The HomeChef 4-in-1 Microwave Oven is not just a regular microwave; it’s also a broiler, convection oven and air fryer — all in one sleek-looking machine. This four-in-one appliance can perform simple tasks like popping a bag of popcorn, as well as more complicated hamilton beach 1000 watt microwave jobs like baking a cake in the convection oven or air frying chicken wings. We tried both and were especially impressed with how evenly the convection oven baked a 9-inch yellow cake and how crispy chicken wings were with the air fry function.
Child safety locks on microwaves are a good feature to look for if you have small children in your home. With this feature, the control panel of the oven is “locked” so that children or anyone unfamiliar with it cannot operate it accidentally. Preset functions are standard these days, especially for defrosting , reheating and popcorn.
The Cuisinart has a three-year limited warranty, whereas most similarly priced competitors include just one- or two-year warranties. But according to a representative we spoke with, Cuisinart won’t repair the oven if it becomes defective under warranty, and won’t ask you to mail it back. Instead, they’ll ask you to cut the cord and send them a picture of it, then send you an entirely new unit. They’ll even do this if the lightbulb burns out, which is the downside to this otherwise excellent warranty.
In our tests, we did find the door to be quieter than other microwaves we tested, but cannot confirm that it is 80% quieter. The control panel is large and the slightly raised buttons are easy to press. Instead of a numeric keypad, you get an ergonomic dial that feels like it clicks as it quickly toggles through minutes and seconds. We were especially impressed with how easy it is to navigate the control panel when using the defrost preset.
The FlashXpress compensates for the increased temperature by automatically reducing the cook time, so the results are the same every time. In our tests, the first batch of toast took about 2 minutes 30 seconds, the second batch took 2 minutes 4 seconds, and the third batch took 1 minute 20 seconds . These were some of the fastest toasting times of all the toaster ovens we tested.
In our tests, only a few unpopped kernels remained — less than .1 ounces. Besides having a stellar popcorn preset, this microwave also features eight more presets like defrost to take the guesswork out of hamilton beach 900 watt microwave cooking popular dishes. We found the defrost preset to work well compared to other models tested. In our recent testing, this microwave had the most even heat distribution out of all microwaves tested.
The GE Quartz Convection Toaster Oven and the GE Calrod Convection Toaster Oven are identical, except that one has quartz heating elements and the other has Calrod heating elements. The quartz model costs about $25 more than the Calrod version , but there wasn’t a huge difference in performance between the two. The underside of the toast we made hamilton beach 1000 watt microwave was very uneven and patchy in the GE Quartz, while the GE Calrod toasted a bit more evenly. The cheese topping on Bagel Bites didn’t melt as evenly in these models as our picks, and the bottoms were burned. Also, the wide gaps on either side of the oven racks allowed bread to slip through the slots and onto the bottom of the oven cavity.
We test presets like the popcorn setting to see how well each microwave pops a bag of popcorn. We weigh the unpopped kernels that remain and assess any burning that occurred. We also test the defrost preset on microwaves by defrosting a pound of frozen ground beef . We consider ease of use when it comes to the control panel, positioning the turntable, opening and closing the door and cleaning the microwave.