Customer Reviews

Kalorik MW 26146 Steam Microwave Oven with Real Convection

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I needed a new microwave and since I have limited space I liked that this oven served several purposes. I even waited a couple of months for it. I did try to find more info but found little on the internet and it wasn't available at a local store. My first impression when I opened it was how cheep it looked. The outside in mostly plastic. I worry each time I fill the water tank or empty the waste water tank that they will break and cost a fortune to replace. I haven't cleaned the steam generator yet but it requires decalcification every 20 uses and compartment is opening required a screwdriver. Cleaning instructions also direct cleaning 9 holes with a soft cloth & vinegar and I can't find the holes referred to. When I opened the door it scraped (I think the parts were not smooth finished). The controls are not intuitive and I find them difficult. The cooking instruction take up 19 pages. When I used the microwave function there was a annoying rattling noise. I contacted customer service via email and after suggesting several obvious causes they went to the warehouse to check and found it to be normal. When you microwave most things you are hit with steam when you open the door. Also the power is low so things take longer. I don't use the other items as often as I thought I would. It is just easier to do these functions the standard way. The convection function doest seem to save time. The inside cavity is not large and many item I use to use in the microwave I can no long use. The window is not as clear as the picture indicates. I would return it if I could. I will never buy another item online that costs this much without an unlimited satisfaction guarantee including shipping costs.

Stay away from this product! It is without a doubt the worst
purchase I have ever made. I wanted one for 2 years, and I
returned it within 24 hours. To make a long story short, you
get much STRONGER cooking with traditional methods.

After 15 minutes of messing around with the steamer, I could
only get it to produce 5 minutes of steam. Then it would
crap out. Then you have to mess around with it another 15
minutes. You are supposed to get 30 minutes of continuous
steam out of this thing. After 4 tries, I gave up. If
you use a stovetop steamer or pressure cooker, you get a
MUCH larger volume of steam, and MUCH stronger steaming
than this piece of junk will ever give you.

The convection oven was equally as worthless. I put a
bratwurst and a chicken drumstick in there at the highest
temperature (440F) for 1/2 hour. Neither browned in the
slightest. The chicken drumstick attained a yellow skin
as tough as leather, and was inedible. The bratwurst
attained a tough rubbery outer skin and was still pink
inside.

After the 1/2 hour at 440F, I tried to open the front door,
and the front door cover broke off. Apparently, it wasn't
designed to stand what little heating this oven provides.
The construction overall is very flimsy, and it seems like
everything on it wants to break.

In fairness, the microwave did work. But so what? It's
easy to get a good microwave for far less money.

A conventional oven blows this thing away by a factor of
30 for cooking performance. A frying pan blows this
thing away by a factor of 30 for browning performance.
A stovetop steamer blows this thing away by a factor
of 20 for steaming. A pressure cooker blows it away
by a factor of 40 for steaming.

For apartment use, you would do far better to get a
cheap microwave, a toaster oven, a hot plate, a
pressure cooker, and a frying pan. No, it doesn't
come all in one small convenient package, but
it is FAR cheaper and gives FAR better results.
Plus, you can do SO much more with them.

I bought this thing hoping to find an energy
efficient alternative to my conventional oven
that wouldn't heat my house up in the summer
months. At this point, I would say brown your
foods in a toaster oven or frying pan, and then
braise them in a pressure cooker. This won't
heat your house up, and the pressure cooker can
do a remarkable job at tenderizing tough pork
chops, steaks, and roasts. The Kalorik oven
comes nowhere even close to what you can do
with low-tech methods.