So This is What a $400 Microwave Does!

We bought this microwave oven when we were remodeling our kitchen. Lowes and Whirlpool had a rebate offer where if you purchased 3 appliances you received $300 cash back. We knew we needed an oven and a refrigerator, and while we never thought we would need a $399 microwave, to us it was practically like we were spending $100 on it, so we figured why not. We have had this Whirlpool microwave for over 2 years now, and I never realized how much a microwave really can do. We love this microwave, and now I am not sure I could ever switch back to my old $50 no-name brand one. We are absolutely spoiled by this microwave!

Product Dimensions

This microwave is designed to go over your cooking range. It measures approximately 30 inches wide by 15 inches deep by 17 inches high. Its shipping weight is about 95 pounds. When compared to my previous microwave, this Whirlpool microwave is much larger and also much heavier. But, since it was installed over our oven, the weight is not an issue as we never have to move it.

This microwave has a 1.8 cubic feet capacity. Whirlpool claims that you can accommodate up to 4 dinner plates in this microwave at once. While I agree that the cooking space is very large, I do not agree with Whirlpool’s statement about accommodating 4 dinner plates. There is a removable center shelf in the microwave, so one can easily fit at least 2 dinner plates (one on each level). However, I must have really large dinner plates, because there is no way I could fit more than one plate per level. I could certainly fit 4 or more dessert plates or soup bowls, but there is no way that 4 dinner plates would fit in this microwave, or virtually any microwave for that matter.

Features

This Whirlpool microwave is 1,000 watts. It has a turntable that automatically starts every time you use the microwave, but you can program it to turn off by simply pushing one button (the turntable on/off button). There is also a removable glass tray on top of the turntable, which is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. It also has a 4 speed fan for use when cooking on your stove top. There is also an interior light which automatically goes on when using the microwave, in addition to lights underneath intended to light up your stove top. The lights underneath have 2 settings, with one being dim and one being bright. I sometimes use the dimmer setting, in addition to our under-cabinet lighting, to create a soft ambiance in our kitchen at night.

In addition to all of the above features, this microwave also has quick touch buttons. For instance, if you put something in the microwave and just hit start, it will automatically microwave the food for 30 seconds. If you hit start twice, it will run for 1 minute. Or, to program the microwave for 1 minute, simply touch the ֿ” button; there is no need to type in 1 followed by 0 and 0 for ֿ:00”. You also do not need to touch the start button either. This may seem petty, but I must admit I do enjoy only having to hit one button (׀”) to microwave my hot water for tea for 2 minutes. With 2 toddlers in the house, this means I only take my eyes off of them for half a second, instead of for 2 seconds or so to program in the full time and then hit start. These quick button features go all the way up to 5 minutes.

This microwave also has sensor features to cook food based on its weight. There is a baked potato option that I love. I simply put my baked potato in the microwave and push the “potato” button. The microwave then cooks the potato based on its weight. I find most potatoes are fully baked at around 5 or 6 minutes. The microwave will start a countdown of the approximate time left once it is down to about 3 minutes or so. Every time I have used this feature I have ended up with a perfectly cooked baked potato; it amazes me that they are never under- or over-cooked.

The microwave also has 10 power levels, and it has defrost features as well. You can defrost food based on the weight and type of food. I like the fact that my food (mostly meat) is usually just defrosted at the end of the cycle and not partially cooked. My old microwave used to cook meat as it defrosted, which made it tough and overcooked by the time I actually did fry, bake or otherwise cook the meat afterwards.

Finally, there are other feature buttons for items such as popcorn. I am not sure if there is a sensor being used when this microwave cooks popcorn, but I have tried everything from a family sized bag to the individual 100 calorie packs, and this microwave cooks popcorn perfectly every time. I have never had burnt popcorn as a result of using this microwave. I am very comfortable leaving the room while microwaving popcorn, whereas with my old microwave I used to stand there and watch it so it wouldn’t burn.

Appearance

You can see what this Whirlpool microwave looks like by looking at the picture. The clock is a green LED display. The numbers and other buttons are actually a touchpad; there are no raised buttons to push. One thing that is somewhat obvious from the picture but probably worth noting is that this microwave has a lot of black in it. For us, that was a benefit, but depending on the color scheme of your kitchen you may want to consider a different model. We wanted to convert to stainless steel appliances, but we were keeping our black dishwasher. Therefore, we chose a Whirlpool stainless steel fridge with black door handles, as well as a Whirlpool stainless steel oven with a black range top and a black door handle. For us, the fact that this microwave was both black and stainless was a benefit. But, if you want an entirely stainless steel look, you may want to look elsewhere.

Overall

I love, love, love this microwave. It never occurred to me why anyone would ever need a $400 microwave. Certainly, my old $50 microwave did the basics and did them well. But, unless I wanted to boil water or reheat leftovers, I found I always had to watch my old microwave so that it did not overcook my food. This Whirlpool microwave can almost be considered a “microwave for dummies”. It would take a conscious effort for me to actually overcook or burn something in this microwave, and believe me, I used to do that often with my old one.

With that being said, however, this microwave is expensive. I purchased this microwave 2 years ago, and I am very surprised to see that the price has not gone down at all. If the price of this unit was not offset by a $300 rebate, I would not be writing this review right now. For my needs, I probably would have opted for a microwave with more features than my old $50 unit, but probably in the range of $150 to $200. Although I love my microwave, I do think it is over priced, and for that reason I will rate it only 4 stars and not 5.