Most people know two things that you should never do to a microwave oven. The first is to run it with something metal inside, and the second is to run one when it’s empty. It’s the second one of those that I’m concerned with right now.
If you do run your microwave with nothing inside, the magnetron (which is the component that produces the microwaves) will overheat, often causing irreparable damage.
There are, believe it or not, some “entry level” microwave ovens that don’t have a start button. The ones that have a keypad are OK. They all have a “start” pad. It’s just the manual ones, with one dial to set the time and another dial for the power level, that are the problem.
Now, you may be wondering how you start a microwave oven with no start button! Well… As you set the cooking time, you simply twist the timer knob and it starts to microwave as you start to twist… So far, so good.
The problem starts when your coffee begins boiling away inside your microwave, before the timer has run down to zero. So you open the door, take out your coffee, shut the door… and what do you suppose happens? You’re right smartypants! The microwave starts cooking again with nothing inside the cavity! Now you may remember to turn the timer dial back to zero, but if you’re busy, you may not… in which case the magnetron will get hotter and hotter until it self destructs!
A better designed machine would have a mechanism that resets when you open the door, preventing the microwave from heating again when the door is closed, until you press the start button.
If you’re wondering where you can find a microwave like that, look no further than the Daewoo KOM9M11S which is only £249 + VAT
I will sell you one without a start button, if that’s what you really want, but you’re here because you want the best advice… right?