The consumer champion tested a variety of recipes using air fryers, microwaves, pressure cookers and slow cookers to see what appliance would come out on top.

It's a good way to cook up a storm in a busy household giving you almost endless cooking possibilities. Advanced features - if you have little ones at home features like automatic safety locks and clear doors for easy viewing.With most of the electronics sitting underneath – as opposed to on the side of – the main body, it takes up relatively little space and has all the functions you'd expect from a basic microwave.

Combination microwaves tend to be pricier, so it's worth looking at a solo microwave if you only plan to heat up and defrost foods. as real users, posing a threat to a site’s security, so the site sometimes runs random security checks. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you.

The cost savings will soon be lost if you have to cook more than one batch though, so it’s still better to use your oven if you’re cooking large quantities.

Flatbed models are a bit more expensive but are becoming more competitive as increase for demand rises. There's 19 in-built smart presets including Smart Cook, Smart Reheat and Smart Defrost which allow you to have full control of the temperatures when cooking your favourites. The EasyView window lets you see your food cooking and it's large 28 litre capacity lets you cook more food at once. There's a button for every need you could think of - including melting caramel, chocolate or softening butter - great if you're an avid baker and you usually find yourself burning ingredients when melting them on the hob.The large detailed display makes it easy to navigate the varied smart menu, while there are ten additional shortcut buttons hidden inside the door for quick access. AUTO-COOK SETTINGS - Make your time in the kitchen a little bit easier by choosing from one of the 8 pre-set options to cook your food perfectly. A 'solo 'microwave, as the name implies, is a microwave that performs a single basic function: heating and defrosting. If you were to opt for the oven instead, you’d also have to pay 24p - three times as much as it would cost when using an air fryer.

The oven took the longest amount of time and used 37p worth of energy - over 7 times more than the microwave.The pull handle makes for easy access, while the flatbed interior allows you to fit more food and a larger, square plates inside to cook - plus the large 23 litre capacity. To help you decide which type to choose, we've rounded off our picks of the best microwaves on the market as well as some of the things to look for. This is the overall score for microwave heating when the microwave has previously been in use and has warmed up. It features eight automatic programs to easily cook meals, re-heat and defrost meals - which is the minimum you'll need for basic cooking. Flatbeds do the opposite, without the rotating table; which promises to cook food more thoroughly on its flat inner surface.