About Donovan Fandre Expertise I had the only
nationally televised cooking series on microwave cooking that aired on
PBS and The Learning Channel for 8 years and I`ve also written 5 best
selling microwave cookbooks. I have been cooking by microwave for over 30 years and have accumulated expertise in cooking, defrosting, reheating, craft activities with microwave, dehydrating, and generally everything and anything pertaining to microwave use.
Experience
Past/Present clients Rubbermaid, Del Monte, Alaska Fish & Seafood, Sugar Council, LG Electronics
Question Our 21 year old Panasonic Genius microwave convection oven that we have placed in a cabinet specifically designed to accommodate this model with its trim kit has finally died. We now want to replace it. Problem is our cabinet is 21" deep and my research thus far has found microwave convection ovens that require 24" deep cabinets. Can you suggest suitable models?
Answer Hey Iris, if you're sure you want a combination microwave/ convection Google the net for microwave manufacturers and check the dimensions for the ovens and pick one that fits. However, these ovens get quite hot and you must be sure that there is adequate room around the oven to prevent overheating. I'm going to suggest that you get a microwave only oven and if your recipes require a little hot air to finish them off transfer them to your toaster or conventional oven for a few minutes. My latest cookbook, "Jump-Start Cooking" concentrates on this technique (see website jumpstartcooking.com). For example; microwave a chicken for 20 minutes and transfer to a 400F oven for 10 minutes to brown and crisp the skin. It'll be the best chicken you've ever roasted. If you use combination the same chicken will take 40-50- minutes and you have to preheat the oven for about 8 minutes. The combination ovens are really only good for roasts, whole chickens, and bread and pastry items. They are relatively expensive and a little harder to keep clean (stainless interior). But if you need a second hot oven it'll fit the bill. Do not get an oven with the grill feature. It never gets hot enough to really do any real grilling. Good luck!
