Swan retro digital microwave

Swan retro digital microwave summary

If retro is your style, look no further than Swan's range of kitchen appliances, including their microwave, which comes in 11 delicious colours – we reviewed sunny yellow, but there's sure to be one that to fit your décor.

Once unboxed and wiped down, the microwave is ready for action. The instruction book is straightforward, as is the machine itself, with just a small, round digital screen, two dials and star and pause buttons.

Read our full round-up of the best microwaves to buy

How easy is the Swan retro digital microwave to use?

The microwave is up and running in no time. Its simple display and instruction book are easy to navigate – meaning it doesn't take long to figure out how it works.

The footprint is small and the interior compact at just 20 litres – but it still manages an average-sized dinner plate. It's undoubtedly a super microwave for anyone for whom space is at a premium.

It may be small, but the Swan offers a range of auto-programmes, from defrosting by weight and 12 simple auto-cooking programmes, each with further choices. High power is 800w, with medium and low options for more gentle cooking.

Results

We started with defrosting frozen chicken breasts. A problem at the first hurdle – we couldn't add the precise weight for the chicken on the auto-defrost setting as the increments were 100g, and ours were 250g. We started at 200g; there was a bleep halfway through; we then flipped the chicken over as instructed and ran it to the end of the programme. The chicken was hot around the edges and at slightly thinner points cooked through. We fared much better defrosting manually.

Likewise, when baking potatoes, we had to run the auto-cook setting through twice to get a good result.

Summary

Putting the inaccurate auto-programme aside, the Swan is a lovely, uncomplicated microwave. We loved some of its smaller touches, such as the continuous end of programme reminder (which stops once you open the door), the child lock and stylish door handle.

Swan retro digital microwave oven specifications
Capacity: 20 litres
Wattage: microwave 800W
Dimensions: H260mm, W440mm, D321mm ‎

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