The Good: Cooks things fast and hot, stylish appearance
The Bad: Cooking power fades with any splatter inside
The Basics: With its easy-to-use controls and great heating ability, this is a durable microwave for daily use.
I'll admit, I usually stick to entertainment reviews because there's so much I can say about such things. After all, with a movie, you have the writing, direction, acting, plot, character development and special effects all to take into account. With things like a microwave, there is much less I can say, as I might have made clear in my review of the Samsung microwave I reviewed here! Style is certainly subjective and related solely to the room in which an appliance goes. Function and durability seem to be the real aspects that can be rated for most appliances.
I've had a GE JES1142SJ microwave for a little over two years now. I lost my last microwave when frequent blackouts and power surges fried it. For a long time, I kept this new microwave on a power strip (until that got fried), so I'm unsure how susceptible this model is to such disasters.
This microwave looks great. I have a thing for stainless steel. It tends to look nice, it cleans well and I suppose I just go for that whole futuristic look thing. What can I say, I was raised on science fiction. Stainless steel is also less conducive to germs and the like, so that works out well for me.
This microwave functions very well. It is a powerful little microwave (1100 watts) and that cooks food up very quickly. The keypad is very easy to use and the truth is, it is so well designed that I did not need to read the manual to learn how to operate the microwave. Everything is very straightforward as far as basic operation. In fact, there are some shortcuts that are very cool with this microwave; simply hit the start button and it will give a full power blast for thirty seconds. It's a cheap way to save time, just hitting the star button for thirty second intervals when you have something that needs up to a minute thirty seconds of cooking.
The only thing that is not as obvious is the power level change button. The button must be hit to lower the power from 100% down in increments of 10 until one reaches the desired power level. Only after the power level is adjusted can the cooking time be entered. For some reason, that seemed backwards to me when I've tried to lower the power.
So, this unit is very easy to use and it works great. Things get hot all the way through. When I first received the microwave, I recall heating up a soup from the freezer and I was pleased to find that it was reheated all the way through but it was also homogeneously hot. I've had the same level of quality heating from the microwave for almost two years.
Almost.
This unit is finicky about being clean. Everything cooks up great so long as the unit is clean on the inside. Like immaculately clean. If there is any splatter left on the inside surface of the microwave, the performance suffers. Noticeably. This just means one needs to be obsessive compulsive with wiping out the interior. The only time that has seriously been a problem for me is when I'm cooking for parties and dishes are flying in and out of the microwave. Otherwise, it's fine.
And it's not like it's a hard unit to clean. The GE JES1142SJ is very easy to clean, provided residue does not cool on its surface. It's a simple unit to wipe clean and so long as nothing solidifies, it's easy. The turntable fits perfectly in my dishwasher as well and that makes keeping that clean easy.
I like my microwave and I recommend it because it fits my decor (this fits in perfectly with any other stainless steel kitchen appliances) and it works well, consistently. The microwave has a one year warranty and I've never had a problem that would make me need to have it replaced or fixed. Come to think of it, what is the average lifespan of a microwave? Odds are, if they are still making this type when this one does go, I will replace it with the same.
For other kitchen appliance reviews, please visit my reviews of:
Westinghouse WST3037 4-Waffle Waffle Maker
Chef's Choice 675 Electric Kettle
Frigidaire FEF336EC Electric Range
8/10
For other home and garden reviews, please check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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