Microwave cooking is not new to me. I was using these machines in their original avatar of only one function - MICROWAVE. They were expensive too. My microwave oven before the Kenstar OM-34ECR was also a Kenstar 18 lts one. Having used the ealier oven for about four years, I concluded that a microwave oven should have the following for the money we spend on it:
Microwave function;
Convection function - for standard baking and
Grill for browning foods
Additionally, my expereince told me that we should buy the largest (in litres) that we can get in the market. Let me explain the logic.. You cannot increase the size of the oven after you purchase it. (very obvious but overlooked). Since space assists in using large vessels in the oven, a larger oven that can accomodate large containers should be preferred. Also, foods such as rice and dal tend to spill, and here a large vessel helps. Large capacity also helps in using the standard containers such as idly maker easily.
Coming to the Kenstar 34 litre Microwave, if I am not wrong, the size is still the largest in the domestic market. It was so when I bought the item three years ago! Though I was not motivated by Sanjeev Kapoor, I cannot but notice that he still uses the same model even today! May be, Kenstar was more than magnanimous with him!
Anyhow, the microwave has become an essential in the kitchen. I use the oven to prepare vegetables for the kadai-gloss, make bread-pizzas and pop-corn! The oven, I admit is robust, capable and large.
The accessories included a cookbook (yet to be utilised), two metal racks of variable heights, a rosetterie stick and a manual.
First the manual - The manual is as bad as the guy who dropped in to give us a demo! Very sketchy and unimaginative. The manual has also not thrown light on how best can the rosettrie be used. The outer get-up is good-looking with metallic-silver colour. The buttons are standard and one will familiarise after a few uses. The most irritating aspect of the oven is the need to press Stop / Cancel before one can use the oven. The service guy has no clue why is that the oven does not display "0" and shows option to set language!
Service / support is by and large satisfactory. The service is mostly done at home.
The oven has performed well without any trouble, except replacement of bulb three times! Overall, a good buy.