Best Microwave in Egypt: Solo, Grill, or Convection?

Solo, grill, or convection?

• Solo: Microwave only. It heats, defrosts, and cooks simple things, and doesn't brown. The cheapest and simplest, and enough if your use is heating food and defrosting meat and chicken.
• With grill: It has a heater on top that browns the top of food, like the top of Bechamel pasta or cheese on bread. Useful if you like food to come out browned on top.
• With air (convection): It has a fan and a heater that circulate hot air inside the appliance, so it works like a small oven: cake, pizza, roasted chicken. Useful if there is no oven at home or your oven tires you out, but more expensive and bigger.

How many liters suits your family?

• 20 L: One or two people, or an office.
• 25 L: A family of 3 to 5 members, and this is the most common size on sales pages.
• 30 L and above: A large family, or if you heat wide serving trays and dishes.

Before you choose, measure the diameter of the largest plate you use. The plate must rotate on the turntable without hitting the sides, and this matters to you more than the liter number itself.

Watts, inverter, and control

The 700 watts heats well but slower, and from 900 watts and above the plate heats in less time. Inverter means the appliance outputs lower power continuously, instead of working at maximum power and turning off and returning. The result is gentler defrosting and more even heating, and this shows in defrosting meat and chicken from the freezer.

Digital or mechanical? The mechanical has two knobs: one for power and one for time. Easy for anyone at home and has no screen to break. The digital has ready menus, weight defrosting, and a child lock, and is comfortable if you use it a lot or have small children.

Brand and warranty in Egypt

• Sharp and Tornado: Both are sold in Egypt through El Araby Group, and some Sharp models have it written on their sales page that the country of origin is Egypt and the warranty is 2 years.
• Toshiba: El Araby Group announced that it ended its contracts with Toshiba for home appliances by the end of 2025, and the official Toshiba Egypt website is now named "Midea Electrics Egypt". So if you buy a new Toshiba, read in the warranty card who the guarantor entity is and the customer service number.
• LG, Samsung, and Panasonic: The same model might have a page with the agent's warranty in Egypt and another page with an international warranty, so read the title carefully.

Make sure before you buy

• See who the seller is and the type of warranty: the agent's warranty in Egypt is better than an "international warranty", because the international one might not be accepted at maintenance centers here.
• Make sure the appliance is 220 volts. There are imported models on Amazon written on them 120 volts, and these are not for Egypt's electricity.
• Measure its place, and leave space for ventilation around the appliance as the catalog says.
• As soon as it arrives, open the box and look at the door, glass, and turntable before you sign for receipt.

To make it last with you

• Don't run it empty, and don't put metal or foil in it while it is running as a microwave, except the grill rack that comes with it and according to the catalog.
• Use dishes written on them that they are suitable for the microwave, and cover the food so it doesn't splatter on the sides.
• For quick cleaning: a cup of water with lemon juice for two minutes, then wipe from the inside with a damp towel.