The “microwave replacement” device trend: what it does better, and where it still fails

How the microwave fell out of favour

A small rebellion has been brewing in UK kitchens, and it’s not really about cooking technique. It’s about identity. The old, humming microwave-long the undisputed king of “something hot in three minutes”-is being nudged aside by sleeker, smarter-looking boxes that promise the same convenience without the soggy compromises. Air fryers, smart ovens, rapid cookers, compact “infrawave” grills with names that sound like they belong in a sci‑fi franchise. They’re sold as a shortcut to crisp chips, juicy chicken, and a life where reheated food doesn’t taste like a punishment.

You can feel the shift the second you walk into someone’s place: the microwave is shoved to the edge (sometimes unplugged entirely), while a matte-black gadget sits pride of place, glowing like a little badge of good taste. People talk about their air fryer the way they talk about a new car. They swap times and settings like insider tips. And still-when it’s late, you’re wiped out, and you just want yesterday’s curry hot now-it’s fair to ask whether this “microwave replacement” wave is a real upgrade, or just a very glossy distraction.

For years, the microwave was the unchallenged ruler of weeknights. It presided over baked beans, jacket potatoes, revived coffee, and those slightly tragic plastic trays that hiss behind their film lids. It never tried to be charming. It was the appliance you used when proper cooking had already gone wrong-or never got off the ground. Reliable, a bit ugly, and usually hiding crumbs from something that exploded.

Then the story changed. Somewhere between lockdown banana bread and the cost of living crisis, the microwave started to represent the things people wanted to leave behind: laziness, “ultra-processed” food, and not making an effort. Instagram filled with air fryer tricks, TikTok churned out smart oven dinners, and the microwave began to look like a relic from the era of CDs and MSN Messenger. The ideal shifted from simply fast to fast, but also crisp, wholesome-looking, and faintly aspirational.

Most of us have met the microwave at its worst: reheated pizza with a floppy base, cheese turned into a rubbery blanket, and all the joy drained away. That disappointment is exactly the gap the new gadgets position themselves to fill. They don’t just offer, “I’ll warm this up.” They hint, “You could be that person-the one who roasts veg midweek and never eats a limp chip again.”

Microwave replacements in 2026: what actually improves (and what doesn’t)

On paper, the new kit is genuinely impressive. The modern air fryer-the headline act-is basically a compact, high-powered convection oven with great PR and a basket that makes you feel like you’re running a one-person chippy. It pushes hot air around food so it browns and crisps instead of steaming. Smart ovens and combi-ovens can go further, pairing fan cooking with grilling and, in some models, steam-tricks the old beige microwave was never designed for. Put food in raw and it comes out looking like someone paid attention.

Texture: the clear win

The biggest advantage is texture. An air fryer doesn’t merely heat leftovers; it can revive them. Chips regain bite instead of turning into soggy regret. A leftover slice of margherita can come back with a crisp underside and bubbling cheese, rather than the sweaty wedge a microwave often delivers. Chicken thighs can get properly golden skin without smoking out the kitchen or waiting ages for a full-size oven to preheat.

The health halo (and the quiet smugness)

The second benefit is health-or, more precisely, the feeling of being healthier. Air fryer fans love the simple comparison: similar taste, less oil. You can coat potatoes with a teaspoon of oil and still get crunch. Frozen nuggets that might otherwise be dunked in deep fat can feel like a slightly less guilty choice. When you’re watching the budget without living entirely on beige freezer food, that perception carries weight.

There’s also an emotional side people mention less. Using an air fryer or mini smart oven can feel like “doing something”, even if it’s mostly pressing a preset. You’re not “zapping” dinner; you’re “prepping” it. That tiny boost in self-respect-however shaky the reality-can be the difference between feeling like adulthood is unravelling and feeling like you’re managing.

Speed vs reality: does anything truly beat the microwave for time?

Every one of these gadgets lives or dies by the clock. The microwave earned our forgiveness for crimes against pastries and bread because it’s fast. Yes, it can turn a croissant into a sad sponge-but it will do it before you’ve even unlocked your phone. When you’ve finished a late shift, or you’re juggling homework with bedtime meltdowns, speed isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the point.

So do microwave replacements actually win on time? Sometimes, yes. If you’re cooking from raw-salmon fillets, a tray of vegetables, frozen chips-an air fryer can beat a full-size oven because preheating takes minutes rather than ten. You can pull together a decent dinner in the time it used to take to find the takeaway menu. With energy prices making you wince at the click of the big oven light, that efficiency can feel like a real plus.

Where the dream falls apart

The dream starts to wobble the moment you’re reheating rather than cooking. That still belongs to the microwave. Heating soup in a microwave is pure efficiency: bowl in, a couple of minutes, job done. Try the same thing with most air fryers and you’re decanting, hunting for ovenproof dishes, or switching to the hob and washing up a pan. At 22:30 after a long commute, that extra faff feels massive.

Capacity is another sticking point. A typical air fryer will happily sort chips for two, or a chicken breast with some veg. But once you’re feeding a family of four-or you want to reheat multiple plates at once-you’re cramming baskets like a game of Tetris with hot metal. The microwave may be boring, but it takes a full dinner plate or a large lasagne dish without complaint. Realistically, very few people are doing three separate air fryer rounds every evening unless they’re filming it for social media.

Energy use, running costs, and the everyday maths

One part of the chat that needs more honesty is running costs. A smaller appliance can be cheaper to run than heating a full-size oven cavity, especially for single portions. In reality, the savings hinge on how you use it: lots of small, repeated batches in an air fryer can eat into any advantage, and longer cook times in a mini oven add up too. The real “win” usually comes from matching the tool to the job-using a compact device for compact tasks, rather than defaulting to the biggest option in the kitchen.

It’s also worth thinking about waste. If a new gadget genuinely nudges you towards cooking more from raw ingredients and relying less on throwaway ready meals, it can cut food waste and stretch your weekly shop further. But if it becomes a bulky second oven that mainly reheats wedges and garlic bread, the financial case gets wobbly.

The psychology of upgrading your kitchen

Buying a shiny microwave replacement carries a quiet message: I’m trying. It signals that you care about your food and you’re not resigned to soggy pasta trays and instant noodles. It’s a bit like swapping an old tracksuit for decent jeans-nothing magical changes, but you carry yourself with a touch more dignity.

For some people, that upgrade really is transformative. Households that barely used the oven start roasting vegetables several nights a week. Students who might once have survived on beans on toast begin batch-cooking chicken and freezing portions. Parents with fussy kids find carrots become fractionally more acceptable when they’re crisp at the edges and caramelised rather than boiled into submission. Those small improvements can bring real, everyday joy.

The problem is that expectations grow to match the gadget. You picture “healthy fakeaways” twice a week, perfect salmon every time, crunchy chickpeas for snacks. It turns up, you unbox it like a gift to your future self, and for a fortnight you become an evangelist. Then work gets messy, school emails pile up, and suddenly the gadget is mostly used for supermarket garlic bread. The microwave, for all its bluntness, never claimed it would turn you into a new person.

The awkward realities the adverts gloss over

The glossy clips never show the cleaning. Sticky baskets. Oddly burnt corners because you followed a US recipe and your UK model runs hotter. They don’t show you realising-only after pressing start-that yesterday’s crumbs are still wedged underneath the tray. They definitely don’t include the moment you clock the kitchen smells faintly of last week’s sausages because the rack didn’t get a proper scrub.

Microwaves are surprisingly forgiving here: wipe the turntable, swish a cloth round the inside, and you’re basically done. With air fryers and mini ovens, there are bits-grills, racks, perforated trays. Some are dishwasher-safe, some really aren’t, and some technically survive the dishwasher but come out looking like they’ve been through a minor disaster. It’s dull, real-life friction, and it rarely appears in anyone’s breathless review.

Space and cost are the other unglamorous constraints. Not every home has the worktop depth for a chunky air fryer next to the kettle. In many small UK kitchens, each new purchase forces a choice: toaster, bread bin, microwave-something has to move. And these gadgets aren’t always cheap. A good combi-oven sold as a “microwave replacement” can cost the equivalent of a month’s energy bill for some households, which is a serious outlay for an appliance that may end up reheating pizza and frozen wedges most of the time.

Where the microwave still quietly wins

Strip away the hype and the microwave is still unbeatable at certain jobs. Heating drinks. Melting butter or chocolate. Defrosting the food you absolutely meant to take out of the freezer hours ago. Warming a single portion of stew or curry when you’re too tired to remember where the frying pan lives. No sleek drawer, app-controlled oven, or fancy grill bar beats the simplicity of pressing 2:00 and walking away.

There’s also comfort in its lack of judgement. The microwave doesn’t care if you’ve had a dreadful day, if your mental health is in bits, if you’re eating alone because the house is quieter than it used to be. It doesn’t judge the ready meal, and it doesn’t make you feel guilty for “underusing” it. It hums, spins, dings, and hands you hot food. That predictability matters more than we like to admit.

For people with mobility issues, ADHD, tight budgets, or simply limited bandwidth, the microwave can still be a lifeline. No preheating, no halfway checks, no deciding which rack to use, no turning food mid-cook. It isn’t glamorous, but it’s accessible in a way many do-it-all gadgets aren’t. There’s a reason nearly every rental, office kitchen, and student flat still includes one by default.

So, are microwave replacements misleading us?

The uncomfortable truth is that most microwave replacements aren’t true replacements at all. They’re different tools-and when you treat them that way, they’re brilliant. The air fryer makes most sense as a compact, efficient oven that excels at cooking and crisping. A smart oven or combi-oven can make proper weeknight meals easier, not just resurrect leftovers. Used in that lane, they’re genuine upgrades. Forced into the job description of “microwave 2.0”, they start to strain.

A healthier approach is straightforward: let the microwave do what it’s best at, and let the newer devices do what they do best. Keep the microwave for chaotic evenings when you just need food hot immediately. Reach for the air fryer or smart oven when you’ve got ten spare minutes and you want dinner to feel like a small act of self-care rather than pure damage control. No drama, no guilt, and no imaginary personality test based on which button you press.

Maybe the real shift isn’t about replacing the microwave at all-it’s about being more honest about how we actually live. Some nights you’ll batch-roast vegetables in your shiny gadget and feel quietly proud. Other nights you’ll pierce a plastic film lid and wait for the familiar hum. Both are valid. Not every appliance needs to reinvent you; sometimes it only needs to get dinner onto a plate.