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Microwave - basic or combination?

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Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Binky » Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:04 pm

We have a basic Panasonic which we are looking to replace.

I have never used a combination oven before and wondered if posters here had any experience or opinions.

I want to know if they are as versatile as claimed, if they get hot to the touch and have to be sited somewhere safe, or if people find they still use the existing oven and the combination element isn't worth paying for.

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:38 pm

I have had a Prestige combo for ages, see link.It doesn’t get too hot outside. I got it because I had vouchers, and it has really good controls that I can feel, not one of those faintly printed plastic sheets

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/949402/Eroline-Prestige-Cs25u.html#manual

I recently found the manual and started to make better use of it because I caught myself switching on the main oven to cook a single large fish cake :roll:

The combi is very good for things like that - you choose the temperature (just heat, no micro), and press start, and it bleeps when it has heated up, surprisingly soon. Then you pop in the food and set the time and extract your meal when done. So I’m using it quite a lot for such things.

The actual combination function is almost worth it for baked potatoes, ordinary and sweet. Not quite as good as conventionally baked but much better than just microwaved. I think it might be the best way of cooking sweet potatoes, requires about half the cooking of spuds. That’s the only pre-set I use, but in fact I also use combination for thawing and
reheating a lot of foods, including slow-baked spuds.

The microwave part works fine, the “grill” is a waste of time IMO, it achieves nothing but a smell of scorching. It certainly doesn’t grill very effectively.

Like anything else, you have to get the hang of it, took me a while but I’d replace it with another

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Sakkarin » Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:35 pm

I confess I have a combi microwave, but have only ever used it as a microwave. I have no idea how to use it as a combi, and to be honest the idea of having direct grill heat in it scares me...

It was only a cheapish one, so it may not be quite the same as a top end combi.

Any suggestions for a newbies combi dish to try to get the hang of it?

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby cherrytree » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:20 pm

We have a very basic very old Panasonic. When I try and decipher all the controls, suggestions etc on my daughter’s supposedly simple one, I look adoringly at ours and hope it carries on for ever.

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Renee » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:25 pm

I used to have a combi, but mostly used the microwave and also the grill. At the time, I had an old oven, so thought it would come in useful if anything happened to the oven. I did eventually get a new oven, my combi packed in and I just have a microwave now. I do like my halogen oven which is great for grilling because I can see what is happening and my grill failed on my oven, because I knocked it!

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:40 pm

It seems that apart from the baked potatoes we all seem to use them as a small oven or grill and a microwave separately?

I think the problem with using combination cooking is that there are few recipes around, and it’s quite hard to guess timing There are very few recipes out there

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Pampy » Thu Jul 11, 2019 7:56 pm

Before I updated my kitchen, I had a Panasonic combi microwave and loved it. I invariably just cook for myself and I found it cheaper to use the convection oven setting than using my big oven. When I upgraded, one of the ovens I installed was a combi too (Neff) although it's bigger than the Panasonic so the saving is probably less. I gave my sister the Panasonic and she's still using it.

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Gillthepainter » Fri Jul 12, 2019 7:51 am

Oh, definitely get the combination.
Make sure you get one that can take a casserole pot - and a lasagne dish.

I can cook a batch of chilli in half the time for example.

And a timer, that goes to at least 90mins.

I use mine every day as an oven or combination oven.
I'll be making a little portion of jam this morning with some strawberries in the fridge.

We only put the large oven on if we make a roast dinner, or need to grill something.


Mine's a delonghi.

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Wic » Fri Jul 12, 2019 9:01 am

Yes, definitely a combination, and one with a convection oven. My MiL got one that didn’t have the convection bit and it was never very successful.

Our first was a Panasonic Genius, which was v aptly named, I used it every day. Then another Panasonic which wasn’t a genius and now we have a Sharp. It’s ten years old and still going strong. I only ever use the oven for big roasts, everything else goes in the Sharp.

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Gillthepainter » Fri Jul 12, 2019 10:19 am

Snap! Wic.
My first combi was a Samsung. But it had it's flaws, in that when the light stopped, you needed a service to get to the bulb (in the sealed back).

In case you don't know what microwaved strawbs look like, after 6mins
Nothing special, no added extras, but it will go into my yoghurt-y breakfast, or a smoothie:

Image

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby jeral » Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:48 pm

I had one with an integral grill ages ago but found it annoying, mainly because if grilling you have to open the door to check progress or turn food, but as the heat cuts out when the door opens it took forever and tried my patience. Also the inside seemed to get covered with spatters every time so I spent longer cleaning it than using it.

If you know anyone who has a combi, maybe they'd do a demo or even let you try it, just to see if you're likely to get on with one. There might be Youtube review demos if you search for your proposed model number.

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Binky » Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:22 pm

I'm considering the Which? Best Buy which a Panasonic model.

The thing which is stopping me is that there doesn't appear to be a reliable cook book, so doing recipes will be a bit of a gamble.

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Wic » Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:38 pm

The cookbooks that come with the ovens these days all seem to be a bit makeshift, but a bit of experimentation helps. You can cook anything you fancy and as long as you know how the processes work you should be OK.

For example, mine has a Quick Cook feature which uses convection or grill with microwaves, and I’ve worked out that using that with 25% microwave power cuts cooking time in half for things like pasta bakes etc. It also has useful stuff like a Baked Potato programme which does v good baked potatoes - two big ones - in about 25minutes.

You just need to try things out and trust to luck!

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Gillthepainter » Sat Jul 13, 2019 7:58 am

Mine comes with a 3 rather good leaflets.
2 are for recipes for:
- microwave such as sponges (I do find sponges look like they are cooked, but taste of the raw ingredients) jams, spaghetti, white sauce, soups, fish pie.
Jams.
- oven plus grill: dauph pots, casserole, lasagne, scones, flapjacks

The 3rd is instructions for combination, memory auto functions etc.

It's plenty to get along with.


Hmm, I might try cooking some scones today ........................

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Jul 13, 2019 11:33 pm

Thought I’d experiment

Made a courgette gratin, 2 chopped courgettes, half a big tomato diced mixed and tossed with a little garlic oil s&p, topped with panko crumbs and a little grated mozzarella

Cooked ion combination setting 170C for 16 minutes. Veg just done, topping perfect ( no control over microwave level, only temp on combi)

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Re: Microwave - basic or combination?

Postby Wic » Sun Jul 14, 2019 12:42 pm

Lots to try here. I shall have a go with the jam, that looks a very good way to use up strawberries, and, presumably other sorts of soft fruit. And the gratin looks good, too.

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