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#1 – Best Flatbed Solo Microwave: Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B
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Best Flatbed Solo Microwave: #1 Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B
If the Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B were any easier it, you’d always think it was Sunday morning. With this delightful creation you get a super-easy to use microwave that’s also offers great value for money and with a flatbed design that makes it very straightforward to clean. It’s why its our number #1 pick for best flatbed solo microwave.
The Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B is a microwave that shows the renowned British manufacturer at the top of its game. To say this microwave is easy to use would be a wild understatement. The control panel features 4 buttons. In case you missed that let me repeat; it features four (4) buttons. 1 – Microwave, 2 – Defrost, 3- Stop/Cancel and 4 – Start are all the buttons you’ll ever need to get the most out of this beauty.
A widely stated stat is the fact that 98% of Britain’s microwave users only ever reheat or defrost their food. That means there’s a lot of microwaves out there that have way more features than people actually need. The fact that users cannot stop raving on about how easy to use this Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B is speaks to this fact.
If you are like most of people using microwaves for purely reheating and defrosting purposes but want a nice straightforward interface then this is the unit for you.
To use the microwave for example, you press the Microwave button until the time you need is reached. The timer jumps in 30 second intervals until you get to 5 minutes at which point it increases by 1 minute up to a maximum of 60 minutes.
Alternatively if you just press and hold the button from the start it will skip through the minutes much faster until you reach the time you need. Once you have the time you require, you press the Microwave button again and then hit the Start button for the machine to come at full power. As simple as that.
The Defrost button works in exactly the same way though at an appropriate power for defrosting.
If you need to pause a cooking cycle you simply hit the Stop/Cancel button once. If you need to stop the cycle completely you press the Stop/Cancel button a second time.
The great thing about the Easi microwave is that you only ever need to really worry about the time you want for heating or defrosting your food. There are no fancy programmes for auto cooking based on the weight of food you have no clue about.
Not only is this model easy to use but even more importantly it does its job quickly and efficiently. At 800Watts it is a nice and powerful microwave meaning your food will get heated and defrosted quickly. This is something you see mentioned time and again from users.
As well as cooking your food quickly the flatbed design and crucially Russell Hobb’s diamond shaped cavity mean that your food is also heated evenly. The diamond cavity helps to distribute the microwaves more evenly within the cooking chamber resulting in a food that is heated evenly with no cold spots.
As this is a flatbed design (i.e. no turntable) it means you get more space than you would with a traditional microwave. With a 23litre capacity in total in addition to the flatbed design, you can get larger and more awkward shaped dishes into the microwave for heating and defrosting purposes. 23litres is big enough for a small family but not too big for a single person or a couple.
Our Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B review would not be complete without mentioning the flatbed design and how much easier it is to clean than otherwise would be the case with a turntable design.
As we’ve come to expect from Russell Hobbs, the RHEM2301B looks great. The door has an elegant mirror finish which gives it a real sleek and modern feel. Though mirror finish doors can be difficult to keep clear of finger print smudges, this unit elegantly avoids this issue with the door handle meaning you won’t need to touch the mirror when opening and closing the microwave.
Overall the Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B cannot be rated highly enough. It is a wonderfully intuitive microwave that focuses on making your life as easy as possible and gets the most important aspects of the microwave (heating and defrosting) just right. It’s easy to use, easy to clean, cooks very well and offer excellent value for money. It had to be our #1 best flatbed solo microwave and we think you’ll quickly agree.
Key Features
- Super-easy control panel with only 4 buttons
- 23Litre capacity
- Flatbed design (no turntable)
- 800W for quick and convenient cooking
- Type: Solo Microwave
- Available Colours: Black with silver backing; Silver
- Dimensions: H30.4cm x W50.2cm x D41.8cm
#2 – Best Flatbed Solo Microwave For The Money – Russell Hobbs RHFM2363B
Best Flatbed Solo Microwave: #2 Russell Hobbs RHFM2363B
The Russell Hobbs RHFM2363B is a great pick if you are want a sleek solo flatbed microwave that combines brilliant features with style. In addition it offers excellent value for money making it our 2nd best flatbed solo microwave.
This microwave is classy through and through. This starts with the black mirror finish which looks very polished and will have you purring in delight every time you look at it.
With 800 Watts of cooking power, your food will get heated and cooked very quickly. The RHFM2363B comes with 5 power levels giving you plenty of flexibility when selecting the appropriate power level for cooking and heating your food. One of these is an excellent defrost function which comes in handy if you store your food in the freezer regularly and ever forget to take it out in good time.
Whilst the mirror door gives the RHFM2363B a brilliant appearance it does mean that visibility during cooking is reduced. Nonetheless it gives the machine a high grade look that is likely to upgrade most kitchen work-tops.
The model comes with a 23 litre capacity which will work perfectly for everyday cooking and heating needs around the home. This capacity would suit most households whether single occupancy or those with a family as its big enough to take good sized dishes for a family but not too big to feel wasteful for one person.
There’s a child lock which is very handy if you have kids as it ensures that when its on the controls cannot be changed and the machine activated.
The flatbed design though is the real standout feature. If you regularly cook large dishes in the microwave, a flatbed machine can accommodate them where as the old style turntables can’t take them as easily.
The flatbed technology can also mean that your dishes are more evenly heated. This is particularly the case with the Russell Hobbs RHFM2363B model due to its diamond cavity. The diamond cavity structure provides more even distribution of the microwaves by improving the reflection of the microwaves inside the machine. This means food is cooked more evenly reducing the chance of those annoying cold spots on your meals. This should save you time as well as energy.
As with any appliance, there are a few drawbacks to be aware of. The first is relates to the mirror finish on the door as fingerprint marks are easier to see. This will mean it needs more regular wiping down. Although not a deal-breaker, it is something to keep in mind.
In addition, the machine will need to be placed at least 20cm from a wall so keep this in mind when considering where it will need to be placed.
Overall however, the Russell Hobbs RHFM2363B is a fantastic flatbed solo microwave. If you want a machine that combines power, elegance and excellent value for money than look no further.
Key Features
- 800 Watts of power for quick and convenient cooking with 5 Power Levels
- 23litre capacity
- Flatbed technology for increased cooking capacity and easy cleaning
- Excellent defrost function
- Diamond cavity structure provides effective microwave distribution for better cooking
- Dimensions: 51 x 43 x 31 cm
#3 – Best Flatbed Solo Microwave – Panasonic NN-SF464MBPQ
Best Flatbed Solo Microwave: #3 Panasonic NN-SF464MBPQ
The Panasonic NN-SF464MBPQ is our second choice for best flatbed solo microwave and is a fantastic choice for a flatbed microwave if you are after something slightly bigger than the 23L offered by the Russell Hobbs RHFM2363B.
This fantastic unit is equipped with Panasonic’s inverter technology giving you evenly cooked food with less power usage than conventional microwave ovens. Your food will come out evenly cooked with no annoying cold spots. The inverter technology allows you to control the power to get your food exactly how you need it.
This is a solo microwave (take a look here if you’re after the best flatbed combination microwaves) meaning there’s no grill or oven function. This would suit a household that uses the microwave predominantly for heating and defrosting food rather than cooking complex meals. It would also work well for meals such as rice, pasta, jacket potatoes and the like.
The inverter technology coupled with 1000Watts of power means you can rely on this microwave to cook your food quickly and evenly.
To allow you take full advantage of the ample power on offer, the Panasonic NN-SF464MBPQ comes equipped with 5 power levels from gentle defrosting through to cooking full on dishes.
It has a generous 18 auto programmes which gives you a wide range of choice when it comes to making your food exactly how you like it without any of the guess work. This is a wide range of auto programmes that you do not see very often, if ever, in other models and includes options for soup, chicken breasts as well as 3 defrost settings.
The control panel is touch operated which makes the unit feel all the more slick alongside the overall neat design. This combined with the stainless steel silver finish gives it a modern feel that would be welcomed in most kitchens.
The stainless steel finish also makes cleaning quite easy as you can just wipe down the flat surface. The flatbed base also makes the job of cleaning relatively easy.
The flatbed design means there is no turntable leaving with you with much for space for large awkward dishes that otherwise would not fit.
This model also features a child lock which is particularly useful if your family includes young children.
You’d have to look hard for drawbacks to this machine and the best you’d come up with is possibly a slightly dim LED light when in operation but this really is scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Overall this is an excellent choice for a flatbed solo microwave. It will cook your food nice and evenly, it’s easy to clean and looks great. It ticks many boxes and had to be selected as one of only 3 for our pick for the best flatbed solo microwave.
Key Features
- Flatbed design giving you more space and an easier time cleaning
- Inverter cooking technology for precise and evenly cooked food
- Plenty of cooking capacity (27Litre)
- 1000W of power for quick and easy meals
- Dimensions: D42.2cm x W52.9cm x H32.6cm
Best Flatbed Solo Microwave: Let us know what you think below.