Microwave ovens up to 17 liters
The seventeen-liter warm-up device has a smaller volume compared to standard units. This makes the device much more compact, but does not allow you to heat up a large amount of food at the same time, or cook special dishes in it. This type of microwave oven is suitable for installation in a small kitchen, in a car or for long-distance travel.
Device and types of microwave ovens up to 17 liters
The main advantage of seventeen-liter units over more capacious devices is their compactness. Based on this, it can be argued that consumers choose stoves up to seventeen liters in order to save space.
The most compact of them is a mini-microwave. They are developed specifically, as a more convenient option for a standard microwave oven. The volume of such units can be seventeen liters or less.
The case is specially designed to take up a minimum of space. In mini-ovens, sometimes a rotating plate is not provided, which does not reduce the heating efficiency if the magnetron is located below, and not on the side.
By type of microwave control can be divided into:
- Mechanical;
- push-button;
- Touch;
mechanical devices controlled by rotary switches. As a rule, there are two switches on the control panel: the first sets the heating time, and the second sets the power. This is the most common, least functional type of microwave oven.
Button control option present on more functional microwaves. Such units, as a rule, have several modes of operation.
The most common modes are as follows:
- defrosting;
- heating food;
- heating drinks;
- clock setting;
- automatic cooking
In such devices, it is easier to control the heating process and this allows you to even cook dishes without using anything other than the oven.
Touch type control does not differ from the button. The only difference is that the buttons on the control panel are touch sensitive. This prevents many breakdowns associated with the control panel. Touch microwaves break more often, but are more expensive than push-button and mechanical ones.
You can also divide microwave ovens according to the internal coating. This is an important factor when choosing a furnace, since each coating contains its own advantages and disadvantages over others.
Coatings can be made from the following materials:
- Enamel;
- Ceramics;
- Stainless steel.
Enamelled finish very common, because it costs a small price. Enamel is a smooth material that is suitable for inexpensive microwave ovens. But the enamel coating is easily damaged, so it requires constant care and regular cleaning.
Microwave ovens with ceramic coating expensive, but the price is due to the increased quality. Ceramics are no less smooth than enamel, but have a lower thermal conductivity. Thanks to this, the product heats up much faster and with less energy consumption.
Stainless steel coating not suitable for all microwaves. As a rule, such a coating is used for convection mode, since stainless steel tolerates temperatures much easier than enamel or ceramic.
If you’re looking for a non-convection food warmer, it doesn’t make sense to choose stainless steel as your desired finish.
Functions
According to their functionality, microwave ovens can be divided into four types:
- Solo oven;
- microwave with grill;
- Microwave with air convection;
- Inverter microwave.
solo oven
This is the most standard version of the microwave – without the grill. Units with a volume of up to seventeen liters belong to this type. In terms of their functionality, they may differ from each other, but such a device does not carry any built-in add-ons.
microwave with grill
This is a solo oven with a built-in grill. In such a unit, you can not only heat up dishes or defrost food, but also cook the simplest culinary masterpieces. Many people use the built-in grill to cook pizza.
with convection
If the microwave provides the function of air convection, then the culinary possibilities expand. The fan built into the working chamber evenly distributes air, which allows not only to create the simplest dishes, but even to cook pastries, stew meat or vegetables.
inverter
Inverters are distinguished by a regulator, which makes it possible to change the heating power during cooking. This function contributes to the preservation of all useful vitamins in the products, and heating the product evenly.
In addition, microwave ovens can have special equipment that expands the possibilities for cooking or gives additional convenience.
Such equipment includes:
- Multi-level grill designed for heating or cooking several dishes at once;
- Rotating plate;
- Frying disc that can be heated and used as a frying pan;
- Rotisserie and grate, to expand the capabilities of the built-in grill;
- Steam disc for vegetable or meat parks in the microwave;
- Timer that gives a signal at the end of work;
- Control panel lock – this function is interesting for people who have small children.
Pros and cons of microwaves up to 17 liters
As for the control panel, a unit with a mechanical way to adjust time and power will be reliable. But, if you want a functional device that is programmed and configured for completely different dishes, then it is better to choose a microwave with a push-button or touch control method.
What coating of the working chamber is more practical? For reasons of economy, then the best option is an inexpensive enamel coatingwhich, due to its smoothness, is easily cleaned of food and fat residues, but over time these qualities deteriorate, the enamel is extremely short-lived, high temperatures damage the strength of the chamber.
Ceramic outperforms enameled coating in smoothness, strength and energy saving. Ceramic coating is resistant to scratches and mechanical stress, as a rule, expensive compared to enameled ones, but are considered to be of high quality.
Stainless steel is used in microwave ovens with air convection, as it implies increased strength and resistance to temperatures. If the microwave provides the function of air convection, then a stainless steel coating becomes a necessity.
As for functionality and additional equipment, it depends on what requirements are put forward to the microwave oven.
How to use
Careless use of electrical appliances leads to tragic consequences. Therefore, for safe operation, you need to remember a few rules and adhere to them.
- During operation, the walls of the microwave can get very hot. Therefore, you should avoid touching them.
- Remove the dishes from the working chamber using gloves.
- Do not turn on the microwave, with an empty working chamber.
- Do not reheat food in disposable utensils – unless they are intended for this. Under the influence of temperatures, the plastic melts.
- Do not heat eggs and hermetically sealed dishes – to heat eggs and products with a peel, you need to pierce them so that there is no pressure inside, they explode easily.
- Do not dry laundry in the microwave.
- If the food contains a mixture of fat and water, then after heating it is necessary to wait a minute before removing the contents from the cooking chamber.
- If a fire breaks out in the chamber during operation, unplug the appliance from the mains before opening the door and removing the contents.
- Keep the microwave oven out of the reach of children unless the appliance has a control panel lock feature.
- Do not use metal utensils.
Faults
From time to time, electronics break down, but many malfunctions can be easily solved on their own. It is worth considering a few common microwave faults in order to know how to counter them.
Sometimes the light bulb in the microwave oven stops shining, which illuminates the working chamber.
Almost always, the cause of the malfunction lies in the light bulb. The light bulb needs to be replaced. If this does not help, then the reason is in the backlight elements or the timer.
The microwave does not turn on.
This may be due to a damaged power cable, a blown fuse, or a blown thermal fuse in the power supply transformer.
The microwave does not respond to turning the switch or pressing the buttons.
The reason is the failure of the control panel. In this case, you will have to contact the master.
The unit continues to work, but does not heat food or heats poorly.
The reason may be low voltage in the network. If the voltage is normal, then the capacitor is probably faulty, the high-voltage fuse (usually protected by a plastic sheath), which will have to be replaced. If you are not experienced in working with electrical appliances, do not do it yourself.
The microwave may crackle and spark during operation.
Grease got behind the mica pad. In this case, it is necessary to replace the mica plate if there are signs of burning on it.
The platter stopped spinning.
If your microwave oven is equipped with a turntable, the motor may be damaged, causing the turntable to stop rotating. In this case, the engine will have to be changed.
The high voltage fuse blows when opening/closing the door.
If the high-voltage fuse blows when the cooking chamber door is opened, the microswitches need to be cleaned, or if the oven has been disassembled, the door may have been installed skewed, as a result of which the microswitches do not operate synchronously when closing. If cleaning or leveling the door does not help, the microswitches will have to be replaced with new ones.
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