Sharp Full-Size Microwave is One Sharp Appliance

I asked for a new microwave for Christmas, having spent 11 years with my current one. In today's world, it isn't quite a dinosaur, but it has never been easy to use though it always functioned decently. I just needed a reasonably good reason to replace it.

SO, we moved.

In moving, I thought it would be nice to start fresh. The old microwave, a Quasar full-size oven, did an okay job, but heated unevenly and leaked when anything steamed or boiled a bit. This made me think that if water could escape, so could those little microwaves. For fear of cooking ourselves while making popcorn, I asked Santa for mercy!

Santa, in the form of my mother, came to my aid on Christmas morning with a Sharp Full Size Microwave Oven R-510CW. 1200 watts of amazing power, sleek, black exterior, glass turn-table and a touch pad that actually allow me to press the exact time I want immediately. My old oven had touch pads for 10 min., 1 min., 10 sec. and 1 sec., so to get 8 minutes and 30 seconds worth of cook time, I had to hit the 1 min. button 8 times, etc.

The Sharp Microwave is a lifesaver in my kitchen. It fits on the built-in microwave slot we inherited with our new house and works like a dream. I enjoy cooking immensely, but am not a microwave chef. I do, however, use this machine daily to defrost and reheat things. I do cook vegetables for meals, the only "real" cooking I do in this appliance.

There are touch pads for "popcorn", "keep warm" and "minute plus" that are great assets to the Sharp Microwave. The popcorn pad allows you to choose between single and regular serving bags and after choosing you don't even have to hit "start". The microwave begins cooking automatically! The "keep warm" feature lets you finish cooking something, and within 30 seconds of finishing, you can hit "keep warm" and the microwave runs at low power for 15 min. while you finish up other dishes. I've used this a lot when reheating a plate of something for my husband, who often doesn't show up for a meal on time from work. The "minute plus" allows you to cook for one minute on "high" with one touch of this button. You can keep hitting the pad for the length of time you want, rather than only one extra minute. This is great for that extra zap of heat before serving a dish, or for items you know will be hot enough in one minute.

Other pre-programmed features, like the Instant Action pads, allow you to cook items such as a baked potato, rice, ground meat, frozen or fresh vegetables, and frozen entrees with the touch of a pad. If you are cooking 3 potatoes, hit the pad 3 times and the potatoes cook. Same for the other items listed. Choose cook time by the 1/2 cup for rice, by the ounce for meat, etc.

The Reheat Center works on the same principle as the Instant Action pads. To reheat a dinner plate, touch "dinner plate". Four soup, hit the pad until the amount of soup you have comes up. Similar instructions apply for pizza, fresh or frozen rolls/muffins and beverages. I use the beverage pad for coffee quite a bit. It heats to a tolerable temperature -- not "McDonald's Lawsuit" hot!

One of my other favorite features is the "Compu Defrost" center, allowing me to put in a lump of frozen ground beef, pushing the touch pad to the approximate weight of the meat and letting it go. At the stop times pre-programmed in the microwave, it stops running and instructs you on the LED screen to pull apart the defrosted portions and remove them, then when you do so and close the door "Push Start" displays on the LED screen. This works phenomenally. I have always had trouble with portions of meats cooking while I try to defrost them. I haven't had that at all with the several pounds of meat I have defrosted since owning the Sharp.

The only "con" I list is that the timer doesn't give reminder beeps after cooking time is done for those of us who sometimes forget we're reheating our coffee, etc. BUT, I must say that some steam from that coffee allows me to wipe the inside of the microwave clean quickly and easily when I do forget!

I like the feature that allows the microwave to be mounted under a cabinet, as we are planning a kitchen renovation in the next few years. I'd hate to give up my new-found kitchen friend too soon!

Yes, the Sharp Full Size microwave is large, but that's what you get when you see "full-size" on the box. It does fit the extra-large Pyrex dish (11 X 15") if you remove the turntable. It's the best -- didn't even need to read the instructions for the special function pads!