Bought this when my 1100 watt Sharp died after 10 years. Have been intrigued by the concept of convection microwaves. Now understand that this is, essentially, a countertop oven that also happens to microwave.Dimensions of the product, out of the box, are 12.25 high x 20.25 long x 14.5 deep BUT it just barely fits on our 17 inch deep microwave shelf. Why? Because behind the microwave "case" there are about 2 more inches of metal for the oven AND our outlet is directly behind the microwave, which means the plug takes up depth. On our 17" deep shelf there is about a 1/4" inch between where the feet of the microwave are and the edge of the shelf. Microwave door is just over the shelf. Plan for a real-life depth of 20 or 21 inches because:
Another surprise we received were Haier's recommendations for clearance around the microwave. They advise:
. 3" clearance behind
. 3" inch clearance on one side
. completely open on the other side
. 12" clearance above the microwave so they want you to have a total of about 25" from countertop to bottom of cabinet (or anything else) above the microwave. In our kitchen, actual distance from countertop to cabinet bottom is about 19".
Why do they recommend this much clearance? While the microwave and grill portions of the oven work just fine without getting the unit too hot, if you plan to use the convection portion, watch out. The unit becomes EXTREMELY hot on the top and rear. For this reason, we're not using much of this feature, which kind of defeats the idea of getting a convection microwave. But for the price, looks, and other functions, overall we're pleased.
Some other cons:
. Cooking plates get H*O*T, even when you just use the microwave function. Definitely need potholders to handle when removing from microwave, even after as little as 2-3 minutes.
. Clock on the unit has a nice blue backlight, but this turns itself off and one cannot read the microwave clock without pushing a button to get the light to go back on. Don't plan on using your microwave as your visible clock in the kitchen.
. Must set the cook time using the dial or +30s button. If you want to put something on for, say 20 minutes, there are no number buttons to push. One just spins the dial until the time desired, or push the +30s second button 10 times. It's possible we'll eventually view this as a pro.
Pros:
. Cooks well. I find that the cooking speed is about the same with the 1000 watt Haier as it was with our 1100 watt Sharp maybe just a hair slower.
. Rotates food for even cooking, and changes rotation direction when you open the door to stir and then re-start.
. Defrost function works well for us. Even, without cooking the edges.
. Looks good.
. Like the combination feature can set microwave and grill with one setting.
. Could replace or be used instead of a regular oven.
. Good size for family. Easily fits 9x9 pan.
Given that we have a toaster oven and wall ovens, now that I really understand that a convection microwave is essentially a countertop oven, I might buy a regular microwave next time. But this is a good little oven that also looks great, and was a great price.
First, the unit is light for its size and functionality, but feels well constructed. The door opens and closes easily and with a good feel. The blue backlit LCD display is easy to read when lit (the backlight turns off after 3 minutes of the unit sitting idle) but it would have been nice if the backlight was extended to the labels for the keypad and temperature setting.
The first thing I did was set the convection function to 250°F to burn off any "new unit" smells and then ran it for about 10 minutes. Surprisingly the instructions advise leaving the turntable in place all the time, even for oven functions. The oven hit 250 pretty quickly and did indeed let out some nasty smells.
I then microwaved a few cups of water and it boiled fairly quickly, even though the microwave is only 1000w.
My last test is where the unit failed. I set the convection function to 425°F (the highest setting) and waited. And waited. The oven was not able to get to an internal temperature of over 360°F according to my oven thermometer; the LCD screen indicated a temperature of 350°F. I waited about an hour and then the oven shut itself off and declared the end of cooking.
Given that most baking I would do would be at 350° and I should lower that to 325° for convection, this may not be a problem in daily use, but it is the reason I dinged the unit a star. it is advertised and marked to achieve 425° so it should, that it doesn't is a failure.
I've yet to try the sensor cook function, but did re-heat my lunch in the oven after the high-temperature test. With the oven still hot (>300°) I put in my food and set the microwave at 3 minutes of 30% power. My chicken came out hot and juicy and the potato was warm with the skin not mushy.
I've emailed Haier about the maximum temperature issue and will revise here when they reply.
If you like the idea of a small oven with microwave functionality, this is a nice unit... even if mine doesn't get as hot as it should.
Update June 13, 2012
I've email Haier two times and never gotten a response from them regarding the temperature issue. I've twice tried to use the unit for baking and the results were disastrous. almost two hours to bake brownies to doneness is not acceptable.
The combo cook feature that heats the oven to a temperature and uses the microwave at 30% power is a nice way to re-heat leftovers but I would not recommend using this thing as an oven or a grill. Making toast in this unit is near impossible, you just get warm and dried out bread. I strongly suspect they designed this thing for the regions of the world with 220-240 volts where it happily gets to the indicated 400+ degrees and can actually get the heating element to glow red. In the US this thing is a poor oven and an okay microwave. The two features combined are occasionally usefully but in the end for what I use this thing for day-to-day, I should have just gotten a plain microwave and a stand-alone toaster oven.This is a great convection/microwave. If you used it just for the microwave ability you would have a great deal! The convection works well and cooks things like regular convection oven or add microwave to your cooking and it is faster. Simple to use and understand. Seems to be well constructed and is very fashionable. Bought it to keep from heating large oven in summer time. Hope this helps as I rely on your reviews all the time when contemplating a purchase. Thanks
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