High-End Performance & Features for Under $180! Really? Why, YES!

The world of convenience cooking grows ever more convoluted with seemingly dysfunctional or useless features becoming more and more opulent. Haha wow, that was a rather harsh way to begin, I should clarify my view a little bit. There are a LOT of upscale microwaves out there going for as much as $1000 bucks that have many features which the common consumer would never really need: dozens of preset food cycles, sensor this, sensor that, electronic touch-lcd control panel, blah blah blah........... Blah!

Now, the only reason I say "blah" to these features is because you're paying up to $600 more for them in some models (!). Such is not the case with this little beast of a microwave, GE's JE1860: for as low as $149 bucks you'll get the most useful of the aforementioned high-end features, with an incredible ease of use which is not characteristic of other such full featured convenience cooking units.

So now we will discuss these features at length. The JE1860 has adjustable power levels from 1-10, as do most microwaves. The most basic heating function of this microwave is "Time Cook." Press the Time Cook button, enter cooking time, press Start. Simple and Standard. However, it's important to remember with this model (and with most microwaves) that when you use Time Cook, the default power level is set at 10, which means microwave power is being used for 100% of the cooking time. This is usually too much, unless you're cooking bacon or vegetables. It's important to know what power level is needed to properly heat the food you are cooking (and I won't bother discussing that here). So you can take your chances on power level 10 and wind up with chewy and overcooked food, or simply press the Power Level button and corresponding desired level before you hit Start. The other nifty thing about the JE1860's Power Levels is that you can actually program two different power levels for the beginning and end of your cooking cycle. It lets you enter one time and desired power level and then another time and power level, so that you can program it on the Defrost level (3) for the first 3 minutes, and then when that's finished, have it immediately start cooking at another higher power level.

This microwave has regular Time Defrost capability, but I find that figuring out the right time to defrost a food item can be tricky, especially because foods from the back of your freezer are sometimes more frozen than foods in the front. The JE1860's Auto Defrost function works very consistently and accurately, providing you know the weight of the food you are defrosting. Simply press the Time/Auto Defrost button, enter the food weight in pounds and ounces and hit start. It does signal you to turn the food over half-way through the Auto-cycle, but this only ensures an even defrosting, which is important.

The Sensor Cooking cycles on this microwave also prove to be very convenient and usually accurate. It has a one-touch Reheat cycle which I find to be quite useful. Place your covered food in the microwave and with one touch of the Reheat button, the unit starts immediately to reheat the food. This works well MOST of the time because the oven again is able to detect steam levels and this is how it determines the proper reheating time. Unfortunately, this is not completely accurate. Depending on the storage age of the food item, moisture may or may not be prevalent enough for the microwave to make a totally accurate calculation. This just means it may take an extra 30 or 40 seconds, nothing major. In general, for me, the Reheat cycle works like a charm. It works great on stuff like rice and beans, Chinese food, soups, you get the idea. I would not recommend using this function on any foods that are mostly bread, or anything that is supposed to be dry or crispy on the outside; they just come out chewy and wrong.

You can also use Sensor to cook Potatoes, Vegetables, Fish, and Chicken pieces. This works almost the same as the Reheat function only you have a bit more control over the power setting. Place the food in the microwave, usually covered with vented plastic wrap, press the appropriate Sensor Food Category, and the oven starts immediately. You can increase the power level (10%) by pressing "1" within 30 seconds of the beginning of the cycle, and also decrease it by pressing "9". It is important to know when Sensor heating food that you cannot use the Sensor functions on any item that is already hot. When you do this, the microwave steam sensors get an in-accurate steam reading and you will almost definitely overcook or burn your food. Remember that while this machine does have some sort of "sensor", it cannot detect if your food is cooked, only if the food is steaming.

The raw potatoes I've cooked using this function, do have a somewhat microwaved feeling/texture. However, they are more than acceptable and cooking them this way saves a lot of time and electricity, not having to boil them. I also tried Sensor cooking a marinated salmon steak, which came out deliciously tender and flaky, not overcooked, and not dry. Most microwaves have no problem with chicken, and this one certainly doesn't either.

One of the greatest bonuses of this unit actually has nothing to do with the technology at all, but will appeal to a large number of consumers: the size. The JE1860 is considered a "full-sized" model with an inside capacity of 1.8 cubic feet. This is of course, essential for a family which needs to cook a microwave meal every now and then; 1.8 cu. ft. is large enough for any oversized dishes or casseroles, and can accommodate two average-sized dinner plates at a time. Simply touch the Turntable On/Off button whenever you want to heat a dish that's too large to rotate.

The combination of these last few convenience features are what really sold me on this unit. The Popcorn and Beverage cycles are both one-touch and seem to work perfectly. The LED has a standard clock with a programmable reminder feature (basically an alarm clock). Also appearing on many appliances these days is a Delay Start Option. This allows you to program the microwave to start at your designated setting at your chosen time of day. So you could actually set something up to be ready for when you come home from work (although leaving food out in the microwave all day waiting for 5 PM when it will be cooked, seems a little silly to me).

For safety, this model has a child lockout feature, which disables the control panel. It is deactivated by holding down the Clear/Off button for 3 seconds; important for families in my opinion. Kids do the darndest things...

Sooooooo, this is a full-featured microwave with all of the functions you really need in speed/convenience cooking. While it is certainly no more than a standard microwave unit, it should have an appeal to families and those individuals seeking extreme ease-of-use. With no special styling or unnecessary features, this microwave is definitely for a consumer who can appreciate raw-function over excessive flashy tricks, trade-marked "features", and a high price tag. In it's weight class ($150-$180) this microwave simply cannot be beat.