The Sharp appliance is deeper than most, which means there’s less usable worktop space in front of it once it’s in position on the worktop. To its credit, it has ridiculously effective non-slip feet that work similarly to suction pads. Once in place, this appliance is difficult to move; it will be well and truly attached to whichever surface you place it on. Using the convection oven to cook a slice of frozen pizza on the supplied baking tray was interesting. The weight options for auto cooking pizza are 150, 300 and 450g, with 18-, 19- and 20-minute cooking times respectively. To be fair. though, this includes the time it takes for the oven to warm up.

Being a flatbed model, cleaning will not be an issue as its easy to access with no awkward turntable to take out and clean separately.Keep on top of any cooking or baking elsewhere in the kitchen with this handy timer, easy to set and will alert you once the timer has counted down.

Finally, cleaning the appliance was a breeze, thanks to the glass flatbed. If you’d suffered a culinary explosion then cleaning would be more fiddly as result of the exposed grill element at the top and the ventilation holes in the rear and sides. But still, on a day-to-day basis the Sharp R861SLM is easier to clean than a microwave with a turntable. This Sharp model has a sleek appearance and is cost-effective. It’s best suited to those who want a combination microwave for occasional use, but won’t be relying on it in place of a regular oven and grill. Overall the Sharp 900w Combination Flatbed Microwave R861 is a fantastic flatbed combination microwave with lots of features that will leave your happy you made the choice. However, cooking was even, you couldn’t tell which way round the pizza had been sitting. The top was nicely browned, the edges crisp – but not too crisp – and on the underside there was no soggy bottom in sight. The NN-DF386BBPQ is a 3-in-1 combination microwave giving you a microwave – oven – grill all in one appliance. This offers great flexibility when deciding the best way to cook and heat up your foods.

More about this manual

The Sharp looks modern thanks to its oven-style pull-down door and flatbed design; there’s no turntable. This results in significantly more cooking space, which is great so long as the appliance does a good job of cooking food evenly. A flat turntable-free design accommodating all of your dishes, big or small and it's also easier to clean. The power levels and grill temperature not adjustable on combi microwave/grill function, and it's hard to know if combi 1 or 2 is the best choice as the instructions give very little information The Sharp 900w Combination Flatbed Microwave R861 comes with non-slip feet leaving little danger of the microwave moving once you set it on your counter.

You get plenty for your money with the Sharp, plus it cooks fairly evenly and it looks attractive. But the vibration and noise proved annoying. It combines 3 appliances in 1 with a microwave, grill and convection based oven with a flatbed base (no turntable). The flatbed base gives you much more cooking capacity than a standard turntable microwave– great for those large or awkward dishes. As you would expect with a flatbed design, cleaning the machine is quite easy as you can access the base with no trouble. If your budget will stretch a little further to a combi then opt for the Panasonic NN-DF386. If you only need a microwave then the compact Beko MOF 20110 is also worth a look. Verdict

Inverter Technology will mean that your meals are cooked and heated evenly throughout putting an end to repeated goes in the microwave trying to kill the cold spots. As well as being less annoying this will also mean less energy usage and more time for you.