CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN VS GRILL MICROWAVE OVEN

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In my years of cooking and using the microwave oven, there is a saying I came up with, which is; What a grill microwave oven can do a convection microwave can do better.

Microwave Oven is one of the must-have kitchen appliances that can get meals heated and reheated pretty fast, they can help your multi-task because of the automated features that come with it.

However, the convection microwave is more energy-efficient and has bigger heating wattage. Many people do not know that there is a difference between convection and grill microwave, this is why am listing below the convection microwave oven vs grill microwave oven.

GRILL AND CONVECTION MICROWAVE COMPARISON

GRILL MICROWAVE

  • Takes time to heat
  • Grilling with eco-mode
  • 900-1700Wattage power
  • Radiant heating element and magnetron
  • Heating, grilling and toasting
  • Heats the outer layer of the food

CONVECTION MICROWAVE

  • Heats up faster
  • Temper glass with inverted technology
  • 1200-2200 wattage power
  • Radiant heating element and fan for even heating of meal.
  • Heating, grilling, baking, and defrosting.
  • Air is heated and circulated by fan.

COMPARISON

  • Timing
  • Technology
  • Power/Wattage
  • Heating method
  • uses
  • How it’s heated

WHAT IS CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN?

A Convection microwave oven has the feature of a grill and a regular microwave oven combined, this is to prevent users from spending money on separate microwaves.

Convection ovens have the ability to eliminate issues of uneven cooking, save energy resulting in reduced bills.

Convection microwave ovens use the hot air that circulates with a convection movement, precisely inside the oven. Thermal convection occurs when hot air comes into contact with a body where the temperature is lower than that of air.

The hot air is from the oven chamber where the food has a lower temperature. This means for a convection microwave oven, the food is cooked in a ventilated way. The oven circulates the air with a fan and a better result is obtained.

Cooking through the convection movements generated in the oven helps to have a more even cooking of food, even in large quantities.

The convection microwave oven has the ability to cook in less time because of the principle of thermodynamics.

READ ALSO: IS A 700 WATT MICROWAVE GOOD?

READ ALSO: IS A 900 WATT MICROWAVE GOOD?

GRILL MICROWAVE OVEN

A grill microwave oven is simply a microwave with a grill function.

A Grill oven is a bit more advanced than a regular microwave oven. A Grill microwave oven has a wider variety of cooking than a solo or regular microwave oven.

With a Grill microwave oven, you can grill food like you can on an outdoor BBQ GRILL. It can be used without the microwave function and it is quite easier to clean than an outdoor BBQ grill.

Grill microwave ovens can reheat, defrost, roast, and grill food as well as cook rice and pasta. Grill microwave ovens are more expensive than regular or solo microwave ovens.

Grill microwave ovens have a radiant heating element as well as a magnetron.

CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN VS GRILL MICROWAVE OVEN.

Convection microwave oven vs grill microwave oven
grill microwave oven vs convection microwave oven

A convection microwave oven is designed with a fan that circulates the hot air which makes the food you prepare to have an outer layered brown and crispier feel while a Grill microwave oven is designed with a heating coil that provides a grilling effect which helps in toasting and grilling of meals.

A convention microwave oven has heaters both at the top and bottom in the oven cavity. A Grill microwave oven can perform basic cooking operations apart from grilling while a Convention microwave oven can perform all functionalities of a grill variant, along with baking, roasting, and browning.

In most Convection microwave ovens, the temperature control options are present while in most Grill microwave ovens, the temperature cannot be controlled. 

A convection microwave oven is more expensive than a grill microwave oven.

Examples of foods that can be prepared with the Grill Microwave ovens are; sandwiches, tandoori chicken, grilling tikkas, and kababs. Etc.

While a convection microwave oven can prepare all the food items a grill microwave oven can prepare and in addition, a convection microwave oven can also bake cakes, cookies, bake bread, roast meat, and make brownies and pizzas.

Furthermore, a convection microwave oven automatically adjusts the temperature when the optimal cooking level is achieved while in a Grill microwave oven, users may need to monitor the cooking process and manually adjust the temperature.

Convection microwave oven wattage is from 1200 watts to 2200 watts while the Grill microwave oven is from 900 watts to 1700 watts.

READ ALSO: IS A CONVECTION OVEN BETTER THAN A MICROWAVE?

WHICH IS HEALTHY OTG OR MICROWAVE?

Paying attention to your health is really important, this is why OTG is preferred to microwave in regards to health matters. It is true that both OTG and microwave uses electromagnetic waves.

As they are air-tight closed, they wouldn’t leak for human absorption, so you don’t have to worry about it.

The wattage in OTG is much smaller than microwave which means a longer time to heat up food and food may not be evenly cooked like the high-temperature microwave.

READ ALSO: WHICH MICROWAVE IS BEST CONVECTION OR GRILL OR SOLO

HOW TO USE A CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN

The key to a convection oven is that food is cooked based on the air that is distributed by the fan inside the oven. It is important you know how to place the food trays. If you place a single plate or tray in the center of the oven, there will be no problem.

In the case of having to place more than one tray, it is recommended you place the trays slightly apart at least two centimeters so that the air passes well between them.

It is advisable you also make sure that the trays with the foods do not touch the oven walls so that the air circulates. For this reason, it will be good to reduce the temperature to get the most out of it. 

In addition, it is also advisable to reduce the cooking time with what is indicated in recipe books. In a convection oven, you can cook everything but foods that will be best for you are meat dishes like a roasted turkey in which you need a crispy exterior and a juicier interior.

Convection ovens can make cookies brown easily, cakes could end up having a damp appearance due to the hot air given by the oven.

If you cook with molds, it is better to opt for silicone molds and line the trays with butter paper. In addition to this, the baking trays are better to be borderless or low so that the air can reach the food.

Finally, avoid covering the food since if you do this, you will not get heat to reach the food losing the function of the convection oven.

SMALL MICROWAVE FOR RV

SIMPLE TO USE MICROWAVE FOR ELDERLY UK

CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN USES

The convection microwave oven is a versatile microwave that can be used for various purposes. Below are some of the functions of the convection microwave oven;

  1. The convection oven can be used for preheating and most designs now can be controlled with your smartphone or tablet.
  • Most convection microwave ovens can be used in small apartments and even RVS because of its compact design.
  • Perfect for boiling, reheating, defrosting and the sensors within the convection microwave oven can detect moisture to adjust the cook time.
  • Perfect for roasting, baking and crisping. You can also roast an entire chicken, bake angel food cake for dessert.
  • You can also use the convection microwave oven to cook green bean casserole and also roast a turkey in the main oven.
  • You can use the convection microwave oven to bake cookies and also crisp and brown pizza on a rack
  • Easily prepare beef roast with the automatic convect cooking mode function on the convection microwave oven.

BEST CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN

In order to carefully recommend the best convection microwave oven, we must take into account the following factors as a benchmark that will assist us in selecting a good convection microwave oven. These factors are;

  1. Check the features of the convection microwave oven
  2. Check the power capacity of the microwave oven
  3. Check the internal design and capacity
  4. The Convection microwave oven must be durable
  5. Look out for even heating and defrosting functions.

Here are the top convection microwave ovens;

PANASONIC CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN

Home Panasonic convection microwave oven that can air fry and broil.

Here are the features of the Panasonic convection microwave oven;

  1. The Panasonic convection microwave oven can broil and air fry. You can cook arrays of meals with this convection oven.
  • Air quickly circulates producing crispy, brown results. This convection oven can bake from 100° & 215° to 425°F, with or without preheat, for baking and roasting.
  • It has auto defrost function, space saving with sleek design. The interior capacity can accommodate a 14.2 inches turntable which can easily fit a 9”X13” baking dish or a whole chicken.
  • Finally, the Panasonic Oven includes a 1300W Convection Bake Oven, an Air Fryer, a FlashXpress Broiler, and a 1000W Inverter Microwave.

GALANZ CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN

best convection microwave oven by Galanz

Below are the features of the Galanz convection microwave oven;

1. The Galanz convection microwave oven has a capacity of 1.6 cubic feet, 1000 watts, and has 3 appliances in one multifunctional appliance namely; Microwave Oven, Convection Oven, and Air Fryer.                                                                   

2. It is also designed with combi-speed cooking that ensures a faster result.

3. The Galanz convection microwave oven is best known for frying with little or no oil for healthier favorite fries like chicken, shrimp, and wings.

4. With the Galanz convection microwave oven, you can be sure that your food is never under-or overcooked. The sensor reheats function stops automatically when food is hot and ready to eat.

5. Heated air circulates throughout the oven as food spins 360°, cooking your food faster and more evenly without hot spots.

6. Easily broil and bake foods with direct heat, such as fish, chicken, and fresh, oven-baked goods.

KITCHENAID DUAL CONVECTION COUNTERTOP TOASTER OVEN

KitchenAid convection microwave oven, versatile and has 12 preset cooking functions

Below are the features of the KitchenAid Convection microwave oven;

  1. We recommend the KitchenAid convection oven as the best convection microwave oven because of its versatility, 12 preset cooking functions, time saving functionality and non-stick interior.
  • The Kitchen Aid convection microwave oven can easily bake 2 whole chickens and can cook up to 20% faster than a dual convection bake oven.
  • It is easy to use, has a built in temperature probe that allows you to have control over during the cooking process.
  • Easy to clean up after usage. Perfect for chicken entrees, cookies and dessert. Etc.

NUWAVE BRAVO CONVECTION OVEN

second best convection microwave oven for air fry, roast, broil and more
  1. The Nuwave Convection oven is the second runner up for the best convection microwave oven as you can easily air fry, bake, roast, broil and do much more.
  • You can easily adjust the temperature, heating elements and fan speeds.
  • The Nuwave convection microwave oven has 12 preset cooking functions for air frying, baking, broiling, roasting, toasting, grilling, dehydrating, reheating, defrosting and making quality pizzas, and waffles just with press of a single button.
  • It is designed with a digital temperature probe that can eliminate the possibility of over or under-cooking by measuring the internal temperature of your food while it cooks.
  • This temperature probe will shut off the Bravo once your meat, seafood or poultry reaches a set temperature.
  • The Nuwave convection oven combines conduction, convection, and radiant heat to circulate and penetrate food with cyclonic hot air that ranges between 100°F and 450°F with precise 5°F increments.

LUBY CONVECTION TOASTER OVEN

Best affordable convection microwave oven by Luby brand for bread, pizza and air fry
  1. The Luby convection microwave oven is the best affordable convection microwave oven that is below $80.
  • The Luby convection microwave oven ensures quick and evenly baking and cooking of all your meals. It is big enough to cook all your meals. Perfect convection microwave oven for your family as it can fit 6 slices of bread or 10” inches of pizza.
  • It doesn’t take much on the counter but will cook a wide range of different types of food and perfectly fits on your countertop.
  • The perfect wedding or new home gift its sleek design and trendy color options will match any kitchen décor.
  • Easy to use and equipped with 4 heating elements at the top and bottom. Automatic shut-off button and loud bell to alert you when the meal is ready.

OSTE DIGITAL CONVECTION OVEN

Oste digital convection microwave oven for various foods
  1. The Oste convection oven is well designed, durable, and has French doors that are made up of stainless material.
  • Perfect for preparing lots of food. A good option for preparing food evenly and quickly. We recommend this convection microwave oven today!

CAN YOU GRILL IN A CONVECTION OVEN?

The answer is yes, you will have to be innovative about it. Here is how to

  1. Using the right pan: Broiler pan are the best recommended by manufacturers as it is designed to causes intense heat as fat drips quickly away to keep it from igniting in flames
  • Using the right temperature: using the right setting will produce the right crisps skin and taste. The temperature is between 400 and 500 F. you may have to increase the temperature for a thicker meal like chicken.
  • Placing your rack right: The rack position matters as it can affect the taste of your meal. you can check the manufactures recommendation on how to place your rack right for grilling in a convection oven
  • Convection oven fan: make sure your fan is working to help circulate the heat for even cooking.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MICROWAVE WITH GRILL AND COMBINATION

A combination microwave is more expensive than a Grill microwave. A combination microwave as the name sounds has all the features for grilling, roasting, and baking.


The combination microwave has more cooking flexibility than the grill microwave oven. The combi microwave oven has more auto cook settings and multi-stage cooking than the regular or grill microwave oven.


Finally, the combination microwave oven is heavier / bulkier than the grill or regular microwave oven.

GRILL OR CONVECTION FOR PIZZA

Can a grill be used to make pizza? Yes, it can be used to make a delicious homemade pizza. Same thing with the convection microwave oven. Grill or convection for pizza? It all depends on you.

Some people prefer to use the grill because they believe that the smoke from the grill will give their pizza a wonderful and delicious flavor better than the convection microwave oven. Others believe that both a grill and convection microwave oven will give the same great flavor.

I once used a grill and convection microwave to make homemade pizza, and they were both delicious. They had their unique taste.

For those of you who think the pizza dough will fall through the grill grates; please note that your pizza dough does not and cannot fall through the grill grates.

Just make sure your grill is properly heated so that your dough will form a lovely lightly browned crust.

CAN GRILL MICROWAVE OVEN BAKE?

A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance I believe every home should have. For me, a microwave is as important as your gas stove, electric cooker, etc. A microwave oven can serve as a fifth burner if you have a four-burner gas stove, and you want to cook different recipes at the same time.

If you are a very busy person and don’t have the time to really cook, then a microwave is a must-have for you. There are two most common types of microwave ovens; the grill microwave oven and the convection microwave oven.

People, who read my articles on recipes online often ask this question “Can grill microwave oven-bake?”

The answer is. No, you can’t use a grill microwave oven to bake.

A gill microwave as the name goes is made for grilling purposes. But if you have a grill/combo microwave oven, then you might be able to bake certain things.