Category: 20 – 30 Litre Microwaves

Here’s our list of contenders for the best microwave for single person.

#1 – Best Microwave For Single Person – Russell Hobbs RHM2064C 

There are some products that come define an entire category and the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C Heritage digital microwave is one of those. This microwave does its job in an excellent fashion and with little fuss and has made its way on to our list as the best microwave for single person.

The Russell Hobbs RHM2064C looks and feels like it has been designed with style, ease of use, and functionality.

At 20litre capacity the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C is perfect for smaller households and in terms of sizes makes it the best microwave for single person. The 20litre capacity will comfortably take a standard size dinner plate giving you a good range of flexibility for your cooking and reheating needs at home.

Lets start with the style and that lovely cream coating. It’s not easy to pull off a cream colour in an appliance and still manage to make it look modern as well as sleek but the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C does just that. The cream finish gives it a real quality feel and is easy to match up with other products in the Russell Hobbs range like kettles and toasters.

To add to the modern look the door has an appealing mirror finish which gives the machine yet more elegance. Though mirror doors can sometimes be prone to showing smudges, this is fairly easy to clean.

One of the first things that strikes you about the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C is how easy it is to use. The control panel is limited to 5 simple and clearly labelled buttons, a hand dial for selecting time, weight and auto programmes and the door button. Control panels do not come any easier than this (well maybe except for the Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B with its staggering 4 buttons).

At 800watts the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C will cook your food quickly and efficiently. It has 5 different power levels to choose from covering the full spectrum your likely to need from “P10” which is 10% of the power through to “P100” =100% (take a look at our article on selecting power levels for clarity on what these mean).

It also quite helpfully has an automatic weight defrost programme meaning all you need to do is enter the weight of the item you need to defrost and the machine will do the job of selecting the best defrost time saving you the headache. And just in case you don’t know the weight of your frozen leftovers from the other day or if that’s too much work for you, you can simply use the defrost function by selecting the time you need up to 95 minutes.

Another really useful feature of the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C is its “multi-stage cooking” which lets you enter two settings in one go so you don’t have to come back later after the first. So for example if you wanted to defrost some rice then cook it for 7 minutes you have the option of setting both at the start and then not needing to interfere until it’s done. This is a great function that should save you some time and fiddling about once your food has defrosted but still needs to be warmed up.

The Russell Hobbs RHM2064C comes with 8 automatic cooking programmes including settings for cooking fish, pasta, vegetables, meat, soup and pizza.

For added peace of mind in your kitchen, there’s a child lock setting which will allow you to keep the machine on lock down and stop anyone from tampering with it.

Overall this is a nice and compact unit (External Dimensions: H25.8cm x W44cm x D34cm; Turntable diameter: 25.5cm) which won’t take up too much space on your counter. Though you will need to bear in mind that you’ll need at least 20cm of clearance between the microwave and any adjacent walls. In addition you’ll need 30cm of clearance above the unit whilst the rear should be placed against a wall.

Though turntable microwaves can sometimes be tricky to clean, the plate in the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C is dishwasher safe which will make life even easier.

Overall the Russell Hobbs RHM2064C would make a classy addition to your kitchen whilst providing you with a highly rated microwave that looks great. It is one of the most well-renowned solo microwaves on the market and offers excellent value for money.

Key Features

• 20 Litre Capacity
• 800Watts of power
• 5 Power Levels
• Available Colours: Cream
• Type: Solo microwave
• Mirror Finish Door
• Dimensions: H25.8cm x W44cm x D34cm

#2 – Best Microwave For Single Person – Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B Easi Flatbed Microwave

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. We like it so much we picked it 2nd in our search for the best microwave for single person.

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. At 23litres we think this makes it a perfect addition to the list for best microwave for single person. 23litres is big enough for a small family but not too big for a single person or a couple.

The flatbed design makes it much easier to clean that 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.

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

#3 – Best Microwave For Single Person – Bosch HMT75M451B

The Bosch HMT75M451B is an excellent solo microwave and our 3rd pick for best microwave for single person. It does what a microwave should do excellently giving you a quick and easy way to cook your food exactly the way you need it. This is a great choice if you are after excellent durability in a compact design.

As you would expect with Bosch, you get the feel of a highly engineered machine without the unnecessary complications.

One of the best things about the Bosch HMT75M451B in addition to how well it does the job, is how easy it is to use it. Simply choose the power level you want from one of 5 easy to understand buttons, turn the retractable dial to select the time you need and then hit the start button.

This model is equipped with 800 Watts of power spread out across 5 power levels (90, 180, 360, 600 and 800 W) which should be plenty and offer you lots of variety from simple defrosting tasks (90 W) to heating liquids (800 W). It would work great for someone looking for a quick and easy way to reheat food regularly or defrost items. It can also of course cook more intricate meals in the way you’d expect.

The Bosch HMT75M451B is a solo microwave so no grill or oven which is perfect if you’re only after classic microwave functions and do not want to pay for features you are never going to use.

To cater for all your culinary needs the machine comes with 7 automatic programmes. This list includes 4 defrost programmes covering mince meat, chunks of meat, chicken and bread. In addition there are 3 separate programmes for cooking rice, vegetables and potatoes.

If you were knitpicking you’d say that the only slight drawback of this model is that there is no correspondinig defrost button on the control panel and you need to use one of the programme numbers though this simpe enough once you know which they are out of the 7.

To get a programme started is once again refreshingly simple; you select the one you want, enter the weight using the retractable (pull-out) dial and then hit start. The machine does the rest as it determines the best cooking power and time for your dish based on the weight and programme. This is great as it avoids you having to guess the best way to cook your rice or whatever else you have on the go.

Quite helpfully the Bosch HMT75M451B comes with a memory function that allows you to setup your favourite or most commonly used set of commands as an auto programme. So for example if you cooked rice at 600 W for 15 minutes quite often you could use the memory function to set this up as a dedicated programme. This at first appears to be a gimmicky feature but it may be quite a time-saver if there’s no pre-set programme that immediately works for you.

With a 17 litre capacity and 245mm turntable this microwave would be best suited for a single person household, a couple or perhaps a small family. It is one of the main reasons, as well as how well it does the job, that it is on list of contenders for best microwave for single person.

The stainless steel finish and smooth lines give this microwave a real modern and clean feel. There’s a good firmness to the door and the opening mechanism leave you feeling reassured about its durability. You can tell this a well-built model and it has real solid yet stylish feel in a way only a brand like Bosch could manage.

Due to it’s compact size (H29cm x 46.1W x D35.1cm) this unit doesn’t take up much space and would be great for someone looking for an excellent microwave to fit into a small space or kitchen. It’s a freestanding unit but can also be fitted under a wall cupboard which is a great added bonus if you need to place it into a fitted kitchen but are constrained for space (just bear in mind the vents will also need breathing space).

The cooking compartment fits a standard size dinner plate (H19.4cm x W29cm x D30cm) if you ever need to reheat a whole plate of food.

As well as being compact and well made, this also does not feel very heavy at 11.2kg which is great especially if it’s going into a fitted unit.

A consistent benefit you’ll see a lot from users is the fact it’s not too noisy. In addition you have the option of changing the gentle beeping sound at the end to either 3 short beeps or 30 long beeps which could be useful for those who need reminders when it’s done.

It also comes fitted with a fan that will also continue to run after the timer runs out and then automatically shuts down which is great as it helps to keep the interior from steaming up from the hot food.

The interior also benefits from a light that will automatically turn itself off if you walk away and leave the door open.

Overall the Bosch HMT75M451B is a great option if you’re looking for a well-built yet stylish solo microwave that is small and neat enough to fit perfectly onto your kitchen counter or shelf yet packs enough power to get through all of your heating and defrosting needs quickly and effectively. It is our 3rd pick for best microwave for single person as it gives you lots of benefits and does it in an unfussy yet effective manner.

Key Features

• Easy to use interface
• 17litre capacity
• 800W of cooking power
• 5 power levels
• 7 auto programmes
• Available Colours: Stainless Steel; Black; White
• Dimensions: H29cm x 46.1W x D35.1cm

#4 – Best Microwave For Single Person – Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ Solo Inverter Microwave Oven

Cooks quickly and evenly? Check. Looks great? Check. Is easy to use? Double-Check? Sings lullabies? I don’t think so but I can ask?

As you would expect from one of the best (and in many estimations the best) microwave manufacturers in the world, the Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ delivers on all fronts. You get a highly effective solo microwave for your cooking and reheating needs, it looks brilliant and is well built. It is one of the most highly rated microwaves available and is our number #4 pick for best microwave for single person.

The Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ solo microwave might be best described as simple excellence.

This starts with the way it cooks food which by most accounts is quickly and evenly throughout. This is thanks to its Inverter Technology which means power is delivered more consistently and with precise control. This is unlike traditional microwaves were the power is alternated on and off throughout a cycle which can often leave your food with random cold patches and leave you frustrated as you go back to the kitchen for the 3rd time to eliminate the remaining cold spots from your reheated leftovers. On this front it delivers with users consistently raving about how well it performs with cooking evenly and also quickly.

With 1000W of power you would expect it to cook food fast and it most certainly does. Quite usefully you get a full range of power levels to make the most out of the machine and get the best cooking experience. These go from 1000W (high) through to 270W for defrosting and 100W for warming things up. There’s a handy table in the user manual which will help you determine the best power level depending on the food.

Alongside the high power you also get a range (10) of auto cook and auto reheat programs including defrosting which will select the best power and time for you based on your entering the weight of the item. This is a great function if you are unsure about the right settings for a given item of food.

This is a solo microwave meaning there’s no added fuss with either a grill or oven.

With 23litres of internal capacity this microwave is a good size and would suit a single person or smaller households. The overall dimensions (H27.9cm x W48.8cm x D39.5cm) and its neat design make this look like a compact microwave but the interior is spacious enough to fit large dinner plates.

One of the things you see mentioned most about the Panasonic NN-SD27HSBPQ and user experiences is how easy it is to use. It is definitely something that stands out about this excellent model.

They have tried to make the control panel as useful as possible without adding any complications. For example each power button has two options e.g. “1000W/600W” (high/medium), you simply press it once for “1000W” and twice for “600W”. After you’ve used this feature successfully the first time, you’ll get to see how simple and effective it is.

All of the buttons on the control panel are clearly labelled and responsive. The instruction manual is very detailed yet easy to understand and will set you straight on anything you are unclear about.

As well as being easy to use, this model is also easy to clean. The stainless steel exterior not only means its attractive but also helps with straightforward cleaning. On the inside Panasonic have equipped it with what they call an “Aqua Clean” feature. You place a bowl of tap water (200ml) with 1 tbsp of lemon and then press the “Aqua Clean” button. After 20 minutes the water will have boiled and the steam will help to deodorise the interior and loosen any stuck on food. You can then wipe down the inside of the machine with a soft cloth to complete the process.

The Panasonic NN-SD27HS looks attractive and feels well built. The exterior has a clean and smooth stainless steel finish which gives the microwave a real modern feel to it.

A great bonus feature of the Panasonic NN-SD27HS is the child lock which will make the control panel inoperable at your choosing.

All in all the Panasonic NN-SD27HS is a fantastic microwave that cooks and reheats food quickly and efficiently, is easy to use and quite pleasing on the eye. It offers excellent value for money from a reliable and highly renowned brand and comes with a great track record of user experience.

Key Features

• Inverter technology for even cooking
• 1000W of cooking power for quick and efficient meals
• 23 litre internal capacity
• “Aqua Clean” for easy cleaning
• Available Colours: Stainless Steel
• Dimensions: H27.9cm x W48.8cm x D39.5cm