Healthy Living Books Kitchen & Housewares

Rating: - Nostalgic Superstar
Bought this product in a frenzied hurry purely on the strength of the reviews here - due to my panasonic one rather nicely packing in by blowing half the house fuses only weeks after the 1yr guarantee expired AND only one week before Christmas! As this was the third panasonic in just under 4 years to pack in just out of guarantee we were determined to change manufacturer. So back to Sharp - the manufacturer of the first microwave we ever owned many many years ago and oh boy have we struck gold.

This is a large combi microwave which just oozes quality and is a dream to use. The wattage of our panasonic was 1000 and although the specification for this one is 900 this actually cooks a lot quicker and the only reason I can come up with is the 'jet' function. We ordered on Thursday afternoon at approximately 4pm on free supersaver delivery (although I think this was automatically upgraded) because of Christmas, and it arrived the day after at approximately 2pm - astounding service from Amazon/Courier.

I used it every day up to and including Christmas Day when it coped admirably by cooking our full Christmas dinner including a 13.5kg turkey. The main oven was only on to keep things warm. Although most of the functions it does I already used in my previous machine a couple of things I have never had before which I think are excellent 1) the two metal racks that are exactly the same as those from a normal oven so you can use the jet convection element just like a normal oven and fit loads into the large 40L capacity over two levels. I tried it with bread rolls, biscuits and yorkshire puds and the results were excellent. 2) the ceramic turntable - I was very dubious about keeping this clean because it's white, but a couple of weeks down the road and having been used at least once a day (sometimes three) there isn't a mark on it. One other thing worth mentioning is that you can pre-programme up to three different cooking combinations ie full micro 20mins followed by combi micro/convection 25mins followed by grill/micro 55mins etc. You can use this feature with any combination of cooking/time.

I am extremely happy with this purchase and I can honestly say that I think without a doubt this could easily replace my normal cooker oven. Finally a big thanks to all who took time out to give concise reviews of the machine.

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Rating: - just added info
I feel I must inform any potential buyers that I bought this model after reading the reviews and was very pleased with it, after 3 months of daily use it broke down, however on speaking to Sharp customer service I was told they do not cover any of their items sold through Amazon, so I called amazon and they couldn't have been more helpful, they arranged collection and I had a replacement a few days later - yes, I replaced it, there is nothing else on the market quite like it for size. the new one works well so I feel I was just unfortunate with the first model.

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Rating: - Buying on amazon
We found that this microwave was £50 dearer in the shops. We ordered on Friday afternoon and to our amazement it arrived Saturday morning, what service. We have had a Sharps microwave for the last 13 years and are really pleased with the new one although we have only just unpacked it

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Rating: - Could not get better
We have used a large combinations since 1989 ( 2 x sanyo ) and they have been perfect for two people.We now have a young son so have now opted
for two built in combis as we plan to remod our kitchen next year but until then we have purchased the Sharp due to the Sanyo breaking down.
We purchased it for £150, what more can i say. Its big (40Ltr) and will
fit on a standard depth worktop with a little room to spare.
The oven bakes, roasts, grills and microwaves, a one stop shop if you like. We have never owned a standard oven and never will when there is ovens like this on the the market that do so much.
For a couple of people you would never need a normal oven and for a family
its perfect as an additional workhorse.

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Rating: - Its the business and does what it says on the tin
I ordered this item after reading reviews on here and placed the order on 23rd September. After a problem with my credit card I finally ordered on 24th September with an anticipated delivery date of 3rd-10th October so imagine my delight when it arrived on 27th September, 3 days after placing the order!

I have never used a dual convection/convection/grill/microwave oven before, my previous one was 15 years old and out of the arc! Anyway I wanted an oven that could cook my Sunday dinner to the same quality as my fan assisted oven which I felt was costing too much money to run and so was looking for ways to save on my electicity. Well was I impressed with the performance of this microwave - I certainly was! I cooked a small leg of lamb in 35 minutes along with my roasted potatoes and they were done exactly right, crisp and browned too! In my fan oven to cook this leg of lamb and keep it tender would have taken me at least 1 and a half hours at the very least.

I found the controls are straight forward once you realise there are more functions and therefore more buttons to set for the different types of cooking. It is smart in appearance too and so versatile, you can cook everything from frozen oven chips to a full 3 course meal (although I haven't tried the other recipes yet). My husband is a very critical person and did not believe it could cook a Sunday lunch until I did it and he had to admit that it tasted just as good as the fan oven. We have been cooking our vegetables on the hob still but as we have problems with potatoes going into the water, have now decided to give it a try in the microwave where they don't have to be cooking for so long as on a hob.
Hopefully we will end up with potatoes cooked but not disintegrated!

I would give this microwave top score and if it proves as good with other meal ideas I will be over the moon (especially as I am saving on electricity too, which is no mean feat these days).