Emerson Microwave Oven MW8780 – Quality on a Budget

This inexpensive microwave oven gets high marks for energy efficiency, quality microwave cooking and numerous features for fine food preparation. Purchased for less than $40, right on Target for our budget, the 800 watt microwave oven by Emerson, model MW8780SS/SB, boasts a rotating turntable, a compact size, easy to access controls, and a better-than-standard safety rating. The operation guide explains how the oven cooks by weight; quick cooks dinners, snacks, beverages and reheats; locks children out for safety; will defrost by weight or speed defrost; and can cook in one stage or multiple stages for variable power settings.

For these models installation is simple, requiring a 120 volt, 60 Hz power supply. A three pronged outlet is recommended but a two pronged adapter with grounding wire can be used safely, and any extension cord utilized must be rated as highly as the appliance. Both the door latch and door seal are of high quality, and when closed the door automatically locks shut. If the oven is running when the door is opened the magnetron that emits the microwaves will shut off immediately. The door seal prevents any microwave leakage.

There are numerous bells and whistles that we’ve enjoyed in the brief period since buying the appliance. Defrosting by weight is efficient and prevents precooking or over cooking, as does the cook by weight feature. Both of these are easily selected with their own pads. There are also ‘quick pads’ to reheat, and to prepare frozen dinners, beverages, popcorn, pizza and baked potato. For popcorn there is a way to override the quick pad for smaller or larger popcorn packages. Perhaps the best feature is the ‘cook by weight’ selection, which allows codes for beef, lamb and pork to be entered for setting the appropriate temperature, and requests the approximate weight to be entered so the cooking time is automatically set.

Of course the oven comes with easy to read instructions for all the safety, cooking and usage factors. Plus there is a complete cooking guide which includes all the popular North American choices like hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, sauces, casseroles, cereals, desserts and convenience foods. It includes the roller and turntable plate needed for all-around even cooking. Finally there is an easy way to set a child safety lock.

A feature that the family does not like is that the start and stop functions are controlled by the same button. When stopping the oven before the set cooking interval has expired a period of time remains on the clock. Unlike other microwave ovens we have used the time is not reset to zero by hitting the stop button again, but rather the oven starts up for the remaining time, and at that point it may be empty. To remove the remaining time period one must press the ‘reset’ pad. Another shortcoming is that the larger popcorn bags may not rotate on the turntable if the package touches the side of the oven.

For people who need an efficient and affordable microwave that does almost everything the pricier ones can, the Emerson MW8780 series of 800 watt microwave ovens do a great job. To learn more about this and other products by this company, you can certainly visit their website at http://www.emersonradio.com.