Can Grill Microwave Oven Bake? Let's See

Microwave ovens are among the most convenient inventions ever. It’s perfect for you who don’t want to bother heating foods the traditional way. Ever since it was accidentally invented, it has experienced many transformations.

Besides the solo microwave oven, you will find many different types of microwave oven. For one, there’s the grill microwave that can do more than what a solo microwave oven can do. It can grill and reheat, but can grill microwave oven bake too? Let’s find out.

Grill Microwave Oven vs. Convection Microwave Oven

A grill microwave oven can do reheat, cook, and grill. You can use it to reheat and cook simple meals or grill meat and vegetables. However, it cannot roast or bake food.

On the other hand, convection microwave ovens can do what a solo and a grill microwave can, plus more. Besides reheating and grilling, it can roast, crisp, and bake food. This is the type of microwave you need if you want to cook in various ways.

Further reading: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Microwave Oven that Best Fits Your Needs

Can Grill Microwave Oven Bake?

To answer your question of whether a grill microwave oven can bake or not – it can’t. As mentioned before, it can only reheat and grill. These two are the only functions a grill microwave oven has.

However, a combination or convection microwave can. These microwave ovens have similar functions to a toaster oven, meaning you can use them for baking. Of course, you have to turn the microwave function off first then turn on the heating elements.

Can Grill Microwave Oven Bake — Image from www.flickr.com

After turning on the convection function, choose the right heat settings and the time to bake your products. Follow the procedure for baking the specific foods you plan to bake, including preheating the oven first.

You can usually use a convection oven or a toaster oven for baking in a similar way as a standard oven. If your grill microwave does not have a convection function, you can only bake recipes adapted for microwave ovens.

You can’t really bake in a grill microwave oven unless you are okay with cakes and bread unevenly baked. Grill microwaves have a radiant heating element at the top. This helps with grilling and roasting, but it will not create consistent baking.

It means other parts of the goods you are baking will be raw, and others are burnt. Surely, you don’t want that, so it is better not to bake in a grill microwave oven. You will do better to use a convection microwave since that comes with other functions.

How to Use Grill Microwave Oven

Even though you can’t technically bake in a microwave oven, it is still a convenient device that helps you save time when cooking. On that note, it certainly helps to know how to use a grill microwave oven for reheating, cooking, and grilling.

Microwave Grill Only:

If you only want to use the grill, the typical steps involved are:

Press the “Grill” button. You can adjust the power to low, medium, or high by pressing 1, 2, or 3.
Select the grilling time by adjusting the dial to the appropriate time for whatever you are grilling.
Hit the “Timer” button for including a standing time to what you are cooking.
Don’t forget to close the door.
Press “Start,” then wait.

It will automatically stop when the microwave oven is done grilling.

Combination Mode:

Most grill microwave ovens have a “Combination” mode. If you want to use this function, follow these steps:

Press the “Combi” button, then select the setting you want.
Consult with the instruction manual or the stickers on the unit for guides.
Choose whether to have a low, medium or high grill power.
Select the cooking time by adjusting the dial.
Hit “Timer” to add a standing time.
Don’t forget to close the door.
Press “Start,” then wait.

Like with the grill function, the microwave will automatically stop when it is done.

You can take a look at this video to see how to grill in a microwave oven.

Pointers to Keep in Mind When Using Grill Microwave Oven

When using the grill microwave oven, it is best to keep the following pointers and tips in mind.

Prepare the Foods Properly

In using a microwave, start by making sure you prepared your foods properly. This means removing any excess skin, fat, and bones. This is important because it will help make sure that your microwave oven is working efficiently.

With properly prepared foods, you can expect your grill microwave to cook or grill foods thoroughly. Trimming the excess parts of the food promotes safe and even cooking by reducing the food that the microwave needs to heat.

If the foods you heat have lots of excess parts, it will likely result in being undercooked or overcooked due to inconsistent water content. This is because the microwave oven heats the water molecules in the food to do its job.

Preheat the Microwave

Before the actual grilling, it’s an excellent practice to preheat the grill first. Place the grill inside the microwave, then heat for about a minute before adding the foods you want to grill or cook. This will create the grill marks that add to the fantastic appearance of the foods you are cooking.

Wear Your Oven Mitts

Don’t forget to wear your oven mitts when you handle the grill to prevent getting burned. Microwave ovens can get really hot, with some reaching as high as 700+ degrees F within a minute. Before you work, keeping a pair of the mitts near is good preparation.

Put a Cover When Heating

When you finally have to put the foods inside the microwave, don’t forget to cover the container. If not, you can use several layers of paper towels instead. This is important to keep the heating even and reduce the splattering the happens.

Cook Foods for the Right Time

Different foods have different cooking times, so you must follow the recipe. Or at least, become familiar with how long the foods you usually cook takes time when prepared the traditional way. A quarter of that time is likely how long it takes for that particular food to cook in a microwave.

Turn or Stir the Food You’re Cooking

Turning or stirring is essential when cooking in a microwave to ensure the food is heated or cooked thoroughly. Of course, don’t forget to wear your kitchen gloves or mitts when you open the microwave to avoid accidentally getting burned.

Some Foods Take Time to Cook

Larger meats, for instance, will probably take about 3 to 4 minutes to cook per round. They are slower to cook because of their size. The slow cooking also has to do with the flavor and safety during cooking. You don’t want to burn them by setting the heat to high power with their outer parts overcooked and the inner parts undercooked.

Grilling May Take Some Trial and Error

It may take you a bit of time to get it right. At first, the meats you are grilling probably end up uneven. You can try to coat them with teriyaki, barbecue, Worcestershire, or any other sauce if that happens. Adding a marinade of them can help distribute the heat evenly throughout the meat.

Use a Heatproof Plate

It is good practice to use a heatproof plate under the wire rack if you use that when grilling. This is because grilling will usually create some grease splatter. With the plate, you can lessen the splatter left inside the microwave.

Don’t Use Combi Mode for Small Portions

You might be tempted to use the “Combi” mode even for the smallest sizes or portions. Doing so will likely end in burnt foods because the heat is simply too much for a small amount of food. For small sizes, it is better to use the grill.

Allowing Standing Time

With microwaves, some parts get hot and others cold. Because of that, the cooking ends up uneven. So that the foods you are cooking or heating are heated evenly, allow standing time. This way, the heat spreads out, and you can get the food at a nice level of hotness.

Keep Away from the Exterior

When you are grilling, the microwave exterior usually gets really hot, unlike when you are merely cooking or heating foods. With a standard microwave functioning, the heat is generally kept inside. Since that’s not how it works with grilling, avoid touching the exterior so you won’t get burned.

Clean Microwave Regularly

Cleaning the microwave regularly is crucial since there will always be grease or leftover foods inside the unit after every use. Those leftovers will get re-cooked if you don’t clean them. They may also end up on the new foods you’re cooking or start to smoke, which smells horribly.

Conclusion

Can grill microwave oven bake? Not really. It is better to stick to using your grill microwave for heating, cooking, and grilling. Otherwise, the baked goods you make is not really going to be as good as you want. It is better to use a more appropriate microwave for baking instead.

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