Urvashi Singh
Looking for the difference between Solo vs Grill vs Convection Microwave?
Almost all of us are familiar with the term Microwave Oven, but most of us do not know what is the difference between Solo vs Grill vs Convection Microwave. Knowing this difference is important for you to buy the right Microwave Oven for your home.
In this post, we will try and explain which microwave is best, solo, grill or convection?
In a far-flung village, a father has 3 sons A, B & C. A is the eldest of all 3 sons, C is the youngest and B is just between A & C. All the 3 sons have started to learn to swim from their father.
After a month, Son C (the youngest) is an expert in “Freestyle” whereas Son B has become a pro in “Freestyle and Backstroke” both and lastly, Son A (the eldest) has mastered all the 3 skills “Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke”.
This means each of the son is an expert in his own field.
This is exactly the same with Microwave Ovens too. All the 3 types Solo vs Grill vs Convection Microwave belong to the same Microwave family where one is designed to do more than the other.
There is also a kitchen appliance from the Oven family known as OTG which is ideal for baking and then there is an Air Fryer. You can check our post on the OTG vs Microwave and Air Fryer vs Microwave.
At the same time, if you already have a Microwave, do check out our post on Best Microwave Oven Stand in India in 2023 and Best Microwave Utensils in India.
Quick Glance
Solo Microwave – Reheating, Cooking and Defrosting
Grill Microwave – Reheating, Cooking and Defrosting + Grill
Convection Microwave – Reheating, Cooking and Defrosting + Grill + Baking
Quick Comparison
What is a Solo Microwave?
Solo Microwave Oven is the most basic form of a Microwave Oven. It is safe to say that a Solo Microwave Oven is the entry level Microwave. With the help of micro waves, water molecules and magnetrons, you can heat, defrost and cook your food in a Solo Microwave Oven.
You can get a Solo Microwave Oven if you are looking for a very basic model of Microwave and do not need to bake, roast or grill. Due to minimalistic features, price of a Solo Microwave Oven is less than Grill and Convection Microwaves.
Price of a Solo Microwave Oven starts from approximately 4,000 INR and some of the best Solo Microwave Oven brands in India are IFB, Bajaj, Morphy Richards, etc. Capacity varies from 17 litres and can go up to 31 litres. At the same time, power consumption of Solo Microwave Oven varies from 900 watts to 1600 watts.
Advantages of Solo Microwave Oven
1. Solo Microwaves are the best choice when it comes to heat, defrosting and basic cooking.
2. Solo Microwave oven is the most affordable option for those who are looking for a very minimalistic microwave.
3. In the absence of too many functions and features, Solo Microwave is an easy to use microwave.
4. Ideal for bachelors and small families.
Disadvantages of Solo Microwave Oven
1. You cannot bake, grill or roast anything with a Solo Microwave oven.
2. Very limited features
3. You cannot use metal utensils with a Solo Microwave oven.
4. Not ideal for large families or advanced chefs.
Best Solo Microwave Oven in India
Due to its durability, rough and tough usage, IFB is considered one of the best brands for Solo Microwave Ovens in India. But when it comes to the Best Solo Microwave Oven in India, it is Panasonic 20 L Solo Microwave Oven (NN-SM25JBFDG).
What Can you do with a Solo Microwave Oven
With a Solo Microwave Oven, you can reheat food, milk, tea, coffee, rice, noodles, pasta, popcorn, etc. You can also defrost meat, fish, bread, soups, fruits and vegetables with a Solo Microwave Oven.
What Can you NOT do with a Solo Microwave Oven
You cannot grill, bake, roast or make kababs, tandoori chicken, brownies, pizza, cakes or breads with a Solo Microwave Oven.
Who Should Buy a Solo Microwave Oven
Since a Solo Microwave Oven has the basic set of functionalities limited to reheat, cooking and defrosting, only those with basic kitchen needs for example bachelors or small families should buy a Solo Microwave Oven.
If you have a thing for baking or making pizzas in a microwave, you should not go for a Solo Microwave oven.
What is a Grill Microwave?
Grill Microwave Ovens is one of the most bestselling type of microwave in India. In terms of features and price both, it stands between the Solo and Convection Microwaves, hence it strikes the perfect balance when it comes to requirements.
When you combine the features and functions of a Solo microwave oven with grilling, it becomes a Grill Microwave oven. In addition to reheat, defrost, grilling you can also cook rice and pasta with the help of a Grill Microwave oven.
A Grill Microwave oven is an ideal appliance for those who likes to grill meat and veggies, but have no interest to bake or roast. You will find a heating element in the form of grilling trays either at the top or the bottom which radiates heat and magnetrons.
A Grill Microwave does not have a fan to distribute the heat, so baking is not possible with this type of microwave. Depending on the model of Grill microwave, you will see features such as combo grill, solo grill, power grill, etc.
Price of a branded Grill Microwave Oven starts from approximately 6,000 INR and some of the best Grill Microwave Oven brands in India are IFB, LG, Philips, etc. Capacity varies from 16 litres and can go up to 31 litres. The power consumption of a Grill Microwave Oven varies from 800 watts to 1,500 watts.
Advantages of Grill Microwave Oven
1. Perfect for BBQ like grilling as well as reheating, defrosting etc.
2. Affordable as well as rich in features
3. Easier to clean in comparison to BBQ grill
4. Cooking is also faster as compared to BBQ grill
Disadvantages of Grill Microwave Oven
1. Metal grill consumes some space in the oven
2. Cannot bake, brown or crisp your food
3. You cannot use metal utensils with a Grill Microwave oven.
4. Temperature cannot be controlled with most of the models.
Best Grill Microwave Oven in India
Due to its all round usage, a powerful 1500 Watts motor and 2 years of warranty, Philips HD6975/00 with a 25-Litre capacity is considered one of the best Grill Microwave Oven in India.
What Can you do with a Grill Microwave Oven
With a Grill Microwave Oven, you can toast bread, melt cheese, reheat, defrost, roast and grill foods like chicken tikkas, fish, kebabs and vegetables as well as cook rice and pasta.
What Can you NOT do with a Grill Microwave Oven
You cannot make brownies, cakes, breads or pizza with a Grill Microwave Oven.
Who Should Buy a Grill Microwave Oven
You can go for a Grill Microwave Oven if you have an appetite for continental food and other grilled items such as fish, steak, chicken, kababs, etc.
What is a Convection Microwave?
Everything you need from a Microwave Oven is an inbuilt feature of Convection ovens. This is the highest category of Microwave Ovens and the most expensive too. In literal terms, when you combine baking with the features of a Solo and Grill Microwave, you get a Convection Microwave.
In addition to the regular heating and cooking mechanism, a Convection microwave works on the basis of hot air via a fan which is circulated along with microwaves. The movement of hot air helps in cooking your food to a brown and crisp state.
The best thing about Convection microwave is that you can use metal utensils as well as microwave-proof ones.
Some branded Convection models such as Samsung also offers “SLIM FRY” technology which combines a grill with warm air circulation, so food is cooked crispy inside and out using only a touch of oil.
These convection ovens comes with premium glass door which is made of tempered glass, sensor heating, and inverter technology as well.
Price of a branded Convection Microwave Oven starts from approximately 9,000 INR and some of the best Convection Microwave Oven brands in India are Samsung, Godrej, IFB, LG, Philips, etc. Capacity varies from 15 litres and can go up to 38 litres. The power consumption of a Grill Microwave Oven varies from 1,000 watts to 2,200 watts.
Advantages of Convection Microwave Oven
1. Perfect for cooking all types of food items including baking
2. Cooks food faster than a conventional stove
3. Uniform cooking due to the presence of a fan
4. Inverter Technology helps to regulate the power levels
5. Automatically adjusts temperature when optimum cooking level is achieved
Disadvantages of Convection Microwave Oven
1. Convection microwaves are the most expensive options amongst all microwaves
2. Can bake, but not grill (although some Convection models allow grilling too)
Best Convection Microwave Oven in India
Samsung 28 L Convection Microwave Oven with Slimfry technology, Membrane touch keypad, child lock and the innovative Ceramic Enamel Cavity is one of the best Convection Microwave Oven in India.
What Can you do with a Convection Microwave
With a Convection Microwave Oven, you can do basic cooking, reheat or defrost food, bake cakes, cookies, biscuits, muffins, plus you can make curd dough, crispy rotis, naan, etc.
What Can you NOT do with a Convection Microwave
Some of the Convection models do not allow grilling, so do check out before buying a Convection microwave.
Who Should Buy a Convection Microwave Oven
A Convection microwave is an ideal choice if you like to bake or cook advanced dishes in little time in addition to regular reheating, defrosting, toasting, etc. But buying a Convection microwave oven will not be a sensible choice if you only want to heat your food unless you have plenty of money.
For a simple reheating task, you can just buy a Solo Microwave oven.
The Difference Between Solo vs Grill vs Convection Microwave – Which One Should You Buy in 2023
By now, you know what is the main difference between Solo vs Grill vs Convection Microwave but which one should you buy amongst these kitchen tools is dependent on your requirements.
For someone who only needs a Microwave for reheating purpose should not invest money in a Convection oven unless you have a lot of money to throw around. At the same time, if you like eating grilled dishes you can go for a Grill Microwave oven. For advanced and experienced chefs, getting a Convection oven makes more sense as compared to the Solo and Grill models.
I hope this post on “Solo vs Grill vs Convection Microwave (Difference & Comparison)” was useful and informative to you. I also encourage you to read the customer reviews of any product before buying. Should you have any questions on this, feel free to leave a comment. If you want our team to review a product you are interested in buying, you can reach out to us at askus@betterchoices.in, and we will be happy to review it.
