Microwave ovens have long been favourites since their introduction for people who need food heating or cooking in a hurry. There are even entire meals now that can be cooked in the microwave for quick meals. There are now many different types of microwave oven with many different settings, some even able to cook meals like a cooker does.

Microwaves tend to come in two varieties, there is the table top microwave which is most common as they can be easily moved to make room for other appliances and don't need any special fitting process. There are also in-built microwave ovens that are built into the wall or a cupboard in the kitchen. Having the microwave built into a cupboard clears up some counter work space but also keeps the microwave oven out of sight too.

There are a wide range of microwave ovens all of which will typically do a variety of different features. Cheaper microwaves will simply cook food using microwaves normally with a variable wattage to change the intensity of the heat. Other more expensive microwave ovens have more features and different heat settings to cook a wider range of foods in the oven.

Larger electric microwaves tend to be able to cook much more food at higher temperatures, leading to quicker cooking times. Many larger models will have auto-cook features where typical meals or foods like meats can be placed in the microwave oven and with the press of one button the machine is able to cook the food perfectly.

The common complaint about microwave ovens is that they cook foods in a greasy or sweaty way. Some microwave ovens will have what is called a "browning element" which works similar to a traditional grill where the browning element will add colour and a crust to the tops of your food.

If you are cooking meats you may find that you have to rotate or mix up the food part way through cooking. Some microwave ovens will have rotisserie functions making them perfect for whole chickens and other larger meats.

When choosing a microwave oven you need to consider what kind of cooking and how frequently you will need to use one. If it's just to warm up leftovers or make a bag of popcorn every now and then all you'll need is one of the compact microwave ovens. If you're going to be using it a lot especially for thawing out frozen foods then a larger model or one with advanced cooking features may be the best bet.