Choose your microwave wisely!

Not long ago we changed over our “biscuit” colored appliances to a stainless dishwasher, stove and microwave. I totally loved my other appliances and it has taken me a little while to get use to the new ones.

With the microwave, you know that Lowe’s commercial that has the guy in the robe going around with his big cup to make sure it fits in the refrigerator’s water dispenser? Well, I should have done that with the Frigidaire PLMV169DC Stainless Steel microwave that I picked out.

Why I picked it…
The number one reason is that it is a Frigidaire. I am a big matching person and I wanted all of my “brand names” to match. Also I like the Frigidaire name and company.

The other reason I picked the microwave was the look. It is stunning. It is a brushed stainless steel with black details. The handle is big and substantial and you simply pull it to open.

My Use
Now, I don’t use a microwave everyday. I am a self proclaimed cook and don’t count the use of a microwave to be “from scratch”. I use it to pop popcorn, melt butter and cheese, warm up leftovers, etc. For all of these things this microwave is really good.

The control panel is impressive looking, but it is not very easy to use for us who don’t “cook” in microwaves. If you have to do something more than warm food or melt butter, you really have to study the buttons and options.

My favorite thing about the control panel is that for those simple things I do 90 percent of the time, I can punch in a minute or so and hit start for function. There is also a neat feature that has a single button that reads “put one more minute on the clock“.

I like to warm things slowly and I like to melt cheese in segments as not to scorch it, so this “add another minute” button is a good one for me.

Another think I like to do is say if I cook Mac and Cheese for my son and want to save it for us adults to eat within the hour, I put it in the microwave so it is already there to reheat. This brings my main gripe about the microwave. The inside is a little small for me. If I every want to reheat anything in the original pan it was cooked in, there is simply not enough room for my casserole dishes.

There is also a wire rack that I thought was neat at first (though I really don’t know why). It divides the space and makes like a shelf. Nearly every time I put a dish to reheat in the microwave I have to pop out the rack. I have no idea why it is even there and it is annoying.

My other gripe is why do you have to hit the timer button, then the minutes and then the timer again to make it start? Why can’t it just start on its own like my old microwave? I wish you could hit the minutes and then timer or start…Sometimes I forget to hit the timer button a second time and who knows how long the food has been in the oven!

Features
Include…Child Lock, Cooking Complete Reminder, Defrost, Night Light,
One-Touch Cooking, Oven Racks, Quick Minute, Sensor Cooking Controls, Timer and a Vent/Exhaust Fan. The 1000 watt microwave has a one year warranty.

There are also three quick cooking buttons for breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

Final Thoughts…
This is a sleek looking machine that would be for the people that have a microwave in their kitchen just for looks. This is a little pricey at $350 for good looks.

For defrosting and warming this microwave is alright, but for everyday use and cleaning it could use a few tweaks.

For the record, my husband installed the unit himself, but let’s remember - he does work for Lowe’s. I wouldn’t recommend installing it yourself.