How we pick our products
Welcome to our big mini microwave test 2023. Here we present all the mini microwaves we have tested in detail. We have compiled detailed background information and added a summary of customer reviews on the Internet.
We would like to make your purchase decision easier and help you find the best mini microwave for you.
You will also find answers to frequently asked questions in our guide. If available, we also offer interesting test videos. Furthermore, you will also find some important information on this page that you should definitely pay attention to if you want to buy a mini microwave.
Summary
- Mini microwaves are small, but they offer you many advantages.
- You can easily take mini microwaves with you on a trip or holiday because they are light and space-saving. What’s more, many mini microwaves come with a battery or rechargeable battery.
- Even though they are small, they offer a variety of programmes and are available in different sizes and with different capacities.
The Best Mini Microwave: Our Picks
Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying a mini microwave oven
What is a mini microwave?
You can save a lot of space by buying a mini microwave. Moreover, mini microwaves are also suitable for travelling because they weigh less and are small. So they are easy to stow away in your luggage.
At the same time, a mini microwave gives you all the advantages of a normal microwave – you can not only heat up food in it, but also prepare lots of tasty treats.
In general, every household should have a microwave oven, it is simply a standard feature nowadays as it offers many advantages.
What is the difference between a mini microwave and a mini oven?
So, for example, you can cook chicken in a mini microwave, but you can’t cook it so that the skin gets crispy and brown – that’s more suitable for a mini oven.
Also, for some recipes you need top/bottom heat, which you can only set in an oven. Furthermore, some dishes, such as homemade pizza, need to be prepared on a tray.
How much does a mini microwave cost?
However, prices can vary greatly depending on the brand or the number of functions your microwave offers.
Of course, the performance of your microwave and the features also play a major role in the price.
According to our research, the cheapest mini microwaves are available for around €50. Mini microwaves in the “high price segment” are around €250.
Here is an overview of the costs of different types of mini microwaves:
| type | cost |
|---|---|
| Mini microwave with oven or convection | €60-250 |
| Undercounter mini microwave | €60-100 |
| Mini microwave with grill function | €55-230 |
| Mini microwave with steamer | €65-240 |
| Mini microwave with battery or rechargeable battery | €50-130 |
What are the alternatives to a mini microwave?
In general, you should think about which dishes you want to prepare regularly and then choose the right kitchen appliance.
If you often want to prepare larger portions, a normal microwave is a good choice. This is because normal microwaves offer you more space, for example to place larger plates inside.
In addition to mini microwaves, there are also mini ovens. You can bake or cook food in these. Mini ovens are particularly suitable for meat dishes where you want to achieve a crust or crispy skin.
For heating or defrosting food, you can also use a cooker – to do this, you have to put the food in a pot and heat it slowly.
When defrosting, it is advisable to take frozen food out of the freezer and put it in the fridge some time before preparing it.
However, this method requires a lot of rinsing. You have less rinsing effort if you, for example, put ready-made meals into a pot with water and heat this water on the cooker. However, this is only possible with dishes that are packed in plastic.
Another possibility is to heat or prepare food in a steamer. In the steamer, the food is heated very gently, which means that vitamins are more likely to be retained.
Decision: What types of mini microwave are there and which is the right one for you?
Basically, a distinction can be made between five different types:
- Small microwave with oven or convection oven
- Undercounter mini microwave
- Small microwave with grill function
- Mini microwave with steamer
- Mini microwave with battery or rechargeable battery
We will explain the advantages and disadvantages of each in the following paragraphs to make your decision easier.
What distinguishes a small microwave with oven or convection oven and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Here you have two appliances in one: oven and microwave. This saves you space and money, as you only have to buy one appliance.
However, you can also use a mini microwave with oven as a second appliance, i.e. when the oven is occupied, you have another appliance that you can use.
With these mini microwaves, you can prepare dishes with convection or hot air. Because mini microwaves are very small, they do not need to be preheated like ovens. Mini microwaves with convection are therefore very good for quick cooking.
However, the combination of several functions also means that your appliance has many more buttons and settings. This makes it a little more complicated to operate.
In addition, this oven function usually makes mini microwaves a little more expensive than normal appliances.
What are the features of an undercounter mini microwave and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
You can integrate an undercounter mini microwave into your kitchen unit. To do this, the microwave is not permanently installed in a cupboard, but suspended.
This means that your mini microwave is integrated into your kitchen and does not take up any space on the kitchen shelf. Undercounter mini microwaves are therefore particularly suitable for small kitchens
This is in contrast to the so-called free-standing microwaves, which you place on a shelf in your kitchen. This means that undercounter microwaves are not really suitable for moving around or taking with you.
What are the features of a small microwave with grill function and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
These mini microwaves can also grill – i.e. you can fry a chicken to a nice crisp.
With these microwaves you can grill even when the weather outside is bad. Thanks to the grill function, you can also grill your sausages or steak indoors.
However, this function makes mini microwaves a little more expensive than normal appliances. In addition, a microwave cannot produce the smoky taste of a real grill
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a mini microwave with steam cooker?
The steam cooking method allows you to prepare vegetables, in particular, in such a way that the vitamins are retained as much as possible. At the same time, steam cooking allows you to heat up or prepare dishes very quickly.
However, this additional function makes preparation a little more time-consuming and the appliances with this function are more expensive.
What are the features of a mini microwave with a battery or rechargeable battery and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Mini microwaves that are equipped with a battery or rechargeable battery can also be used without a plugged-in cable, which is why they are often called “portable” mini microwaves.
This means you can take these mini microwaves with you on a trip, anywhere, anytime. They are usually even smaller, there are even some in the size of a bottle.
Since these microwaves are therefore usually even smaller, they are also usually a little cheaper. However, with these microwaves you have to recharge the battery or buy more batteries.
Buying criteria: You can use these factors to compare and evaluate mini microwaves
In the following, we will show you which aspects you can use to decide between the many possible small microwaves.
The criteria you can use to compare mini microwaves include:
- Power
- Capacity
- Dimensions
- Number of programmes
In the following paragraphs, we will explain what is important in each of the criteria.
Power
The power of mini microwaves is expressed in watts. In most cases, you can set a certain number of watts for microwaves, depending on the dish you want to prepare.
The higher the wattage, the faster the food will heat up or cook in the microwave. However, more is not necessarily better; if you heat food too quickly and with too much power, it may no longer be edible.
If you want to cook a lot of different dishes in your mini microwave, you should choose a device that allows you to increase the wattage in small steps. This way you can adjust the power exactly to your dish.
For example, when preparing vegetables, it is advisable to choose a low wattage and to prepare the vegetables slowly and preserve the vitamins.
Capacity
Mini microwaves are all very small and space-saving. That is why they have rather little capacity.
The capacity is usually between 13 and 20 litres. Mini microwaves with ovens sometimes even have 35 litres. The smallest mini microwave has a capacity of about 1 litre.
The larger the microwave, the greater the power consumption. Because if the interior is larger, it needs more power to heat it up.
Dimensions
Another important criterion when buying a mini microwave is the dimensions. If you are planning to buy a microwave, you should first think about where you want to place it and measure the space.
Here is an overview of the most common dimensions of mini microwaves:
| Depth | width | height |
|---|---|---|
| 27-40 cm | 34-40 cm | 30-40 cm |
In addition to the dimensions of the appliance, the size of the turntable should also be taken into account. If you want to put a plate in the microwave, it should be about the same diameter or smaller.
Turntables in mini microwaves usually have a diameter of around 24 -33 cm. If you like to prepare pizza in your microwave, you should note that it usually has a diameter of 28 cm.
Number of programmes
The rule for mini microwaves is – small but mighty! Even though they are mini microwaves, many models offer a large number of programmes and settings.
The number of programmes is an important purchase criterion, as it determines how many different dishes you can prepare in your microwave.
Most mini microwaves offer you about 5 to 10 different programmes. For example, you can choose between a programme for defrosting food from the freezer or one for grilling sausages.
Many mini microwaves also have a timer with which you can pre-programme at what time your microwave should start which programme.
Before you buy, find out exactly what different microwaves offer you in terms of preparation methods.
Facts worth knowing about mini microwaves
Can I put a mini oven on top of my mini microwave?
It is not advisable to place an oven or any other appliance that gets hot on top of your mini microwave.
This is because when you turn on the oven and bake something in it, the oven gets hot. This heat is transferred to the surrounding area, so your mini microwave heats up too. This could damage it.
The opposite can be said for an oven and a microwave that you install one above the other. This has the advantage that you can install a warming drawer between the oven and the microwave.
It is also an advantage to have both appliances in one place, because if you prepare several dishes at the same time, for example, you don’t have a long way to go between the two appliances.
What recipes can I prepare in the mini microwave?
You can prepare the following recipes in a mini microwave:
- Mini cream puff
- Mini Pizza
- Mini cake
- Mini pumpkin
- Mini dumplings
- Mini Gugelhupf
- Mini Babybel
Image source: unsplash.com / Lewis J.
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