Whether you're a fan of low-effort ready meals, or love reheating your leftovers without any fuss, the humble microwave is a bit of a kitchen staple.

It's also one of those appliances that's a little hard to shop for — they largely all look the same, and it can be pretty difficult to know what to look for, beyond price, when you're trying to pick between different makes and models.

With that in mind, we've rounded up the best models on the market for you, to give you a look at some of the very best options. Read on to find out what's made the cut.

Our Top Pick:

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Panasonic NN-SF464MBPQ

Best all-round option

Panasonic's microwave is brilliant, all the more so because it innovates on previous models by losing the rotating tray.

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Panasonic NN-SF464MBPQ

Panasonic's microwave is brilliant, all the more so because it innovates on previous models by losing the rotating tray.

We're starting with an immediate twist on what you expect from a microwave. This great model from Panasonic ditches the age-old tray, instead letting your put your food anywhere inside it while still getting an even cooking treatment. It's got 27 litres of capacity, more than enough for us.

The extra space you gain by not relying on a tray is the main benefit here, but it's also easy to use and has enough smarts to offer a range of auto-cooking features and defrosting. As with all the brands we've picked, it's also got longevity. What more could you want?

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Sage Quick Touch Crisp

If money is no object

With loads of presets and the option for granular control, it's no wonder this has got a celebrity chef's seal of approval.

Quick Touch Crisp

Amazon

If you want more of a personal touch on the machine you bring into your kitchen, though, perhaps Sage has the answer for you. This combination microwave and oven has a bit of class. It can defrost, microwave and even grill your food, and is nice and powerful, leading to shorter cooking times.

Despite having fairly complicated options if you want them, the controls are also simple and easy to use, which is a great combination. Of course, it isn't a cheap option by any stretch.

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Russell Hobbs RHM2031

Keep it simple

If you don't feel the need for masses of complicated controls, Russell Hobbs' microwave still delivers quality performance.

With a classic stainless steel design, and also packing pared-back controls, Russell Hobbs has made a great microwave here and managed to squeeze a grill in, too, at a price that wouldn't normally get you extra features.

That makes it adaptable and useful for different types of cooking and finishes. Its 20-litre size is also on the generous end for a microwave, and a little extra space never hurt anyone in this field.

One little feature that we're fond of is the delay timer, which lets you put your dish in but stop it from starting for a period, useful for planning meals in advance and not having to worry during that plating-up rush.

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Samsung MS28J5215AS

As beautiful as microwaves get

We're big fans of the sleek, black look of this microwave from Samsung.

If you fancy spending a little less and don't mind about a celebrity chef having had a little input on its design, Samsung's microwave is a simple, cheerful option.

It's much less expensive, but still has a good 28-litre capacity and a range of functions including a plate-warming option that we love (if you're not warming your plates before eating hot food, please start doing so).

Its design is fairly slick given the price, and might even give off the impression of a bigger investment than you actually made, which is always welcome.

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Alexa Smart Oven

Go connected

The smart oven that set the world alight, there's nothing like getting Alexa to help you make dinner. 

Amazon Smart Oven with Echo Dot

Amazon

Sometimes smart devices can feel like answers to questions no one was posing, a bit like, "What if a microwave could have Alexa?".

Amazon obliged by releasing the Alexa Smart Oven, though it's still only in the US for now.

In fairness, it makes this list, not for novelty, but because it is genuinely smart, letting you ask for specific cooking styles with your voice, and packing convection oven, air fryer and food warming tech in the bundle.

A temperature probe even lets you check when things are cooked through, making for a feature set that's nearly unmatched. It'll take some getting used to, though, and you'll have to live with the idea of Alexa knowing what you eat and when.

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Bosch Serie 2 HMT72M450B

Great budget choice

Sometimes you just want simplicity, which is what this model from Bosch offers in spades.

For our final pick, we've stripped things back to the simplest controls we've found pretty much anywhere on the market (with quality to go with them).

This Bosch oven gives you a power dial and a timer, nothing more. The fact that both are analogue dials does mean that you can feel in the lap of the gods at times, but we think it could be worth it for the simplicity that you gain.

Whatever your ready meal tells you to use, settings-wise, follow those instructions, and you're away. Sometimes there's just no need to make life more complicated.