Review of Sharp R209-KK Microwave Oven (reviews, deal, purchase)
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We got this microwave in order to have one small enough to fit on a kitchen rack we recently purchased. We have had large microwaves in the past with larger wattages, but since we didn't use them all the time, the power output wasn't going to be a big deal.
Although this microwave is rated at 800 watts, it has more than enough power to handle the basic everyday tasks of reheating foods and popping popcorn. Although I will say that the popcorn setting does tend to leave a few unpopped kernels, and we have to sometimes stop the popcorn cycle early to prevent burnt kernels.
Thawing frozen food items is an entirely different issue. When I have tried to unthaw, say, a pound of frozen ground beef, the microwaves defrost setting is not very powerful and thawing takes quite a while. And even when the frozen food is almost thawed, the ground beef and other meats have begun to cook a little, which is not ideal.
One drawback of having a smaller sized microwave is that tall mugs won't fit in it. Instead of boiling water on the stove when I want tea, I sometimes prefer to just heat a tall mug in the microwave for a minute or two. This microwave only accommodates smaller mugs.