In the market for an all-in-one kitchen helper and get confused between microwaves and convection ovens?
A microwave is a multi-purpose cooking appliance for homes and offices, while a convection oven is also a versatile kitchen helper. But microwaves vs. convection ovens, which one is better?
Before you decide which one is right for you, you need to learn how both appliances work and how you can benefit from them.
Let’s dive in to find out the difference between microwaves and convection ovens, and find out which is the winner!
Jump to:
1. Overview of Microwaves
2. Overview of Convection Oven
3. Microwave vs. Convection Oven, Which Will Win?
4. Comparison Cheat Sheet
5. Conclusion
How Does Microwave work?
Simply put, a microwave oven, commonly known as a microwave, passes radio waves through the food item in the microwave frequency range to cause water molecules.
The whole process will generate a considerable amount of energy, then the energy will be directly converted to heat. Thus the food items in the microwave oven can be heated up.
Many microwave ovens in the market today feature preset menus, which allows you to heat or cook popular food like pizza, popcorn, dinner plate with one press of the button – no guesswork needed!
Users would appreciate how easy it is to heat up leftovers and beverages with a microwave, and enjoy the great convenience it brings to day-to-day meal preps.
However, if you’re looking for an appliance that can handle browning and crisping, a regular home-use microwave won’t necessarily be your best pick, it doesn’t perform as efficiently as a convection oven in these areas.
How Does Convection Oven Work?
A convection oven is basically an oven with a fan inside, using the fan to circulate hot air around the food.
When cooking with a convection oven, the temperature inside is steady, and the hot air is blown onto food items instead of just surrounding them, so the food will be cooked quickly and evenly.
You will love a convection oven for it can help you easily bake or roast food items faster, and that it allows you to cook more than one food item at the same time.
However, convection ovens usually require more effort and time to clean up after utility. Also, if your main cooking need lies in reheating, it might not be as convenient as a microwave oven.
Microwave vs. Convection Oven – Which Is Better?
When choosing appliances for home kitchens, space is a primary concern for many of us. That’s why sometimes we need to go for one appliance over another.
And many are weighing between a microwave and a convection oven as an all-in-one cooking helper.
I personally have both of these appliances, and I will present to you the pros, cons, and the main differences between microwaves and convection ovens, so you can decide which will work better for you.
Microwave vs. Oven: Cooking Time
Cooking speed is one of the vital considerations when choosing kitchen appliances. The cooking time of a microwave or a convection oven depends on its power output.
But generally speaking, microwave ovens are way faster than any other type of ovens when it comes to reheating. You can expect to reheat a slice of pizza or heat up beverages within a minute.
Nevertheless, when it comes to cooking raw food from scratch, convection ovens are more efficient. The fan of convection ovens can blow heated air directly onto food items, which will shorten the cooking process.
Microwave vs. Oven: Energy Use
For sure, we always prefer appliances that are energy-efficient, so they won’t cost a lot in electricity bills and save us a bunch in the long run. Microwave oven versus convection ovens, which one is more energy-efficient?
Average microwave ovens use a power output between 600 and 1100 Watts, while home-use electronic convection ovens usually go from 1100 Watts to 1800 Watts.
Also, the energy generated by water molecules can directly be absorbed by the food, while convection ovens heat up food by consistently applying hot air onto food items.
Therefore, on the whole, the microwave oven is a more efficient appliance than a convection oven.
Microwave vs. Oven: Cleaning & Maintenance
Big chances are that we’re going to use the microwave or convection oven on a daily basis, so whether or not it’s easy to clean up really matters.
And microwave ovens are definitely the winner in the round. Having a simpler and clearer structure, a few wipes are all you need to clean it up.
However, with all the layers and grids in a convection oven, it definitely takes more time and effort to clean and maintain.
Microwave vs. Oven: Best Uses
We all can agree that these two appliances are mainly designed for different purposes, but still share some cooking capabilities.
Knowing the best uses for microwaves and convection ovens is a must before you place an order.
Microwave ovens today are mainly used for reheating and defrosting food. With sensor cooking/reheating or preset menus, microwaves let you effortlessly prepare popular food items like pizza, potatoes, popcorn, and more.
Convection ovens, on the other hand, are commonly used for baking, browning, crisping and roasting. These are the cooking effects that are difficult, even impossible, to achieve with regular home-use microwave ovens.
Microwaves vs. Convection Ovens: Comparison Chart
| Microwave | Convection Oven | |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking Time | Convenient & fast to reheat, but takes longer to cook | Faster to cook |
| Energy Usage | More energy-efficient | Consumes more energy to run |
| Cleanup | Easier to clean | Requires extra care |
| Best Uses | Reheating and defrosting | Baking, crisping, browning and roasting |
Conclusion
Like I mentioned earlier, microwave ovens and convection ovens are designed to satisfy different cooking requirements.
Therefore, there won’t be an absolute winner between them. You can choose the solution that works for you, based on the comparison of cooking time, energy use, maintenance, and best uses.
By now, I believe you have come to the conclusion that whether a microwave or a convection oven is suitable for you and your family.
If you don’t want to leave out any benefits of microwaves and convection ovens, and still need to save spaces in the kitchen, consider a convection microwave!
Though a convection microwave usually comes with a fairly high price tag, it combines a microwave and a convection oven into one, and lets you enjoy the benefits of both appliances.