Smeg Microwaves Cashback

Smeg Microwaves

The Italian company Smeg are perhaps best known for their fridges, the retro lines of which are to be found in many bespoke kitchens. They do a range of other kitchen appliances however and their company tag line of 'Technology with style' sums up their approach to what used to be called white goods. Smeg appliances are not white; they are usually stainless steel these days, with black options also available in some models. Their microwave range is not large and they are mostly combination models and almost all designed to be built in. With their smooth lines they blend back into the cabinets and have very discreet buttons so that they present a minimalist overall appearance. Their prices range from around £300 to over £1000, with the higher end being combination cookers with a microwave option.

When shopping for a microwave these days it is hard to avoid the impression that most people are plumping for combination ovens as an extra cooking space, and these are often built in at eyelevel. The PM05C399X from Smeg has a lift up door so it can be positioned high up above the conventional oven, thereby spanning the difference between a separate microwave and oven set up and a combination of the two in one unit.

Defrost Function

This is commonly found in microwaves but the Smeg range gives a choice to defrost either by time or by weight, which is more unusual. This means that if something is partially defrosted and you just want to complete the process, or you just want to soften a tub of icecream, for example, you are not tied to putting in the weight and hoping the process doesn't go too far and spoil the food. This time and weight option is something more common in microwave ovens these days, that the cook still has a part to play, even when the cooking process is very short. Programmes have become more user defined and more flexible, allowing for the user's own experience to be brought into the mix.

Child Safety Lock

Most of us have been brought up with microwave ovens as a part of the kitchen and have perhaps become a little casual, but it is good that some manufacturers – Smeg's company policy is 'even the smallest detail merits our attention' – have made it a design imperative to make them safe to be used when children are around. A microwave looks fairly user friendly to a child, in that it is not necessary to use a cloth to get food out as the container stays warm. They will have all seen their parents or carers put a cup of water or milk in the microwave to make a drink and then sip it straight away. What they are not seeing is that the containers are carefully chosen to have no metal trim and that the drink is in the microwave for seconds only. Smeg have therefore put child locks on their microwaves and this is a very thoughtful extra and something that every parent should consider.

Variable Power

Variable power levels on a microwave is another way in which choice is being returned to the microwave cook. When microwaves were relatively new, whole cookbooks on how to cook food from scratch in the microwave flooded the market but after a while they became things that were used primarily for reheating. Now the use of a microwave in cooking from scratch is returning and with very technological cooks like Heston Blumenthal using modern methods to produce food, microwave cooking from scratch is set for a comeback. Just as you wouldn't cook everything in the same temperature oven, so you will need to be able to choose different microwave settings and Smeg microwaves will be able to meet that need.

Halogen grill

The addition of a grill to a microwave is a very welcome one as it means that you can brown your food and make it more appetising. Some models allow for a final few minutes under the grill to be programmed in, but of course it is important in that case to make sure that the container is suitable and can withstand direct heat.