who prepare large batches of frozen foods regularly.

This speed cook microwave has a 1.2 cubic foot capacity, which is good for a standard size dinner plate. We were very impressed with 14 different cooking settings for vegetables, rice, pasta, and more. This keeps the guesswork out of cooking times with a quick one-button operation.

While heating four different types of food, all came out evenly cooked with no cold spots. It uses Inverter technology, which cooks more evenly and consistently than traditional microwaves with a magnetic coil or transformer. Thanks to this microwave’s automatic sensors, power and time are adjusted in real-time to prevent overcooking. It works very well for people who have no idea how many minutes to schedule certain foods for. If you need a special unit for the way your kitchen is designed, the best over-the-range microwave may be a better choice.

 #3  Kenmore 70929 Countertop Speed Cooking Microwave – Best Budget

WHY WE LIKE IT: This 900-watt microwave comes with 0.9 cubic feet of space and ten power settings. It’s the perfect choice for smaller dorm rooms and apartments.

Cooking is fast and easy, including two Time or Weight defrost settings for frozen meat. It also comes with six pre-set options, using a single button for cooking popcorn, pizza, and other popular foods. We really like the convenience of one-button cooking.

We like this microwave’s ‘Add 30 seconds’ button, which is very useful when warming baby bottles. This presents us with having to enter a time manually. It is a pretty small microwave packed with a lot of the features of larger microwaves. The best microwaves these days have all of the features we want, even if we don’t use them all.

 #4  Farberware FMO11AHTBKB 1.1 Cu. Ft. Speed Cooking Microwave – Best Child Proof

WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1000-watt countertop microwave oven features six express cooking options and a safety lock. It is an excellent choice for parents who want to keep their curious toddlers safe.

Thanks to this speed cooking microwave’s buttons, it can express cook all types of foods, including popcorn, vegetables, and potatoes. There is also a defrosting function for warming meats before adding them to the stove. We were very impressed with how well this countertop microwave cooked food.

We appreciate this microwave’s LED-backlit digital display, which shows the timer and clock in bright, neon lettering. It also includes a curved, ergonomic handle to easily open and close. Although on the mid-sized side (1.1 cubic feet), everything is really put together with this microwave, especially with its intuitive button placement. It will make the best microwave popcorn easily.

 #5  Daewoo KOC-9Q4DS Convection Speed Cooking Microwave – Best Steam Cleaning

WHY WE LIKE IT: This microwave oven comes with a child-safety lock and an Easy Steam Clean function. It works best for people who regularly heat messy, stain-causing foods like spaghetti and meatballs.

Parents will love this speed cooking microwave’s Easy Steam Clean function, which blasts steam from within to loosen up pasta stains and grease in 10 minutes. From there, it only needs a quick wipe. Like our top pick, it offers five express cooking options and ten power levels, accommodating all types of foods from baked fish to roast beef.

Our favorite feature is this steam cooking microwave’s honeycomb-style cavity, which distributes heat pretty well. Though it cooks well, it is a bit underpowered at only 900 watts, which pales in comparison to our #1 pick Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven (1100 watts). You can compare it to the best small microwave to see which is better for you.

 #6  Emerson 1.3 CU. FT. 1000 Watt Speed Cooking Microwave – Best Capacity

WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1000-watt microwave oven comes with a spacious 1.5 cubic feet capacity and weight-based defrosting.

We appreciate this speed cooking microwave’s expansive capacity (1.5 cubic feet), one of the largest on our list. Bonus points go to this speed microwave oven’s removable glass turntable, which is dishwasher-safe and effortless to clean. It also smoothly rotates when cooking, ensuring even heat distribution.

Like our #3 pick Kenmore 70929 speed cooking microwave, this also includes time and weight-based defrosting, where the oven automatically calculates the timer based on whatever the weight of the food is. It is a great way to eliminate guesswork and prevent overcooking.  If you’re looking for other kitchen appliances, check out this list of some of our best toasters.

Also, check out our top 7 Best Appliance Brands for your kitchen, including Bosch cooktops and wall ovens. Although not on our list, the Bosch Speed Oven also combines convection cooking with microwave speed, offering 5 cooking modes. With Bosch, you can get your convection microwave oven or convection oven installed as a wall oven, steam oven, or warming drawer, available in 3 sizes and both 120V and 240 V, and Bosch also offers European convection cooking.

For sleek and modern stainless steel designs, consider our Best Stainless Steel Microwave.

How We Decided

In determining the best speed cooking microwave to buy, we explored oven size, childproofing, number of preset options, and power. Look for oven sizes in the 1.5 range to feed a large family and 0.9 cubic feet for individuals or small offices. We recommend ovens up to 900 watts if used infrequently and ovens between 1000 and 1200 watts for defrosting and large families who need food heated quicker.

The number is preset options is also essential. One-touch operation automatically defaults cooking times for some popular microwavable foods, such as roast beef, popcorn, and pasta. We also appreciate childproof features for parents, such as keypad-enabled doors that help prevent accidents.

Speed Cooking Microwave Buying Guide

The Most Important Features to Consider

1. Oven Size
   When choosing a microwave, look for speed microwave oven sizes in the 1.5 to 2.2 cubic feet range to feed larger families. We like having enough space to cook two plates at a time. It is also important that it contain a rotating turntable, which creates better heat distribution. For more cooking tips, you’ll want to read our guide on how to bake in a microwave.
2. Power
   We like speed cooking microwave ovens with wattages of at least 900W. The more watts, the faster the cooking time. Go for more watts if you are part of a large household or work in a commercial kitchen where speed is important. That said, while having plenty of power is great, you won’t have a very quiet microwave.
3. Express Cooking Options
   Express cooking options use a single button to heat popular foods, including popcorn, pasta, and potatoes. It is a great way to eliminate guesswork. Plus, some speed microwave ovens come with time or weight-based defrosting options. Weight-based defrosting is easy – simply dial in the weight and the speed cooking microwave oven automatically sets the timer for you. Consequently, if you’re having any heating or timer problems with your device, you should look into repairing or replacing your microwave.