Do you need a grill function in a microwave?

For most of us, the word “grill” is uniquely associated with summer, dachas, and barbecues. And, of course, with a barbecue. In fact, a similar function is present in some household heating appliances - ovens, electric grills, grill pans. Many models of microwave ovens also have it. It’s a pity that owners of such microwave ovens often don’t know about it or have never used a grill. Meanwhile, with its help you can make any dish more aromatic, tender and juicy. A seductive crispy crust is also about grilling. Cooking without oil and fat - grilling in the microwave provides this opportunity as well. Of course, to use the grill properly, you need to know how to use this function. We will talk about this today.

What can you grill in the microwave?

Why and why is a grill built into a microwave? It's simple: manufacturers cannot ignore modern realities, and if there is an opportunity to expand functionality, they will take advantage of it. The presence of a grill function, of course, makes the microwave oven more expensive, but it allows you to significantly expand the range of capabilities of the device.

This means that with a grill in the microwave you can cook a much wider variety of dishes, from pizza or the much-loved grilled chicken to roasting vegetables, fish and all types of meat.

The second important point is the healthfulness of grilled food. As you know, baking, and especially with microwaves, practically does not require the use of fats - neither animal nor vegetable. There is nothing to burn here. This means that the amount of vitamins and minerals contained in the original product will decrease slightly, which is not typical for heat treatment.

Finally, the ease of cooking is captivating: just prepare the ingredients according to the recipe, put them in the oven, and turn on the grill in the microwave. All that remains is to wait for the microwave oven to finish operating.

In other words, a microwave oven equipped with a grill function turns into a multifunctional device that can perform tasks typical of other household appliances, including an electric grill or oven. So if you only use your microwave to heat up food or defrost food, you are missing out, and this article is for you.

Do you need a microwave grill?

There are two opinions, and supporters of both stand stubbornly for their point of view.

1. Not needed. Those who adhere to this view motivate this by the fact that having purchased household appliances, they never used the function once or tried it 1-2 times at most and that’s it, since it did not interest them. And they overpay for it decently. Here we must proceed from the fact that human nature is such that if he has been baking pies in the oven for a long time, then this is the best cooking option, or one attempt to cook pizza in the microwave ended in failure. In addition, there is a category of people who believe that it is better to purchase different types of devices with different functions, rather than all in one. In addition, there are cooking classics who believe that you can create in the kitchen using the good old stove, and in the microwave it is impossible to achieve the true aroma of the product and its true taste. But here it seems that everything depends not on technology, but on how to cook.
2. Needed. There are also those who support the exact opposite opinion, who consider the presence of a grill to be a salvation for the family and often use it to cook. Of course, owners of such technology have to study it and adapt using the trial method. But having mastered it, they already use it to the fullest.

Advantages and disadvantages of having a grill function in the microwave

You can argue a lot about whether or not you need a grill in a microwave, but if you purchased a device with such a function, it would be a sin not to use it.

But, like any technical device, a microwave oven with grill has its advantages and disadvantages, which you should know about if you belong to the category of doubters:

Comparison of microwave oven with and without grill

Simple models of microwave ovens can operate in several basic modes. Usually this is heating ready meals and defrosting food. These actions are performed using microwave radiation. They are considered safe for human health. Manufacturers became convinced that these rays were capable of heating food quickly and efficiently, and began to improve their devices, equipping them with cooking functions. Since microwave radiation heats food to a level not exceeding the boiling point of water, such cooking preserves the beneficial vitamins and microelements of the food.

When a grill is built into a microwave oven, the owner of such a device has the opportunity to expand his menu and cook more delicious grilled dishes. Typically, such devices have 5 cooking programs, which are achieved by combining different modes:

1. Convection and grill;
2. Microwave radiation and convection;
3. Grill and microwaves;
4. Microwave rays;
5. Convection.

   
   The presence of a grill expands your cooking options

When cooking in different modes, the user receives different effects. In such microwaves you can cook meat, vegetable dishes or bake dough.

Advantages and disadvantages of microwave ovens with grill function

Pros of microwave ovens with grill:

1. The ability to prepare delicious and varied dishes with an appetizing fried crust on the surface;
2. In addition, the grill does not interfere with the device’s ability to perform other standard functions of microwave ovens;
3. Many models are sold complete with a convenient metal stand to place food closer to the grill;
4. Such devices produce delicious pizza.

Microwaves with grill function are used to prepare many different dishes. However, in addition to their positive qualities, they have several disadvantages:

1. First of all, it is worth noting that such devices are more expensive than simple microwaves;
2. Some models do not have convection heating like combi ovens.

Types of grills in microwave ovens

Currently, there are three types of grills, the functioning of which is determined by the use of different sources of thermal energy.

Tenovy

Everything here is quite clear and trivial: a heating element, or thread (spiral) enclosed in a metal shell, is used as a heating element. If there is a grill function, then the heating element is usually placed in the upper part of the chamber. But recently, stoves have appeared on sale in which the heating element can change its position.

If your plans include purchasing a microwave with a grill, we recommend that you pay attention to models with a movable spiral.

How does a grill with a moving heating element differ from stationary varieties:

• cooking time is noticeably shorter;
• the degree and uniformity of roasting is higher.

However, both varieties are characterized by high reliability, speed of operation, and ease of use. As a rule, they are quite easy to clean, which will be appreciated by housewives who use the grill frequently.

An example of a microwave with a heating element grill is the Candy CMXG 20 D model with a 20-liter chamber volume and a power of 700 W (when using a grill, the power increases to 1000 W).

Quartz

Here, the heating element is a quartz lamp, which is usually placed on the ceiling of the microwave oven chamber. The source of thermal energy of such a lamp is powerful infrared radiation. To protect against accidental contact with a hot surface, quartz lamps are placed above the safety grille.

The main advantage of a quartz grill is low energy consumption with a fairly high output power. In addition, the grill is built into the upper part of the microwave oven, that is, its presence did not lead to a decrease in the volume of the main chamber. Finally, heating here occurs almost instantly. True, such a grill is unable to ensure uniform frying of food, so for large dishes you may have to turn them over several times.

If grease gets on the heating element itself, there will be no way to get to it. At first the smell will not be pleasant, but soon enough the remaining fat will simply burn off without any unpleasant consequences.

A good model with a quartz grill is the Dauken XO800. In addition to the grill function, there is also convection, which allows you to use the microwave as an alternative to the oven. The power of the model in normal mode is limited to 900 watts; when the grill is running in the microwave, it increases to 1000 W, which significantly speeds up cooking, especially when using combined modes.

Ceramic

The advantage of a ceramic heating element is that it provides a temperature regime similar to that obtained from the heat in a barbecue. Typically, this type of microwave oven uses two ceramic heating elements, which allows infrared rays to penetrate deeper into the food being cooked, ensuring excellent even cooking. At the same time, the meat, fish or vegetables inside remain juicy.

The main disadvantage of ceramic-type grills is increased energy consumption, and if you intend to use this function often, this factor must be taken into account first.

A successful, fairly inexpensive oven model with such a grill is the BBK 20MWG-742T (up to 4,000 rubles).

Options for using the grill function in the microwave

Grilling is a cooking option in which the main method of heat treatment is the heat emanating from a heating element, be it coals, a frying pan grate or a microwave heating element.

What is the advantage of this method of cooking? First of all, it is possible to minimize the use of fats, since there is no direct contact between the food being prepared and the heating element. As a result, a golden brown crust forms on the products. It turns out more uniform and whole, which almost never happens when frying in a frying pan.

The taste of the finished dish cooked on the grill of a microwave oven is almost the same as when cooked over an open fire. The only thing you won't get is the characteristic smoke smell. To be fair, we note that not everyone likes it, so this drawback can be classified as dubious.

How to properly use a microwave grill

In principle, operating a microwave oven with a grill function is no different from the rules for using a conventional device - load food on a plate, select a mode, and set the desired time.

Such a popular dish as grilled chicken takes about half an hour to prepare. In order not to be unfounded, we will give a specific example with a step-by-step description of the algorithm on how to cook grilled chicken in a microwave equipped with this function:

• wash the meat and dry it. If necessary, cut into portions;

• salt/pepper, rub with your favorite spices;
• place the chicken on the grill, do not forget to install a tray to collect fat;
• fry with the timer set for 15 minutes, turn over, send back to the chamber and fry for the same amount;
• We determine the readiness of the product in the standard way: we pierce the meat and see what color the flowing juice will be: if it’s clear, then the dish is ready, if it’s reddish, you need to fry it some more.

If you are cooking a whole chicken carcass, use the convection mode if it is present in your model. It will speed up the cooking process, ensuring more even cooking of the carcass.

Some effective tips on how to properly use a microwave grill:

• The first and most important rule is no metal utensils. A fork forgotten in a plate can cause oven failure. Dishes coated with metal are also taboo;

• if you want the dish to be cooked equally on all sides, try not to clutter the chamber too much with food; there should be enough free space inside it;
• when using a grill, a grate is required - it will ensure even cooking of the food; it is usually included in the delivery of models with a built-in grill;

• the same can be said about the grease collection tray - it is installed directly under the grate and protects the bottom of the oven from contamination;

• convection mode needed
• turn on if you bake fish, chicken or meat, it will help form an appetizing golden brown crust;

• if you fry bread, it is better to use a non-metallic substrate;
• When grilling vegetables in the microwave, it is advisable to cut them into small pieces;
• To get a crust on chicken or fish, it is advisable to dry them thoroughly with paper towels to get rid of moisture on the skin;

• if you cook sauces in the microwave, try to keep the container in which the liquid is placed about half full - this will protect the walls of the chamber from splashes when the dish boils;
• If you want to use the microwave grill to prepare a new dish, it is not recommended to leave the kitchen for a long time - you may have to make adjustments to the operating mode of the device.

Using these simple recommendations, you will simplify the preparation of delicious dishes that would be impossible to prepare without using the grill.

Why do you need a grill in the microwave?

The microwave grill is a wire made from an alloy of nickel and chromium. It is twisted into a tight spiral and located in a glass tube.

The main purpose of this function in a microwave oven is to bake food until crispy. In addition, the presence of a grill in the device allows it to perform the following tasks:

1. Microwaves allow you not only to heat up ready-made meat dishes, but also to cook meat from scratch;
2. In addition to meat, you can bake vegetables here;
3. The grill function makes it convenient to make baked goods or crispy sandwiches;
4. The grill is perfect for quickly preparing delicious dishes in a hurry;
5. Experts say that food cooked in a microwave oven retains more vitamins and nutrients.

Recommendations for selection

If you are interested in the capabilities of microwave ovens equipped with a grill, do not rush to go to the nearest supermarket. Models with a grill are not a problem to find today, but it is hardly worth buying the first microwave you come across.

First, try to familiarize yourself with the latest ratings; all the advantages and disadvantages of specific samples are usually described there, plus it is possible to classify them according to key parameters (by cost - most often).

Features to look out for:

• manufacturer (well-known brands are expensive, noname brands are cheap but unreliable);
• cost (if you are squeezed within a certain budget);
• presence of bioceramic coating (ease of cleaning);
• microwave functionality.

If you are used to using a microwave oven primarily to heat up dishes cooked on the stove or in the oven, we don’t see much point in overpaying for a grill. Still, habits are acquired, and the presence of an additional function that seems superfluous to you today can be very useful in the future, and not so distant.