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A great microwave/toaster oven combo can be one of the most versatile purchases you can make for your kitchen. These ovens may even become your go-to heating up and cooking solution for most dishes: they combine the best of microwaves with speed and ease of reheating and energy efficiency with the best of toaster ovens with actual cooking and browning to a crisp.
- 👛 The Value Pick: Cuisinart CMW-200
- ⭐ The Performance Pick: Panasonic NN-GN68KS with FlashXpress
- The Budget Pick: Toshiba EM131A5C-BS
- The Large Pick: Panasonic NN-SN966S
But, how do these combos work? What are the best toaster oven and microwave combos to get in 2020?
Let’s find out.
What is a Toaster Oven/Convection Microwave Combo?
A microwave/toaster oven combo is an oven that can heat up your food quickly like a microwave and toast and brown your food like a regular oven. This is achieved by using both microwaves, which heat your food by making its molecules vibrate faster, and by proper heating elements, as well as a fan to move around the heat evenly.
The use of this fan is called “convection cooking”, and can decrease the time it takes to cook something and achieve more even cooking throughout the whole meal.
Although you can toast bread in a toaster oven and microwave combo, the heat from them comes from the sides, not from up. That means that the quality of the toasting will more likely depend on the oven itself.
Top Benefits of Using Toaster Oven/Microwave Combinations
There are multiple benefits to using a toaster oven and microwave combo, like:
1. Saves Money
Since it can do two different things, you only need one of these instead of two for each function.
Microwave combos are also very energy efficient, so you’ll save money while using them too.
2. Saves Time
By combining toasting and microwaving capabilities, you can heat up or cook your food far quicker.
You also don’t have to move your food around from one oven to another to first defrost and then cook. You can do it all on one device.
3. Saves Space
How much space would you have if you didn’t need an oven? A proper toaster oven and microwave combo can help you save on kitchen space, and can even replace your regular oven for multiple dishes.
So, what are the best toaster oven and microwave combos?
Top Microwave and Toaster Oven Combo Picks on the Market Today
Here are the best toaster oven and microwave combos you can get in 2020.
The Value Pick: Cuisinart CMW-200
From the popular Cuisinart brand, the Cuisinart CMW-200 provides best overall value for most people. It’s powerful and easy to use, with a durable and conventional design, at a good price point.
Pros
- Easy to clean: With a stainless steel interior, you can easily wipe off any food that remains from the surfaces
- Lots of options: 9 in-built presets that can be personalized and programmed to run one after the other
- Convection capabilities: Perfect for evenly distributing heat
- Great for defrosting: With two options to defrost and no cold spots, this oven is quick and effective when used to defrost
Cons
- Hot surfaces: This oven can get hot to the touch when cooking, preventing you from putting anything on top of it
- Heavy: At almost 41 lbs, this oven isn’t great for anyone looking to store it away after using it
- Not for cabinets: This oven must be installed in an open area due to the heat that this oven irradiates
Top Features of the Cuisinart CMW-200
Here’s a closer look of what I love about the Cuisinart CMW-200.
Versatile In-Built Features
This oven packs very powerful convection capabilities, making it extremely versatile. With it, you can easily roast, grill, and even bake anything that fits inside.
With the Cuisinart CMW-200, you can program this oven to first defrost your food by weight or by time, and cook it later.
With the Multi-Stage Cooking Option, you can program the oven to use two or three functions. That way, you can defrost a meal, heat it up, and grill it to get a crispy finish; all in minutes and without any supervision.
Great Grilling Experience
A great toaster oven and microwave combo is one that can toast as well as it can warm up food, and that’s what you get with the Cuisinart CMW 200.
With a very effective convection system, the CMW-200 can grill your food very quickly and evenly. You can control the process even further by placing the food near the heat source with an adjustable grill to get faster results.
The CMW-200 is a perfect combination of microwave and convection oven, giving you far more than what you could get from each option separately.
Specs
- Touchpad controls and LCD display
- 1.2-cubic-foot capacity
- 12-inch turntable
- 1000 watts
- 21.20″ L x 19.00″ W x 12.20″ H
- Includes a recipe book
Verdict
With very friendly and intuitive controls, this unassuming oven is perfect for anyone looking for a conventional-looking oven with high capabilities. If you want an oven that is versatile and can do it all, and you already have an open area to place it on, this is the perfect option for you.
The Perfomance Pick: Panasonic NN-GN68KS Countertop Microwave Oven with FlashXpress
If you’re looking for the most powerful and versatile microwave slash toaster oven to cook and warm your meals in, Panasonic’s NN-GN68KS Microwave Oven with Inverter Technology and a FlashXpress Broiler is the best you can get. This compact microwave is great for crispy finishes and heats quickly thanks to the FlashXpress technology from its cousin.
Pros
- Genius sensor: The sensor works really well and gives you consistent results
- Easy broiling: Easily and quickly brown any food
- Great cooking experience: Fast and very even heating capacities perfect for cooking, warming, or defrosting
- Quiet: One of the quietest-working microwave options
- Compact: You can easily fit this countertop oven anywhere
Cons
- No numeric keypad: You’ll have to choose the time through the options or by manually adding time through up and down buttons
- Complicated installation: The oven must be operated on a separate circuit, which can be a huge hassle to install
- No keep warm button: A rare shortage for an oven of this price range
- Not for people with low vision: The oven has a dim interior light and tiny lettering for each button
Top Features of the Panasonic NN-GN68KS FlashXpress Microwave Oven
Here are our favorite features of the NN-GN68KS:
Powerful Cooking and Broiling
With Panasonic’s Inverter technology, this oven can generate continuous and consistent heat to thoroughly cook and warm up your meals with no cold spots.
The dual infrared FlashXpress Broiler in this oven gives you the option of creating instant heat to crisp and brown your meals, without the long preheat times from your regular oven. With it, you can quickly achieve grill-like results, perfect for crispy nachos and fries, delicious frittatas, and crunchy apple crumbles.
Humidity Level Sensor
The Panasonic NN-GN68KS microwave comes with an in-built Genius Sensor Cook and Reheat feature. This allows you to take out the guesswork of cooking and take full advantage of your oven.
While your food is in your microwave, the Genius sensors measure the steam emitted from the food and adjust the cooking time to prevent sogginess.
Specs
- Genius Sensor, FlashXpress Broiler
- Double Infrared Heating
- 1.1 cubic feet capacity
- 13.4-inch Turntable
- 1000 Watts for microwave power, 1100 Watts for broiler
- 15.8 x 20.7 x 12.2 inches
- Made of Aluminum
- Includes One Wire Rack
Verdict
The Panasonic NN-GN68KS is a small but powerful device that’s best for food enthusiasts that don’t mind paying a little more for both the oven and the proper installation to use it.
The Compact Pick: Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven
If you’re looking for the best value in the smallest case, look no further than the Toshiba EM131A5C. With a lot of features, this microwave is definitely the best choice for a limited budget and counter space.
Pros
- Powerful: 1100W of power divided into 10 power levels makes your cooking experience as quick as possible
- Compact: Perfect for small kitchens or little counter space
- Spacious: Although small, you still get a very decent 1.2 cubic feet space
- Great navigation: The soft-touch buttons and digital display elevate your cooking experience
- In-built sensor: The smart sensor adds a lot of value to this affordable microwave
Cons
- Prone to issues: A few customers have complained of getting defective models, so you should purchase an extended warranty to protect your investment with this microwave
- No safety lock: You may want to look for a safer option if you have kids
Top Features of the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven
Here are the best features of the Toshiba EM131A5C.
Great Design
This microwave is one of the very few ones with a full stainless front finish in this price range. With it, you get far more durability than the one you get from normal plastic fronts.
You also get a door handle, which is usually more durable and easier to use than the typical button release in most microwaves.
Finally, the microwave surprised us with a feature most of us have wanted for a long time: a mute option. With it, you can get a midnight treat without waking up the entire house. It’s such a simple feature, yet you’ll end up wondering how you were able to live without it once you’re used to it.
Humidity Level Sensor
Although this is a very affordable microwave, it doesn’t skip on technology. With a smart, built-in sensor, your microwave keeps track of the humidity level of your food. It then adjusts heat and cooking time to get you an optimal result.
That way, you’ll get rid of all of those soggy foods that you may associate with cheap microwaves.
Energy-Saving Eco Mode
This microwave isn’t just affordable, it lets you save money while using it too. With the Eco Mode, you can minimize standby power by up to 50% compared to other microwaves.
If the Eco mode isn’t particularly helpful, you can always switch it off, and only switch it on when you won’t need the microwave as much, like at night or once you’re done with the kitchen.
Specs
- Smart sensor
- 10 different power levels
- Digital controls and display
- 2 cubic feet of internal space
- 4” turntable
- 1100W of power
Verdict
The EM131A5C-BS is perfect for anyone looking to get a small microwave packing a lot of value. Great for anyone on a budget that still wants a powerful little oven with tons of functions and smart features; and don’t mind paying for an extended warranty.
The Large Pick: Panasonic Microwave Oven NN-SN966S
If you’re looking for the best large option for a large family, or even a small restaurant or cafe, the Panasonic Microwave Oven NN-SN966S is definitely the right choice.
Pros
- Large capacity: With so much room, you’ll never have an issue cooking for large groups
- Very powerful: With 1250 watts, this oven is one of the most powerful microwave ovens in the market
- Great defrosting: Specialized preset for quick and even defrosting experiences
- Keep Warm feature: Keep your food warm until they’re ready to be served
- Sleek design and controls: The digital control panel and elegant and timeless design make it a perfect fit
- Fairly compact: Although this is a large oven, it’s designed to occupy the least amount of space by slimming down the electronics
Cons
- Beeping sounds: Loud and repetitive beeping sounds and alerts
- Troublesome main button: The button that opens the door sticks a lot, making it difficult to open the door sometimes
- May interfere with WiFi: Several users report WiFi interference when the oven is working
With a huge 2.2 cubic feet capacity, multiple sensors, and powerful mechanics, the NN-SN966S is the best option for anyone looking to cook large amounts of food quickly. For example , Delicious Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken takes 6 hours to complete pefectly.
The NN-SN966S is also stylish and can easily match the rest of your kitchen.
Top Features of the Panasonic Microwave Oven NN-SN966S
Large Capacity
The Panasonic NN-SN966S’ large 2.2 cubic feet make it almost twice as large than most other countertop microwaves. In it, you can fit up to a 16” casserole.
This makes it a perfect option to cook large meals without the heat and the hassle of using your regular oven.
Inverter Technology
Panasonic’s patented inverter technology lets you quickly and perfectly cook and defrost meals without cold spots or burnt edges. According to Panasonic, you may even end up cooking food 40% faster!
This is achieved by perfect temperature management, without fluctuations or constant switching off.
The Panasonic NN-SN966S’ technology makes it stand out over most other large microwaves, which take longer and give you an uneven cooking experience.
Specs
- Stainless steel finishes
- Multiple Sensory Controls
- Turbo Defrost for quick and even defrosting
- Keep Warm feature
- 16.5-inch turntable
- 14 pre-set menu items
- 14” x 23.9” x 19.4”
- 1250-Watt high power
Verdict
The Panasonic NN-SN966S is perfect for anyone looking for a sleek, powerful, and spacious microwave oven. This is perfect for anyone looking to cook large amounts of food; even someone looking for a smaller alternative to a traditional oven.
Honorable Mention: Samsung MG14H3020CM Grill Microwave Oven with Ceramic Enamel Interior
- Ceramic Enamel Interior that is both scratch resistant and easy to clean
- Height (inch)12 5/16,width (inch)21 7/8 ,cutout depth (inch)18 1/16.1.4 cu. ft. Capacity with 950 W of Cooking Power, 10 power levels, and LED display
- Shiny mirror design and asymmetric shape for a premium look
- Auto Cook Options to handle any meal with the push of a button
- Grilling Element with Ceramic Plate for preparing crispy foods including pizza.Control Material:Membrane.Amp Circuit:13.3A
I have thought about including this Samsung microwave and grill combo on the list since many people are die-hard fans but ultimately decided against it as the Toshibas and Panasonics mentioned above do a better job in the toaster oven and grilling department. The Samsung is still a good microwave with some grilling capability, as well as a ceramic plate meant to achieve that crusty pizza crust. As far as I know, though, pizza does not come out that good.
Conclusion
The best toaster oven and microwave combo can save you a lot of time, space, and money. The right option will most likely become your favorite oven for defrosting your meals, making popcorn, and even baking cookies or your other favorite treats.
If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, there’s no better option than a toaster oven and microwave combo.
Love,
G.
PS. Check out some of my recipes!
