Credit:
Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
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Credit:
Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
Learn more about our product testing
This mid-sized, mid-powered microwave is well-designed and performed well in our tests. Read More
This microwave performed well in most tests and came with a variety of special features. Read More
This affordable microwave comes with 10 power levels and essential presets, as well as offering multi-stage cooking and three stylish finishes. Read More
This extra-large microwave offers multi-stage cooking, sensor cooking, and a few presets, making it straightforward and easy to use—although the panel isn’t always easy to see in the dark. Read More
This sleek stainless-steel microwave is meant for the precision cooker, uses cyclonic inverter technology to heat food from three directions, but takes up a lot of countertop space. Read More
You probably don’t think about how your microwave works often—you just want it to reheat your food quickly. The truth is, most microwaves are made by the same few manufacturers and perform almost identically to one another.
Since they’re so similar, it took us a while to do a microwave roundup. However, we realized many shoppers still want to know how evenly a microwave will reheat their dinner plate, how well it will fit into their kitchen, and how features differ. That’s why we put the best mid-priced countertop microwaves to the test.
After looking at a dozen microwaves and comparing features, prices, user ratings, and more, we found the highly-rated Cuisinart CMW-100 Microwave Oven (available at Wayfair) is the best for most people, balancing size, wattage, and features. Ultimately, you should pick the countertop model with the wattage you need and the control panel that makes sense to you, in the size that fits. But if you don’t know where to start, our recommendations are here to help.
The Cuisinart CMW-100 is our favorite countertop microwave for most people.
Great performance
Bright interior light
Good size
Doesn't heat as quickly as some microwaves
Dim panel
The Magic Chef 1.1 Cubic-Foot Countertop Microwave is our favorite affordable countertop microwave.
Useful presets
Modern look
Slightly small
Not very quick at heating
Affordable
10 power levels
Multiple finishes
None that we could find
Sensor cooking
Fine performance
Attractive design
Too large
Not the most even heating
Beautifully designed
Responsive buttons and dial
Heats food evenly
Takes up a lot of countertop space
Julia is the Senior Scientist at Reviewed, which means that she oversees (and continually updates) the testing of products in Reviewed's core categories such as televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, and more. She also determines the testing methods and standards for Reviewed's "The Best Right Now" articles.
Cassidy covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed from 2018 to 2020. An experimental home chef with a healthy distrust of recipes, Cassidy lives by the "Ratatouille" philosophy that, with a few techniques and key tools, anyone can cook. She's produced in-depth reviews and guides on everything from meal kits to stand mixers and the right way to cook an egg.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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