[2foodie]

Hello to all -
We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and am shopping for a new over the range microwave. It has been about 20 years since my last purchase, and I am not sure what would best suit my needs. I am not a professional chef, but I am a excellent home cook, looking for a microwave/convection oven that will work as a semi-second oven when I am cooking for a crowd. I typically will cook a few elaborate meals a week, and will cook in bulk for later use. At first, I was looking at the GE Advantium series, but am not sure they are of good quality. Does anyone have some advise they would like to share? Please pass along your opinions.

Thank you -

2foodie

[Mezzaluna]

Hi 2foodie and welcome to Chef Talk.

I'm on my second Sharp Carousel Convection-Microwave oven, and I love it! Considering the lifespan of such an appliance is about 6 years, that's about how long mine lasted. I love that I can make a pretty good roast chicken in it in around 45 minutes. I've not tried pork or beef roasts, though, but when there's a good sale I just may do that.

I bought an extra tray so I could roast a chicken on it, then swap out for a clean one to do veggies, etc. for the same meal. That way I don't have to race to wash up the tray right away. I bought it on the Sharp site; it was reasonably-priced.

I had looked very seriously at the Avantium, but I'd have had to spend about $5000 to redo my cupboards since that is strictly a built in item. Plus, I like my gas convection oven, so the higher cost wasn't justified (even with a discount because my husband works for GE). The Sharp is a countertop model you can put just about anywhere. It fit on my existing microwave shelf, where I'd had my original Amana Radarange

Good luck!
Mezz

[simanco]

We love our Sharp Carousel micro/convection. Our first one was bought in '89 or '90 and lasted until 2004 or 2005 off the display shelf at Sears. The control panel finally died and we replaced it with the then-current model.

Very convenient for large dinners. It has settings for baked potatoes, bacon, veggies, reheat (did I mention bacon?).

The microwave side is less powerful than a similarly sized stand-alone micro, though.

Jim