Pros: Easy install, great microwave function, good convection oven for roasting
Cons: Speedcook feature is not up to par. Dial control is cumbersome.
The Bottom Line: Recommended for those wanting a microwave an occasional use convection oven in small package. Avoid it if you think this unit will cut your cooking time in half.
Cerretani's Full Review: General Electric Advantium 120 900 Watts Microwave...
Convergence products are those cool ideas that blend two or three functions in one unit. In this case, GE combined a microwave oven, convection oven and radiant heat halogen cook unit in a single, 110V, over the range unit. I bought this because we cook at home every day and frequently entertain at home. So it is not uncommon for us to have two or three dishes going at one time and I wanted the extra oven space.
Installation was easy. The mounting plate, templates and fasteners align very well and the unit was in place in 20 minutes. The instructions do not require a dedicated circuit - but 950W is enough load to justify at least a dedicated 15 amp circuit, so I ran a dedicated 20 amp circuit to the unit. I had to vent indoors and the unit does not come with the required charcoal filter - so I had to run to the store and buy an extra part.
The microwave function works fine even under daily use. I did not experience any of the fit or finish issues that other reviewers encountered though the internal light went out after a week. I changed the bulb and everything has worked fine since.
The Speedcook option still baffles me. Speedcook uses halogen lamps to cook food in a short amount of time - but it never works when I try to cook thicker cuts of meat, cookies, breads, etc. I ended up putting a chicken in the regular oven after Speedcook tried to complete the job for 90 minutes. Potatoes do not roast - they turn to mush. I have stopped trying the Speedcook option.
The regular oven feature works well. It roasts meat and vegetables very well. Pies and pizza bake fine. Cookies and cakes are challenged for some reason.
One challenge for our family is that the microwave uses a glass plate, the ovens use a black metal plate with rack and all functions require glass cookware. That adds one more step to remember before pressing GO. Also, the dial control keeps the control panel uncluttered but it is cumbersome to use. I end up starting over because the embedded menus feel like a corporate phone tree at times.
Overall, I have been happy to have a great microwave and an extra oven for a couple hundred dollars more than a microwave alone. The Speedcook feature is not fully baked so don't believe the hype or buy the product for that feature.
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