My microwave has a brain

Eight months ago, we ripped out our ugly harvest gold 70s kitchen and began the tortured process of building the kitchen of our dreams. If you are contemplating such a move, the best advice I can give is this: buy lots of plastic forks, learn to triple time and money estimates, and meditate about all the new toys and gadgets you're going to get.

One of my favorites, now that we're in the final stages, is my spiffy new Sharp R-1870 microwave with convection. It's a sleek black beauty with a somewhat small interior, but gosh, does it perform. Although we're just now getting to the "look, real forks again!" stage, I've been using it in multiple capacities for about a month, and I am very pleased.

Why? Because this appliance is intuitive. Press the popcorn button, and it asks you (via the handy little screen) whether you're cooking a snack sized bag (ha), gives you a moment to decide, and then starts without any more effort.

Similar action ensues when you want to heat up a plate of leftover takeout. Simply press the reheat button, and the microwave's sensors will do the rest. There's no need to gather the strength to press start. And if you're cooking something else with the microwave, a multitude of choices are right on the screen for your zapping pleasure. Of course, you can cook by timer, but why bother with all those silly numbers. You might break a nail.

Of course, the best part of this new toy is its convection function, which I've tried several times. The results delight me--I get perfectly baked and browned food, faster than the regular oven (well, if it was installed, anyway) and with much less energy. For the convection function, it's best to put the food container on top of one of the supplied metal racks. This can be a bit tricky when lifting and removing a big casserole dish with a lid. The walls of the oven do get hot so Silpat mitts are a must.

I've also taken the R-1870 for a few spins as a broiler, and again, have been pleased. The burgers I did for hubby came out crispy on the outside and medium rare in the center--exactly what I told the screen to do. Again, the brain is a big advantage. It asks how many burgers, and how you want them done. It suggests options, and doesn't balk when you choose others.

What else? With small trays, preferably without sides, it's great for baking cookies or brownies, and it toasts a mean tater tot.

This week, I'll try my hand at combination cooking, which allows the appliance to cycle between traditional and microwave cooking. Those in the know claim that this is an excellent way to roast a chicken in 25 minutes.

The Sharp R-1870 is available in black, white, bisque, and stainless. I paid just under $500 for mine, and took advantage of one of Sharp's constantly changing rebate offers. It was a bit tricky to find on Long Island, but Lowe's had one in stock (dented to bits) and a local appliance guy was willing to order it. It arrived in less than three days.

Installation was relatively easy. It did not need a 220 line, however a dedicated electric line is a smart move. We chose to vent to the outside (it also functions as a microhood) but kits are available to vent back into the room. One of my only beefs about the microwave is that it is actually deeper than my upper cabinets, so it sticks out an extra two inches from the wall. From the front, it's not noticeable. From the side, it looks like I did a lousy job of planning the kitchen.

Overall, it's a very satisfactory little toy . . . for a very reasonable price. A definite yes!