Keep your surfaces clear and your cabinets organised with our kitchen storage range, and add the finishing touches with kitchen accessories for great prices when you shop with us. Find High-Quality Kitchen Appliances

We also offer stylish water bottles, flasks and reusable takeaway cups or tumblers for a practical and attractive way to stay hydrated and cut down on plastic waste. Because of these strict criteria, less than 10% of the microwaves we've tested get an Eco Buy recommendation. Touch-panel controls These take far less effort to press than push-button controls. If you do go for button controls, they should be large, easy to press and not too close together. This makes them very easy to use, but you won’t usually get much in the way of auto cook or defrost programs (see features to look out for, below).If this seems like too much effort, look for a microwave with auto programs that'll set the time and power level for you. Switch it off at the wall Fill a microwave-safe bowl with water, white vinegar and sliced citrus fruits (lemon, lime or orange) Arguably more important than external size is internal capacity – we've found microwaves of the same size can vary massively in terms of usable space. Microwaves are a good way to cut your energy costs as they use significantly less energy than other cooking appliances. Clear labelling Controls should be clearly labelled with a large font size. Digital displays should be brightly lit and easy to read. If you're visually impaired, consider one that beeps when you make a selection.

or Medium Good for warming dense foods, meals requiring a slower cooking time or that can’t be stirred. You can also use this setting for slow-cooking drier or bigger joints of meats such as ham or pork and whole poultry. Large door Wide-opening or dropdown doors make it much easier to get heavy or hot dishes in and out of the microwave, especially if you have reduced strength or dexterity. Pizza function This tends to work better with grill or combi microwaves, as the grill helps to crisp the pizza base and brown the top. Some models come with ‘crisper plates’ which can also be used for quiches. You'll get better results if you use a frozen pizza and pre-heat the oven and plate for four or five minutes first. Auto defrost Most microwaves offer an auto-defrost setting that uses bursts of low heat to defrost based on the weight of the food. Some come with settings for specific foods.Keeping your microwave clean will help to reduce energy costs too because bits of food, grime, and spills will add a couple more seconds to the cooking time of your food.

Half of those we’ve tested need at least 30cm above them, but we’ve found plenty that only need between 10cm and 20cm.If your turntable is on the grimy side, simply remove it and wash with warm soapy water – or pop it in the dishwasher if your model permits. These tips will help you to save even more money when using your microwave. Choose the correct power setting for your dish Combis usually have a much bigger capacity than standard machines. The average combi can fit a 35cm-wide dish inside, compared with 29cm for a typical solo model. Clearance space These models are proven to be energy efficient and come from brands that stay fault-free for longer, so shouldn't need replacing very often. Look for a microwave with a selection of auto programs (to automatically set the weight and time for specific foods), digital displays and easy-to-use push-button or touch panel controls.

or Medium Low Simmer foods such as chilli, sauces, rice and cereal on this setting. You can also use it to defrost smaller items - many microwaves use Medium Low as the ‘auto defrost’ setting. Microwaves come in all sizes, ranging from small, compact models to large, bulkier machines that will take up much more space.Think you can’t get that crisp grilled texture in the microwave? Think again. The Lékué microwave grill is a real wonder product to be found in our range of microwave accessories, adding those authentic char lines to meat, fish, vegetables and even burgers – just like you’d get from the barbie. Simply preheat the plates, pop in whatever you’re cooking and microwave in moments. Best of all, it makes unbelievable toasted sandwiches with a crisp, crunchy edge and cheesy middle. Rapid rice Basic microwaves tend to be the smallest; some combis measure almost twice the size of the smallest solo and grill microwaves we’ve tested. You may need to cook your food for longer than recommended to make sure it’s piping hot all the way through. Are microwaves energy efficient?