The Different Types of Microwaves Explained

A solo microwave does one thing: heats food using microwave energy. It reheats leftovers, defrosts frozen food, and warms drinks. It does not brown, grill, or bake. The internal cavity has no heating element and no fan. Just a magnetron and a turntable.

It is the right choice for anyone who wants the simplest, most affordable appliance purely for reheating and defrosting. It is not suitable for anyone who wants to use it as an oven substitute or for anything that benefits from browning or crisping.

A grill microwave adds a radiant heating element, usually at the top of the cavity. The grill can be used independently to brown and crisp surfaces (melting cheese, finishing a gratin, toasting bread) or combined with microwave energy to cook food through while also browning the top. The microwave alone cannot brown; the grill alone cannot cook through quickly. The combination does both.

For the practical detail of which mode to use when, see the companion guide to microwave grill functions explained.

A convection microwave adds a heating element and a fan that circulates hot air around the cavity, mimicking a conventional fan oven. This allows genuine baking and roasting (cakes, bread, roasted vegetables, chicken) in the microwave cavity. Convection alone produces conventional oven results. Combined with microwave energy, it cooks faster than a conventional oven while still developing texture and colour.

The cavity is smaller than a full oven, and very large roasting dishes will not fit. For single-person households, smaller families, or kitchens without a full-size oven, a convection microwave covers the vast majority of everyday cooking tasks in a single compact appliance.

A combination microwave includes microwave, grill, and convection in a single unit, and can run any of these simultaneously. The benefit over a convection microwave is the grill element: you can bake a cake, roast chicken with a browned skin, or finish a pasta bake with a crisp gratin top. These are all tasks that convection alone does not handle as well without the grill.

This is the most versatile type and the closest genuine substitute for a conventional oven at compact size. It is also the most expensive microwave category and the one most likely to have features that a particular household rarely uses. The buying question is whether the household will actually use grilling, convection, and microwave on a regular basis, or whether a simpler type would serve the same daily needs at lower cost.

Built-in microwaves fit into a dedicated housing unit within the kitchen cabinetry, sitting behind a cabinet door overlay or in a purpose-made housing at eye or chest level. They can be any of the above types (solo, grill, or combination). The “built-in” designation refers to the form factor rather than the functionality.

The advantages over a freestanding countertop model are aesthetic (no appliance taking up worktop space, a seamless kitchen appearance) and ergonomic (at a comfortable working height rather than on a worktop or tucked under a cabinet). The trade-offs are a higher initial cost, less flexibility to move or replace, and the need for a suitable housing unit already in place or to be installed.