Need a microwave with low minimum cook time

[hmunster123]

I have to buy a new microwave, I do a lot of the cooking at our house, so here is my question. I want a microwave with a minimum cook time of ten seconds. The ones we have at work all have a minimum of one minute. The older ones I remember had a minimum of one second, that would be ok also. I have tried researching to answer this question but have come up with no answers. If anyone has a brand or model that they can recommend, I would appreciate it. I'm looking for one that's not more than $100-150. Thanks.

 

[bill001g]

That is strange all the ones I have had in say the last 15 years all could put in 1 second. Not that it really works seem the microwave takes a bit of time to actually come to full power so 3 or 4 seconds seems to be the minimum that actually does something.

If you are going to buy a new microwave I would look for the ones that say they have "inverter" technology. These have the ability to actually adjust the output power. So to get 50% power instead of running at full power for say 10 seconds and the off for 10 seconds they actually run at 50% of the energy 100% of the time. Now this is partially a lie if you try to use it at say 20% power it still cycles on and off but at less than 100% power on and off.

I really liked my inverter microwave but unfortunately there are not models available with the feature that you can mount above a stove, only countertop models.

 

[hmunster123]

Thanks, will check it out.

 

[Exploding PSU]

I have to buy a new microwave, I do a lot of the cooking at our house, so here is my question. I want a microwave with a minimum cook time of ten seconds. The ones we have at work all have a minimum of one minute. The older ones I remember had a minimum of one second, that would be ok also. I have tried researching to answer this question but have come up with no answers. If anyone has a brand or model that they can recommend, I would appreciate it. I'm looking for one that's not more than $100-150. Thanks.

I have an LG microwave that I've been using for some time. Can't remember the exact model because it's like alphanumeric soup, it looks like this but it has a knob on it to adjust the timer and modes. The minimum cook time is 10 seconds, or you can just start and stop it manually for a truly custom time. Can be set to a max power of 1000 watts.

I got it for about 220AUD, which in USD terms is about 130-ish, I guess? So it's still under $150...

Pros :
- Plenty of modes (that I never use really, but anything from warming, cooking, defrosting, popcorn, etc)
- Adjustable timer from 10 seconds to 90 minutes
- Kind of simple to use for the basic stuff
- Child lock, I don't use it but it's possible to depress the knob so it can't be used
- Subjective, but looks rather good
- "Super inverter" technology
- 10 years warranty

Cons :
- It has many specialised modes, yes, but they're kind of difficult to use, requiring many button presses to launch, or maybe it's just me... So I usually resort to just turn it on, wait, and add more cooking time as necessary instead of using the pre-programmed stuff. Tried it once to cook a fish and my plate melted, so not again.

- The buttons are fully touch sensitive, so it's easy to press by mistake. Here's a funny thing. One time a gecko crawling on the buttons fired it up in the middle of the night. I live alone, so I was worried that someone might have broken in and decided to use the microwave (it was midnight, I wasn't fully awake then). I didn't discover what happened until a few days later the gecko did the same thing. I suggeset covering the microwave with something when it's not in use.

- The door can be a bit hard to open sometimes, and it's a bit noisy

- No "clock" feature (the LCD can't show the time), I've seen one in a hospital with this feature. Not important in the slightest bit, but something to note.

I'm not paid / sponsored / whatever by LG, just a user of their products..

 

[dwd999]

I've been using GE microwaves for decades. They all have a feature where you manually enter the precise amount of time in seconds that you want the microwave to run. In the example linked below, they label the button Cook Time which you would press and then enter number of seconds you want it to cook. You then press the Start button and on it goes. Some models label the button Micro Cook but they all work the same way where you press that button first and then use the numeric pad to enter the number of seconds. If in doubt you can read a model's manual (page 9):

https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-0-9-Cu-Ft-Capacity-Countertop-Microwave-Oven-GCST09N1WWW

https://products-salsify.geapplianc.../56937eb78ecb1b548351e173f68ff7efc9b07280.pdf

 

[USAFRet]

My Frigidaire will do 1 sec timing.
https://support.frigidaire.com/Owner-Center/Product-Support/LFMV1846VF

Discontinued, and prob not in your price range, but...