Family life with the LG NeoChef Microwave

If I had to list all the appliances in the kitchen that I use on a daily basis, a microwave would be at the top of my list.
I’ve had my trusty LG solardrome since 2011 and whilst it has seen better days, it’s a stalwart, being able to cook bacon, legs of lamb, cakes and much more, without breaking a sweat. But, whilst I love my old LG, it has a stationary cooking plate (it doesn’t spin) so when heating something up, you have to put up with one side that’s hotter than Mordor and the opposite being an extra from Frozen. So we’ve been looking to buy a new one and this new microwave needs to:

• Heat food evenly and quickly
• Be easy to clean because there will be days when I forget to wipe some splodges away
• Be multi-functional
• Be easy to use on those days when I just want to shove some food in, press a button and be done.

So, I was thrilled when LG offered to send me the new LG NeoChef Microwave to replace my old one, and help make family cooking a little easier.

It’s rather attractive, don’t you think?
With easy touch controls and a tempered glass front, it’s a sleek design and size that makes it fit universally in most kitchen spaces. The LG inverter technology means that heat is evenly distributed throughout foods with more precise temperature control. As it’s 1200 watts, it’s incredibly fast which, in a world where everything needs to be done in seconds, is great. There is also a child safety lock, which is a must because Rosie is enjoying finding new things to open which she can fill with pencils and mummy’s makeup brushes. What really caught my eye though, was the Anti-bacterial EasyClean, because anything that makes cleaning easier is a solid win.

We set it up in place of our old LG, and got ready to put it to the Hutton test. As soon as we plugged it in, it sang. No jokes. LG have eliminated the ping sound and replaced it with a melody that makes Rosie dance every time she hears it.

That evening I used it to heat up Rosie’s food, and within 30 seconds, her meal was piping hot and ready to go.

Defrosting meat is an even breeze.

For bakers, there are a number of settings for softening and melting butter and chocolate and for the adventurous among us, you can make yogurt in it – I have yet to master the courage to try this.

THE REAL TEST

Aside from cream teas, fish and chips, sticky toffee pudding and hob knobs, British people LOVE (and need) roast dinners. It’s a well known fact that we cannot survive for longer than a week without one.

The whole reason for buying our first LG was because we had a terrible oven and we needed something that could act as an oven and a microwave..which the NeoChef Microwave does stupendously well.

I took one 1.4kg chicken and sprinkled it with salt, pepper, olive oil, paprika, rosemary and a few leeks. I popped it in a glass dish, which the NeoChef Microwave manual told me to do, and then I placed it in the microwave. I pressed invertor cook, turned the dial to the corresponding number for chicken (1-3) and turned the dial for the size. I then pressed start. The Microwave told me I had 42 minutes to wait until it was done so I walked away to get Rosie to bed.
When the sound of chimes filled the air, the chicken was ready and it was cooked to perfection – I didn’t even turn the chicken over which they say you should do.  For someone who is chasing around an active toddler, and who has the worst memory ever, the ease of cooking a dish (of such importance) is vital.

I’ll be trying out another recipe in the microwave to share on the blog soon 

So after two weeks of being in our home, how is it doing? Here’s my pros and cons list:

Pros:

It makes a noise

It’s super quick

Food doesn’t stick to the inside

The bright internal light makes watching your food very easy

It has a child lock

Cons:

It makes a noise – when you’re tiptoing about kid’s nap and bed times, jingles aren’t the best thing to reverberate around your house

You can’t bake a cake in it…or perhaps I just haven’t fully read up on its capabilities

For an appliance to have just two con is quite rare so if you’re in the market for a new Microwave to handle busy, daily living, then I think this is for you.

For more info, check out the LG website….or come round for a roast dinner some time…