How Big is a Microwave?

A microwave oven is a type of oven that uses radiation to heat food. It is one of the most common small kitchen appliances in the world. This is the perfect kitchen companion for people with hectic daily schedules who do not have time to prepare elaborate meals.

Microwave ovens come in a variety of sizes and these sizes determine the amount of food you can heat inside the oven per use.

How Big is a Microwave?

There are basically four general sizes of microwave ovens: Portable, Compact, Medium and Large.

Portable

“How big is a microwave?” that is known as the Portable type, is usually around eleven inches high by fifteen inches wide by approximately ten inches deep.

These specifications roughly translate to twenty-eight centimeters in height by thirty-eight centimeters in width by twenty-five centimeters in depth.

Compact

On the other hand, “How big is a microwave?” for the Compact type is generally about twenty inches wide by fourteen inches deep by twelve inches high.

In centimeters, these dimensions are about fifty centimeters in width by thirty-five centimeters in depth by thirty centimeters in height.

Incidentally, this size is the most common microwave size found in homes.

Medium

The answer to “How big is a microwave?” for the Medium type, is that it is generally only slightly bigger than a Compact microwave. What you will probably notice right away regarding the dimensions of this oven is that it is considerably wider than its Compact counterpart.

The interiors of this oven ranges from 1.1 cubic feet up to 1.6 cubic feet and this is generally considered as a “family” microwave oven.

Large

Finally, for “How big is a microwave?” of the Large variety, this is more than fifty centimeters in width and about fifty centimeters in depth. The height of this oven is at least thirty centimeters.

This is perfect for casseroles that measure approximately twenty-five by thirty-five centimeters.

Microwave-Safe Containers

Before using your microwave oven, it is important that you check first if the container you will be putting inside the oven is “microwave safe.” This will prevent accidents from occurring and also prevent your oven from breaking down.

Usually, food containers available in the market these days indicate on their labels if they are microwave safe so you shouldn’t have a problem looking for these in groceries or supermarkets.

Since microwaves use radiation to heat the food, it is important that you only use dishes or containers that are designed for microwave ovens since the wrong container may catch fire which could result in a bigger accident.