Glossary: Microwaves

Microwave Glossary

Auto Sensor/Auto Weight Programmes
Auto sensor/Auto weight programmes will calculate the cooking time for you. There is no need to enter the power or time - just select the food and its weight and press start!

Built-In (or Integrated)
means your machine is built-in or integrated into a specific kitchen unit.

Capacity Cuft
this refers to the internal capacity of the product in cubic feet.

Catalytic Self-Clean Lining
a catalytic lining will prevent build-up of food and grease as spills are continuously burnt off when the convection oven is in use.  

Chaos Defrost
this system blasts the frozen food with strong, but random blasts of microwave energy which heats the food more evenly, thus defrosting it more evenly and quickly.

Child Safety Lock
this feature means that the machine will not be able to be opened by children when the machine is in use or when the lock is enabled.

Combi Microwaves
these versatile microwaves combine a microwave, grill and convection oven, letting you cook using any combination of the three.

Constant Power
most microwaves only operate on constant power when high or Full is selected. Other power levels are achieved by the microwave pulsing on and off. Inverter models give constant power for medium and lower levels. This results in more efficient and even heating.

Convection Cooking
this is how food is cooked in an ordinary oven.  

Crisper Plates
feature that helps to crisp food like pizzas, quiches and pies.

Dual Grill
this provides grilling from the top and the bottom of the microwave.

Freestanding
the front of the appliance is visible and can be placed anywhere in the kitchen, either underneath a work surface or stood independently.

Heating Category
microwaves are classified from B to E depending on their wattage. This shows how quickly or slowly a microwave heats foodstuffs with B the slowest rating and E the fastest.

Inverter Technology
when cooking or reheating, inverter technology ensures that the food is heated evenly.

Multiple Sequence Cooking
automatically changes the power levels during cooking so that food can be defrosted and then cooked without having to stop the microwave and reset it.

Quartz Grill
a standard microwave grill that gives even heat distribution.

Sensor
models with sensor cooking monitor the moisture level and temperature of the food and automatically adjust the power/timer to prevent overcooking.  

Solo Oven
a basic microwave that will defrost, reheat and cook food.

Timer
the timing of microwave ovens is normally set using a dial or push buttons and timers on different models vary between 0 to 60 minutes and 0 to 99.99 minutes, with some models offering a selection of Timer features.

Turbo Bake
found in combi microwaves. This function combines the convection oven and instant quartz grill to give extra crisping and browning.

Turbo Reheat
Turbo Reheat provides an added boost of microwave power up to 100W for the initial part of the cooking time. This is particularly useful when reheating foods like baked beans and soup.

Turntable
most microwaves feature a removable turntable to ensure that the food is cooked evenly. A turntable will rotate when the microwave is in use.

Watts
this is the unit measurement for power for a Microwav