Yet another microwave oven (Samsung brand)

 In March last year I wrote about how much we liked the Westpoint microwave we had bought a few months earlier. It replaced one which had become corroded and rusty inside; the interior surface looked more sturdy than the previous one, but we were careful to keep the door open after each use, to cover anything we cooked in it for more than a minute or two, and to dry it if there was obvious moisture inside.

And it kept working well...except for one little thing. The digital time display started to deteriorate. I suppose we'd had it for about nine months when the first bar, the bottom one at the right, started to vanish. At first it was just fainter than the rest, but over the course of a few days it disappeared entirely. 

It wasn't a huge issue, just mildly annoying that, for instance, a digital 8 looked like a digital capital A, and a digital 3 looked like a backwards capital F.  Then, a few months later, the top bar became fainter, and also vanished not long afterwards.  I don't know why I didn't take a photo of this - I take photos of pretty much everything else, after all. The only one I can find is one I took of the whole kitchen when it was quite messy, so cropping to just the microwave makes it very poor quality:

But perhaps it's still clear that it should say 12:07 and the 7 just looks like a back-slash. 

Another new microwave (Westpoint brand)

 Microwave ovens are supposed to last about seven years. Some of ours have done so, or even a year or two longer. I wrote a post about the one we bought in October 2020, a Sharp brand, which - at first - we were very pleased with. Certainly the instructions were easier than our previous Carrefour microwave which, despite its complexity, lasted us for eight years.

I very much liked the straightforward options on the front of the Sharp microwave, and regularly used the ones such as baked potatoes or frozen peas. We also liked the fact that we could enter exact timings when necessary - for instance for warming plates with silicon mats, or making mug cakes. It came with a useful instruction guide, but mainly its use was intuitive, and we hoped it would last us at least seven or eight years. 

Unfortunately, within a couple of years the touch-screen 'buttons' had started fading quite badly. It's not all that clear from this photo, but the most-used ones were becoming impossible to read, and sometimes quite difficult to push:

Of course this didn't happen until after the statutory two-year warranty was over. And it wasn't unusable. Indeed, we continued using it for another two years or so. 

During that time, we noticed that rust was beginning to form inside. By December 2024, it was looking like this: 

It really hadn't worn well. We could not recall any of our previous microwaves having such a large amount of rust. Was it dangerous? We hoped not, although metal is not supposed to be exposed inside a microwave. 

And then one day something we had microwaved had a fleck of what looked like paint on it. And when we checked inside, we saw that the roof looked like this:

The enamel was bubbling badly.  Not what one wants in a microwave. We have no idea how long it had been like that; I had noticed a bit of bubbling a few months earlier, but it seemed minor and wasn't breaking away. 

It was only four years old, but we knew, for safety reasons, we had to get rid of it and buy a new one. We decided to go to Superhome Centre, which stocks quite a variety of microwaves, in various sizes and also costs. 

We had a few criteria that were important to us. 

1) Digital rather than analogue timing so that we could be specific for things like mug cakes

2) Big enough that we could fit dinner plates in it for warming, but not enormous. 

3) Not too expensive.

4) Not a touch-screen that was likely to be destroyed by pushing the 'buttons'.

5) If possible, black/silver colour rather than white, to match other appliances. But that was a relatively minor issue. 

In the past, we would often choose a well-known, trusted brand rather than one of the newer ones. But most appliances are reasonable quality nowadays, and quick online checks of reviews suggested that most of the microwaves available would do the job satisfactorily. 

We looked at quite a selection, rejecting the analogue ones, and the smallest. And then we found exactly what we were looking for, fulfilling all our criteria, including being a good price. We didn't know the Westpoint brand, but it looked smart, and had little buttons (which, we hope, won't break) and digital timing down to five seconds. 

It doesn't have the useful quick choices of the Sharp. Instead, to use a specific baked potato (or other) setting, one has to use the 'auto' button and select from menus, rather like the Carrefour one we had prior to the Sharp. It's too complex for me to remember, so I stick with the basics: cook and defrost. Both seem to work extremely well. 

Setting the clock is easy; I've had to do that a few times as we've had brief power cuts more than once in the past couple of months. On the other hand, we had to consult the manual to find out how to actually cook anything. We had to get used to a different way of getting the microwave to work: we first press the 'microwave' button, then the 'start' button, before turning the dial to set the time. 

If we forget the second step and turn the dial without pressing 'start' first,  it tries to set a different power instead. I don't really know why they have this option. Some recipes specify different microwave powers, but I've never really been aware of what wattage is being used anyway. We just go with the default. Apparently the maximum is 800 watts, and the capacity 25 litres. 

After setting the time - and it's easy to move the numbers up and down to get the right time - the start button has to be pressed again. It can be stopped at any time with the 'stop' button, if something has to be stirred or turned.

As for the defrost setting, we can either set a time or a weight; I've used both. Those are also set, by minutes or grammes, with the dial. It's useful and effective, and also easy.

Although I hope that the problems with the Sharp microwave would not be present with this one (we had never previously seen such rust, or roof bubbling on any other microwave), we're being more careful to wipe it out if there's steam after cooking, and also to leave it ajar when not in use. 

Some microwaves leave the light on when the door is open, but this one has the excellent feature of automatically turning the light off after a couple of minutes, even when the door is open. But the clocks stays on all the time, unlike some of our previous microwaves. I find this a very useful (though not essential) feature.

It's not quite three months since we bought our new microwave, but I'm very glad we did so. So far, we like it very much indeed. 

Update: May 2026. Unfortunately, bars on the digital display started vanishing. So we took the microwave to be repaired under guarantee. A month later there was no repair or replacement, so we had to accept store credit, and then look elsewhere for another microwave. Details here.

Buying a microwave oven in Cyprus

It's nearly eight years since we bought our last microwave oven, although I wouldn't have been surprised to find that it was only four or five years ago. Time seems to be accelerating, the older we get. We bought it from Carrefour, where we tended to buy most of our small kitchen appliances eight years ago. Carrefour no longer exists. Nowadays, we are likely to check SuperHome Centre or Mr Bricolage first. 

I explained in the post linked above that this Carrefour microwave had a grill function, and rather complex instructions which were provided in several languages, but not English. I spent some time searching online for instructions in English, and eventually gave up. I typed the French into Google Translate, then printed the result. It wasn't really any more helpful. 

For instance, if I wanted to cook baked potatoes I had to remember which was the automatic menu knob, and twist that to position A5. (I only know this because I just checked the instructions - I never managed to remember any of the auto settings). Then I had to remember to confirm that by pressing a diamond button.  After that the knob could be pressed to set the weight of the potatoes (assuming I had remembered to weigh them. If not, I had to remove them and start over after weighing).  Then I had to press the diamond again. If I got any of it wrong, it lost the settings.

There was another knob to set different amounts of microwave power, or to choose the grill function, or the two combined. There was a way to set specific times too, but that was just as complicated. Below I have reproduced part of the instructions which I never managed to follow: 

Cook or grill combined cooking.

Press waves on the LED screen. LED Will show G. Press several times on waves or turn the knob to select the power and Desired G, C-1 or C-2 will appear alternately. 

Press Diamond to confirm, and turn the knob to adjust the length of cooking from 0.05 to 95.00. Press again to start cooking.

Example: if you want to use 55% power of microwave and grill power of 45% (C-1) to cook for ten minutes, set the furnace according to this method:

1) press once on waves, and "G" will show.

2) Press again or turn the knob waves to select the Mode 1 combi.

3) Press one diamond to confirm, and the screen will show C-1.

4) Turn the knob to adjust the oven up to the cooking time displays 10.00.

5) Press on the diamond to start cooking.

G - 100% Grill

C-1 - 45% grill

C-2 - 64% grill.

There was no indication as to WHY I might want to cook anything for ten minutes with 55% microwave power and 45% grill, even had I managed successfully to set it correctly.

Besides, when I use a microwave it's because I want to do something quickly. 

So in the end, the only button we ever used was the 'quick' setting, for 30 second bursts on full microwave power.  It was fine. Three 30-second bursts to heat a cup of cold coffee. About ten of them to soften potatoes prior to baking. We made mug cakes, reheated food, melted coconut oil or chocolate or dairy-free spread, cooked frozen peas, or aubergines for baba ganoush.. sometimes opening the door before the 30 seconds were up, and sometimes pressing a few more. 

I suppose it was about a year ago that there was a problem with the buttons, possibly because we had used one of them extensively and nothing else. But Richard managed to open up the front panel, and replaced a part that had fallen out or deteriorated, as a temporary measure. It was very effective, and we continued using it with no problems. 

However we realised that it wouldn't last forever, so we had been looking at microwaves in the DIY stores when we happened to be there. One or other of them usually had a small, basic white microwave on offer. We didn't need a large one, we told ourselves, nor did we need any of the fancy functions. 

On the other hand, Richard did want a digital timer rather than just an analogue knob as he has become an expert at microwave mug cakes, and they have rather precise timing. I care more about aesthetics than precision, and really hoped we would find one in black or silver rather than white.  Nothing grabbed us, and it appeared that the digital ones were over twice the price of the basic white ones. 

Matters came to a head on Monday night, when Richard heard a strange electrical crackling sound in the kitchen, and eventually traced it to the microwave, although it wasn't in use. He unplugged it and the noise stopped. He forgot to tell me about it, so in the morning I plugged it in (assuming it was unplugged by mistake - it's right next to the plug socket that we use alternately for the kettle and frappe maker) and used the microwave to reheat some coffee. Then I heard a strange crackling noise... so I turned it off at the wall and the noise stopped.

Electrical crackling noises are a danger sign, so we knew we had to replace the microwave immediately.  We checked a few places online, and eventually found one we liked the look of, at not too steep a price, at George Theodorou, our favourite local white goods shop. It had a digital panel, and it was black and silver.  This shop has always given excellent service, so we decided to buy our new microwave there. 

We're not very good at disposing of old appliances. Our last non-functioning bread-maker sat on a table for several months before we got rid of it. But this time, Richard decided to be efficient. He put the old microwave oven in the car and we took it to the recycling centre before going to buy our new one.  

What I did not expect was that this is also a dual-function microwave, with a grill or combined way of cooking. But... this time we have instructions in English (as well as about forty other languages), and they are so much simpler.

Instead of having to remember which knob to use, and which of several apparently random functions was the one I wanted, I can do baked potatoes by pressing a single button marked, helpfully, 'jacket potato'. Last night I used the 'frozen vegetables' button, and this morning the 'reheat tea & coffee' button. I can't see us ever needing the 'pizza' or 'popcorn' buttons, and there isn't one for 'mug cake', but still.  I like it. 

This is so much easier to use that I might even try the grill or combination setting at some point if I can figure out why I might need either of them.  And it has the added benefit that the clock stays lit, making it far more useful than the one on our previous microwave, which only showed when the oven was in use. 

I expect appliances to last at least ten years, but when I checked, I found that microwaves are expected to last only about seven years (or less, with frequent use).  So eight years isn't too bad after all.

Carrefour microwave grill oven...

I was going to write this post on Friday, but then got distracted. I was amazed - and amused - by the apostrophe error in the large poster we saw on our way up the travelator in Carrefour. Consensus amongst those who have seen it appears to be that Xma must be Santa's ex-wife, and that he is selling off all her trees (perhaps in revenge?); if so, then then the punctuation was technically not in error after all...

Then yesterday I remembered that I'd taken a photo of an empty bag of frozen peas, and wondered if I could write a full-length post about such a mundane topic. I think I succeeded... it's a bit of a standing joke in our home that I can sometimes take a couple of sentences that don't communicate much and turn them into a lengthy A4 page that some people might even find vaguely interesting.  

But now, finally, I can reveal the reason we were in Carrefour in the first place.  

The ladies staying in our guest flat recently mentioned that they hadn't used the microwave oven, as it looked a bit too old, with so much of the paint worn away that there was a lot of metal showing. (We had asked them to let us know if any of the appliances or anything else was not working.) 

We can't remember how old that microwave is.. but we had it at our old house for some years, so it must be at least ten.  Probably more. It's done good service. And since we were given a very generous gift by these ladies, we thought that perhaps we might buy a new microwave.  Hence our trip to Carrefour.  We studied the various options, and then thought that perhaps we could move our current microwave - still functional and looking reasonably good, six-and-a-half years old - into the guest flat, and have a new one ourselves. 

Most of the ones on offer were small, and basic, like the one we've been using. But we kept coming back to this one, a Carrefour own brand that has 23 litres capacity (all the others were either 20l or 17l), and a grill (broiler) function in addition to the microwave. Better still, it was in the sale (thanks to Xma, perhaps?) and no more expensive than the others. And it was in a black and metallic cover which would go well with the rest of our kitchen.

So we bought it, and installed it, and indeed it looked good: 

We were slightly mystified by this metal stand that came with it, although perhaps that's only for times when the appliance is used for grill only:

Richard plugged it in and switched it on, and figured out how to set the time:

About five seconds later, the display went blank. Totally black all over. He thought the plug was faulty, took it out and put it in again, and it came on, and let him set it again. Five seconds later, it went blank. Pressing the triangle button made it display... for about five seconds.

We assume this is an EU requirement to save power, but rather a nuisance since having a clock on the microwave, always on display, can be very useful. 

We then looked at the display, and wondered what on earth to do to set the thing going. With our old one, one knob set the time, another the power, and that was it. 

I picked up the instruction guide, which was quite thick and looked hopeful:

Unfortunately, although there were instructions in French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Romanian and Greek, there were none in English.

My Greek is far too sketchy to make sense of instructions for an appliance, so I turned to the French, which, despite many decades since I studied it, still comes more easily to me than Greek. Alas, school French didn't include many of the words, but happily there were lots of little pictures in the instructions so I did manage to understand how to get the microwave part to work... just around the same time as Richard worked it out by looking at the icons on the screen and seeing what happened when he pressed them. 

So. We had worked out how to heat up a cup of previously-made coffee, which is a very important process in our house. 

Today, Richard being out, I decided to use the microwave/grill combined function for my lunch, as I had managed to figure out enough French to see how that worked.  G for Grill, C-1 and C-2 for different combinations of microwave/grill. No indication as to when one would use C-1 or C-2, but I tried them both, and even the grill alone. 

I didn't see any browning; it appeared to me that whichever function I pressed, the result was basically the same. 

Still, the complexity of this appliance reassures me that it's much better to leave our simple, intuitive (if older) microwave in our guest flat for people to use when in a hurry.