Lots of Features For A Good Price

I just replaced a 10-year old microwave oven, the Sharp Carousel, with the GE JES1344 and I will be very happy if this unit lasts as long as my old Sharp. The model I purchased is the stainless steel 1000W, 1.3 cu. ft oven and so far I am pleased with its performance.

It has many nice features such as time cook, defrost cycle with 2 levels, a power level adjustment from 0 to HI, express cook, popcorn & beverage buttons and auto cook with 9 food types programmed automatically. I have used all of these features and found them to work very well.

One of the nicer features is the selector dial which is used to set the time, weight or quantity of foods to be cooked. The dial is so much easier to use than buttons which are found on most other machines. You can set the time in 10-second intervals up to 5 minutes and 30-second intervals for 5-10 minute cooking times. For cooking times greater than 10 minutes, the intervals are 1-minute. There is also 2 buttons for adding or subtracting time to the cooking cycle after it has begun.

There is also an auto-defrost setting which takes most of the guess work out of defrosting foods without partially cooking them. There is a time display clock which is very accurate and very easy to set. When cycles are completed, a buzzer sounds and repeats every minute until the off button is depressed or the door is opened. This is a nice feature as many other ovens just buzz once at completion.

Other nice features include a kitchen timer, a pause/clear button and a child lock-out setting which prevents accidental starts from children by locking the control panel. The door has a handle to open instead of a push button and I like this feature much better. There is an interior light which is a must in my opinion on any microwave oven. There are many units that do not come with interior lights so it would be wise to check this out before making a purchase.

There is a glass turntable which in my opinion is another must for any microwave. It heats food much more evenly and in most cases reduces the need to stir foods. The exterior is handsome in stainless steel and would fit in nicely with any kitchen decor. The oven size is adequate for most dishes and meets my needs. There are smaller units than this one and also larger ones in different models from GE.

One of the criticisms I have with this unit is the lack of rubber feet in the rear of the bottom and just 2 plastic feet in the front. The unit is not very heavy and when the door is pulled open, the unit has a tendency to slide on a counter. I corrected this quite easily with the application of plastic no-slide bumpers affixed to the underside of the unit to keep it from sliding. These can be purchased at any hardware store.

Another unique feature of this oven is the ability to use sequence cooking. This allows you to automatically begin microwave cooking immediately after defrosting. The owner's manual is clear and concise and the unit comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty. I paid $119. at Circuit City and it can also be found at several internet sites including Amazon.com. There is another model, the JES 1384, which is about $20. more expensive and it is basically the same unit except it also has a browning element.