Shop for microwave ovens

Auto settings:
Beyond defrost, cook, and fresh vegetables, now you can find other preprogrammed settings to cook food items such as popcorn (the microwave item that's most likely to burn), pizza, baked potatoes, frozen dinners, chicken breast, melt/soften (for those nachos?), soup, or sauce, or "add 30 seconds" for one-touch extra heating.

Time and power levels:
All models have standard cooking timers. Some also have a delay start so you can preprogram when to start heating an item. Microwaves cook via wattage--the average microwave offers 650 to 1,300 watts of cooking power. The higher the wattage, the more power you use to heat your food. Most basic models come with 10 power levels.

Child safety lock:
Like most modern appliances, many microwaves now come with a lock or code to prevent children from opening the door.

Racks and more:
It's common for microwaves to come with a rotating turntable to help food cook more evenly, or a sliding rack to make it easier to place dishes into the microwave. Some come with removable racks to cook multiple dishes at once, or they include browning pans.

Noise reduction:
Microwaves can be noisy. If sound reduction is important to you, check out the "sones" rating. The lower the number, the quieter the cooker--with one sone being about as noisy as a running refrigerator and four sones being the equivalent of human conversation.

Preprogrammed recipes: Speedcookers and convection models can come with preprogrammed recipes. One GE model, the Advantium, comes with 100 preprogrammed recipes and the capability to store your favorites, too.

Digital displays: Microwaves have always been ahead of the game with digital displays. Now some even offer scrolling displays to program personal settings or recipes.

Sensors: With most advanced appliances, sensors are a major component. With microwaves this means sensors that can determine when the food is done automatically and turn the oven off, which prevents overcooking or undercooking the food and means there are fewer buttons for you to push. Also, sensors enable one-touch cooking for preprogrammed recipes or food-cook times.

Cleaning: If you've ever exploded a bowl of soup in a microwave, you know that with their convenient cooking times, microwaves can also become a bit messy if you don't keep an eye on your food. Now models tend to come with more features to make cleanup easier, such as removable turntables, nonstick interiors, and grease filters. Speedcookers also come with stainless steel interiors.

Warming: Some models come with a warming lamp to keep food toasty at temperatures ranging from 100 to 200 degrees F for 30 to 90 minutes.

Toaster: Pressed for counter space? The LG LTM9000 combines a toaster with your microwave and has nine toaster levels.

Know your wattage: Different-size microwaves are rated at varying levels of power. Compact or small microwaves are rated at 600 to 800 watts. Midsize and large ovens are typically rated at 850 to 1,650 watts.

Sensors help: If you buy a model that includes sensors, you'll cook food more efficiently (and save on messes). Features like sensors and variable power settings can reduce cooking time even more.

Use your oven less: Microwave cooking times are drastically reduced compared with conventional ovens, and that's how microwaves save on your energy bill. Some experts say a microwave uses half to one-third the energy of a conventional oven.