I acquired this microwave when I was moving to a flat with limited kitchen space, and my primary reason for the choice was that the Sharp model was multi-functional. Since I've begun using it, I happily have ceased to sing a requiem for the toaster oven, separate grill, and other items I was 'consolidating' in this purchase.
I have used the Sharp microwave for grilling and roasting, as well as normal microwave functions, and the results are better than I could have expected. Grilled and roasted foods are extremely tender and juicy at least of the quality one could expect from a conventional oven. I have had similar success with cooking vegetables.
Reheating muffins and breads has amazing results they seem fresh baked and, unlike breads normally heated in a microwave, do not harden in a minute. I have used the convection feature for preparing breads, and had especially stunning results with preparing a frozen chicken pie. I suppose the surrounding air from the convection oven was the reason, but it seemed like a fresh-baked meat pie.
There are a few drawbacks, which would not compromise my five star rating because of the great versatility and high quality of the unit overall. The 'auto' roast, defrost, and grill features are very convenient, as is the prompting (telling one when to turn over the meat, for example), but they are very limited in the weight restrictions. For example, if one is defrosting ground meat, it has to be a certain weight significantly more than that of a single hamburger. Though grills and roasts would mostly fit in to the specifications, this is a drawback for defrosting, where one must estimate times and key them in manually.
Another difficulty I have experienced, when grilling on the rack, is that drippings which fall either on to the carousel tray or a pan placed under the meat can become badly burnt and baked on. This was slightly disappointing for my intentions of preparing gravies on the side. My single attempt to do so meant I had to soak the pan overnight and then scrape. The grilling results are wonderful, as far as the effect on the meats, but there is a great deal of smoke generated. Whenever I grill, it sets off the smoke alarm probably best to roast, then only grill at the end.
I would advise anyone purchasing this microwave to read the manual in full. The capabilities will not be realised otherwise. I actually use the unit less for 'standard microwaving' than for its other features.
One further comment: the Sharp microwave cookbook, which is advertised in the manual for the unit, is useful but not specific to the multi-functional machine. It contains only microwave recipes none for grilling, roasting, or convection.
Overall, and considering that it can replace several appliances, this microwave is an extraordinary value.
When my old (22 years) microwave died, I could've replaced it with another, especially since they'd gone 'way down in price/watt. But I'd used a convection oven (which went with my ex-wife), and I really wanted my own. I found the Sharp Grill-2 Convection, among others, but decided to purchase it mainly because of Sharp's overall good reputation. It offered a powerful microwave, a convection oven (cooking with super-heated air), and a grill to brown the outside of whatever I was cooking. I should've bought a lottery ticket that day! It has turned out to be the most useful, if not most often used, tool in my kitchen (and I have just about all of them!).
I wanted to write a glowing review the first week I had it, but knowning how first impressions can be misleading, I've waited until now, about a year later. The other reviews I've read here are accurate about the its uses and functions, so I won't bore you further. What I will say is that from warming a cooled cup of coffee to roasting a whole chicken to baking my famous cheescake, it's the best! Hands down, simply the best! A little pricey? Duh! Look at what you're getting: you can virtually cook ANYthing with this oven. And I have!
It looks great on my kitchen counter, it's instructions are comprehensive and easy to understand, it cleans up (from roasted chicken, for example) in about 5 minutes. It's quality, and IT WORKS! Oh, by the way, it uses a lot less energy than any conventional oven, electric or gas.
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First let me say that I got a killer deal right here on Amazon. I paid $204 with shipping included. The unit arrived in tact although the box was a little beat up. So much so that I had to unpack it outside. Now onto the review. The unit is very heavy and well constructed. The majority of the weight comes from what appears to be a commercial grade convection motor. I lugged the unit inside and put it on a utility cart with the back facing a window. I unpacked the contents, which were securely stowed inside the unit. Contents included a porcelain coated turntable, rotary mechanism for the turntable and a circular raised rack for grilling. I plugged it in and it immediately displayed instructions on how to set the clock. That was cake so now it was time to cook something! Despite what others may say, you do have to read the manual to do just about anything (except setting the clock) because the unit uses special codes for different foods, i.e 1 for pork, 2 for chicken, 3 for humans and so on. The manual is relatively easy to follow and the unit also comes with a quick reference card so you don't have to whip out the manual everytime you want to cook something. So far, I have cooked a stuffed pork chop, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies and a 10 inch frozen pizza. All came out near perfect to perfect. I would attribute this to the quality of the convection motor. I might even go as far as comparing the quality and effectiveness of this motor to that of a Hobart. If you're looking for a high quality and extrememly versatile convection/microwave/so much more, then you can stop looking. I would have paid a lot more if I knew it was going to be this good. Bon Appetit!
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I love this machine. I am not a cook perse, just a single dad trying to do everything myself. My microwave was my life saver until one day when the lights went out and fried it. Searching for a replacement, I liked the many options for no brains cooking and decided that if I was going to replace my microwave, why not try something better than average.
I am really glad that I did. This thing seems to do a perfect job on just about everything that I put in it. The kids and I have made apple pies, pizza, bannana bread and just about everything that I throw at it comes out perfect.
There was one thing that I didn't like... I couldn't get popcorn to come out right with this unit. That was UNTIL I realized that I needed to put in the wire rack to center the popcorn. How many bags I have ruined before realizing that I needed the rack. Since then I haven't burnt one which is a great releif to my kids on movie night.
I rarely write product reviews, but since I have pretty much stopped using the normal oven in exchange for this unit, I thought it was worth mentioning. I don't know if it takes less energy, but it does cut down cooking time dramatically so I can spend more time with the kids.
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Can you believe a microwave that will brown chicken? I've cooked things in this that makes me seem like a gourmet chef, but I'm not even quite an average cook. Chicken breast that practically melt in your mouth, but the outside has a tantalizing crispiness that's sure to please the taste buds. Most recent to this review, I cooked several rounds of New York strip steak. A nice steak rub, a bit of non-stick spray for the rack and turntable tray (makes for an easy cleanup), and a steak-lover's dream was created. I do the typical hot-dog heating in the microwave...but you can't really place them directly on the metal tray if you want them to heat quickly. They are slightly below where the microwaves really concentrate and take a few seconds longer to heat. I place a microwave-safe plate on the turntable upside down to elevate it slightly and it works much better. This also works for microwave popcorn. I had trouble getting it to pop in the 3 minutes allocated to the popcorn button (large bag), it took more like 5. Put it on the upside down plate, it pops in 2 minutes and 45 seconds (yes, I've done enough of them to remember :-)
Buy this one, I doubt if you'll be sorry. I got it originally because I was a full-timer in an RV and was looking to replace a failed microwave oven. After owning this for about a month, I got rid of my toaster oven, my rotisserie, my jetstream oven, and I can't remember what else. It doesn't do toast that fast, so I kept my toaster. It is rather heavy and deep for a microwave, but it takes a lot less space than all of the other appliances it replaces.
I recently purchased a new home that has a DCS cooktop. While I was always tangentially aware that DCS is a "premium" brand of cooking appliances, I failed to comprehend the expense associated with acquiring, maintaining, and occasionally, repairing the appliance. By no means is this an implication of the appliance I'm just saying that it's just a costly investment. My cooktop is a large 5 burner; I often waxed nostalgic about working as a "short order" cook on my Saturday mornings. I fancied myself cooking omelettes, pancakes, hash browns, French toast and other breakfast items. Whereas (I thought) a simple frying pan can and should do the trick, I considered dedicating some of the cooktop to a griddle surface.
