I was perfectly satisfied with my 15 year-old countertop microwave I had before remodeling our kitchen last year. It was like an old friend--comfortable, reliable, and trustworthy. Unfortunately, we decided that an over-the-range model would better suit our needs in our new kitchen. We wanted something stylish but also powerful, specifically with the strongest possible fan. The answer:
GE Profile Spacemaker Over-the Range Microwave (JVM2070). From the moment I saw it I knew I had found a new love.
Main Product Features
We knew this was our perfect choice for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we knew we wanted a stainless steel microwave and this definitely fit the bill. It's sleek and good looking and coordinates perfectly with our other stainless steel appliances we got when we remodeled our kitchen. At
30 inches wide it fits perfectly over our
gas cooktop. Although we would have loved to have a hood, we decided to go for an over-the-range microwave oven due to space constraints of our kitchen. Which brought us to the final reason: this microwave has a strong, powerful fan with 3-speeds and a vent boost, essential for any family which does a lot of stir-fry cooking like we do. Most microwaves have exhaust fans of 220-CFM or lower. This GE model comes with a whopping
315-CFM fan. Of course, if you got a hood, you'd get a lot more CFM, but this was the next best thing.
This
1100 watt microwave is larger and more powerful than our old countertop model and is actually more microwave than we probably need for most of our needs. The removable glass turntable has a diameter of 14 inches and the microwave itself has
2.0 cubic feet. I can easily fit in large dinner plates as well as a large casserole dish for reheating. In addition it comes with two oven racks, which I have yet to use.
Of course, this microwave comes with a lot of bells and whistles. However, it is still a fairly simple microwave to operate. It features an
EasyGuide Touchscreen Menu system which guides you through the cooking process if you choose to use some of the advance features. However, I find I rarely use the cook-by-food features, instead almost exclusively relying upon cook-by-time, or more often than not, the
30 second express button.
Additional features
~~Reheat sensor programs for the select foods/dishes
~~Cook by food sensor programs for select foods and drink
~~Melt
~~Soften
~~Defrost
~~Time Cook 1 & 2
~~Delay cooking
~~Popcorn Express program
My overall impressions
The regular price of this microwave was close to $600, but with some discounts we got it around $500. Still it's quite a bit of money for an appliance we use on an irregular basis. Yup, I am actually one of those people who shun microwave meals and prefer using my stove to cook. Nonetheless there are times when I need a microwave and this does a fantastic job. It also does double duty for us since we use the fan probably more than the microwave oven itself.
The microwave itself is very powerful and really heats fast. I realized that my old microwave was really quite pathetic when I started using this and found I virtually could cut in half my reheating times. I also like that it has a regular handle and not a push button mechanism to open the door.
The touchscreen menu is quite easy and intuitive, and doesn't force you to guess where to start first. It's also easy to adjust or change the power level, even in the middle of heating/reheating food. Even my husband, who can put together a computer, but struggles with everyday appliances, finds it easy to use and doesn't need my assistance. We both find that we use the 30-second express button the most, even for items taking longer than 30 seconds. It's almost easier to push to express button a couple times than to use to the cook-by-time option.
One of the features I like most besides the 30-second express are melt and soften features. I mean, who remembers to take butter or margarine out to soften before making cookies? Not me. Now it doesn't matter. Just stick it on a plate, pop in the micro, and it's preprogrammed to melt or soften specified amounts such as one stick or half a stick. Very convenient!
The vent boost feature is quite cool. When we had it installed we had it connected to our outside vent and I can tell if I go outside that fan on this microwave is really doing a great job of sucking out the smells while I cook. One nice thing, too, is this microwave is programmed to remind you to change the filter.
But there are a few things I don't like about this microwave . . .
I have used upon occasion the reheat feature when my husband comes home late from work. The sensor on this microwave does work but I find the operation of this feature a little bit annoying. After popping in the plate, and pressing the reheat option for plate, it starts reheating with no time indicated, but giving you the option of less done or more done. I have found it best to indicate less done. 30 seconds before it "senses" that it done, the timer pops up. On several occasions, however, I have opened the door before the timer and the microwave starts angrily beeping at me, indicating that I have interrupted the sensor. I finally have given up on this option and almost exclusively reheat by time, adjusting the power level as needed.
The defrost feature is something that I have used a few times as well but find it less than satisfactory. First problem is it requires you to enter the weight of food. While this may be simple with a large chunk of meat, I have to sit and think how much weight to enter for a couple of hot dogs or similar small item. I also find that it doesn't defrost any better than my old microwave. Even though you can hear the microwave power shifting from different levels in an attempt to defrost slowly, the result is still the same, with the edges of meat slightly cooked.
Cleaning
I use stainless steel wipes to keep the stainless steel clean and glass cleaner for the window portion. The glass turntable is a quite big for the dishwasher so I prefer to wash it by hand. The inside cleans out easily with any standard countertop spray such as 409.
If you don't have stainless steel cleaner or wipes, I do recommend getting some as Windex will streak the stainless steel.
Thoughts and Recommendation
Despite my issues with sensor cooking and defrost option, I still really like the
GE Profile Spacemaker Over-the Range Microwave (JVM2070).. I didn't really get it to do cooking and the defrosting option is something I rarely used on my old microwave anyhow. It is a nice size, although perhaps a little large for most of my simple heating/reheating. The microwave is simple to use and reheats quickly. We're also quite pleased with its strong fan. Most over the range microwaves have pretty whimpy fans--this beats it competition hands down in this category.
I've been using it over a year now and am very pleased with its performance. I thought I'd miss my old microwave but I quickly found out that I really don't. Sure it might be a little bit overkill for my needs but please don't take it away from me! Strong 4 star rating.
